Finally.
In room 2403, just like he said it would.
Nico’s entire body tensed as he stilled himself at the hilt of Cooper’s cock, his legs quaking. Nico’s untouched cock spasmed, shooting the first rope of cum onto Cooper’s chin. The next onto Cooper’s throat, and the rest onto Cooper’s chest. Nico’s hole tightened, his insides convulsing with each release.
It was enough to bring Cooper to orgasm for the third time.
Nico stumbled forward, dropping his head beside Cooper’s.
And Cooper grabbed Nico by the back of his head, holding him there. Wishing he could hold him there all night. Hold him until sunrise. And then maybe they could do it all over again.
In the quiet that followed, Cooper’s mind drifted elsewhere.
And god… he fucking hated that about himself.
Hated that on his worst days, he couldn’t drown out the echoes of yesterday.
Cooper woke up blurry-eyed sometime later and reached out for Nico, who was not within arm’s reach. He shifted up in bed, kicking his feet into the sheets at the end of the bed.
Nico stood at the foot of the bed, fully dressed in grey sweatpants and a matching hoodie. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
“What time is it?” Cooper asked, squinting.
“A little after five, which means I’m already late.”
“No,” Cooper whispered and shifted his naked body to sit on the edge of the bed. He reached for Nico and pulled him close, wrapping his hand around his waist. “Stay.”
Nico looked at him with a flat expression. “I really can’t stay.”
Cooper groaned. Was this fucking brat really going to make him beg? Was Cooper willing to bite the bullet and beg? “I’m giving you an order and I know how much you like being told what to do.”
Nico smirked and combed his hand through Cooper’s hair. “Sometimes.”
Cooper cocked his head upwards. “Is right now one of those times?”
Nico shook his head gently. “Right now is one of those times where I tell you I have a flight to catch in two hours and I can’t miss it.”
Nico took a step back and grabbed his duffel bag off the floor.
But Cooper wasn’t finished. He leaned forward, grabbed Nico by the hand, and pulled him down onto the bed. He placed a hand firmly on Nico’s chest and searchedhis eyes.
Nico sighed. “I told you I can’t stay.”
Cooper nodded. “I have ears.”
“Two hours?—”
Cooper cut Nico off with a kiss, soft but fast. Fast enough so he couldn’t change his mind. Nico palmed at the back of Cooper’s head and pulled him deeper into his kiss. Cooper rolled on top of the other man, hungry for connection. Hungry for something more than casual fucking. For something to quell the ache in his heart that beat the hardest on the nights meant to memorialize what he lost.
The thing—the person—that could never be replaced.
Chapter Fourteen
later that day - orlando
“Hi,”Nico said softly, closing the door behind him. He was tired after only catching about a half hour of sleep on the short flight from Columbus and the beeping monitors tore through his ears. “I know it’s been a while.”
Nico’s older brother, Elon, lay on his side in a hospital gown, his body supported by a barrage of pillows behind him. His eyes were the same as Nico’s but lifeless, staring blankly ahead at walls as a ventilator pumped air through a ribbed hose into Elon’s trach.
