No Longer Alone

It was no longer like solitary confinement with James around. Spending days lazing in bed was much more enjoyable when you shared the bed with a beautiful responsive woman. She’d gone out and rented DVDs and a player – and remembered popcorn. He’d never think of popcorn the same way. Sharing it with her had turned it into a sensual feast. They’d fed each other, each bite becoming more seductive until the movie had been totally forgotten. She brought in video games – and beat the crap out of him – even though she claimed she had never played before. “Great hand/eye coordination,” she told him. And when he wanted to play his guitar and write, she was content to lie beside him and merely listen. She didn’t pout and demand attention. It was nice being a couple again.

When it came to changing bedding and towels she had left a request they be brought to the room, but she would change them. “If I’m only allowed to wear a bathrobe, I’d feel strange,” she’d said. So she would replace the linens and leave the old ones in the hall.

And she loved Chinese food. She was adept with chopsticks and knew the best places in town that delivered. She didn’t mind sharing. JC loved the way she would automatically offer him some, feeding him with her chopsticks from her carton. It made for an intimacy he craved.

They got on well. He found her boldness refreshing. She had a quick, sharp wit and keen intelligence. When she discussed his penchant for shyness, she gently teased him. How could such a bashful man stick his hand up her skirt at first meeting? “It was right. We connected. I saw it in your eyes.” He defended his actions. They complimented each other’s personalities. They weren’t exactly opposites but different enough not to bore one another.

James was exciting in bed. She wasn’t timid in her demands. She gave as good as she got. She matched him and her stamina was amazing. Then there were her compliments. When he did something, she was appreciative. That had never happened before – or if it had, it had been insincere and he’d known it. But James let him see the honesty in her eyes.

JC could scarcely believe he had met such a treasure at a club – when she was clearly not a club girl. It must have been fate she had decided to join the group that night. The powers that be knew he needed an emotional rescue and sent him James – and he’d be forever grateful.

“Joshua?”

James’ voice pulled him from his rumination. “Yeah?”

“You had that faraway look in your eyes...”

“Nope. Just daydreaming about my brown-eyed baby.”

“Who?”

“You.”

“Me? Whatever for? I’m right here.”

He wrapped his arms tightly around her. “This is where I like you. Right here with me.”

“Crazy person.”

Nudging her robe from one shoulder with his chin, he skated his mouth over her shoulder. “Crazy about you is more like it.”

“But you’ve dated starlets and models...”

“You know who I am then...” He’d hoped against hope she didn’t...

“I was told I would’ve had my head up my ass for the past several years not to,” she repeated Kevin’s jibe.

“But you don’t call me JC.”

She stroked back his hair in a tender gesture he’d come to adore. “That’s not the name you gave me when we made love the first time.”

“I didn’t want to be JC from *NSYNC to you.”

“And you’re not. You’re Joshua.”

He nuzzled her neck. “I’m glad, James.”

Nothing was better than this, JC decided dreamily. He and James had made love for what must have been the twentieth time since they met and they were both exhausted and sated – for the moment. She lay in his arms; her head on his shoulder as she traced aimless patterns through his chest hair. One of his big hands smoothed up and down her sleek back, massaging and caressing. At the moment, he was fairly certain as long as he had James and a bed he could want for nothing more.

“I think I may have to go buy another box of condoms.” James’ lazy purr broke into his thoughts. “Dang, we are like fucking rabbits.”

He chuckled. “You say ‘dang’ not ‘damn’ – and use ‘fuck’?” he teased.

“Sometimes it is the only word that works.”

“Yeah, maybe so.”

“Do you mind?”

“Mind what? That you swear?”

“No, that we are like fucking rabbits.”

This time it was a full-blown laugh. “Hell no! I enjoy the fact we match each other that way. You are a rare, wonderful woman James. I usually get complaints that I want it too much.”

James dropped her hand to wrap cool fingers around his currently flaccid member. “He wants to be a superstar.”

“Mmm...” She stroked him just right. If she didn’t stop he’d be ready for round 21 soon! “Baby...”

“Joshua, can I confess something?”

For a fleeting moment he panicked she was going to admit she was the stalker. If that were true, she’d been right. Only she was woman enough for him! Dragging his fanciful stray thoughts into line, he replied, “Sure.”

“Well, two things actually.”

“What about?”

“Sex.”

He relaxed. Unless she gave a stellar performance every freaking time they made love, she wasn’t going to say she was faking orgasms. “Okay...”

“Well, I am pretty sure you realized I wasn’t a virgin...”

“Mmm...yeah.”

“There haven’t been a great deal – I believe in quality, not quantity.”

He chuckled again. “Quantities meaning number of lovers, not number of times the nasty is done, right?” he teased.

She twitched some crotch hairs.

“Yow!” he protested.

“Don’t be a moron,” she warned.

“I’ll behave – for now. Quality men. Got it.”

Forming a circle with her thumb and forefinger she stroked him strongly from base to crown.

“Damn, baby!”

“I require a man who is...blessed.”

“Blessed?”

James leaned up to kiss him lingeringly, feeling his ‘blessing’ expand in her hand. Her lips were a breath from his, she murmured. “Bountiful...well-endowed...big, thick, long.”

“Am I ‘blessed’ enough for you, James?”

“Mmm...hmm..heavenly so.”

Most men would have been preening and gloating, James thought. Instead he reached up to smooth her hair. His smile at her praise was almost shy.

“I’m glad, baby,” was all he said.

“I guess it’s the way I’m made down there. I need thick to hit the spots,” she explained.

“If I ever am not hitting them, let me know,” he told her.

“You can bet on it,” she joked. “Shy is not something I’ve been called.”

“Ya think?” He was glad of it! If she had been timid they wouldn’t have met, let alone sharing a bed!

She leaned closer to lick his lips. His tongue came out to play. “That’ the second thing.”

“What is?”

“Your mouth should be bronzed for the Cunnilingus Hall of Fame.”

JC burst out laughing. “What?”

“I have never known any man who does what you do. You don’t rush. You vary things. You’re damned talented – and I should know. It’s one of my favorite things.”

“You like when I go down on you?”

“Like is pretty lame. You could do me like that for hours and not hear a complaint.”

“I think my jaw would get tired,” he said.

James rolled her eyes. “Lemme know if you ever want to try a marathon – I am so there.”

“You’d be the one I’d try it for.”

She wrinkled her nose teasingly, rubbing it to his. “Even a mini-marathon...”

“I promise, some day soon, James. I’ll lick you up until you beg me to stop.”

“I may beg, but ‘stop’ won’t be a part of it.”

Damn! Did it get any better? The woman in his life was telling him he gave her what she wanted in a lover! That had never happened before. He’d been told he was too big, too rough, wanted too much...and oral sex had been ‘okay.’ James more than enjoyed it – in fact, he had made it part of foreplay with them since she had been so enthusiastic.

“Joshua?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“You think I’m a slut, right?”

“Hell no!” He kissed her tenderly. “A guy needs to hear what his lady wants.”

“Lady?”

“Yes, you’re my lady, James.”

“That’s the first time I’ve been called that after announcing I like a guy’s tongue in my crotch.”

“James,” he scolded gently. “I love how open you are with me. Believe me, it is easier than second guessing.”

“So, I can just say ‘just bring that talented tongue here’ and I can have it?”

“Yeah, give it a try.”

“For your information, I like doing it to you.”

“And, baby, you’re damn good at it too.”

“You can do the same – just tell me you want it...”

“That’s damn generous of you, baby.” JC laid her back on the pillows. “Say it, James,” he commanded huskily.

“Say?...oh...Just bring that talented tongue here,” she murmured.

“Gladly.”

The afternoon of the third day, JC announced he had to go home to pack. He told James to stay behind at the hotel, fearing for her safety. Of course, James wouldn’t hear of it. He gazed at her with affection and respect before relenting.

Once at his house, James stayed with him. He made quick work of packing for the trip. When he was done, he eyed her laying on the bed, merely observing him. She looked so right there – on his bed, in his house.

“What?” James asked catching his heated gaze.

“Do you know how much I want you right now?”

Glancing at the front of his jeans, she answered, “That gives me a pretty good idea.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, that’s pretty much a permanent condition since I met you.”

“Got a condom?”

“Mmm...yeah, bedside table, in the drawer.”

She opened the drawer to retrieve a square packet and tossed it to him.

“You mean...here?” He was incredulous.

“Got a problem with that?” She knelt and scooted to where he stood. Running her hands up his hard chest, she asked, “Do you?”

Cupping her face tenderly, he brushed a kiss on her lips. “No, baby. I’m just so amazed at how giving you are.”

“Oh, I plan on ‘getting’ something too” she teased.

“I am so eager to give it.”

Sitting back on her heels, her voice husky, she said, “Then come here, lover.”

“I don’t even know your last name,” JC announced as he reached for the phone to make reservations for her to accompany him.

“Carol. C-a-r-o-l.” It was her middle name, not her last, but she had identification for that alias with her. “You weren’t interested in my full name when we were making our introductions,” she pointed out.

“I still wouldn’t be if I didn’t need it for the airline.” He placed the call to make certain she would be next to him on their way to New York the next morning. “Got a preference, baby?”

“Your lap.” she teased.

JC grinned. “We can work on that. Window seat?”

“I prefer the aisle, thank you.”

“Wing? Front? Back?”

“As long as I’m with you, I don’t care.”

“You’ll be with me or I’ll charter a flight.” he assured her. He was finally connected to the ticket counter. He gave the flight number on his ticket. “J. S. Chasez, I need to make a reservation for two, not one – and the seats need to be together.” He listened. “I don’t care about that. I want two seats together...James Carol. That’s right...No, Ms. Carol...”

James raised an eyebrow when he gave his address for hers. She found it endearing that he hadn’t pressed her for details of her life, that he waited for her to reveal herself at her own pace. He was too damned trusting.

“That’s great...No, have them delivered to the desk at the Westin Grand Bohemian. I’ll pay whatever fee. I want them before we get to the airport. I don’t want any problems when we get there tomorrow.”

“Ooh, I love an assertive male,” James whispered in his ear.

JC swatted her rump. “Behave,” he muttered, smiling.

“Behaving is no fun,” she told him.

“And I love it when you misbehave,” he answered her. “Uh, yeah, cool! Thanks!” he said into the receiver then rung off. He wrapped his arms around her and lowered her back to the mattress. “Still wanna misbehave, baby girl?”

She nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“Then let’s misbehave for a couple of hours. Then I’ll take you out to dinner.”

Running her hand up under his tee shirt, she murmured, “Can I convince you to misbehave for a couple hours then order in so we can misbehave during dinner?”

“Aren’t you tired of these four walls yet?”

“Uh-uh. Not behaving myself with you is getting to be on the top of my preferred things-to-do-list.” Her hands slid around to caress his back. “Are you tired of these walls yet?”

“Hell no! Not with you here with me.”

“Then we can stay in tonight?”

“I just didn’t want you to think I was holding you prisoner.”

“Never crossed my mind.”

“Baby...you make me feel so good.”

“Then we’re even, Joshua. You make me feel wonderful.” And it was no lie. JC Chasez made her feel like a total woman for the first time in years.

JC freely admitted to himself he was totally and completely in love with James. The three nights they had been together had been magical. Cocooned in their little world of their hotel room, they had made love and made friends. He liked James. She was more than a beautiful face and sexy body. She was intelligent – no doubt smarter than he was in many ways. She was witty and teasing. If he got too serious, she made him lighten up. She let him pour out his soul, his dreams and his fears. She understood, encouraged and soothed. She was everything he’d ever sought in a woman.

But she was still a mystery. He knew very little concrete about her. And he found he didn’t care. All that mattered was she was with him. That it was her soft, even breath that sifted through his chest hair as she slept in the curve of his arm, her head pillowed on his shoulder. He wasn’t about to question how she had come into his life – only thank God that she had.

James shifted, snuggling closer. “Mmm...Joshua...” she sighed in her sleep.

And that it was his name on her lips as she dreamed. No other man claimed her unconscious thoughts. That was the most important fact about James – she was his.

Tucking her even closer against him, JC closed his eyes to let slumber claim him. His James...was his last thought before succumbing.

“JC!” Carlos called out when JC arrived at the airport, his arm around James. “We thought you fell off the face of the earth. No one’s seen you for days.”

JC smiled down at the woman at his side. “I spent some time getting to know James.”

“So, you two finally met. Hi, James,” Carlos offered.

“Hi.” James smiled. Carlos had been one of the first of JC’s circle to welcome her.

“Why didn’t you introduce us?” JC asked the man as the group moved towards the gate area.

“I figured you’d find her on your own.”

“Took awhile, but, yeah, we found each other.”

On the jet, JC took the window seat and laced his fingers with James’ as he settled in for a nap. Once in flight, she pushed up the armrest between them and offered her shoulder as his pillow. He accepted readily, snuggling his face against the side of her neck.

“Mmm...I could get used to this,” he purred when her arm went around his shoulders.

“Go ahead. I can’t sleep on flights.”

“Don’t you like to fly? We’re gonna be doing a lot of it.”

“Flying is okay. I just don’t relax like you do.”

“I’ve been told no one does,” he mused. He rested a hand at her waist. “You’re cool with this, right? Traveling with me as my lady?”

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”

“I want you to enjoy us being together.”

“Joshua, quit worrying and go to sleep!” she taunted.

Smiling, he kissed her neck and settled in for his nap. It was impossible for her to resist the mop of dark curls on her shoulder. She found herself stroking his hair and pressing a kiss on his forehead. JC smiled in his sleep, releasing a happy sigh.

“Nice to see him be able to relax again.”

James looked up to see Carlos leaning over the seat in front of her.

“This stalker thing had him wound tighter than a cheap watch.” He watched for a reaction. When none was forthcoming, he said, “I figured he’d come clean with you before he asked you along.”

“The first night,” James confessed.

“That’s the kind of guy he is – up front, real. And that seems to be the kind of girl you are.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence.”

“He isn’t all that trusting anymore, so you really struck a chord with him.”

“And him with me.”

Carlos smiled. “I’m glad.” Then he seated himself once more.

Gazing down at the man who slept so trustingly against her, a wave of protectiveness swept over James that had nothing to do with JC Chasez being assigned to her for his own protection – and everything to do with her losing her heart to Joshua. ‘It wasn’t supposed to be like this’ her common sense argued loudly. ‘But it is’ her heart whispering softly, overwhelming her brain with tenderness. The heart was a much more awesome foe than the brain could ever be. Protecting a loved one would make her more fierce than defending a client. She would let no one harm one hair on Joshua’s head. JC Chasez, client, was on his own.

James made the places JC traveled to new again. She liked the excitement and heartbeat of New York. Sunny Los Angeles was perfect for sunset walks along the ocean. Orlando, the place he had called home for twelve years, was rediscovered.

James brought peace and order to his hectic, uncertain life. She wasn’t afraid to say ‘whoa!’ when too many demands were placed on him. She would ask him point blank, “Do you want to do this? Do you have to?” If he said, “No.” She put a halt to the pressure.

And best of all, James was always at his side. He never had to be lonely, never had to climb into an empty bed at night, never had to swallow emotions that boiled to the surface. She was constant. She was generous. She slept beside him every night. She listened without judgment. Even with his friends beside him, JC had never been more content. Even with the constant threat of the stalker, his life had never held so much personal promise.

JC had come to need his James.