When my breathing steadies, I press my mouth to the corner of his jaw, then lower, kissing along the strong line of his throat. His pulse kicks under my lips, and the sound he makes has heat licking up my spine.
I want him to feel good. I want to be the one making Noah feel good. I was passive before—letting him take care of me, letting him touch and guide until I couldn’t think. But now I want to give something back. I keep kissing along his throat, nipping and lightly sucking, until his hand finds my hip and he squeezes gently.
“Baby,” he murmurs, voice laced with approval, guiding me until I’m the one between his thighs.
The shift makes my pulse frantic, not with fear this time, but with something headier. Noah sprawls back against the pillow, letting me settle over him, his hands loose on my waist, tethering me there, not controlling my movements.
The way he looks at me—open, trusting, all soft edges despite how big he is—makes something sweet and hot flow through me. The heat of him under me is dizzying. I rock my hips once, just to feel the shape of him, and the flush that spreads over Noah’s cheeks catches me off guard.
“Is this okay?” I ask, suddenly feeling uncertain.
Noah lets out a shaky laugh, but the smile he gives me is genuine, warm, and charming, if not a little lopsided. “Yeah,” he says. He clears his throat. “Just… I, uh, I’ve never been the one in this position before.”
The words hit me like a jolt.
“You mean… you’ve never?”
He shakes his head, an unusually shy smile on his face as he runs his thumbs up my sides. Something about that makes my stomach flip in a dozen different ways. It’s a rush, an exciting kind of thrill to know that nobody else has ever been here with him, not like this.
That this ismine.
But right on the heels of that is a spike of worry that I’ll do something wrong, that I don’t know what I’m doing, that I don’t even know what I want anymore. I used to know. Or I thought I did.
Bottoming was assumed. I was always more submissive. I didn’t have to think, just…endure. But now the thought of anyone pinning me down makes me want to bolt, and the idea of doing that to Noah? The thought makes me feel powerful but also… lost. Is that what I want? Is that what he wants?
I start to shift back, ready to move off him before I can really ruin this, but Noah must see it in my face, the panic and doubt creeping in. Before I can go anywhere, his legs slide up around my hips, holding me in place. The move isn’t forceful—his heels settling against the backs of my thighs until we’re pressed flush, cock to cock.
The pressure pulls a low sound out of me before I can hold it in. I hadn’t even noticed I’d started to go soft, too lost in my head, but the heat of him against me is bringing me right back.
Noah watches me with dark eyes. “Hey,” he says, his voice resonant, moving through me and pulling me back to him. “Stay here with me. Please?”
I nod, staying silent, because I can’t make words work. It’s thepleasethat does me in, knowing he wants me here, that maybe he wants me in a way he hasn’t wanted anyone before.
When I grind against him again, I feel how hard he is, and the rush of it makes my pulse hammer. I’m not sure what this means yet. What I want long term—sexually, I mean—I know I want the day-to-day intimacy we have, the comfort and affection we share. But whether I’ll ever be ready to be inside him or have him inside me, that I don’t know.
But right now?
Right now, I know I want this.
I want him.
And from the way Noah’s breath stutters, the gritty sound he lets out when I roll my hips again, he wants it too. I shift against him, testing each movement, and feel him twitch under me.
“Yeah, that’s it,” he whispers, voice like velvet. “Fuck, you feel so good grinding on me, baby.”
Heat floods my face, but I don’t stop. His praise slides right under my skin, turning everything in me hot. The friction feels incredible, our sweats dragging together, every movement sending sparks lighting up every one of my nerve endings. One arm braced by his head, the other finds its way under his hoodie to his chest, feeling the solid muscle of him under my palm. His nipple pebbles under my touch, and I can feel his heart hammering as hard as mine.
Noah hands skim my sides under the shirt I’m wearing before settling at my ribs, holding me close. He spreads his fingers, covering as much ground as he can with calloused hands. The touch makes me feel safe, protected. Claimed. “So fucking gorgeous like this, Gabe. Taking what you want.”
My hips jerk harder at his words, chasing the pressure. I bite down on my lip to keep quiet, the sound that wants to tear outof me too loud for the thin walls. Noah notices, and his mouth curves into a wicked smile.
“Gonna wake Ciarán if you’re not careful,” he teases, voice a husky whisper. “You wanna do that, baby? Wanna let him hear how good you’re making me feel?”
My whole body shivers. “N-No,” I stammer, practically panting, but a small part of me wants everyone to know I’m making him feel like this. Wants everyone to hear the grunts and groans falling from his lips just for me.
He grins, a knowing glint in his eyes. “Hmm. Guess we gotta be quiet then, yeah?”
There’s a challenge in his voice that makes me whimper. Doeshewant people to hear us?
