by Luna, David
There were a couple of steps up to the platform surrounding the tub and then a deep step down into the tub itself, all of which was relatively painless for Asher, thankfully. He slid his hand into his new soft cotton bath mitt and dunked his hand in the hot water, only realizing belatedly he should have asked about that. “I’m sorry. I forgot to ask if it was too hot.”
Asher, head leaning against the back edge of the tub, slowly shook his head. “Hmm mm. S’perfect.”
He soaped up the mitt and was ready to start taking care of the boy’s needs, but with the boy’s eyes closed, he wanted to make sure he asked permission before touching him. “Is it all right if I wash you?”
Asher’s eyes blinked open and met his. A blush bloomed on his face, but he nodded, his expression warm, his smile soft. “Yes, please.”
“Good boy.”
Oh, fuck.
He let out a deep sigh. That had just slipped out so easily he hadn’t even thought of holding it back, even though he should have. “I’m sorry. That was… inappropriate.”
He met Asher’s gaze, not wanting to try to avoid it when he knew he’d misstepped. Asher’s blush deepened, and they stared at each other for several, drawn-out moments until at last, Asher’s sweet voice interrupted the silence. “It didn’t feel inappropriate. Is that wrong? Is it bad that hearing you say that felt good?”
Jesus, it was a good thing he had no intention of guarding his heart where Asher was concerned because there was absolutely no way that would be possible. He was so blessedly innocent; Thornton could hardly believe it. But he was so brave to be so clear with his thoughts and feelings. He knew a lot of men who wouldn’t have been able to be so free with their truths. “No, sweetheart. It’s not bad. Your feelings are always valid, and I always welcome hearing them. I’m happy those words felt good to you.”
“That feels good, too.”
Thornton gave the boy a questioning look, and he admitted, “When you call me sweetheart. It feels nice.”
God, this boy was destroying him with his softly spoken words. “I’m glad.”
He kept his eyes on the boy and saw indecision when he bit his lower lip and started nervously sifting his fingers in the water, avoiding his eyes. “What is it?”
“You said… You called me baby, before.”
“I’m sorry. It just came out. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t. I don’t mind it. I—” Asher took a deep breath, as if gathering courage. “I’ve never had anyone call me by anything other than my name. It feels like it means something. Is that stupid? I mean, I know we just met, but… but when you say those things, I like the way it makes me feel inside.”
“No, it’s not stupid at all. I honestly don’t know that I’ll be able to keep myself from saying them. They fall from my lips so naturally with you. But I also don’t want to blur the lines and make you feel pressure with the familiarity of them if you’re not ready. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, but if I want you to say them?”
The day he’d be able to deny Asher would be a cold day in hell. “If you want me to say them, if they make you feel good, then I would love to keep doing it.”
Asher’s tentative smile melted him. It was a habit Thornton was growing to like. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Saying those words to you makes me feel good, too. It’s kind of like a happy warmth in my chest. Is that how it feels for you?”
The shyly whispered, “Yes,” had him nodding in response. Not wanting to push too hard or take their conversation somewhere neither of them were ready for, he decided moving onto the job at hand was probably best for them both.
As he began to wash Asher, lifting one leg at a time out of the water to wash every last inch of skin, Asher giggled and wiggled his toes when Thornton’s ministrations must have tickled him. He chuckled and admitted, “I’m going to have a hard time not filing that tidbit in the back of my mind for a later date.”
Asher giggled again when he washed the arch of his foot, and he grinned. “Another secret tickle spot?”
“No.” The boy’s denial rang false, and he couldn’t have kept the smile off his face if he’d tried, without further comment. He just continued washing the boy’s foot and then his beautiful leg. When he moved onto the other foot, he got the same reaction but didn’t draw too much attention to it. When he was done with both legs, he moved up to his stomach, torso, chest, shoulders, and arms. He sat the boy forward and washed his back and then took the spray attachment and washed the boy’s hair, doing his best to keep his head injury dry while cleaning off the surrounding dried blood.
When he was finally done with almost everything, Thornton gazed up at the boy and found him watching everything he did with single-minded focus.
“Would you like to wash your own private parts?”
“I can try, if you’d rather not. I’m not sure if I can reach my… my bottom. But…”
“Asher, I am more than happy to wash every single square inch of your sweet body. And I know I asked if I could bathe you already, but I don’t want to push you past your comfort zone.”
“I’d like for you to do it, please.”
Thornton nodded and gave the boy a smile of reassurance. He could tell Asher was nervous but that he wanted Thornton to take care of him. He washed Asher’s half-hard cock without much fanfare. He didn’t want to push the boy too far. He only had one more thing to finish. “Raise your knees and place your feet flat on the floor of the tub. There you go. Spread your legs for me, sweetheart, so I can wash your bottom.”
When Asher followed directions beautifully, without a hint of hesitation, Thornton lathered up the mitt again and took special care to be gentle as he washed Asher’s most private place.
Chapter Eleven
Asher
Asher couldn’t help but lift his bottom up off the floor of the tub to make sure Thornton had all the access he could possibly need to clean him thoroughly. Every swipe and press of the soft fabric of the mitt against his desperate flesh was heating his body and revving him up. He lifted up just a little bit more, Thornton thoroughly cleaning his crease and rubbing soft circles around his anal pucker. Asher gasped and let out a moan before he could stop himself, which seemed to break the spell Thornton was under, causing him to pull away. He felt his face flame. But god, he felt bereft when the man’s hand left his most intimate place.
Thornton’s gaze was intense, but instead of making him feel ashamed for enjoying the brand-new sensations, Thornton waited calmly, his hand caressing the outside of his thigh. “Are you okay? Does exertion affect your arrhythmia?”
He swallowed and nodded. “I… yeah. That,” he took a deep breath, “that felt good. And no, my heart is fine with exertion. I’m sorry for my reaction. I wasn’t expecting it.”
The sweet smile Thornton gave him made his heart flip in his chest. “Don’t be sorry. I’m glad it felt good. Don’t ever be ashamed of what makes your body and your mind feel good.”
“Okay.”
“You ready for me to continue?”
He nodded, spreading his legs again. He half expected a teasing glint to show up on Thornton’s face, but it didn’t. His curious gaze met Asher’s. “Tell me what you want, baby. Use your words.”
“I liked… can you do that again?”
“I can. I want to make you feel good. But we can’t do too much. I don’t think orgasming is a good idea for you with your fractured ribs. There are too many muscles involved, and I think you’ll regret it. If you still want me to give you special touches, I’m happy to continue.”
Special touches. Why did it sound so erotic when Thornton said it like that? “I just like how it felt. I never knew it would feel like that.”
“You’ve never fingered your little hole to make yourself come?”
Oh, god. His little hole. So much blushing. “No. I was always too scared it would hurt.”
“When something or someone first b
reaches your special place, it probably will hurt a bit, but it can still feel really good.”
“Can we do that sometime?”
“Perhaps, if we discuss it and it’s what you truly want.”
He couldn’t think of a reason it wouldn’t be what he wanted. Losing his virginity to the man who was softly caressing his skin in a bath full of bubbles he’d drawn just for Asher didn’t feel like such a daunting thing. And even if they never worked out in a relationship, he didn’t think he’d regret giving himself to Thornton. He knew he’d be taken care of properly. But he supposed it would have to wait and they could work up towards that, if the man was even interested.
Spreading his legs again, he whispered, “Please?”
“Be a good boy and don’t strain. Try to stay still while I make you feel good.”
“Okay.”
“But, Asher, keep in mind being edged can be very frustrating.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means if I continue to give you special touches and you aren’t able to orgasm, you’ll grow increasingly frustrated because I’m edging you to near completion and yet you can’t come.”
“I just want a little more. I won’t come, I promise.”
“Okay, baby boy. I’m going to use some lube and touch you with my fingers instead of the mitt.”
He swallowed and nodded. “Yes, please.”
“You’re such a good boy, Asher.”
“Thank you.”
Sweetheart, baby, good boy.
He felt silly loving the sound of each of those endearments, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d never been called by any term of endearment, even by his parents. They’d been selfish and neglectful. They’d kept a roof over his head and clothes on his body, food in his belly, and had taken his physical health seriously. He knew they’d cared for him as much as they possibly could, but there were no soft words, no emotional connection, no holiday celebrations, and no true sense of security.
He’d been given the bare minimum, but he supposed the minimum was better than others had grown up with, so complaining about it and moping around about it wasn’t going to do him any good. Thinking about it, however, made it so starkly clear that just the simple care Thornton had given him since the accident was such a drastically different feeling. He was in real danger of becoming addicted, and they’d just met, for fuck’s sake.
But from the moment Thornton had arrived by his side at the accident site, the man had shown more care and compassion than Asher had ever had aimed his way. Hell, he’d practically begged the man not to leave him when he was scared and hurting in his car, and the very fact Thornton had only left him long enough to handle the details of the accident before he’d gotten back to him said so much about the type of man Thornton was.
The man had told hospital staff they were married. If that wasn’t shocking enough, Thornton had stayed with him every second of every day since then, until Asher himself had forced him to leave. And what a mistake that had been. He didn’t know if he’d have the strength to walk away from such a kind, generous man. He didn’t know if he’d want to.
“I want you to relax, slide a bit further down so your chest is covered and you don’t get cold. All I’m going to do is make you feel good. I only want to give you pleasure.”
Oh Jesus, Thornton’s deep, gruff voice was making him quiver inside, and he wasn’t even touching Asher yet. He did as he was told, sliding down deeper and loving the warmth that surrounded him. “That’s a good boy. Spread your pretty legs open. You’re so lovely, Asher.”
And then the man’s fingers were at his entrance, rubbing ever so softly up and down his crease over and over. Glancing over his pucker. God, it was bliss. Why had he waited? He’d never felt something so good. The slick heat of Thornton’s fingers was almost more than he could take. He wanted more. He wanted those fingers inside of him. But he knew that was too much, too fast.
He’d watched porn—what gay man didn’t? But he hadn’t ever felt the confidence to see if touching himself there would feel good. Or maybe it was just that he wanted to save that for a time he might be with someone. Make it more special or something. He didn’t know. He let his fears get in the way of a lot, so it was most likely a combination of both.
When Thornton finally zeroed in and put all his focus on teasing Asher’s pucker, the mewling sounds he let slip out of his mouth had the red hue of humiliation slip over his skin. But he couldn’t seem to stop them. He was just so much more sensitive there than he’d ever realized. He started moving his hips in time with Thornton’s ministrations, ignoring the twinge in his ribs at the movement.
Thornton put pressure on his hole, swirling his finger over that sensitive spot three times and then putting pressure on it. Not enough to pop inside, but close. Three times more and then pressure. He was going out of his mind and cried out when it was almost too much. He clamped his mouth and eyes shut, taking deep breaths, trying to calm down. But when he did so, Thornton pulled his fingers away.
He whimpered and opened his eyes. Panting, he met Thornton’s gaze. “Why did you stop?”
“Because you seemed to be getting overwhelmed, and I was worried you might lose control. Your cock is hard as a rock, and I don’t know just how easily you can come. Were you close, baby?”
The whimper that escaped him as he nodded must have been something Thornton enjoyed because his eyes sparked with heat, and he leaned over and kissed Asher. God, those lips were like heaven. “I think we should stop. As much as I want to keep exploring what makes you feel good, I don’t want to push you over the edge and cause you to be in more pain. You’ve got enough of that without making matters worse.”
Asher sighed and nodded. He knew Thornton was right. He just hadn’t wanted it to stop, and he knew he wasn’t going to stop wanting more from Thornton. He didn’t think he could say no to the man, but not because he didn’t feel strong enough to turn him down when he didn’t want something, because he didn’t want to say no. Suddenly, he wanted too much—he wanted everything—and he had no idea what that even meant with a man like Thornton. The thought scared him and thrilled him in equal measure.
After his bath, he hadn’t been as tired as he’d been before it, so he’d put off taking a nap, and they’d watched a movie together and eaten lunch. He took some pain meds with the food, so by the time the movie ended and the food was all gone, his eyes were drooping. But instead of going upstairs to rest, he’d fallen asleep with his head on Thornton’s lap, the man’s fingers playing with his hair but ever careful of his head wound.
When they first started the movie, Asher was sitting farther away from Thornton than he’d really wanted to, prompting Thornton to ask, “Do you want to sit so far away from me?”
The man was too observant by far and seemed to know exactly what he was thinking and feeling because it had felt way too far away, but he hadn’t had the guts to move closer. “No.”
“Good. I don’t want you that far away either. Come cuddle with me.”
Besides earlier in the day when he’d been pulled into Thornton’s lap, he’d never cuddled with anyone. He was going through so many firsts, his head was spinning. He couldn’t remember ever being so content in someone else’s presence. They’d had ice cream for dessert after lunch—Thornton had coffee ice cream, and he’d chosen double chocolate brownie. They’d traded bites back and forth using each other’s spoons. Another first.
He must have slept for several hours because when he woke, it was dark when he looked out the window, and he could smell something yummy coming from the kitchen. Somewhere along the way, Thornton had replaced his leg with a pillow under Asher’s head. Who knew how long the man sat, carding his fingers through his hair. If he had to guess, it was a while. Thornton had seemed content to sit there earlier while he did something on his iPad and Asher rested.
He slowly sat up, the ever-present pain making him suck in a breath. He straightened the huge sweatshirt he was wearing—another one of T
hornton’s—which had gotten rucked up, exposing his stomach as he slept. He secretly loved wearing the man’s clothes and thought about hiding one in his bag that he could take home with him when he was done recuperating. But in the end, he’d probably just ask Thornton for one straight out because the thought of stealing anything from the man, even if it was something Thornton apparently had tons of, didn’t sit right with him.
He grabbed the glass of water from earlier and took a few sips, standing and walking towards the kitchen. When he rounded the corner, he froze, shock making his heart burst out of his chest and his stomach plummet. He backed out of the room before he was noticed and made his way as quickly as he could upstairs and to his room.
He went straight to the bathroom and started stuffing his toiletries in his dopp kit, his hands unsteady and his breaths coming in short bursts. He was going to keep it together if it was the last thing he did. Done packing his toiletries, he picked up the kit and turned to head back into the bedroom when he knocked his water glass from the counter where he’d stupidly placed it on the edge. It hit the tile floor and shattered.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, god.”
He couldn’t leave a mess behind like this. It wasn’t right, and the dogs might get hurt. He stepped forward to start cleaning it up and gasped as pain shot through his foot. Collapsing onto the little bathroom rug, pain lancing through his chest at the jarring movements, he gasped. “Fuck. Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck.”
He looked at his foot and pulled out the large piece of glass, getting blood all over the rug. He started sobbing then. It was all just too much. He ignored his foot for the time being and began to pick up each piece of glass his blurry vision could make out, slicing his finger in the process. He turned and grabbed the trash can beside the toilet and yanked a bunch of toilet paper off the roll.
“Asher? Oh Jesus, baby. What happened?”
