“Yeah, hard to forget the first decent barbeque I’ve had in years.” Then, something mischievous took over Cal and he leaned even closer to Derek and whispered, “I’ve missed your meat.”
Derek choked on air and then began to laugh, his cheeks delightfully red.
“I don’t even want to know.” Noah chuckled as he passed them.
“I think I’m gonna go stay with Anton tonight,” Kit said pointedly as he brought his wooden plate and utensils to the fire pit.
“You have fun, just maybe not as much as we’ll be having,” Derek told Kit, who looked horrified and then ran off to join his friends.
“You’re really good at this parenting thing,” Cal said, making Derek throw back his head and laugh.
“Thanks, I think.”
Once they’d said goodbye to everyone—Kit included—Cal and Derek took separate showers and met in the bedroom.
They hadn’t had sex yet. It hadn’t felt like they were ready, and Cal’s injuries had put a damper on things anyway.
Now, Cal felt how the cozy room filled with anticipation. They stood next to the bed, an arm’s length away from each other, and just looked their fill.
It felt different. This was something they hadn’t actually done before. In Italy, before it had all gone wrong, they’d made out a few times. Best groping, ever, but honestly not enough, and then—
“Where did you go, sweetheart?” Derek asked, closing the distance between them.
“I… this feels momentous,” Cal confessed.
“Apparently, in the olden days, they thought penetration was needed to seal the mating, even between mates,” Derek spoke as he trailed a hand from Cal’s shoulder down to his chest and stomach, brushing the back of his hand against his treasure trail.
Shivering, Cal smiled. “I guess we better be traditional about this, then.”
Derek kissed him, and Cal pulled him by the hips so that they touched from head to toe. Feeling Derek’s cock filling against his own felt erotic and perfect, and Cal moaned into the kiss as he rocked his hips a little.
“How do you want to do this?” Derek panted when they pulled apart to move onto the bed.
“I… I don’t know,” Cal said, thinking back to his past. “I haven’t been with anyone in years and I don’t really have a preference.”
“Okay.” Derek nodded and grabbed the lube from the bedside table drawer. When he had put it there, Cal didn’t know, but he was glad nonetheless.
Time moved in odd sort of jerks after that. When they lay on the bed kissing and touching each other, it all felt like a dream. Slow, like time infused with molasses. Then Derek moved between his legs and his slick fingers touched Cal’s cock for the first time, time jerked forward again. Suddenly Cal’s need was urgent, as if he needed to get off right then.
“Patience, love.” Derek smiled at him, and Cal realized he’d been whining. “Do you want me to ride you, or prep you for my cock?”
Cal moaned. “Prep me, please,” he managed to say, before Derek’s touch rendered him speechless.
Eventually, Derek pushed inside him and stayed still for a long while. Maybe it shouldn’t have felt as special as it did. This was just sex, after all. People had sex all the time and there was no magical mating bond that made things better.
Yet, as Derek leaned down to kiss him, Cal felt something settle in his chest.
“Move, love,” he gasped, and Derek smiled at him, so fucking handsome and sexy it took Cal’s breath away.
Derek began to rock his hips at a maddeningly slow pace. It felt like nothing ever had. It was so good and so slow and—“Faster, Der, please,” Cal whined.
Chuckling, Derek picked up the speed, fucking into him for a moment, before pulling out.
“As much as I love it like this, if you want it harder, hands and knees,” he grunted, and Cal felt glad he wasn’t the only one affected.
Cal scrambled to obey and once he felt steady, he looked over his shoulder at Derek who was stroking his cock while eyeing Cal.
“You are so incredibly gorgeous, sweetheart,” Derek rumbled.
Cal felt a surprising flush of shyness and let his head drop again. Before his mind could take him into a bad place, Derek was there, plastering himself against Cal’s back and holding him up.
“Whatever this body has done,” Derek spoke in a serious tone and touched Cal everywhere he could with his large, steady hands. “That’s behind us now. We’re done with that life. This is our new one, where we’re together, and safe, and loved, Cal, do you understand?”
Cal wasn’t sure how Derek had read where his mind had been about to go so well, but it was the absolution Cal hadn’t known he needed.
He pushed back against Derek and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I know….” Then he added, “Thank you.”
“Anything,” Derek murmured into his ear. “You ready for me?” He rocked his hips against Cal’s ass, making him moan.
“Please.”
