Always an Expiration Date

Part Eleven, End

Jake woke suddenly, still wrapped securely in Aidan's arms, in the dim predawn light. As he lay with his eyes closed wondering what startled him a bright flash shone through his eyelids. He cracked a bleary eye onto Sara and Amara standing at the foot of the bed, phones aimed at the formerly sleeping couple.

"What the hell are you doing?" He rasped in a husky, drowsy whisper.

Aidan groaned and pulled him tighter, mumbling "shh, sleep."

Sara and Amara giggled and sang out "wakey wakey eggs and bakey!" simultaneously.

Aidan lifted his head "what the fuck?" His deep morning voice excited a part of Jake more than a little. "What's going on?"

Sara answered "Michelle called last night."

Jake was getting annoyed, as was Aidan. "And that explains you in here at butt o'clock how?"

The women smirked at each other. "If you'd let me talk. Like I said, Michelle called last night bitching all about how the two of you ruined her life because you were buddies."

Aidan threw a pillow at them. "Get to the point before I can't fall back asleep."

Amara giggled. "So we thought we'd give her a little present."

Aidan shot upright in bed. "What kind of present?"

"A photo of the consequences of her actions."

"What the fuck? She's going to think I cheated on her!"

Jake agreed. "I don't think that's a good idea. She's going to go around trashing Aidan's reputation. It could hurt his career."

Sara smirked. "Do you really think so? Because, yeah, she's probably going to tell anyone who listened Aidan's the one who cheated when there's security footage of her jumping you in your office. But I don't think she could touch Charles James with a ten foot pole."

Jake peered at her confused as Aidan held his breath, aghast. "What does Charles James have to do with anything?"

Sara rolled her eyes in exasperation. "How are you so brilliant and so dumb at the same time?"

"Sara. It's early. Explain it to me like I'm slow."

She shrugged. "Charles James is your favorite author, right?" She looked at Aidan who was still afraid to move. "You never noticed how Aidan talks?"

"He talks like a typical white boy. For that matter, so do I." Jake turned to Aidan "do you know what she's talking about?" Aidan didn't even hear the question he was so deep in his head panicking over being outed.

Sara huffed impatiently. "Aidan writes under the name Charles James."

"Pfft. That's ridiculous." Jake's eyes widened as Aidan dipped his chin once in a tiny nod. "What? No way! You said you've never read any of his books!"

Aidan answered carefully "I said I've never opened any of his books. You don't have to read the published copy to know what it says." He blinked at Sara. "You're the first person who's ever figured it out."

"You don't make it easy. I had my suspicions because the way you talk sounds a lot like his writing. What gave it away, though, was the obscure Barrie quote you half used last night. It's in the dedication in one of your books."

"'Let no one who loves be called altogether unhappy. Even love unreturned has its rainbow.' I thought the line from The Little Minister was fitting for the protagonist who was destroyed never having told his owner he overrode his programming to fall in love with her. Damn."

Jake put his hand on Aidan's thigh. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

Aidan shook his head. "No one knows except my agent. Well, and now the three of you." He covered Jake's hand with his own. "I'm sorry. I hope you don't feel like you can't trust me now."

Jake shook his head. "I'm a little hurt you didn't say something but if you've never told anyone I can't exactly blame you, can I." He thought a moment. "And it's definitely hot I bagged the elusive Charles James."

Aidan laughed. "You haven't bagged me yet." His eyes turned serious. "I'll have to trust it goes no further than this room? I'd never have any privacy again if it got out."

"You don't have to worry about me or Amara for sure. We sat on how the two of you were in love with each other all this time while you were pretending you were just friends."

"Sara Marie!" Jake turned on her. "That's it! Sorry, Amara, we're going to have to get the shovel out. Your wife is about to die."

Amara dropped her shy persona. "Oh, come on. We heard you two last night. You think those bedsprings spontaneously started creaking? We didn't want to hear you fucking."

The men both felt their faces grow hot. The flush was much more apparent on Aidan's pale skin but still clear through Jake's chocolatey tone.

Sara took pity on them. "All right. I'll start breakfast. Amara, come help." She dragged her wife from the room, leaving James and Aidan alone for the moment.

Jake trailed his hand up Aidan's thigh to grip where it met his body. He growled seductively. "So about that bagging comment..."

Aidan leaned forward to bury his face in Jake's chest before biting a nipple visibly pebbling under Jake's t-shirt and licking slowly up Jake's throat to his chin. "What about it?"

"I was thinking we could make it true any time you want."

"Hmm," Aidan purred in Jake's ear, huffing hot breath across it. "When I wanted was as soon as I first saw you but any time now is good, too."

Jake chuckled darkly. "Is that so," he captured Aidan's bottom lip between his teeth and sucked it into his mouth.

Sara shouted from the kitchen area where she was clattering pans excessively in preparing breakfast. "We're still here and we can still hear you!"

The men pulled back from one another, slightly abashed. "We'll have to find some time alone. Very. Soon." Aidan whispered.

"If not here the instant we get home." Jake agreed before they disentangled themselves to join the women in the other room.

Aidan grinned as he watched Jake walk in front of him. His intuition told him this relationship didn't come with an expiration date.