I watch him through dazed eyes, every thought burning away except for him. The way his mouth parts on a groan, the sharp lines of his face undone with pleasure, the raw hunger in his expression. He looks devastating, too beautiful to be real.
For a moment, everything’s still. Just the sound of our breathing tangled together, the thrum of blood in my ears, the heavy pulse of satisfaction in my chest. My body feels sticky. My chest is heaving. I can still feel his hand on me even though he’s let go.
The room is quiet now, and the buzz of the house is somewhere far away. All I hear is the thump of my heart and the soft sound of Alex’s breath.
I don’t look at him. I can’t. I’m too embarrassed. My hands are trembling slightly where they rest on his shoulders, and I realize I’m gripping him like I’m afraid he’ll step away and leave me there—naked and messy on the edge of the table.
Then he moves. Not away, but closer.
“Hey,” he says gently, tilting my jaw, forcing me to look up at him. “Breathe, Lucas.”
I do. A shallow inhale that doesn’t feel like enough.
“I need to…” I trail off, unsure what I’m even saying. I look down at my naked body, stained with our cum and my spent cock. A flush crawls up my neck.
Alex catches my chin and tilts my face back up again. His eyes are soft, but something darker still simmers beneath them.
“Don’t go shy on me now,” he says, then gives me a light kiss. “Stay here.”
He steps back and walks across the room, unhurried, still shirtless, his back muscles a blessing to behold; his trousers are already zipped up and buttoned. He disappears into the attached bathroom, and I hear the sound of water running. After a while, he returns with the damp towel.
“Alex…” I start to say as he gets to me and starts cleaning me up.
He hushes me with a look. And I bit my lips, looking away. I let him clean me up, my stomach, my cock, my thighs. I don’t stare at him, I can’t. No one’s ever done this for me before. Not like I have been with anyone this gentle or intimate.
But still, I don’t think people who hook up get treated this way.
“You okay?” he asks, eyes searching mine, when he’s done
I nod. I don’t trust my voice.
He leans in and rests his forehead against mine.
“Are you hungry?”
I shake my head.
“Are you sleepy?”
This time around, I nod.
“Do you know I can’t talk to anyone apart from you?” I say quietly, burying my head in his chest, feeling sad suddenly, my chest tight.
“I can’t even talk to Tyler with my voice.”
“I know,” Alex mutters, running a hand through my hair.
TWENTY-FOUR
LUCAS
I wake up to silence. The kind that wraps around you like a fog. The room is dim, golden light pouring in from the tall windows and spilling over the floor like liquid. I blink slowly, taking in the empty bed beside me. My fingers twitch where they rest on the sheets—still warm, like he’d only just left.
It takes me a moment to remember.
The kiss. His mouth on my neck. His hands. The way he held me afterward, like I was something precious.
I remember taking my hearing aid off last night after Alex had made me lie down beside him sleepily, my head on his chest. That’s why everything feels so distant and muffled right now.
