I’m not sure how long I watched him, drinking in his beauty. It’s funny, really, you hear all the time how peaceful we look when we sleep. But it really is true. The mask that David normally wore had fallen away leaving behind something akin to childhood innocence. I thought about what he would have looked like before his life seemingly fell apart, before his father all but destroyed him, and I imagined that had to be it. This was what a younger David looked like, young and angelic, not a care in the world, and at peace.
The gentle shift in his breathing was the first indication that he was waking up. I watched him flex his fingers against my skin, coming out of what I hoped had been a peaceful sleep. His eyes fluttered open. He peered up at me through his lashes, and I felt his lips twitch into a grin against my chest.
“Morning,” I said, leaning forward to kiss the top of his head.
“Morning. How long have you been awake?”
“Not long. I was just lying here.”
“You were watching me, weren’t you?”
Busted.
“And if I was?”
He rested his chin on the hand that was on my chest. Looking up at me, he playfully said, “If it were anyone else, it might be creepy.”
“But since it’s me?”
“Only a little less creepy.” But his mouth broke into a grin that I just had to kiss.
Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to his. The kiss wasn’t hungry or needy. Just a simple, lazy good morning kiss that I imagined couples around the world greeted each other with. What made it special was that it was David.
He pulled away, and covered his mouth with his hand. “I have morning breath.”
I cupped his cheek in my hand. “David, your dick’s been in my ass. I think we’re past the point of morning breath being an issue.”
He gave an embarrassed little chuckle that, truth be told, I found to be incredibly endearing. He laid his head back on my shoulder, knowing him to divert his gaze from mine. I continued to stroke his cheek with the pad of my thumb, trying to sooth him without speaking.
I wondered if he would ever be comfortable enough with himself to talk about sex. It was such a natural extension of who we were, and how we expressed ourselves. I found it sad that there was a part of him that he had closed off, that he couldn’t talk about. I hoped the talk we had the previous night had helped to open the door for him, even if only a little.
We lay in silence for a while. Maybe we were both afraid of breaking whatever spell had been created the night before. Maybe neither of us wanted to venture out into the real world. If I had my way, I would keep him there with me forever, safely cocooned within his small studio. Would we drive each other crazy? I had only ever lived with my family, and, believe me, there were times that they drove me nuts. But I suspected that with David, it would be different.
Before I even gave it any thought, I said, “I think you should stay with us.”
Once I said it, it just felt…right. Like everything else about being with him.
He pulled away and said, “Adam, you can’t be serious.”
I looked him in the eyes and tried to make him see everything that I felt about the situation. “Yeah, I am. Stay with me. If you’re not comfortable, then fine, we’ll go somewhere else. But you can’t stay here. If it is your father, then he knows where you are. God knows what he’d do to you if he found you here alone.”
“I can’t do that. I can’t put you, Ryan, and Lucas at risk. If anything happened to the three of you, I couldn’t live—”
“Nope, not saying that. Never saying that, not ever thinking that, ever again, am I clear?”
“We are. Crystal.”
“Good. Now, pack a bag. We’re leaving. You’re not staying here any longer than you have to. At least not until we know for sure who broke in.”
“I can’t stay with you. I work tomorrow.”
“And I’ll bring you. I just got you back. I’m not willing to risk having you here, by yourself, as long as your father’s still out there.”
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE EVENT, I was invited out to dinner with Adam and his family. I had been staying with them for a couple of days at that point, and while Adam continuously reassured me that Ryan was happy to have me there, I felt like an interloper in their lives. The last thing I wanted was for my drama to spill over into their personal lives, and yet there I was encroaching on their personal space.
I was a bundle of nerves, but that wasn’t anything new. Adam was being secretive as to where we were going. He would only tell me to dress nice. That presented a challenge to me. I owned nice shirts, but only khakis. I hoped those would be sufficient.
I was checking myself one last time in the bathroom mirror when I heard someone knock at the door. Without thinking, I called out, “Come in.”
“You about ready?” Adam walked in, dressed in a pair of black slacks and navy-blue button-down. His beard was neatly trimmed and his hair actually done, parted to the side and wavy. His eyes looked like deep pools of chocolate. He took my breath away.
I immediately felt underdressed. “I need to—”
“You look fine,” he said, coming to me and wrapping his arms around me. “You look better than fine, in fact. Too bad the guys are waiting in the other room.”
He gave a waggle to his eyebrows as he spoke, and I giggled. I fucking giggled. The things that man made me do, made me feel.
I leaned into him, laying my head against his chest, and clung to him, willing my nerves away. He kissed the top of my head and lazily ran his fingers over my back.
After a moment, he whispered, “You ready?”
“No,” I answered truthfully. “But let’s go anyway.”
He kissed my head again. “That’s the spirit.”
I stepped around him and headed to the door, opening it.
Ryan and Lucas were waiting for us in the living room.
“Took you two long enough. I was afraid I’d have to go in and pull you two apart.” Ryan’s eyes held mirth, so I knew he was kidding, but I still felt embarrassed.
We left the condo and climbed into Ryan’s car. As he pulled away, Ryan said, “I’d have sent Lucas, but he’s young and impressionable, you know.”
That earned a “Dad!” from Lucas. But he was smiling too.
It was odd and comforting at the same time to be in the company of Adam’s brother and nephew, and have them so accepting of us. Accepting enough to be able to joke about it. That thought put me further at ease while we made our way.
Adam reached over and grasped my hand, interlacing our fingers together. “You know how to get there?”
“‘There’? Where’s ‘there’?” I asked.
“It’s a surprise,” Ryan said.
“One of Dad’s favorites,” Lucas chimed in.
As he said that, Mancy’s came into view, and I went rigid. I glanced at Adam, and I knew he could see the fear in my eyes. He gave our joined hands a gentle squeeze meant to reassure me. I immediately regretted what I was wearing.
Ryan parked, and he and Lucas climbed out of the car. Adam jumped out and raced around to my side, opening my door. Did he think I was going to bolt? I climbed out, and he leaned in to whisper, “I’m sorry. Ryan’s idea. He wanted to take you out someplace nice. I argued against it, but lost.”
Ryan’s idea.
Take you out someplace nice.
I nodded, appreciating Adam’s attempt. I walked slightly ahead while Adam closed the car door. He jogged up behind me and placed a hand on the small of my back. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”
Adam had kept every promise he had made me so far. A strange sense of calm washed over me, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of his hand on my back, the promise he made, or the fact that the whole affair had been Ryan’s idea for my benefit. What I did know was that for once, I was with people that actually wanted to be with me, and that I wanted to be with.
I glanced back at Adam. “Thank you.”
“I’ll be by your side
the entire time. I love you.”
He led me to the entrance where Ryan and Lucas were waiting. Ryan opened the door and ushered us in.
Once inside, Ryan approached the host and announced that there were reservations for four. The host grabbed four menus and led us through the restaurant to the back corner. Darker than the rest, I couldn’t help but think that Ryan had selected that spot on purpose, maybe to calm my own fears. Perhaps that was wishful thinking on my part. The table itself was round, perfect for conversation. Delicate stemware and plates were already placed, along with gleaming silverware. Truth be told, I never knew what to do with the two forks already set, but I figured I would take my cues from Adam.
True to his word, Adam sat to my left with Lucas to my right and Ryan across from me.
We made small chit chat. Lucas was understandably happy to be out of the hospital. His test results had come back, and there had been no sign of the cancer. He seemed to be in complete remission, although he would have to undergo periodic tests to ensure it hadn’t returned.
Ryan seemed to have a lighter air about him as well. Again, understandable. His son seemed to have persevered the worst that life could throw at him and come through the other side strong and healthy.
I truly admired Ryan. He had stuck by his son’s side through his entire ordeal. Briefly, I wondered if my own father would have had the tenacity to do what Ryan had, and I knew he hadn’t. He had failed to keep it together when my mother died, and, worse yet, abandoned my brother and me in favor of the bottle.
Shaking those thoughts from my head, I glanced in Adam’s direction and caught his eye. He grinned at me, almost shyly, and I couldn’t help but to grin back.
The waiter arrived to take our drink orders. Ryan ordered a bottle of wine for the table. Never a wine connoisseur myself, I didn’t object. Add into the fact that I knew what kind of effect alcohol could have on people, I rarely drank. I ordered a simple water, while Adam ordered a beer and Lucas a pop.
“David, are you excited about tonight?” Ryan began.
“Excited and nervous. I want everything to go off without a hitch.”
Adam reached over and took my hand. “Nothing to be nervous about. You’ve done an amazing job of setting all of this up.”
“I just had the idea. Everyone else ran with it.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. Without you, none of this would be happening. You made all of this happen.”
Pride swelled in my chest, something that I was unaccustomed to. I saw it reflected back at me in Adam’s expression. Pride, and something else. Something bright and vibrant. Sitting at the table, holding his hand, I allowed that feeling to wash over me. I had been told for so long that I was undeserving of someone else’s love, that I shouldn’t feel love for another person. And yet there I was. I knew, without Adam actually saying the words, what he felt for me. And I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what I felt for him. I should have been running scared, but I found that I couldn’t. I wanted to bask in that new feeling, live in it forever.
I couldn’t help myself. I grinned. Full-on grinned. I knew I had to look like an idiot, but I didn’t care. Adam gave my hand a soft squeeze. “You okay?”
“Never better. Honestly. Never better.” And that was the truth.
We made our way to the hospital after the restaurant. Adam had the forethought to pack our costumes in the trunk, for which I was grateful. With all of the thoughts that had been running through my head, and all of the planning, I had completely forgotten that we were also dressing up.
Adam handed Ryan, Lucas, and me our costumes and grabbed a small bag for himself. Ryan had reminded me at dinner what he and Lucas were dressing as, Batman and Robin, and I found that comically endearing and appropriate. Although I had also vocalized my surprise that Lucas hadn’t insisted on dressing as Spider-Man since that was his favorite character.
Adam, however, never told me what he was dressing as.
The hospital had been kind enough to give us use of one of the private locker rooms to change in. Ryan and Lucas made quick work of their costume change, but Adam hung back.
“I need help with mine,” he whispered to me. There was a hint of arousal in his voice that made my breath hitch.
Ryan came up behind him, Batman’s cowl dangling behind, and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Gonna be much longer? Everyone will be here soon.”
By “everyone,” I assumed he meant Greg and Owen.
“Go on ahead. We’ll catch up shortly.”
Ryan gave Adam a smirk as he and Lucas left the locker room.
“Okay. So, what’s the mystery?”
“Open the bag.” He directed, pointing at the small duffle.
Unzipping it, I found a green wig, green body paint, and purple shorts. I knew right away who he was going as.
“Oh my God! You are not!”
His grin widened almost Cheshire in appearance. “But I am. And that’s what I need the help with.” Then he waggled his eyebrows. “Will you do my back?”
I couldn’t help myself, I laughed. Hard. Harder than I had in a long time. Leave it to Adam to turn a situation that he knew I was stressed about into something fun and exciting.
He reached into the bag and handed me the shorts and body paint. I watched as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, popping first the top button, then the second. I stared wide-eyed until every button had been undone. Then he pulled the shirt free from his pants and slipped it over his arms. Folding it, he slid it into the bag.
“You need to change too,” he said as he slowly unbuckled his belt. I stood frozen in place, unable to move. He was so pristine, slim and muscled, and for a fraction of a second, I again questioned what he saw in me. That question fell away quickly as he unsnapped his pants and unzipped. Grasping them on either side of the waist, he slid them down his thighs, then his calves. Lifting his left leg out then his right, he carefully folded them and placed them inside the bag on top of the shirt.
He stood in front of me clad only in his green boxer briefs, which I found incredibly appropriate given his planned costume. I drank in his beauty, the dusting of hair on his chest, the nipples that perked up in the chill of the room, the abdominals that tapered down to his waist, the trail of hair that bisected those abdominals and disappeared under the waistband of those boxer briefs. The pronounced bulge of his obvious erection. The tattoo on his left arm that ran shoulder to wrist. I had never been a fan of tattoos, but my God was his incredible.
I looked into his face and found even more beauty there. His wavy hair now slightly disheveled, and those lips that had kissed me in places I never knew existed.
I marveled at the depths of desire I found reflected in his chocolate-colored eyes. Desire for me, want for me. I could easily become addicted to that, and I found myself reveling in that addiction.
“You’re not changing,” he said, slowly approaching me like he was a predator and I was his prey. “Here. Let me help.”
I still couldn’t move as he unbuttoned my shirt. Leaving it open, he stood before me again. He placed his right hand onto my chest, directly over my heart. “Your heart’s racing. You need to calm down.”
He leaned in and brushed my lips with his. “I know what you need.”
With that, he sank to his knees, and my breath hitched again. He took hold of my belt buckle and unbuckled it, pulling my belt free from the loops and laying it next to the duffle. He then unsnapped and unzipped my pants and let them fall to the floor. Kneeling in front of me, he untied my shoes and slipped them off. Tapping my left leg first, he helped pull me free from them until I stood in only my own boxer briefs.
He palmed my erection through my underwear, paying close attention to the dark spot of liquid that had formed at the front.
“We can’t. Not here,” I warned.
“You worry too much. Ryan took care of everything.”
I had to wonder what he meant by “everything.” Surely Ryan hadn’t intended a sexual rendezvous in a lock
er room of the hospital when he arranged this. My musing was interrupted. “God, I love you so much. You are so beautiful.”
I believed him. I felt it. Maybe it was because of everything I had accomplished in the past month or maybe it was because I was finally beginning to see myself the way he saw me.
He pulled my underwear down, and I sprang free, almost hitting him in the chin. He bit his lower lip, grasping me by my base. Peering up at me through dark eyelashes, he slowly guided me to his open mouth. I gasped when I hit the back of his throat.
He placed his hands on my hips, pushing and pulling ever so slightly. I got the hint. Threading my fingers through his hair, I took hold, careful not to pull, but needing the balance. I retracted my hips, pulling my cock from his mouth until only the crown remained. He placed his hands on my ass and pulled, forcing me back in.
His wet heat enveloped me and coursed through my body. He raised his right hand to my nipple and gave it a gentle pinch, and I gasped again. He gave a light chuckle that reverberated through my cock, and he pinched me again, spurring me on. “Oh God. Adam!”
I barely recognized my own voice as I fucked his mouth with abandon, knowing that was what he wanted, and knowing that was what he wanted to give to me.
He used his left hand to play with my balls. First my left, then my right, then both. Rolling them around like they were dice. Gently pulling and tugging. I never knew that playing with balls could be such a turn-on until I met Adam. Now, I couldn’t imagine sex without a little ball play.
He hummed a tune that my brain didn’t recognize but my body did, vibrating through me like a tuning fork. My speed picked up, and that telltale heat pooled at the base of my spine. He sensed it too. His hands tugged rougher on my scrotum, urging the contents inside to spill.
“Fuck! Adam, I’m gonna…Adam!” In a searing jolt of pleasure, I shot, pumping myself into his mouth, again and again until I was drained. He swallowed my offering after each burst.
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