A Breath of Innocence

by K. A. Merikan

  Mark groaned, and that sound alone was a compliment. “Jesus Christ. The things you can do with your body. I think about them all the time.”

  Griffith smirked and pulled on the hem of his T-shirt- revealing himself to Mark. “Then don’t think about anything else. Look at me.”

  Mark’s gaze licked Griffith’s skin. Never had he felt more beautiful than when Mark watched him. It was like basking in the sun without worrying about burns—constantly caressed by the soothing, warm glow.

  Griffith pressed his nose to Mark’s just before he tapped his toes against the floor and slid off his lover’s lap, standing before him with feet slightly apart. The intensity of the connection between their eyes had Griffith’s skin tingling all over, and he could almost feel the ghost of a touch on his pecs. He opened his jeans and slid them off.

  Mark’s eye glazed over, and the sight made Griffith’s thirst skyrocket. He was still only learning about sex, but what he already knew was that seeing Mark’s lust for him was the most powerful aphrodisiac.

  Mark ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back. “I’m so lucky.”

  “It’s not luck. You worked for it,” Griffith said with a chuckle as he kicked away his trousers, remaining only in a pair of yellow boxer briefs that would be comfortable yet tight enough to do what he had in mind. Without thinking, he leaned back until his palms rested on the floor, his body stretched into a bridge. For a split second, he could feel every single muscle in his abdomen and thighs, but then he sent one of his legs into the air, and the impetus of the movement brought him to a handstand. The room spiraled around him, but then his feet were back on the floor on the other side of his hands, and he stood up, bowing for his one-man audience.

  Mark watched him as if he’d just witnessed a magic trick, and he shifted to sit on the edge of the sofa. “I can’t reach you now.” He held out his hand, wiggling his fingers right in front of Griff’s stomach. But if Mark wanted to have him, he needed to get him.

  “How about you follow me, so I can show you something more interesting?” Griffith asked, urging Mark with a gesture.

  Mark stood, and it melted Griff’s heart to see him already smiling. “More interesting than this? I doubt that.”

  Still, when Griff wiggled his eyebrows and walked off, Mark followed all the way to the dance studio. As they passed through the corridor, the soft sound of Mark’s footsteps following him thudded along with Griffith’s pulse, his gaze burning Griffith’s naked back like physical touch. In the dim space between rooms, even their breaths turned into noise, but Griffith stopped the impulse to glance over his shoulder and look into the eyes of the wolf following him.

  The dance room allowed him to breathe freely again. Empty and soothing, it was the place of infinite possibility. “Draw the curtains?” he asked, finally allowing himself to look at Mark.

  Mark’s eye went that bit wider, but he walked across the room to follow the instruction without question. “It’s gonna be that kind of dance then?” he asked raspily, looking back over his shoulder.

  Two months ago, Griffith might have gotten self-conscious, but a lot had changed since then, and Mark’s question brought a smile to his face. “What kind of dance did you expect? You seem to find them all equally titillating,” he said, untangling the silks, which had been tied to the wall.

  Mark chuckled and made a show of removing his T-shirt. It was like being unexpectedly exposed to the smell of fresh sourdough, and Griffith found himself forgetting what he’d come here for as he took in the dusky skin on show, the wide shoulders and the—

  No. Griff was in charge this time.

  Mark shrugged. “What can I say? Anything you do turns me on. But you know what really gets me going? When I watch you horse riding. Your ass goes up and down in that constant motion that drives me crazy.”

  It was so difficult to continue with what Griffith had come up with when his instincts pushed him into Mark’s arms, into the safety of the well-established situation where Mark took on the more active role. And Griffith loved that. He thrived when Mark showcased his strength and experience, but tonight he wanted to be the one who called the shots. He let go of the silks, letting them gravitate to the middle of the studio while he walked over to the music player, never looking away from his lover.

  “I should get on top more often then.”

  Mark managed to catch Griff with a little slap to his ass. “You’re a good rider.”

  Griffith gasped as the burn spread over his buttocks, but he resisted the instant pull and reached his destination, to quickly choose the right playlist. “When the mount is right.”

  Mark bit his bottom lip, watching Griff’s every gesture as if he really was a wolf, getting ready for his move. Through the slits between curtains, a tiny bit of sunshine came in, leaving streaks of light on the wooden panels of the floor. The dust dancing in the air was a glass wall between him and Mark.

  The first song started with a series of gentle piano chords, building up the moment, but once drums joined the melody, creating a strong beat that contrasted with the overall slow pace of the music, Griffith made his move. He reached the silks in a series of elegant leaps and grabbed the fabric with both hands, briefly spinning above the floor. The sense of weightlessness only lasted for a moment before gravity pulled his feet back to the floor.

  The insistent gaze burned the hair off Griffith’s body, and he smiled, gracefully leaning back while sliding one knee up the stretched silks. The music was too sensual for him to resist a slow motion movement against the fabric. A part of him still felt self-conscious about doing something that many would consider a feminine routine, but he wasn’t performing pole dance in a seedy bar in front of tons of people. He was here with his boyfriend, and he could freely express his sexuality without the fear of judgment.

  So when Mark walked up that bit closer and reached out, Griff playfully pushed him away in tune with the music. The gesture gave his body momentum, and he turned upside down, tangling his legs in the silks, which he then used as leverage to climb higher. The air was cool against his bare skin, pinching his nipples and tracing his sides with invisible fingers, as if the audience was already participating, about to carry him straight into Mark’s arms.

  “Take off your clothes,” Griffith whispered, toying with his victim, who likely still thought he was in control, but Griff would prove him wrong. Inches beyond Mark’s reach, he had all the power, no longer at risk of sweet touch tempting him back into a dance that was familiar. Up here, he was completely free.

  Mark stalled, and for a second Griff lost confidence in the way he tried to command the situation, but then Mark’s chest sank and, with a flush to his face, he unzipped his jeans. The thrill of having Mark do as told unlocked a new kind of desire deep inside Griffith. Even in just his briefs, swaying to the music for Mark’s pleasure, he was the one to hold the power here.

  When Mark pulled off his jeans and underwear, his cock was already growing hard, and so was Griffith’s, throbbing under his cotton underwear while he floated in the air, defying gravity. “Good. This is how I want to be worshipped. Maybe now you will be allowed to touch me,” he whispered, but in the empty room, his voice resonated with surprising strength.

  Never taking his eye off Griff, never blinking, Mark kneeled in front of the silks, his chest rapidly working up and down.

  The sight took Griff’s breath away and he wasn’t even sure what they were doing anymore, but he loved it. Mark was just as amazing on top and pulling Griff apart as he was now, in awe and on his knees. His cock, thick and a darker shade than the rest of him, bobbed slightly, as if already anticipating its turn to adore Griffith.

  With blood rushing to his head, Griffith let the music carry him as he slowly bent his body, showcasing the muscles gained through endless dance training, harmonious and allowing him that perfect control over movement. He slid lower, waist secured with the silks as he spread his thighs in a split while he hung above Mark, like a creature way beyond
the reach of mortals. He didn’t usually think of himself this way, but the dazed arousal that reflected him in Mark’s eyes had pride soar deep in Griffith’s chest.

  Slowly but surely, he descended toward the floor, stopping only to invite Mark closer with a gesture. Mark moved on all fours, but he didn’t look like a slave begging for attention. Instead, his movement was that of a lion that knew the pride was his.

  As soon as he was close enough, he left a kiss on the upper side of Griffith’s foot, and the touch of his warm lips, however fleeting, sent a bolt of heat all the way to Griff’s balls. Holding on to the silk with both hands, he flexed his stomach muscles and raised his knees, moving the foot along Mark’s cheek before resting it on his shoulder. He could barely catch a full breath as the intensity of their connection made his chest tighten, but without thinking, Griffith offered his other foot to Mark’s lips.

  “I like you like this.”

  Mark exhaled loudly and grabbed Griff’s ankle as he kissed Griff’s toe. “Of course you do. You’re an attention whore.” And despite the teasing words, he licked along the toes with a growing flush blooming on his cheeks.

  Griff stole a glance at Mark’s cock, and saw it was already fully hard, jutting from the bush of dark curls. Griffith swallowed, hugging the silks when hot and cold shivers trailed from his foot, all the way up his body, keeping his flesh on high alert. He whimpered when Mark sucked in his big toe while looking straight into Griffith’s eyes, his hands cradling Griffith’s calf as if it were a priceless artifact.

  “Maybe I am. But you’re not exactly in my shadow either.”

  Griff trailed his other foot up Mark’s cheek and teased his ear, his breath getting quicker when Mark moaned against his toe. “I am your shadow. Always there, always yours.”

  Griffith gasped as emotion flooded his chest, and he pulled Mark in with his legs, gently squeezing his head between the thighs. The tickle of fluffy hair against his skin had him curl his toes, but it was the warm breath and gentle scratch of stubble that made him gently rock his hips in front of Mark’s face.

  “Not a shadow. You’re my wolf. People do notice you, whether you follow me or not.”

  “Good,” Mark whispered, his lips brushing over Griff’s cock through the fabric. “They better know there’s hurt to come if they approach.” He ran his hands up the back of Griffith’s thighs, and all the way to his ass.

  A shiver went down Griff’s spine at the strange mixture of emotions. He was both captured, and exactly where he wanted to be. He both wielded power, and was helpless.

  Mark’s eyes briefly shut, and Griffith didn’t know what to expect before the warm mouth opened against his balls and sucked on them, dampening the cotton and creating the wonderful vacuum that made his dick twitch.

  Griff wouldn’t give in just yet. In the spirit of teasing, he lowered his feet to the floor and took a step back. In a bid to further show off, Griff lifted his leg all the way up into a standing split. Arousal made the whole task that much more difficult, but Griffith had done this move a hundred times before. He pushed off the ground with the other foot, twisted the leg he’d lifted around the silk, and in a split second, he hung upside down over Mark, heart rattling in his chest.

  He’d had people watch him dance before, he’d had people clap or nod, but the way Mark watched him, as if Griffith was a creature from beyond this world, was something new, something that pushed Griff to work harder, prove himself, and prove to the world that he could in fact make it, no matter what his family thought.

  In a breathless moment, he looked at his lover before reaching out to curl his fingers in his hair. With a gentle pull, Griffith drew him in, gasping at the unexpected sensation of Mark’s nose rubbing against his chin as their mouths opened. The warm, smooth tongue gently sliding along the rim of his lips had Griffith trembling even before the position could have made him lightheaded.

  He followed the warm mouth when Mark pulled away, but he knew what was up as soon as Mark stood up and his thick, erect cock brushed against Griff’s lips. The audacity. And still, Griffith opened up and tried to capture it with his mouth, tempted by the unmistakable scent of arousal. He wouldn’t believe anyone who claimed that any other man could rival Mark in terms of scent. His was earthy, intense, and made Griffith’s head spin as if he’d gotten high. Maybe it was all the blood drizzling down to his head.

  “I see you’re enjoying the show.”

  “I would have paid a lot to see a show like this,” Mark teased, but before Griffith could say anything back, liquid fire licked the length of his cock.

  Griffith moaned, shocked by the touch, and twisted his feet in the fabric, desperate to keep himself from falling to the floor when his muscles briefly weakened. The tension in his groin clouded his brain, but with Mark’s cock so close to his face—dark, hard, and stiff as if he were saluting Griffith’s acrobatic skill—he was quickly reminded of what he wanted.

  “You can’t from now on. Only me,” Griffith said, confident in his demand. He grabbed the silks above his head and pulled himself higher, to once again look into Mark’s beautiful dark eye.

  He wasn’t sure where he wanted to go yet, still slightly dizzy from the sudden change in position, but Mark did the thinking for him and opened Griff’s legs before sliding between them like he belonged there. Because of course he did.

  “Only you.”

  Griffith gave a shuddery exhale, suddenly feeling as innocent as he did on their first night together, his head empty and his entire body throbbing in longing. But now that he knew how it felt to connect with Mark physically, the need for it was that much stronger.

  He gave a sharp nod, resting his forehead against Mark’s.

  “Are you done showing off? Is it my turn now?” Mark whispered and kissed Griff with exquisite tenderness.

  Griffith let out a giggle and arched his body, squeezing his thighs around Mark’s waist. With the silks taking some of his weight, it was way easier for Mark to hold him up for a longer time. “You’re always the one showing off.”

  “Because I’m the one who knows how to cook from scratch.” Mark laughed and gave Griff another kiss. That boast was pretty exaggerated, since Mark only really knew how to cook about five dishes, and three of them breakfasts, but to be fair, they were all amazing. “Don’t move a muscle.” He said before sliding out from between Griff’s legs.

  Griffith rolled in the air and pulled himself up to tangle more of the fabric around his shoulders. “Easier said than done!”

  Mark’s ass was a picture of perfection when he bent over his discarded jeans to undoubtedly retrieve lube. All tension and stress seemed gone from his posture, and even if they were to come back later, at least for now, Griff could soothe Mark’s wounded heart.

  “How long can you hold on?” Mark asked, and was already lubing up his gorgeous thick cock as he approached.

  The smooth glide of his hand over the thick length hypnotized Griffith, and for a moment he stayed still, too enchanted by the sight to think of anything else but it sliding inside him.

  He loved Mark’s cock. Loved it.

  “We’ll have to see.”

  When Mark pulled on Griff’s ankle with his free hand, Griff tightened his hold on the silk, and lifted his legs to wrap them around Mark’s waist. Getting tangled in Mark was Griff’s favorite pastime, and Mark wasn’t wasting time, quick to pull Griff’s briefs off just enough to expose his ass.

  Griff gasped against Mark’s lips when slippery fingers moved between his buttocks. By now, the prep was so familiar it only boosted his excitement, and Griffith grinned at Mark, focused only on the brown eye that he wanted to look into every day until the end of his life. Maybe it was immature or naive, but Griff couldn’t imagine sharing this kind of intimacy with anyone but Mark. Nobody else could possibly earn so much of Griffith’s trust.

  The gentle slide of fingers over his opening was enough to make his breath ragged, and he pulled on the silks, confused by the strength of his b
ody’s reaction. “That... feels so intense,” he whispered, curling his toes at the touch that somehow made his insides burn.

  “Just tell me if anything’s too much,” Mark whispered, but with lube in abundance, even when he pushed in two fingers, nothing hurt. If anything, the slow finger fuck made the anticipation inside of Griff grow, and he couldn’t wait for Mark’s cock to slot into place.

  Griffith shook his head, meeting Mark’s gaze, so dark when it burned for him. It started a fire that quickly spread all over his own body.

  “It’s never too much. It’s like I’m addicted.”

  Mark only sent another shot of pure heroin into Griff’s gums when he dragged his tongue between them and Griff’s upper lip. “That never ends well. Aren’t you scared?” he whispered, as he slid out his fingers, about to push his cock inside of Griff. Thinking wasn’t all that easy anymore.

  In the dim light of the tall, empty room, floating on the silks and holding on to Mark with his legs, Griffith was exactly where he wanted to be. The fabric could as well be bondage, and he wouldn’t care. He chose Mark. He chose to stay, and he would do whatever the fuck he wanted without fear.

  “Not anymore. I just want you,” Griffith whispered in a low voice that didn’t even feel like his own. His hole was throbbing for touch, for friction, for motion the same way his mouth needed more of Mark’s kisses. He tightened his thighs around Mark and pulled him in, rolling his entire body between his man and the fabric holding him up.

  “You’re so sexy.”

  Mark rubbed his cockhead against Griff’s hole, teasing it just a little, but didn’t make Griff wait much longer. The flared tip of his cock pushed on, Griffith’s body opened up, and a heartbeat later the length was buried halfway in Griff’s ass. Mark deepened the kiss, turning the heat between them into an inferno, but Griff’s head fogged up when he realized what else Mark was doing.