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Chapter 6 - Comforting and Tortuous
The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting a warm glow over the campsite. Jace and Connor lay beside the dying embers of their fire, the memory of their passionate encounter still fresh in their minds. As they stirred awake, Jace felt a twinge of nervousness, unsure how to address the feelings their intimate night had stirred.
"Morning, Ser," Connor mumbled through a yawn.
"Good morning," Jace replied, his voice soft. He looked up at Connor, but as he began to lean in closer, Connor turned his head toward their horses.
"We should probably take a look at the scrolls, I'm sure we've gone off our trail after yesterday's ordeal," Connor said, somewhat nervously.
Jace blushed and quickly leaned back, embarrassed. He must be moving too quickly for Connor, he thought, or maybe Connor did not feel the same way about him. An awkward silence settled between them, the tension from the previous night still palpable. They had held each other tightly all night, and Jace couldn't remember a time he'd felt safer or more content. Still, he did not want to force anything on Connor--perhaps he only wanted companionship and nothing more.
Jace snapped back to the present. "Yes, yes! Let's get to work," he replied as he stood up--still naked--and grabbed his pack containing the scrolls.
They poured over the parchment for quite a while. Connor would translate a few lines, and Jace would cross-reference it with information from his books and maps. He couldn't help falling prey to the occasional distraction of Connor's bulging arms turning pages, or the way he was laying on his stomach with his muscular ass.
Jace felt his cock begin to stir, it lengthened quickly, snaking down his inner thigh. "Maybe he won't notice," Jace thought, placing a book in his lap. He looked back at Connor, and for a moment Jace thought he saw Connor's eyes dart from his cock back up to his face. Jace gulped, embarrassed. Connor had definitely noticed, and making eye contact with Connor was now causing his cock to throb under the book.
Without even thinking, Connor's tongue darted out and licked his lips. "We're close," Connor blurted out abruptly. "We can reach the location of the egg by nightfall if we leave now."
Jace nodded, grateful for the disruption. He had to pull himself together. What would his fellow members of the Covenant of Cloaked Knights think of him? This was no way for a man of COCK to behave. He neededto show resolve and he needed to be strong-willed. He did not need to lose his head over some man standing before him, no matter how magnetic the force between them.
They quickly broke camp, mounted their horses and set off. Aside from the occasional stolen glances, their ride was relatively quiet. Both men cautiously listening for any signs of Thornings, and neither daring to bring up the previous night's events.
After several hours of riding, the terrain began to change from the thick wooded forest of Xylon Gate to that of a more rocky type. The horses had to keep a much narrower path as they drew closer to cliffs and steeper inclines.
"Are you sure this is the way?" Connor called out, gazing out over the valley of that they were now rising above.
"Aye, this is right," Jace replied. "Your translations matched up near perfectly with the notes that the COCK provided to Nicholas."
Connor breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Jace was confident in his direction, they would be fine. He trusted Jace implicitly. He noticed, however, that Jace often said "Nicholas" instead of "King Nicholas." He thought this odd, seeing as how most members of the COCK would have spoken with the highest reverence to their king, and he wondered what their shared history entailed.
By sunset, they reached a point on the mountain that provided them a vast view of Xylon Gate to their right, and the opening of a large cave to their right. They dismounting as Jace referenced more of his notes.
"This is where we'll stop tonight," Jace said as he began to open their packs. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long shadows across the landscape. "That cave right there," he gestured towards the opening in the rocks, "that might just be the nest of a dragon."
Connor thought of the significance of the sight before them. Dragons hadn't been seen in over a century. The fact that there may be a dragon egg within their grasp was life-altering. He wondered how he himself managed to find himself on this mission that could ensure peace for the realm for generations to come.
"We'll explore it first thing in the morning," Jace said, removing his shirt as he started to gather the necessary items for a fire.
Connor nodded, having to force himself to stop ogling Jace and start helping with camp. The silence between them was thick, charged with unspoken desire. As he began to prepare their dinner, Connor's eyes again began to drift over Jace's muscular body. His heaving muscles glistened with sweat and his skin was tan from the years of outdoor exposure. He felt a stirring in his pants, and realized that thinking of Jace would only distract him from preparing their meal.
After eating their fill of the rabbit stew, Jace stood and walked to the edge of the cliff, staring out into the distance. Though it was long past sunset, the glow of the moon and stars still providing meager light on the trees below them. His mind wandered past the horizon, thinking of Crown's Keep in the distance by the sea. He thought of Nicholas, and their time together as young children, and then he thought of their experiences as teenagers, exploring each other's bodies, celebrating their developing masculinity and strength. And then he thought of how he felt so differently about Connor.
He and Nicholas had been the best of friends and the closest of companions. He knew him better than a brother, and he loved him deeply, but it was different with Connor. He felt a connection he had never thought possible. The men of the COCK didn't typically settle down with a partner, preferring to stay aloof. Most knights maintained relations in many cities throughout the region, and Jace had been no different over the years. But now, spending these days and nights with Connor, he had a hard time imagining life without him.
He heard Connor behind him, joining him on the overlook. "Whatsay we sleep here tonight?" he asked, running his hand almost hesitantly along the length of Jace's toned arm. "It would make for a majestic view in the morning," he said as he looked up into Jace's eyes and smiled.
"Sounds good to me," Jace replied.
"It's rather cool tonight," Connor posited, "and I think we should huddle together to stay warm." He laid his blankets right beside Jace's and began to remove his pants.
"I'd never turn down a chance to stay warm," Jace said with a grin. They settled into their blankets and fell into a somber silence. Both men were laying on their sides, with Connor facing Jace's back. After a few minutes, Jace heard the feint sound of Connor's light snores. He closed his eyes, enjoying their closeness but praying for sleep to come soon. Connor, still snoring, moved a little closer to Jace, leaving a gap of only a few inches between them, and draped his arm over Jace's naked torso.
Jace took a deep breath. This was both comforting and torturous. He decided not to fight it, and eased his body back to close the gap between them, pressing his naked body against Connor's. He heard Connor sigh in his sleep, conforted by the warm body, he supposed. Connor's hand lightly brushed over Jace's chest as he repositioned himself. The touch sent a pulse through Jace's body. "How does this man constantly elicit such a response?" Jace thought, frustrated. He kept his eyes shut tightly, trying to think of anything other than the gorgeous man pressing up against him.
After what felt like hours--but was surely only a few minutes--Jace felt something stir behind him. He immediately realized it was Connor's cock, thick and hard, and positioned right between the cheeks of his ass. He could still hear Connor snoring, and couldn't fault him for the unconscious reactions of his body. Still though, he found himself pushing his ass up against Connor's cock ever so slightly, enjoying the feeling of it rubbing against his hole.
The sensation of Connor's hard cock combined with his tight grip over Jace's naked body was too much. He could feel his own erection growing, and the need for release was overwhelming.
Desperate for relief, Jace's hand slipped beneath the blankek, wrapping around his throbbing cock. He closed his eyes again, but this time his thoughts were made up entirely of fantasy. He imagined a night like this, in a large bed with luxurious blankets and the softest pillows, and Connor sleeping by his side. He began to stroke his cock methodically, trying not to wake Connor. He felt a few drops of precum begin to form, adding a welcome lubricant.
Carefully, Jace rolled onto his back, moving so very gently. Connor shifted slightly, this time draping his leg over Jace's, further entangling them together. It only added to his pleasure, with Connor's arm still firmly planted on Jace's large chest. He felt Connor's still hard cock against his thigh, throbbing just slightly. Jace closed his eyes and returned to his fantasy. He thought of them in their large bed, perhaps with a view of the ocean through a large window. He imagined lying next to Connor, whose strong hands might rub his chest, or squeeze his nipples.
He let out a moan, then halted his movements to see if Connor was still asleep. He heard the continued snoring, and he picked his pace up again, pumping his cock rhythmically. He imagined Connor waking up and leaning in to kiss him, his lips hot with desire as their tongues battled for dominance. Connor's arm shifted in his sleep, brushing over Jace's hard nipples, causing him to moan again. He stroked faster, fantasizing about Connor moving from his lips down to his cock, and taking it fully in his mouth. Those full, pink lips looked so beautiful with his cock in between them.
Jace was stroking faster now, and he knew the moment of release was drawing close. The mental image of Connor sucking the length of his cock was too much for him. His muscles were tensing as the pressure built up inside him, and he didn't notice that Connor's snoring had subsided. His back began to arch involuntary, but right before he reached completion, he felt Connor's hand squeeze his heaving chest tightly. He opened his eyes and saw Connor smiling directly at him with lust in his eyes.
Jace couldn't stop--he was too close to the edge--and Connor knew it. He leaned down and took Jace's hard nipple in his mouth and gave it a tiny nibble, causing Jace to groan loudly, filling up the air between them. That was the moment that pushed him over the edge, and just as he began to moan, Connor bolted from Jace's chest down to his cock, wrapping his lips around the throbbing member. Jace's eyes were wide with arousal as he exploded into Connor's mouth, the ropes of cum costing the back of his throat. Connor was determined to savor it all, as he latched his lips tightly over the cock in order to claim every last drop.
Jace's hand moved to Connor's hair, his fingers tangling themselves in his dirty blonde locks. Connor continued to suck on his cock until Jace began to shudder, the sensation proving too much for him. Connor hummed, as if content with his performance, and slowly pulled off of Jace's still hard cock. Jace looked at him, the glow of the moon lighting his face just enough to see a smile. Connor eased himself up Jace's body until he was propped up on his hands, positioned directly over Jace's face. He leaned down, pressing his lips to Jace's. Jace's lips parted, and they began to kiss with passionately. Connor moaned into Jace's mouth, grinding his own hard cock against Jace's leg. Jace tasted his own cum on Connor's tongue, sucking it into his mouth and pulling Connor in tighter against his body.
After a minute, Connor pulled back and looked down at Jace. "I think I've fallen in love with you, Ser," he said softly.