Chapter Seven
Gabriel moaned as soon as the hot spray of the shower hit his back, biting down on his lip as warmth flowed through him. He rested his forehead against the cool tiles, letting the heat and water pressure soothe sore, abused muscles.
Sometimes he hated that he was overpaying for his crappy apartment, but having great water pressure was worth any price right now. It was almost as good as getting a second massage.
Almost.
Nothing would have been quite as good as that, despite the fact that Gabriel hated himself a little for enjoying it as much as he had.
Reid’s hands had felt so good on him, strong and warm, his touch confident, his experience shining through. Every touch had been a new kind of bliss, Reid’s fingers working all the pain and frustration of the day out as though he was rearranging Gabriel at an atomic level, fixing everything that was wrong with him.
Every knot he’d worked out had sent sparks of pleasure through his body, pooling deep in his stomach.
For the second time this afternoon, arousal welled up in Gabriel’s gut, making it feel hot and tight. He bit his lip, moving his feet further apart for balance.
Gabriel had tried to tell himself that getting aroused while Reid touched him was just a combination of gratitude and relief, a reaction to being soothed after a long day of misery. Reid really knew what he was doing.
Any other embarrassing reactions were just… the result of not having had any human contact in a while. That was all, and he was fairly sure Reid hadn't noticed anything.
If he had, he’d been extremely professional about it. Gabriel appreciated that.
But now, thinking about Reid’s hands on him, his cock was stirring again. He wasreallyglad Reid hadn’t noticed that the first time, and extra glad that his jeans were currently about a size too big. If they’d fitted properly, he would have been busted.
He wasn’t sure he could face that.
The thought of Reid noticing, catching him out, sent a dark shiver of arousal down Gabriel’s spine. He wouldn’t have actually wanted it to happen, but the possibility was still sticking in his mind, leading him down the path of imagining where it would have gone.
Maybe it was just the heat of the shower and the relief from being in pain all day. Not being in pain was one of the sexiest things Gabriel could imagine right now.
He’d feel better if he got off. Endorphins were the best painkiller available.
Gabriel trailed his hand down his stomach, closing his eyes and putting most of his weight on his free hand, leaning heavily against the tiles. He needed to relax.
He hadn't touched himself since before he’d left Earth. There was no masturbating on a space shuttle, and even if there was a way to do that without disaster, there was no privacy.
When he’d gotten back, he hadn't been in the mood.
Not until now.
He didn’t want to think about why that was. Not too closely. He needed to have this, guilt and anxiety free.
He hissed as he wrapped his fingers around his oversensitive cock, already hard and eager. He moaned at the contact, closing his eyes tight as his cock pulsed in his hand, his thighs tensing up, the dull ache amplifying the sharp pleasure of touching himself. The sensitivity faded to comfortable levels after a moment, desperation falling a notch as Gabriel stroked himself, giving his body what it wanted.
He rarely listened to his body. He remembered Reid telling him he had to with a chuckle.
He was listening now, but he was fairly sure this wasn't what Reid meant.
Although, they did end up talking about sex a lot.
Gabriel was always the one who brought it up. He didn’t want to think too hard about that, either.
He’d been sosureit was just a stupid teenage phase. His hormones had been going nuts, and the kindest people in his life, the ones who’d taken him most seriously, had been older men.
It made sense that he got attached back then, but…
It was probably just that Reid kept touching him when no one else had in a long time. Gabriel’s sex-starved mind didn't bother to distinguish between one kind of touch and another.
Not when Reid had a firm grip on his thighs, not when his fingers were skimming along all his most sensitive places.
