“I didn’t mean—” Callum tried to shake his head, but Dylan held him still.
“I know, baby. See? Neither of us did anything wrong. We don’t need to apologise. Now, about that kiss you want…”
He moved his legs, so his feet were on the floor on either side of Callum. He shuffled forward, so he was sitting on the very edge of the sofa. He cupped Callum’s face in one hand and stroked the man’s neck with the other. Callum stared up into his eyes. He was still, except for the delicate shivering of his body. Dylan wanted to capture that exact moment—the way Callum was kneeling between his legs, the look of trust on his face, the desire in his eyes, the slight parting of his lips.
“You’re so beautiful, baby.”
“So are you,” Callum whispered. “Kiss me?”
Dylan did so. This time, their kiss was far from sweet. Dylan commanded it and Callum let him. His lips were putty to be moulded by Dylan’s. They parted further at Dylan’s request and soon their tongues were sweeping along each other. He stroked his hand from Callum’s neck to his waist, tugging on the man’s belt loop to bring him a little closer. Callum’s hands settled on the small of Dylan’s back, and he made tiny, gently playful movements with his fingertips over Dylan’s thin shirt. Dylan deepened the kiss, encouraging Tattoo Boy to relax and tilt his head back. When Callum moaned softly, Dylan shivered.
The kiss had to end. Dylan pulled back slowly, gently sucking on Callum’s lower lip, savouring him for as long as he could. Then he stared into Callum’s eyes, smiling.
“You’re a great kisser,” Callum said in a breathless tone.
The compliment thrilled Dylan. “Tell me how great.” Dylan hissed in a breath. “Fuck. I’m sorry.” He got to his feet and stood at the window, staring out over the dark city, arms hugging his chest.
It was one thing to demand praise from one-night stands, or the punters he stripped for at the club, but it was another to request it from Callum. He was only just figuring things out; he didn’t need to deal with Dylan’s insecurities as well as his own.
“What are you sorry for?” Callum asked.
Dylan could see Callum’s reflection in the window. He was still on his knees, but he’d turned to face Dylan. His expression was crestfallen, his eyebrows pinched in confusion.
“I shouldn’t have said that.”
“What?”
Dylan focused on Callum’s reflection. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“Dylan…”
It was clear Tattoo Boy wasn’t going to let it go. What choice did Dylan have but to reveal yet more of himself?
“I like it when guys praise me,” Dylan said, bracing himself for Callum to laugh at him. “It’s a thing.”
Callum blinked.
Dylan sighed. “It turns me on.”
He’d only admitted it a couple of times before. One guy had been accepting but had expected him to be submissive to go along with it—he wasn’t—whilst the other had sneered at him. The rest of the time, he slipped in the request to be praised when he already had a guy in his bed. It was amazing how readily a man would complement him when he was already gagging for an orgasm.
Callum’s eyes widened and his lips parted. “Oh!”
“I’ve freaked you out.” Dylan slapped his hand to his forehead. “Fuck, I’m an idiot.”
“No, you’re not.” Callum got to his feet. “I don’t mind telling you how good the kiss was.” He moved closer, his reflection slow and awkward.
Dylan turned. “You don’t have to.”
“You’re such a good kisser, you made my legs turn to jelly.”
“Good thing you were kneeling down.” Dylan needed to keep it light. It felt too good to be true that the man before him could be so unquestioningly accepting, like he was in one of the rom-coms he loved to watch.
Callum laughed. “Yeah, it was.” He dropped to his knees in front of Dylan. “Kiss me again?”
There was no way Dylan was going to deny the gorgeous man. He leant down and kissed Callum. This time, he made the kiss hard and demanding, not sweet and soft. His hand settled around Callum’s neck, a light touch, but one that commanded Tattoo Boy to stay exactly where he was. Callum’s eyes were closed, his hands loose at his sides. He tilted his head back when Dylan’s kiss encouraged him to. Delightful sounds of pleasure tore out of his throat.
“So good,” Callum whispered. “You’re amazing.”
