Chapter 5
The night passed with Steve sleeping fitfully. He’d tossed and turned, waking every few hours due to the incessant pain of his burns. Corey hadn’t left his side, apart from a couple of visits to the kitchen for fresh water to accompany the painkillers and to bring new ice packs. They must have used every tea towel in the house. God help it if anyone needed to dry the dishes in the morning.
Through the wakeful hours, Steve was thankful for the soft light from the lamp they’d left on. He had watched Corey sleeping, his long dark lashes fanned over his flawless skin, his inky hair flopping across his forehead and his breathing accompanied by little snuffling snores. Corey snuggled into Steve’s side, heedless of the warm evening, and Steve found he didn’t mind the heat source tucked against him.In fact, I think I could get used to this. Even when Corey’s movements knocked his wrists, Steve gritted his teeth through the flashes of pain and just held him tighter until sleep took him under again. He woke in the early hours when the last lot of ibuprofen finally started to wear off. Steve groaned at the flare of fire in his wrists but noted the pain had at least dulled.
“You okay?” came the soft question from the tousled Corey curled up next to him.
Steve’s chest filled with warmth at Corey’s caring question, but suddenly he didn’t want Corey to be taking care of him. Steve wanted to take care of Corey, and no amount of discomfort was going to stop him.
“I will be in a minute,” Steve whispered and pushed Corey onto his back.
He leaned on an elbow, hovering over Corey, his beautiful body stretched out on the bed. Corey gazed at him, his eyes still hooded from sleep, his pupils large and dark as Steve ran a hand lightly down his chest. Corey sucked in a breath as Steve skimmed his nipple and it pebbled at his touch. Steve bent his head and touched his mouth to Corey’s. The kiss started at his lips, Steve tasting Corey, then kissing along his jaw and down his throat. Steve licked a path across the smooth skin of Corey’s chest, raising himself so he could reach first one nipple, then the other, sucking them both to taut buds.
Corey moaned beneath him, and Steve rose to kiss him again. This time the kiss was deep and hot. Corey grabbed him around the neck and tried to pull him closer, so Steve slipped a thigh over Corey’s, aligning their bodies and starting a slow grind. Corey’s erection ground into his hip and his own answering hardness pressed back. Steve loved the contrast, enjoying the silky-smooth glide of Corey against his own rougher body. But while he wanted to push and thrust against Corey and race to completion, Steve wanted to give Corey pleasure even more. He lifted himself up on his arms, giving Corey one last lingering kiss before moving down his abs to his long, slender dick.
There was no mucking around. He opened his mouth and took Corey deep.
“Oh my fucking God,” Corey shouted as he lifted his hips and thrust. Steve took it all, loving the heat of Corey’s flesh, the taste of Corey, and the scent of the man that filled his nostrils. His pulse sped up at the uncontrolled groaning that resulted from his hard suction on Corey’s cock. Steve took his own cock in hand and stroked to the pace at which he sucked Corey in his mouth. It didn’t take long for him to reach the brink of orgasm. Heat flared in his balls, and Corey erupting in his mouth was all it took to send Steve over the edge—pulse after pulse of pure ecstasy as he swallowed everything Corey had to offer and emptied himself onto the bedsheets between Corey’s legs.Holy fuck.He hadn’t come that hard in a long time, maybe forever.
When he finally caught his breath, Steve looked up to see Corey’s blissed-out smile. He grinned back and levered himself to sit up against the headboard. The movement pulled at the skin on his forearms. He held his hands out and studied his reddened wrists. “Shit. This is still killing me.” He turned to Corey and immediately apologised when he saw Corey’s worried face. “Sorry to be such a whinger.”
“Hey, you can whinge all you like. You’re entitled.”
“But it’s not an ideal way to wake on Christmas Day, having to listen to me complain.”
Corey smirked. “I don’t know about that. Seemed a great way to wake up to me. Hey, I forgot it was Christmas. Merry Christmas, Steve.”
“Merry Christmas.”
Corey shoved his hands through his hair, bringing it to some semblance of order, then climbed from the bed and rummaged amongst the clothes on the floor for yesterday’s shorts. He gave Steve a cheeky wink as he pulled them on. “I’ll get coffee and be back in a tick. I know you’re not a morning person. Even when you’re feeling one hundred percent. Although I must say you did okay today.” His laughter followed him from the room.
It wasn’t long before Corey was back with two steaming mugs. The scent of the coffee was amazing as Steve drew the drink to his mouth for a sip. “Holy shit. This’ll wake me up.”
Corey winked. “Yeah, guaranteed to put hairs on your chest.”
“I don’t need any help with that.” Steve chuckled and raised a hand to his fuzz-covered chest. He flinched and drew in a breath as the delicate skin of his wrist made contact with the rough hairs on his pecs. “Fuck.”
“Do you want another pill?” Corey asked, instantly in caring mode.
“No. I’m going to try to do without. But what I do need is some distraction.”
“Want me to tell you a joke?”
Corey might have been kidding, but it sounded like a great idea to Steve. “Sure.”
Corey settled back against a pillow that he had propped up at the foot of the bed so he faced Steve. “Okay then. How about this one? What do ducks do before eating their Christmas dinner?” Corey stared at him expectantly. Fucked if Steve knew. “Well?” Corey prompted. Steve shook his head and Corey chuckled. “Pull their Christmas quackers.”
Steve bit back a laugh. “That’s so bad it’s almost funny.”
“So, no more jokes then?” Corey asked, eyebrows raised.
“Oh, no, definitelymorejokes,” Steve replied. Despite his pain, he enjoyed every minute of spending time with Corey, corny jokes or not.
“All right.” Corey tilted his head, obviously trying to come up with another riddle. “Ah. Got one. Why doesn’t Santa Claus have any kids?”
Steve shrugged.
“Because he only comes once a year, and when he does, it’s down a chimney.”
