Quinn's Hart

by Cassandra Gold

  Josh slanted a hot stare at him, focusing on his chest. "Wet's a good look for you."

  Quinn looked down, following the direction of Josh's stare. His white T-shirt clung to him, nearly transparent. Muscles, chest hair, and even nipples were visible. His face flamed, and he knew he must look like a tomato.

  Josh leaned closer. "You can get me wet later if you want."

  Oh, the pictures that soft whisper put into his head. Quinn whimpered.

  * * * *

  "Later" turned out to be several hours. They rode a roller coaster, ate lunch, and watched a couple of shows and a parade before Josh showed signs of tiring. He yawned behind his hand when he thought no one was looking, and his eyes half-closed every time they sat down for any length of time. Staying up late the night before must have taken its toll.

  At the end of one of the shows, Quinn finally touched Josh's arm. "We can go back to the hotel if you want."

  Quinn took it as a sign of exhaustion that Josh didn't put up even a token protest. "That would be good."

  Quinn glanced at Art. "Josh and I are going back to the hotel."

  "I'm surprised he made it this long." Art rubbed his goatee in an exaggerated thinking gesture. "Late night?"

  Art's implication made Quinn want to roll his eyes, but he managed not to. "He had a situation with one of his patients."

  "Ah. Bummer." When Quinn only nodded, Art continued. "Steve and I are headed over to Downtown Disney in a bit. Sorry you guys aren't joining us."

  Quinn wasn't. He liked Art and Steve, but given the chance to spend some time alone with Josh, he would choose Josh. "You guys have fun."

  Offering Steve and Art a sleepy smile, Josh turned to Quinn. "Ready?"

  Quinn nodded and followed him toward the exit.

  The trek across the park took longer than it had earlier in the day. Quinn had to slow down to accommodate Josh's ambling pace.

  They reached the pickup area at the perfect time. The shuttle arrived minutes later. Quinn led the way to a seat in the back.

  Josh sat beside him and leaned against his side. "This okay?"

  "Wait." Quinn moved his arm so he could wrap it around Josh's shoulders. "That's better."

  "Thanks." Josh leaned into him again. By the time the shuttle left, less than ten minutes, he had already fallen asleep.

  Quinn glanced down at the tousled brown and blond head nestled against him, a protective warmth rising. He leaned his chin on Josh's head, savoring the silky brush of Josh's hair on his skin. Listening to the soft, even breaths, he matched his own to them. Each breath drew in the heady scents of citrus shampoo, sweat, and sunscreen. He was tired, hungry, and more than ready to return to the hotel, yet he was content and comfortable, too. The company, sleeping or not, made all the difference.

  It had been quite a while since he'd met someone he found attractive physically and still wanted after they got to know each other. The last few guys he'd been interested in had either not been interested in him, had wanted him for the wrong reasons, or had turned out not to be such nice guys after he'd gotten to know them. He'd just about given up on finding any kind of committed relationship, no matter how depressing that thought was. Or how much Stephanie nagged and tried to set him up.

  Could Josh be different? After all the disappointments he'd suffered in the past, Quinn was afraid to hope. Josh looked past his shyness, and his size, to the man inside. And Josh didn't seem to mind that he wasn't the handsomest guy around. The man could have taken his pick of the guys in their "possibility group," but for some unfathomable reason he had chosen Quinn.

  Josh shifted, a strange, stifled half-snore escaping him. Quinn grinned. Maybe perfect Josh wasn't so perfect after all. He was glad. He didn't want perfect. He wanted real. For the first time in years, he was beginning to hope he might have found it.

  Chapter 13

  * * *

  "We're here."

  A soft voice pulled Josh out of a pleasant dream. He lifted his head to look around, not sure where he was. "Huh?"

  A laugh. Quinn's laugh. "You have to get up. We're at the hotel."

  The realization that they'd arrived--and he'd fallen asleep, on Quinn--embarrassed him. He sat up. "Oh. Sorry about falling asleep."

  The look Quinn gave him held no annoyance, only amusement. "It's all right. You were tired."

  And how. Josh had felt fine all day, but when he crashed, he really crashed. He grimaced and stood, stretching. "I'm too old for this stuff. I haven't stayed up like that since I was a resident."

  Quinn chuckled and followed him off the shuttle. In the hotel lobby, he smiled at Josh, his expression rueful. "You probably ought to sleep, then."

  They continued walking until they reached the elevator. The doors opened the moment Quinn pushed the button. As they stepped inside, Josh's sleepy brain finally understood the meaning of Quinn's statement. He caught Quinn's hand as the elevator doors slid shut. "Want to join me?"

  Wide, surprised blue eyes met his. "What? Really? To sleep?"

  Josh laughed. Quinn was too cute. "Eventually."

  Silence.

  Wondering if he'd pushed too hard, Josh backpedaled. "You don't have to. I mean--"

  Quinn cut off his babbling in the best possible way. He pulled Josh's hand to draw him closer, leaned down, and kissed him.

  Quinn's lips were warm, and that wonderful combination of hard and soft. Josh couldn't resist melting into the kiss. He groaned and parted his lips.

  He expected Quinn to take advantage of that right away, but he didn't. The big man kept the contact light. He slanted his mouth over Josh's in a series of slow, gentle grazes. Each brush sent Josh's heart racing.

  When Quinn's tongue slipped into his mouth to tease his own, he moaned at the slick, hot contact. He wanted to take control of the kiss, to force Quinn to go faster, but he didn't. He let Quinn torture him with slow, leisurely strokes of his tongue. He even whimpered when Quinn broke the kiss, something he would normally be embarrassed about.

  "This is our floor."

  It took Josh a minute to understand the words. Then he remembered they were in an elevator, in public. His face burned. "Oh. Let's go then."

  The walk to his room felt like an eternity. His fingers fumbled getting the keycard out of his wallet. Then the door was open and they were inside.

  Quinn didn't let him go far. He pulled Josh to him and traced his lips along Josh's jawline, a feather light touch that drove Josh crazy.

  He gave in to the desire to spear his hands through Quinn's short, dark hair. It was softer than he expected. "Quinn."

  Quinn paused. "Do you want me to stop?"

  "Don't stop." Josh slid his hands down from Quinn's hair, over his shoulders and back. "I want more."

  The words seemed to unleash something in Quinn. He moved back up to Josh's mouth, taking it in a hard kiss. Josh kissed him back. Needing more contact, he started walking toward the bed, drawing Quinn with him. Then they were close enough, and he used his whole body to bear them both down onto the bed.

  They landed in a heap, Quinn on top. He peered down at Josh, startled.

  Josh didn't give him any time to think. He yanked him down for another hot kiss. Quinn moaned and obliged.

  The heavy, warm bulk of Quinn on top of him was surprisingly comfortable. Josh pushed a hand under the back of Quinn's shirt, needing skin contact. He wriggled a little to get more, scraping their lower bodies together. His cock stiffened.

  Quinn broke the kiss, gasping. "God, Josh."

  Scrabbling with the hem of Quinn's shirt, Josh managed, "Please."

  "Yes." Quinn shifted, allowing Josh to pull his shirt over his head. "Yours, too."

  Josh tossed Quinn's shirt aside and leaned up as much as he could. Quinn tugged Josh's shirt off. They came together again, lips smashing together and hands roaming over exposed skin. Josh writhed under Quinn's touch, sure and strong but gentle.

  In a quick move, Quinn rolled them onto their sides. His hands stroked from Jos
h's chest down to his hips, a smooth sweep that had Josh dying for more, yet Quinn didn't seem inclined to take things further.

  Josh couldn't wait. He ran his fingertips along the waistband of Quinn's shorts, and then dipped them inside. "Can I?"

  Eyes closed, Quinn nodded.

  Josh popped the button and unzipped Quinn's shorts. He pushed them down and off, and Quinn's erection sprang out, hard and thick and gorgeous. Josh's mouth watered. He slid down the bed, ignoring the awkward angle, and licked the head of Quinn's cock.

  Quinn sucked in a sharp breath. "Josh." One of his big hands slid into Josh's hair, cupping the back of his head--not forcing him to move, just there.

  If he'd been in the mood to tease, Josh might have spent more time on light licks and gentle touches. He didn't have the patience tonight. He opened his mouth and took Quinn down as far as he could manage, relishing the cry his action dragged out of the other man. He couldn't take him all the way to the root, but what he could do was obviously enough for Quinn, judging from the sounds he made. Josh licked and sucked, using his hand at the base. Quinn arched up to meet each of his movements, tiny cries and whimpers escaping him.

  Quinn abruptly stilled, his hand on Josh's head stopping him when he would have continued. "I don't want to come. Not that way."

  The implication was clear. Josh's cock throbbed at the thought of having Quinn's large dick in his ass. He rubbed against the sheet, seeking relief. "I have some condoms. I think."

  Quinn smiled. "Good. What do you want?"

  At first he didn't understand what Quinn meant. He thought it was pretty clear what he wanted. Then he got it. Quinn wanted to know if he would top or bottom. He was stunned for a second. He'd never considered that Quinn might want to bottom.

  Hot as the idea of fucking Quinn was, Josh knew what he wanted. He rolled to his back and stretched as far as he could to reach the bedside table. He got the drawer open and came up with a condom. "I want you inside me. I'll top next time, if you want."

  His words must have reassured Quinn, because his smile brightened. "I want." While Josh scrambled out of his shorts and underwear, Quinn tore open the condom package and rolled the latex sheath over his erection. Then he rubbed his fingers in the lube left in the package.

  The feel of slick fingers at his entrance made Josh tense for a few seconds. It had been a long time since he'd bottomed. He took a deep breath that turned into a gasp as one of Quinn's thick fingers breached his hole. A twinge of pain quickly morphed into pleasure when he forced himself to relax.

  "You okay?"

  He smiled at Quinn's concern. "Feels good."

  Quinn smiled back and added another finger. The sweet burn intensified. Josh's body slowly opened up to Quinn's invasion, and Quinn pumped his fingers in and out in a rhythm designed to drive Josh insane.

  Josh arched into Quinn's hand. Quinn curled his fingers, grazing Josh's prostate, and he yelped. "Now, Quinn, please."

  Quinn withdrew his fingers. A moment later, his cock nudged Josh's hole. It was thicker than his fingers, and hotter. Josh moaned and pushed toward Quinn, breathing through the burning stretch. Sweet pleasure-pain sparked over sensitive tissue. The head slipped in, and Quinn stopped to let him adjust.

  When he nodded, Quinn pushed in the rest of the way. Josh closed his eyes at the feeling of fullness, of heat, of connection. He opened them again to find Quinn gazing down at him, his blue eyes full of an unnamed emotion. Josh's chest tightened.

  Without breaking their eye contact, Quinn began to thrust. Slow and steady, he pushed in and pulled out. Josh fell into the rhythm, rising up to meet him. The friction of Quinn's cock against his inner walls was almost too much. He heard choked whimpers and realized they came from him.

  No way was he coming this fast. To distract himself from the way his cock already throbbed for release, Josh ran his palms over the hard planes of Quinn's chest. The muscles under Quinn's warm, smooth skin felt carved from marble. A dusting of dark chest hair covered his pecs, contrasting with his pale skin. One of Josh's fingertips brushed across a nipple, and he smiled at Quinn's sharp intake of breath. Taking the hint, he brushed over the beaded flesh again, and then leaned up on his elbows to capture it between his lips.

  "Josh!" Quinn choked out his name and thrust harder, pounding into him like a jackhammer.

  The few times Josh had bottomed, it had never been like this. He'd never felt out of control, or taken. With Quinn above him, Josh felt overpowered in a good way, a safe way. Despite Quinn's strength, and his forceful thrusts, there was nothing but pleasure.

  The cords in Quinn's neck tightened. His eyes bored into Josh's. "Now." He grasped Josh's bobbing erection and stroked.

  A loud, broken cry escaped. Josh's whole body tensed. His orgasm blazed through him in a flash of sweet bliss. Hot, thick semen gushed onto his stomach, and Quinn's.

  Quinn didn't make a sound. His eyes clamped shut, he pumped into Josh a few more times, ragged and frenzied. He arched his head back and came, still without a sound.

  It was one of the most beautiful things Josh had ever seen.

  Chapter 14

  * * *

  Shaking from the aftermath of the most powerful orgasm he could remember having, Quinn collapsed onto his back next to Josh. For a long moment all he could do was breathe in and out.

  Josh seemed to be having the same problem. His eyes were closed, his mouth open, as if he were utterly exhausted. Quinn had half a second's worry that Josh just didn't want to look at him before Josh opened his eyes and smiled, the expression soft and warm.

  Happiness bubbled up in his chest. Quinn ran a fingertip along Josh's lips. "I'll be back."

  He slid from the bed and padded to the bathroom. He took care of the condom and cleaned up a little. Wanting to do something for Josh, he ran the water until it was warm and wet a washcloth. He brought it back to the bedroom for Josh to clean up with.

  Josh leaned up on his elbows. "Thanks." He started to sit up.

  Quinn put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll get it." He ran the washcloth over Josh's stomach and chest, and then lower, making sure to get everything. Touching Josh's soft, warm skin was no hardship. Quinn admired Josh's slim, elegant muscles and frame, so unlike his own bulky body.

  Josh lay back and watched him, eyes shining.

  Quinn tossed the washcloth into the bathroom and lay down beside Josh. A sudden rush of shyness overtook him, and he didn't know what to say. The thought of coming across as clingy or insecure terrified him.

  Josh rolled to his side, a move that put him closer to Quinn. He pillowed his head on his arm. One corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile. "You're the first guy I've ever been with who's bigger than me."

  Not sure whether that was good or bad, Quinn frowned. "Really?"

  "Yeah, I'm usually the big one. Or about the same size, at least. I thought it might freak me out to be smaller." Josh grinned. "Turns out it didn't."

  Quinn couldn't help grinning back. "It didn't?"

  Josh's dark eyes sparkled with amusement. "No. You being bigger than me is kind of hot. And you didn't make any assumptions about who was going to top."

  Face heating, Quinn shrugged. "Guys always assume I'm going to top. A lot of them assume I'm going to get rough with them, too, and are mad when I won't do that."

  One of Josh's long, slim fingers stroked along his cheekbone. "I hope you didn't mind that I wanted you to top. I meant it when I said I'd do it next time."

  As if he'd let a little issue like who was going to top ruin his chances with Josh. Quinn caught Josh's hand and kissed his palm. "I didn't mind. It was good."

  "Good? Try spectacular."

  The indignant look Josh gave him made him grin. "That's what I meant."

  Josh laughed.

  Relaxed and happy, Quinn rolled to his back and lounged on a pillow. Josh got up and went into the bathroom for a few minutes. When he returned, he curled up against Quinn's side and trailed his fingers lightly over Quinn's arm, chest
, and sides.

  He paused when he reached a raised scar just above Quinn's hip. "What's this?"

  "Burn scar." Quinn had never told anyone about how the mark happened, but he found himself continuing. "My dad got really drunk and decided to heat up some soup on the stove. When he brought it into the living room to eat, he stumbled and spilled some on me."

  A sharp intake of breath was Josh's only reaction. His voice steady, he asked, "How old were you?"

  Quinn shrugged. "Six? Seven? I was in first grade, I think."

  After a few minutes of silence, Josh touched another scar, this one long and thin. "What about this one?"

  "Broken bottle. I was twelve. That one he did on purpose." His dad had been angry at him for some imagined infraction. The cut had seemed almost mild, after the punches and countless hateful words that had come before it. Sometimes Quinn still had nightmares about that night.

  "God, Quinn." Josh looked up, his eyes pained. "Didn't anyone try to help you?"

  "Not until he died. I was good at hiding things." He still was, when he had to be. "Anyway, I got through it okay."

  "I'm glad." Josh paused. "You're a strong person, Quinn. And not just physically."

  "Yeah, right." A mirthless laugh slipped out before Quinn could stop it. Even worse were the words that spilled out right after, words he couldn't seem to contain. "I'm so strong I can barely stand to be in the room with more than one person at a time. My father hated that, you know. He thought he could beat the shyness out of me. He wanted to toughen me up, make me into a man."

  The sudden, fierce expression on Josh's face caught him off guard. "Your father was wrong. You are a man, Quinn. A good man. There's nothing wrong with you just because you're shy and you don't use your size to intimidate people."

  How long had it been since someone had defended him, if anyone ever had other than Stephanie? Quinn managed a tiny smile. "I know you're right. It's hard to remember that when I'm freaking out in social situations, though."