by R. Cayden
Seb’s heart iced over. “Okay,” he choked out. “You’re sure?”
Declan paused in the doorway. “I’m sure, kid. Don’t worry. I just need a minute.” He hurried out the door, then tugged it shut behind him.
A bolt of pain hit Seb. He wanted to chase after Declan, to grab at him or even try to demand that he stayed.
It was one thing to burn his life down. But if he had gone and lost Declan, too, Seb didn’t know how he would come out the other side.
* * *
DECLAN
Declan headed around the block outside the hotel in a slow circle. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, and his emotions threatened to boil over, but at least it was easy to avoid a crowd, the winter too cold and damp for most tourists.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t believe Seb had gone and burned his laboratory down. He could believe it damn well, in fact. The kid always seemed to do what he thought was right, no matter how the cards were stacked against him or how ridiculous he might look to other people.
But burning down the house? He could have gotten himself killed. Not to mention the trouble that could bring with the police.
That wasn’t the only thing twisting Declan up, though. It was the plain fact that Seb would never have done something like that a couple of months ago. Before Declan had come into his life, Seb had made smart choices. He’d had a gorgeous house, work he loved and believed in, and a clear head on his shoulders.
But then Declan had shown up, shooting off his gun and talking all big to impress the kid. He had loved how Seb looked at him, sure, but what good had that done Seb?
Because now Seb had jack shit. No house, no work, nothing but a puppy who was still learning to piss outside and a man with no savings and no hope of future employment.
Declan cursed as he kicked the pavement. Down the street were restaurants, bars, and shops, all catering to tourists, but up the block by their hotel, there was only an empty lot and a gas station. It was gray outside, and Declan wished he could tear himself apart right there, skip town and save Seb the pain of whatever he was going to fuck up next.
Except Declan couldn’t do that. He tightened his jacket and felt the leather, smooth under his hand. He couldn’t walk away from Seb because the only thing he knew how to do anymore was to be with him.
They were two men who had burned their lives to the ground, and that was the kind of thing Declan understood.
He sucked in a ragged breath, then headed back toward the hotel, cursing himself the whole way. He wanted so fucking badly to believe he could offer something good to Seb, but years of drinking and doubt clouded his brain, making it difficult to believe in himself. All he could know for sure was that he needed to touch Seb, to press his fingers against a man who believed in him.
To feel in his hands that Seb was safe, alive, and good.
He swiped the door to the hotel and tossed it open. Seb was curled up on the bed with Ellie between his arms. His eyes were tired and hurt, and Declan sucked in a breath.
Seb was hurt, and Declan was the only one who could help him feel better.
“Declan,” Seb said, sitting up.
Declan stepped forward, then pressed his hand against Seb’s face. “Seb,” he said, stroking his thumb across the soft curve of his cheek.
Seb stood and placed his hands against Declan’s chest. Declan felt a thud behind his ribs, and when he traced his hand down to Seb’s chin, his cock warmed and fattened. He pulled Seb’s face up and took the younger man’s lips in a soft, full kiss.
“Promise me,” Declan whispered as he pressed his lips to Seb’s ear. “Promise me you won’t get yourself killed.”
“I won’t,” Seb said, gasping the words. “Just don’t leave me, Declan. I need you, and I don’t know how the hell I would make it through this without you here.”
Declan tightened his fingers in Seb’s hair. “You need me,” he said.
“I need you,” Seb repeated, whispering into Declan’s chest.
“Seb,” Declan answered. “I don’t know what the fuck I’d do without you.”
Admitting the truth was all it took. The tension in the room split like a crack of lightning, and the only thing left was the intense, pulsing connection between them, desire and pleasure and need all thick in the air like the sweaty scent of the two men, grinding together.
Declan swooped Seb into his arms, then fell to the bed, their lips smashing together as they landed with a roll on the springy mattress. Seb wrapped his legs around Declan, sending a surge of pleasure through Declan’s core and up to his heart. His breath came out fast and hot, and he had to fight hard to resist the urge to take Seb right there and plunge into him until Seb understood exactly how real his feelings were.
“You’re mine,” Declan growled. He was on top of Seb, thrusting his hips to match Seb’s greedy hands, which clawed at Declan’s back. “You’re all that really matters. You.”
“Declan,” Seb moaned. His eyes were wide and watery as he struggled to get the words out. “You. You matter to me.” Declan arched his back and rode his hard dick up against Seb, who trembled in response. “I want to feel you inside me.”
Declan’s heart stilled. He knew Seb had never done anything like that before. Of course Declan had spent plenty of his free time thinking about Seb’s tight hole and the way his body would quiver and give to Declan’s touch. Of course he wanted that, in a raw, aching way. But his connection with Seb had been so tender, so slow, he didn’t dare start believing it could actually happen.
He pressed his fingers against the side of Seb’s face, then traced them over to his lips. “Whatever you want,” he said. “I’ll give it to you.”
Seb darted his tongue across Declan’s fingers, kissing at them. “You,” he said. “Inside of me.” He took Declan’s middle finger in his mouth, then sucked on it. “Please,” he whined.
The word unlocked Declan, and he dove down to take Seb in another kiss. Frantically, they rubbed up against each other, rolling across the bed as they wrestled their clothes off and pawed. Declan’s hands landed on the backs of Seb’s thighs and up to the impossibly soft, firm curve of his ass, while Seb stroked Declan’s chest and nibbled greedily at his neck.
“Fuck,” Declan groaned, thrusting down harder as he tossed Seb onto his back. “You’re driving me out of my damn mind, kid.”
“I can’t believe the things I do when I’m with you. It’s like I’m alive for the first time.”
“Get ready,” Declan said, a wicked grin filling his face. “You’re about to fucking live.”
There were a million things Declan could have thought to make Seb’s first time special, cheesy shit like flowers and champagne. Stuff he never would have done with another guy, but that he would have been more than happy to do for Seb. But sweating and hard, there wasn’t time for any of that. They were in a cheap hotel room, hiding from the world.
It might feel like they had nothing left, but they did have the night together, and Declan intended to give it all to Seb.
He pulled his face down, kissing at Seb’s hips, inches from his hard, twitching cock, pink against his abs. Declan grabbed Seb’s sides, then flipped him over, hitching his ass back. He pressed his hands against Seb’s cheeks, groping and tugging while Seb whimpered.
“Relax,” Declan whispered when he felt the tension spike in Seb’s body. “This is all for you.”
He lowered his face down, then licked his tongue up Seb’s crease, flicking across the entrance to his hole. Seb thrust his hips backward and folded his legs at the knees, his body coming alive under Declan’s touch. Declan inhaled deeply, the sweet scent filling his nose as he worked his tongue in slow, teasing circles around Seb’s entrance.
“Oh my god,” Seb gasped. “It feels so good.”
“You feel so good,” Declan answered. “Fucking amazing.”
The overhead light occasionally flickering, Declan lost himself in the pleasure he was giving Seb. His own cock hung heavily in his boxers
, but he kept his hands there, roaming Seb’s hips and pulling his cheeks apart to expose the quivering pink hole. The pleasure was like sparks and coals inside of Declan, the raw need like an engine humming between his legs. He pushed his tongue deeper, exploring Seb’s rim and his tight, smooth entrance, then thrusting past, licking inside.
“I want it,” Seb groaned as he pushed his hips back, taking Declan deeper. “Give me more!”
It was such a fucking gift to be with Seb, the one entering him for the first time, Declan could have stayed parked there all night. But when his guy needed something, he didn’t hesitate to deliver. He pulled himself up on his knees, then kicked off his boxers. “We’ll go slow,” he said, tracing his fingers between Seb’s cheeks. “And you tell me how you like it.”
Seb turned over his shoulder. His face was pink, and sweat dotted his forehead and temples. “I like it,” he breathed.
Declan barked a laugh. “Good,” he said, then stuck a couple of fingers in his mouth, wetting them. He rubbed them along Seb’s rim while gripping his own dick, then felt Seb clench the tip of his fingers.
“I don’t have any lube,” Declan said. “How does this feel?”
Seb gasped. “Hot. Like sparks. So good. But I have… in my bag.”
Declan pulled his finger back. “You have lube?”
“And condoms,” he answered. “Alexandria brought them up and insisted…”
Declan laughed again, his fingers still teasing Seb’s hole. “I like her more every day.” He reached to grab Seb’s bag from the ground, following instructions to find a few spare condoms of different sizes and a small travel packet of lube, which he quickly squirted onto his fingers.
“Oh god,” Seb gasped when Declan returned, pressing at his hole. “Just like that.”
Declan took his time loosening Seb and exploring the most tender parts of his body. He let Seb tug on his finger, pulling it deeper and deeper while Declan palmed his balls and probed up toward his shaft. The whimpering noises Seb made grew louder, and his words slowly turned into gasps and moans. When Declan finally pushed a second finger in, Seb slammed his hands down on the pillows and thrust himself backward, hard and fast.
“You ready?” Declan asked with a grin. He’d found Seb hot since the first day they met. There was something exciting about the way he was shy back then, like they both knew there was something more bubbling beneath the surface. But now, totally unleashed and demanding what he wanted, Seb seemed to Declan like the hottest person in the damn world.
“Yes,” he answered, face in the pillows and ass in the air. “I’m ready.”
Declan gripped his dick by the base. The vein on the side was already thick, and his fat purple head was swollen and slick. He took a minute to unfurl a condom down his length, then slapped down against Seb’s crack with a squirt of lube. “Good,” Declan answered, one hand on Seb’s hip. “Because you’re mine.”
He pressed his tip in, holding it there while Seb eased himself down. Seb rubbed his hole up against Declan’s dick, riding the tip without pushing down while jolts of pleasure shot out from Declan’s core. Declan tightened his fingers into the flesh at Seb’s hips. He was desperate for more, but only once Seb had gotten every drop of pleasure he wanted.
Finally, with a moan from each of them, Seb pressed back hard enough, and Declan entered his tight hole, one tantalizingly slow inch at a time. When Seb was about halfway down Declan’s shaft, he stopped. They stayed like that, breathing together, Declan’s rigid dick held like a vice.
Seb really was his, Declan realized, just like he was Seb’s. They weren’t together because of some job, or because of fear. They were together because they wanted to be because it couldn’t be any other way.
“Oh god,” Seb moaned, his hole squeezing tight. “I’m close already.”
Declan hooked an arm around his chest, then pulled him up. His dick plunged another inch in, the tip riding along Seb’s throbbing prostate. All of Seb’s muscles tightened against Declan, who rubbed his stubble along Seb’s neck. “You feel that?” he whispered.
“Yes,” Seb breathed, riding his prostate down harder on Declan’s tip.
“That’s how I’m going to make you come,” Declan said.
He found one of Seb’s nipples and began to play with the hard nub, teasing it and squeezing it lightly while Seb bounced on his dick. An orgasm was building inside Declan, too, throbbing behind his balls, but he knew he could hold it as long as Seb needed.
He could spend eternity like that, in fact, with Seb bobbing and bouncing on his dick and whimpering as each wave of pleasure radiated through his body.
“So good,” Seb whispered. He stuck his hand in his mouth and started sucking on his fingers. Declan’s dick was like steel as he huffed in the smell of Seb’s sweat, thick in the air. Every thrust was pushing them closer, and the whole room buzzed on the edge of release.
“That’s it,” Seb said, driving down with his hips, the squeeze of his rim hot as it rode up and down Declan’s shaft. “I’m ready!”
“Fuck yeah, Seb,” Declan growled. “Give it to me.”
He squeezed a nipple hard, then jerked his hips to plunge his tip again and again against Seb’s prostate. Declan felt his balls tighten up to his body, but he held his load in, grunting and gasping in Seb’s ear while Seb crashed against the edge.
“Oh god,” Seb gasped, and his body tightened around Declan. He threw his head back, and Declan watched as jets of cum sprayed across the bed, like a hose from his pink, throbbing dick. When Seb’s hole clenched again, Declan roared and released his own orgasm, wet and warm in the condom.
They fell down to the bed together, lying there with Declan still buried inside of Seb. He could feel the trembles of Seb’s muscles, tugging at Declan’s dick. It made him want to lick every inch of hot skin and draw every drop of pleasure out.
“Oh my god,” Seb whispered, pulling Declan’s arm across his chest. “That was amazing.”
Declan rubbed Seb’s chest with his palm. “Anything you want, Seb. I’m here for you.”
An occasional car passed outside, and Ellie stirred from time to time at the foot of the bed. Otherwise, though, the room was quiet, and all Declan could hear was the sound of their heartbeats and the rhythm of their breath.
Seb was good. He was right there in Declan’s arms, right where he should be. And as fucked up as everything else seemed, so long as that was true, Declan couldn’t help but feel the world was right.
Sebastian
Seb and Declan finished their lunch at a little hamburger joint near the hotel. It was getting late in the afternoon, much later than Seb usually ate, but a long night in bed had turned into a long morning in bed as well.
Not that he was complaining. The orgasms Declan had given him were unlike anything he had ever experienced before, like fireworks beneath his skin and a million sunrises warming his body. He was surprised to learn that being penetrated meant he could come again and again and again, each release more explosive than the last.
Which was how he had ended up scarfing down a cheeseburger and two orders of fries at record speed.
“More milkshake?” Declan asked, holding up the empty glass mug.
Seb shook his head, then wiped his hands on the napkin. “I think I’m finally full.”
Declan grinned. “Good,” he said, looking satisfied.
Seb was stuffed enough that he could have sat there all day, but by the time the waiter finally brought along the bill, he at least felt able to move. It was another rainy gray day outside, with a crisp chill in the air, and as they exited the restaurant, Declan opened an umbrella for them each to walk under.
“How much longer do you think we’re going to stick around this town?” Declan asked. He held a hand in the air, then grunted. “Not that I’m trying to pry. I know you still need more time to figure out your plan.”
“Thanks,” Seb said quickly, then wrapped his arm around Declan’s side. “For your patience. Maybe a couple of da
ys? I’m waiting to hear from my father.”
Whatever came next, Seb knew it would depend in part on how his father reacted. He was ready to think fast, and whenever he found a quiet moment, his brain started ticking through possibilities again, charting out different ways he might react to the news that the laboratory had burned down or to the police report, likely to find the fire had been started intentionally.
“I’m still not entirely sure what he’s going to do,” Seb said. “Or what I’ll do, for that matter.”
Declan chuckled. “At least I’m not the only one in the dark.” He held the umbrella a little higher as they crossed the street, then headed up the block back toward the hotel.
“You don’t mind that I dragged you out of town?” Seb asked.
“At least the burgers around here are decent,” Declan grunted. Now that Seb had figured out his gruff sense of humor, he realized the older man was actually being playful more often than not.
He bumped his hip against Declan’s. “I’d rather have the quiet, but yeah, those burgers were pretty stellar.”
Declan parted from Seb to avoid a puddle, stretching his arm to keep the umbrella over Seb’s head. “I can’t say this is the first time I’ve had to lay low,” he said. “Probably the most fun I’ve ever had doing it, though.”
“Yeah?” Seb asked, pulling them back together.
“Sure. Usually, I would just end up watching shitty cable in a motel and ordering cheap delivery for every meal. This time, not only do I have company, but I can even step outside without worrying someone will blow my head off.”
“That’s not really the best standard,” Seb said, scratching the back of his head. “But I’ll take it anyway.”
“Trust me. I’m happy to leave those days behind.”
Seb stepped over another puddle. The smell of rain was heavy in the air, and whenever a car passed, it splashed cold water toward the sidewalk. “I know it’s more complicated than that, but it still sounds kind of exciting to me. I’ve only ever known my father’s world, all these bubbles where rich people live with their own rules. Everyone was so uptight and boring. No one was honest. They always just cared about playing the game. When I was really young, I used to dream about finding my way out of it and toward something real, but eventually, I just kind of gave up. I felt like I was stuck there.”
