It was a delicate kiss. It tasted like trust and home.
Gabriel forced his lies into the back of his mind and held Joel's face in his hands, returning the kiss with as much conviction as he could muster.
“Gabriel, take me to bed,” Joel whispered into his open mouth.
“Anything you want, Little Red. Anything you want.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Gabriel Gets the Shock of a Lifetime
Gabriel snatched Joel's mouth in another kiss, clacking their teeth together as he walked them blindly down the hallway toward the bedroom. Gabriel picked Joel up, and pressed him into the wall beside the door, grinding his cock up against Joel’s as he fumbled the door open. Once inside the bedroom, Joel obediently released his legs and slid down Gabriel's torso to stand at the foot of the bed. Gabriel wrapped his fingers around Joel's shoulders, dragging his fingers down Joel's arms to his hands.
Joel pressed a kiss to Gabriel's shoulder.
“Let me be yours.”
Gabriel pushed Joel backward onto the bed, grasped the legs of his red jeans, and tugged them off. Pressing one knee down into the bed, he took Joel's bare foot in his hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed each of his toes, then slid his tongue down and around Joel's delicate arch. Joel's entire body shuddered beneath him and Gabriel kissed a path to Joel's knee, sucking at the skin, only stopping when the bloom of a bruise started to form.
Joel thrust his hips into the air, his cock seeking out any sort of friction, only to be met with the weight of Gabriel's hand, pushing him back flat against the bed.
“I take care of what’s mine, Joel,” Gabriel rasped, nipping the bruised skin between his teeth. Joel nodded, removing his shirt before closing his eyes and fisting the sheets between his fingers.
Gabriel continued to kiss his way up Joel's body, dragging his nose up along the ridges of Joel's ribcage, inhaling every scent, before nuzzling his face into Joel's armpit. He inhaled the smell of Joel's soap and the slight tinge of aroused sweat there, before sliding his nose to the dip of Joel's clavicle, biting his teeth down gently against the bone.
“I like it here. With you,” Joel breathed out and his body tensed, as if he hadn't meant to let the words escape.
“I like you here. It’s better. I can see you, and smell you, and kiss you anytime I like.” Gabriel pressed a kiss to the sensitive spot beneath Joel's ear before exhaling a breath against the tender flesh. Joel thrust himself up again, this time finding Gabriel's cock with his own. Joel thrust himself up again, eager for the contact, and Gabriel pulled back.
“Stop. Let me,” Gabriel chastised him quietly, finally leaning back to pull his own shirt over his head. Joel's fingers reached forward, grasping for Gabriel's hips to pull him back down.
“I want you so bad, Gabriel. I feel like I’ll die if you’re not inside of me soon,” Joel whimpered, and Gabriel recognized the truth of his feelings flame in Joel's eyes.
“I know, Little Red. But I want your first time to be special.” Gabriel managed to kick his pants off, settling back in between Joel's spread legs.
“Our first time,” Joel moaned into Gabriel's neck, straining to nip at his ear.
“Ours?” Gabriel pulled back slightly, searching Joel's eyes without letting all of his confusion show. He had been aware of Joel for years. Joel had been barely sixteen the day Gabriel first saw him, and Gabriel was certain Joel hadn’t been with anyone since then. At least, he’d been as certain as he could be. At first, he merely did his best to keep tabs on Joel, it wasn’t until Joel turned eighteen and moved into the apartment that Gabriel had become more actively involved with things.
“Ours.” Joel pressed a kiss to the corner of Gabriel's mouth. “You don’t have to worry, I’m not a virgin.”
Gabriel froze.
What the fuck?
He ran back through the last three years in his head, everything mentally organized. There had been men, or boys rather, who Joel had gone on dates with in the past year, and an even larger number of men who he hadtriedto go on dates with. Gabriel put a stop to most of those before they even got started. None of those men were even close to being good enough for Joel. It became harder to manage Joel's relationships, especially after he met Athena. Her sole purpose in life seemed to have been getting Joel laid, which hadn't sat well with Gabriel. Protecting Joel from unwanted advances had become a time-consuming endeavor, but Gabriel made time and found ways. It was important for Joel to not waste his time with people who wouldn't truly appreciate him and everything he had to offer. Joel was a gift, in every sense of the word, and he deserved the very best.
His virginity should have been the ultimate gift. A sacred fucking offering. Gabriel had spent so much time orchestrating a scenario where that offering would be made to him, and him alone. Knowing now there was a first of Joel's that would not be his made him feel like his stomach was going to turn itself inside out.
“Yeah, I was fifteen. It wasn’t a big deal.”
Fifteen? Fuck.
Gabriel sat down on the bed, resting his hands on Joel's thighs, and stared at Joel's erect cock, even while his own erection flagged.
“Gabriel.” Joel sat up, leaned in, and kissed Gabriel's jaw. “It didn’t mean much. Are you…are you jealous?” Joel nipped Gabriel's skin between his teeth and tugged, eliciting an involuntary gasp out of Gabriel's mouth.
Gabriel pulled back far enough away from Joel to search his eyes for the truth. He held Joel's face between his hands, traced his cheekbones under his thumbs, and his lips parted as Joel's face softened and his eyes brightened.
