The Naughty List

By Meg Leigh

(This short holiday story is a sequel to Hunter's Bond, A Sip available from Torquere Books)

Casey knelt on the floor next to the half decorated Christmas tree. Resting back on his heels, he studied the tree while he threaded a strand of tinsel between his fingers. He glanced at the Christmas cards strung across the mantel, one in particular catching his eye. What do you wish for… was written in raised, white text, against a backdrop of firelight and tinsel. Casey sighed. To go back, he thought. Back before Shiloh. He closed his eyes for a moment knowing where this train of thought was taking him, and not wanting to go there. But like a movie with no pause or stop button those distressing months ran through his mind.

On a hunt for a vampire, Casey was bitten and then the downward spiral began. Casey shook his head, opening his eyes and drinking in the sight of the tree, adorned with shining baubles, twinkling lights and silver tinsel that caught and refracted the light. I could at least do something about the scars, he mused. I’ve got some money saved, it might be enough to pay for cosmetic surgery. If he could just get Jack to agree to the removal of the tiny, knotted patch of scar tissue on his chest, a legacy of a bite which Casey inflicted. “Of course he won’t agree, though,” Casey told himself.

“Won’t agree to what?” Jack’s voice startled him and Casey whipped around, looking into the puzzled eyes of his lover. Jack was framed in the archway that led to the kitchen, two steaming mugs of cocoa in his hands.

“Uh–nothing…” Casey forced a smile to his lips, and cursed himself when his eyes dropped to Jack’s chest, knowing that the soft sweater his partner wore concealed the scar he’d been thinking about.

“Nothing, huh?” Jack walked over and handed Casey a mug of hot chocolate. “Tree looks good,” he said as he sat down on the couch and took a sip of cocoa.

“I was thinking about what to give you for Christmas,” Casey admitted, settling for half the truth. He knew Jack read him like a book and was on to the lie. “What do you think. Some vouchers? A full detail and tune up for Lola?” He smiled and took a scalding mouthful of chocolate. The heat of it on his tongue made him swallow convulsively and brought tears to his eyes. “Crap, what’d you heat that in, a nuclear reactor?”

Jack chuckled. “You know I like it hot, Case.”

“I won’t be able to taste my Christmas turkey,” Casey grumbled. He set the mug aside and turned to the tree again, threading tinsel among the branches.

“You gonna tell me what you were really thinkin’ about?”

Casey stilled. “I told you. Christmas presents.”

“Uh-huh.” Disbelief was thick in Jack’s tone. Casey let his shoulders droop in defeat. He got up off the floor, picked up his mug and went to sit next to Jack.

“I was thinking. I’ve got some money saved–I mean since we moved in together my expenses have been a little less.” He smiled. “I thought, maybe–I mean, if you wanted to, I could–could put it towards having the scars–”

“I don’t want to get rid of them, Casey.”

He caught the edge of warning, but pushed on. “It’s just–I wish that we could go back.” He closed his eyes. “Like it was before.”

“It can be that way, Casey.” Jack sighed. “Those marks prove that you loved me enough not to–”

“They prove that I damn near killed you!”

“You didn’t.” Jack looked into Casey’s eyes, his own gleaming with the light of determination. “You didn’t even come close. Even Malcolm says that when a Vampire means to kill he goes for the throat. There are no major blood vessels where you bit me. We’ve had this discussion a dozen times, Case. I’m not getting rid of them. It’s my body.”

Casey closed his eyes. “Fine. We’ll go with the full detail for the Mustang, then.” He sighed, defeated. “I kiss you there every time we make love. I–I get reminded of what I did.”

“Then you need to get past it.” Jack reached for Casey’s mug, taking it from him and setting both mugs on the floor. He pulled Casey into his arms and kissed his forehead. “Learn to see them the way I do. A mark of your love.”

Casey pulled away, looking up into Jack’s eyes. “You always did have a way of sweet talking your way out of anything,” he said softly.

Jack chuckled, pulling him closer. “I love you, and I don’t want to fight. It’s Christmas.”

“Hey, it’s not like I want to fight,” Casey replied. “I mean, Old Saint Nick knows if you’ve been naughty or nice, and I was kinda hoping to make the nice list this year.”

“Damn, and here I was banking on giving you that lump of coal,” Jack said.

“Oh that’ll be handy, I can break it up all over that precious car of yours and then hand you your gift wrapped sponge.” He twisted away, yelping when Jack swatted his butt. “And you give coal at new year, not Christmas,” he sassed, dodging when Jack made a grab for hm.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Jack lunged. Grabbing Casey around his waist, he swung him around and dumped him on the sofa. Pinning him down, Jack began to tickle him.

“I–argh! I m-might. Jack!” Casey squirmed, laughing helplessly. “Stop it!”

“Right, that does it. You’re on my naughty list, buster! And I know just what to do with naughty boys. You’re in big trouble.”

Still chuckling, breathless, Casey wrapped his arms around his lover’s back. “Couldn’t I plead temporary insanity with Santa’s elves?” he gasped.

“You can plead all you want,” Jack replied. “But naughty boys on my list have to be dealt with.” He grinned, dipping to take a kiss from Casey’s lips and then pulled back, looking into Casey’s eyes. “Lemme see. I could assign you extra homework. I could make you grade papers.” A shit-eating grin crossed his features. “Or, if you suck up in just the right way, I might be persuaded to get–er–let you off.”

“I’m really good at sucking, Sir.” Casey let his voice dip to a seductive purr. “Maybe I could give you a demonstration.”

“Oh really,” Jack grinned down at him. “I think that’s an excellent idea.” When he didn’t shift his weight, Casey squirmed.

“Uh–Professor? It’s kind of hard to do in this position.” Casey chuckled as Jack moved to let him up. He reached for his partner, shoving him down on the sofa and straddling the lean hips. “I love you, you know.”

“I know. Love you, too.” A tiny tremor ran through Jack, and Casey leaned down to claim his partner’s mouth, kissing him deep, tongue probing, tasting cocoa and something that was all Jack. He pulled back, fingers sliding under Jack’s sweater, pushing it up, tracing over silken skin and tickling through the light dusting of hair on Jack’s chest.

Leaning forward, Casey kissed a line from one nipple to the other and laved with his tongue, teasing the little nub erect. Jack moaned.

“Love that naughty tongue of yours, too,” Jack murmured as Casey began to work his way downward.

Casey chuckled, nuzzling his lips into the light trail of hair that led from Jack’s navel, he breathed, soft and warm across the coarse hairs, and then nipped, tugging on hair with his teeth. He felt a low growl vibrate through his lover and he smiled, working to unbutton Jack’s jeans and tug them down so that Jack’s cock sprang free.

“Fuck, baby,” Jacked breathed. “You get me so fucking hot!”

“And this is all good, I hope,” Casey replied. “Cause I really need to get off of the teacher’s naughty list.” He swiped his tongue across the tip of that twitching, leaking cock, a thrill running through him when Jack arched up, muttering soft curses.

Casey looked up along Jack’s body, meeting passion darkened eyes. “Steady there, old man. All good things come to those who wait.”

“Hey, watch it with the ‘old man’ stuff if you want to pass this course.”

Grinning, Casey ducked his head, swiping his tongue along the length of Jack’s cock, the skin silky and hot. He kissed the tip and moaned softly, pausing to say, “Just relax, sir, and let me work on my grades.” He watched as Jack raised his hands to grip the padded arm of the sofa above his head, his dark eyes never leaving Casey’s.

“Oh, that’s so good, sir. Yeah, you just hold on tight and pretend I’ve got you completely at my mercy.” He turned his head a little kissing the firm flesh of Jack’s thighs, either side of that beautiful cock and then leaned in and sucked the plump head into his mouth.

Soft, needy moans filled the air, and Jack’s hips pushed upward trying to feed more of his cock into Casey’s mouth. Casey held back a little, flicking his tongue along the slit at the tip of his lover’s cock, gathering the bead of pre-come he found, a soft moan breaking from his own lips at the taste.

“Huh!” Jack panted. “Feels good, baby.”

Letting the head of Jack’s cock out of his mouth with a soft, ‘pop’ Casey crawled up along his partner’s body. “So how’re my marks looking now, Prof.?”

Jack smirked at him. “You’ve gone up a grade point, but there’s plenty of room for improvement.”

“Oh.” Casey dipped his head, closing his teeth around a pebbled nipple, grinning when Jack brought a hand to tangle in his hair.

“You wanna play rough, baby?” Jack’s voice was hoarse with need and Casey gave the little nub in his mouth a playful nip before he looked up, meeting Jack’s eyes.

“You’re supposed to be helpless. Hands over your head.”

“Sorry.” Jack chuckled, moving his hand back to the arm of the sofa. “Forgot.”

Casey dropped a kiss on the abused nipple and then began to lick and kiss his way down Jack’s body, tracing his tongue across firm abs, and dipping into the small depression of Jack’s navel. He nuzzled into the line of coarse hairs that blazed a trail down to his goal. Casey wrapped his fingers around the twitching organ and flicked the glistening head with his tongue. “Hey, baby, miss me?” He closed his eyes and pulled Jack into his mouth, sucking hard, and sliding his tongue along the thick, pulsing vein on the underside.

The reaction was explosive, and fucking sexy. Jack yelped, arching up off the sofa. “Fuck!”

“Mmmm,” Casey hummed pulling back a little, laving around the head before concentrating his attentions on the sensitive frenulum, the tip of his tongue dancing, teasing, without mercy.

Jack sobbed. “Case!”

Smiling, Casey lifted his head for a moment, slipping a finger into his mouth to coat it with saliva. He looked up, meeting passion darkened eyes. “Relax for me, Jack. Close your eyes, and relax. Let me give you this.”

Jack’s breathing stuttered and he gave a thready moan, letting his legs fall a little wider apart. “Do it,” he breathed.

Oh God… Casey bent his head, kissing Jack’s leaking cock before taking it in his mouth again at the same moment that his finger breached the tight hole between Jack’s buttocks. Jack groaned pressing down against Casey’s finger, his whole body shaking. Trust me, Casey silently pleaded. Trust me, Jack. Please. He pushed his finger deeper, looking for the tiny bundle of nerve endings that he knew could heighten Jack’s pleasure. A small triumphant cry rose in his throat when he hit it, making Jack buck.

“Yeah!” Jack squirmed, panting, his hips making little thrusting movements and Casey flattened his free hand across Jack’s belly, holding him down.

“Casey–Case I–” Jack grunted with pleasure, squirming and Casey could feel the tension building in his lover, the tight hole clamping down on his finger. He sucked harder, hollowing his cheeks, his finger stroking in and out of Jack’s tight heat.

“I’m–nuh!” Jack arched off the sofa one last time and came, spurting into Casey’s mouth.

Casey closed his eyes, swallowing every precious drop and then let Jack out of his mouth with a soft, parting kiss. He let his finger slip out of Jack’s body, moving up to kiss his mouth. “Are you okay?” he asked when they finally surfaced for air.

“More than okay.” Jack smiled up at him. “You…”

Casey shook his head. “It’s okay.” He moved to stretch out alongside Jack, squishing their bodies together on the sofa.”If that’s all it takes to make you happy at Christmas, I can save a bundle.” He smiled, nuzzling Jack’s chest. He closed his eyes when the sight of a small, raised patch of scar tissue threatened to spoil the mood. “Thank you for letting me do that,” he said softly.

“I love you,” Jack said. He pulled Casey closer and kissed the top of his head.

Casey grinned, craning his neck back, so he could meet his partner’s eyes. “You know it’s special for me, when you open up to me like that.” A small shiver ran through him. “God, when I think of…” He closed his eyes, vivid flashes of memory making him shiver again.

Casey bent over Jack who lay bound and helpless on the bed. “I can smell you. I can smell your blood.” He whimpered.

“Hey!” Jack shook him gently. “No nightmares here, it’s Christmas.”

Bitter tears stung Casey’s eyes and he swallowed hard. “But I–”

“Shh. It’s okay, we’re okay.” He held Casey close, claiming his mouth, the warmth and tenderness of it chasing away the painful memories. Casey sighed and relaxed into the kiss, letting Jack pull him back from the brink of regret.

He smiled up at Jack when they broke apart. “So, am I off the naughty list now?”

“For the moment.” Jack chuckled. “Knowing you, you’ll find a way to be back on it, come morning,” he added and then reached up to pull the comforter from the back of the sofa, draping it over them both. “Let’s take a nap,” he said. “We can negotiate Christmas gifts later.”

End

(C) 2008 Meg Leigh

You can read more about Jack and Casey in Hunter’s Kiss (Another Fine Mess Anthology) and the Sip, Hunter’s Bond and novel Hunter’s Dawn: Laying the Ghosts which are available for purchase from Torquere Books. Torquere Press.