He froze there for a few moments beforeleaning backward and letting himself collapse, his spent cockpulling free as he flopped onto his back, his head hanging over thebottom of the bed.He could feel his pulse pounding through hiswhole body, could feel his chest rise and fall as he desperatelyfought for breath, but it was as if it were all happening tosomeone else.Not Lucas.Lucas was floating through the stars,relaxed and serene, and he had no concerns whatsoever for the bodystuck back on the Earth.
“You alive down there?”Mark finally croaked,and Lucas managed to raise his head.
“I’m good,” he replied.
“Any chance you might come up and seeme?”
“You’re really far.”
“Want me to come down there?”
Lucas looked around.He was mostly upsidedown, and his back was starting to cramp up.Not really anappropriate location for entertaining.“No.Give me a minute.”
“Okay,” Mark replied, and he waited patientlyuntil Lucas dealt with the condom and got himself untangled andturned back around.
“Hey,” Lucas said as he nested in and wrappedan arm around Mark’s chest.“You okay?”
“Better than okay.A lot better.”Mark’s kisswas gentle, but there was a little force behind it, enough tosuggest that he wasn’t completely, permanently drained of allpassion.
“Good.”Lucas had been pretty sure that wouldbe Mark’s answer, but it never hurt to double check.“I’m good too,in case you were wondering.”
“You’re a damn sight better than good,” Markreplied.Another kiss before he said, “That was incredible.”
“I told you—I’m an expert.”
“You told me I made you feel like an expert.That’s not the same as actually being one.”
“Details,” Lucas said.Then he looked at hiswatch.“Fuck.”
Mark turned his head in concern.“What?”
“It’s quarter to nine.”
“Shit, really?That was…wow.That took a longtime.”
“Sorry if you had other plans for theevening,” Lucas said, forcing himself to sit up.
“Nothing more important than that,” Marksaid.“You have to go?”
“You know the rules.And I’m already on thinice.Hell, I might already have broken through and they justhaven’t told me yet.But yeah, I’ve got to go.”
Mark sat up and edged over to wrap his armsaround Lucas.“I wish you could stay.”
“Yeah,” Lucas said heavily.Once again, hewasn’t the only one paying for the mistakes he’d made.And Mark hadalready paid more than enough.He closed his eyes and took a deepbreath, building his resolve.“But I can’t.”He gently unwrappedhimself from Mark’s embrace and made it to his feet.
“You didn’t get dinner,” Mark said.
“I’ll survive.”He grinned quickly and did abody-builder flex of his muscles.“It’ll help me stay ripped.”
“I think that workout we just did might helptoo.”
“A good night all around, then.”
“Unless you’re too hungry to sleep.”
“I don’t think I’m going to have any troublesleeping.Not tonight.”Lucas shuffled around and found hisunderwear and jeans all piled up together and grinned as heremembered the eagerness with which he’d shed them.It was a bitgross to pull clothes on top of the sex residue on his body but hetried not to think about it.There was no time to shower now, buthe’d clean up once he got back to the house.He pulled his T-shirton, then found enough energy for one big, enthusiastic leap acrossthe room and onto the bed.He straddled Mark’s naked body, pinnedhis shoulders to the mattress and leaned down for a deep, sloppygoodbye kiss.When he tried to straighten up he found Mark’sfingers laced together behind his neck, holding him in place.
“I want you to stay.”
