“Now that’s no way to get what you want.” Joe stilled his hand, staring down at Drew with a frown. “Begging is more likely to make me go faster. Can you beg, Drew?”
Oh, Joe wanted to play that game, did he? Maybe he didn’t think Drew could do it—orwoulddo it. Maybe he thought Drew’s pride wouldn’t let him beg Joe, of all people, for anything, or maybe he intended it as a challenge. But Joe didn’t realize how accommodating Drew could be under the right circumstances or the extent of what he’d do to get what he wanted.
He relaxed his body and went pliant and yielding beneath Joe, and he gazed up at Joe with wide eyes and parted lips. “Please,” he said, following up with a soft whimper for good measure. “Please, Joe, I need more. I needyou.”
Joe’s eyes grew wide, as though Drew actually had managed to surprise him, but then he growled again and swooped down to press his lips against Drew’s in a rough, demanding kiss. At the same time he stroked Drew’s cock again, quickening the pace of his hand to one that would soon push Drew toward the edge. Drew returned the kiss with greedy hunger, letting it drive his need even higher. Joe’s fingers were strong and sure, and Drew couldn’t help but respond as each caress made arousal coil tighter and tighter within him.
As if sensing Drew’s growing need, Joe sped up the pace more. Then all at once, when Drew was fast approaching the brink, Joe stopped, pulling back from the kiss and looking down at Drew hungrily.
“Come for me.”
Drew recognized the note of command in Joe’s voice, and his instincts urged him to obey. Hewantedto obey—wanted to belong to Joe the way Finn did—and so he let go, holding back nothing as ecstasy washed over him.
Joe began to stroke him again through his release, heightening and prolonging the pleasure. “Yes, that’s it,” he murmured, his eyes riveted on Drew’s face, watching every nuance. “Good.”
Drew’s skin was flushed and dappled with sweat as he moved sinuously beneath Joe, gasping for air as the pleasure slowly ebbed, leaving him sated. “So good,” he murmured, gazing at Joe with half-lidded eyes. “Kiss me again, Joe.”
With a soft moan Joe did as Drew asked, claiming Drew’s lips with his. There was a slightly different feel to the kiss this time, something that might almost be confused with tenderness, if Drew thought Joe was capable of feeling any such thing for him. Joe released Drew’s wrists, and Drew slid his arms around Joe’s shoulders to draw him close and tight as the kiss continued, slow and deep. Drew poured his own growing affection for Joe into it, hoping to strengthen their connection and prove Joe had his full acceptance.
After a while Joe drew back. “Let me go get a washcloth and clean you up.”
“Okay.” Drew stretched leisurely, a satisfied purr rumbling in his chest, and a small half smile curved his lips as he watched Joe walk away.
A minute or so later Joe was back, holding a washcloth in one hand and a hand towel in the other. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently cleaned Drew up.
“There,” he said when he’d finished. He dropped the used cloths on the floor.
“Thanks.” Drew held out both arms and beckoned to Joe. “Now get naked and come here. It’s your turn.”
For someone who had seemed so dominant only a few minutes before, Joe now appeared to hesitate. “You don’t have to,” he said slowly. “I’m okay.”
“No, I don’t have to, but I want to,” Drew said. He sat up and scooted over to sit behind Joe, plastering himself against Joe’s back. He left a trail of little nipping kisses along Joe’s shoulder as he slid his arms around Joe’s waist and stroked his bare stomach. “I want to see how fast I can get you hard. I want to watch your face and listen to the sounds you make when you come.”
Joe turned his head to look at Drew over his shoulder. “I… I don’t know.” He dropped his gaze. “What do I tell Finn?”
“The truth,” Drew said simply. He rested his chin on Joe’s shoulder and hooked his legs over Joe’s thighs to make sure Joe couldn’t get up and walk away. “You needed someone, and I was here for you. Maybe even admit you’re a little attracted to me,” he teased. “Finn isn’t going to be angry or upset, especially not if you feel better as a result of it.”
“It’s not the sex.” Joe drew in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “I know he wouldn’t care about that, he’s not a hypocrite. It’s… you being here for me, instead of him. And me allowing it. You giving me something he couldn’t. How do you think that would make him feel? I know how it mademefeel, and I don’t want to cause him pain.”
“Do you want my honest opinion?” Drew asked, stroking Joe’s chest in a way that was intended to soothe rather than arouse.
“Sure.” Joe tensed slightly beneath Drew’s hands, as though steeling himself to hear something unpleasant. “It’s not like he and I discussed anything like this happening, and the one time I asked him how he might feel about me finding someone else, he was at a loss.”
“So here’s the thing,” Drew said, choosing his words with care. He wanted to reassure Joe, not make him feel guilty or defensive. “Finn and I have a pretty similar outlook when it comes to relationships, and that outlook boils down to ‘it’s not pie.’ Finn loves you. He wants you to be healthy and happy. He also loves me, so I think this is the best case scenario as far as he’s concerned. If he can’t be here for you, then at least you have someone he knows and trusts, and you’re not dealing with this alone. I know if I was in Finn’s position, I wouldn’t begrudge you a damned thing because your mental and emotional health are more important.”
Silence stretched out after Drew finished speaking, but Drew had gotten to know Joe well enough to realize he was considering what Drew had said very seriously. After a few minutes he relaxed against Drew. “I guess you’re right. And I can’t judge his feelings based on my own. I just… I don’t want him to feel like sleeping with you is something I’m doing to get back at him. You see… things weren’t that great between us just before Finn was kidnapped. I was trying, but I know he could tell it was hurting me to do it. I’d even been thinking about just… going away.” Joe shrugged somewhat awkwardly. “I even broke our last date before he was taken. It was getting harder and harder to be with him, because I knew the tighter I wanted to cling, the faster I’d lose him.”
Drew nuzzled Joe’s shoulder affectionately, aching for all the turmoil Joe had experienced. “I seriously doubt the thought would even cross his mind. Hell,Iknow you’d never do anything like that, and he’s known you years longer than I have. Your conscience and sense of honor wouldn’t let you.”
Joe sighed again. “Yeah.” He hesitated for a moment before turning to look back at Drew again. “And what about you? Why areyoudoing this? Is it just for Finn, so he doesn’t lose me?”
Drew met Joe’s gaze and held it while he debated about how to respond. He wasn’t sure Joe was ready to hear the truth—hell, he wasn’t sure he was ready to admit it aloud—but Joe needed reassurance, and Drew didn’t see the point in hiding how he felt. All three of them needed to be honest with each other or else the hurt and resentment would pile up fast.
“Maybe it started out that way,” he said at last. “But I haven’t been doing this for Finn for a while now. I’ve been doing it because you need me, and I want to help.” He drew in a deep breath and released it slowly, bracing himself for what he was about to say. “I’ve been doing it because I fell in love with you.”
Joe stared at him, his eyes growing wide with surprise. He was at a loss for words for at least a minute, and when he finally spoke, it was hesitant. “You… love me? Really? How can you, after the horrible way I’ve treated you?”
“Because I’m a sucker for an honorable man who needs me as much as you do,” Drew said, offering a wry smile. “Besides, Finn and I both knew there was something bigger going on. I figured out pretty quick not to take it personally.”
Joe was quiet again for a moment. “I don’t feel like I deserve it, but… thank you. I wish I could say the words back to you, but I can’t. Not now, at least. But I meant it when I said I cared about you, Drew. You’ve done something for me that no one else, not even Finn, ever has. It means a lot to me.”
Drew felt a twinge of disappointment that Joe didn’t return his feelings, but only a twinge, and he wasn’t surprised. Joe had pretty much hated him at first, so the fact that Joe cared about himat allnow was a huge improvement.
“When we get home, Finn and I are going to work on rewiring your thinking about what you deserve,” he said, giving Joe a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay that you can’t say the words. There’s no rush. Not for that or for this,” he added, stroking Joe’s inner thigh. “I want to give you what you need, not force you to give me something you’re not ready for.”
Joe shivered at the caress and then reached back to comb his fingers through Drew’s hair. “I do need you,” he said softly. “I just had an attack of conscience, thinking about Finn. But I’m not worried about that anymore. If you want me… I’m yours.”
“Not yet,” Drew said, grinning wickedly as he wormed his hand beneath the waistband of Joe’s sweatpants. “But you will be….”
