Landen turned to him, reached for the hem of his sweater. Lifted it slowly, watching Adriel's face as he did it.
Adriel let him. Raised his arms. Let the sweater be pulled over his head and tossed aside. And then he stood there, bare-chested in the warm lamplight, and fought every instinct he had. The urge to fold his arms over himself. To cover his stomach. To make himself smaller, less visible, easier to overlook.
He was acutely aware of every inch of himself in a way that made his skin feel too tight.
Then Landen took his own shirt off and Adriel forgot to breathe.
Forgot to think at all, really.
Landen was… Adriel didn't have the right words.
Lean. Lightly muscled. Broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist. The flat plane of his stomach, the sharp line of hiscollarbone, the way the lamplight caught the hollow of his throat.
Beautiful.
The word was inadequate, but it was the only one Adriel had. Landen was beautiful in a way that should have made the comparison worse. Should have highlighted every difference between them, every inch of softness on Adriel's body, every reason why this didn't make sense.
It would have, if Landen hadn't been looking at Adriel the way he was looking at him.
Like he was the only thing worth looking at in the room. Like Adriel was exactly what he wanted. Like he'd just taken off his shirt and revealed perfection, while Adriel was standing there in his old sweatpants, and Landen was looking at him likehewas the beautiful one.
Adriel's throat tightened.
Landen stepped forward. Put his hands on Adriel's hips, thumbs pressing against the soft curve just above his waistband as he pulled Adriel in and kissed him again.
Slow. Deep. His tongue moving against Adriel's in long, deliberate strokes that made thinking difficult.
His hands slid around to Adriel's lower back. Then lower. Over the curve of his ass, squeezing gently, pulling him flush against him. And Adriel felt him, hard, already, pressed against his hip, and the sound that came out of him then was louder than he intended. A moan that seemed to come from somewhere deep, somewhere he hadn't known existed.
Landen broke the kiss just enough to speak against his mouth.
"Okay?" His voice was rough. Lower than usual.
"Yes," Adriel said. The word came out broken. "Yes."
Landen kissed the corner of his mouth. His jaw. The soft skin just below his ear.
Adriel shivered. His hands, which had been hanging useless at his sides, came up and gripped the back of Landen's shoulders. The skin there was warm, smooth, the muscles shifting under his palms as Landen moved.
Landen's mouth opened against his neck. His teeth grazed the skin just enough to make Adriel's breath stutter, to make his whole body tense. Then he sucked; gently at first, then harder, drawing the skin into his mouth.
Adriel's hips pushed forward involuntarily. Pressed harder against him, against the hardness he could feel through their clothes.
Landen made a low sound of approval against his throat. It vibrated through Adriel's whole chest. Settled somewhere deep and warm and made him want more.
They fell onto the bed in stages.
Landen guiding him backward, slow and deliberate. The back of Adriel's knees hitting the mattress. Him sitting, then lying back, Landen following him down. The weight of him settling over Adriel's body; warm, solid, perfect.
Landen braced himself on his forearms, one on either side of Adriel's head. He looked down at him for a moment; really looked, that unhurried, intent gaze that made Adriel feel like he was being read.
Then he kissed him again. Slow and deep. His hips settling between Adriel's thighs, the weight of him pressing down, his cock against Adriel's hip. Adriel pulled him down harder, wrapped his arms around his neck, held him closer.
Landen groaned quietly against his mouth. His mouth moved down. Down Adriel's throat, kissing the spot he'd just sucked, then lower. Down his chest, tongue tracing a path through the soft hair there. Down to his nipple.
His lips closed over it. The slight pressure of his tongue, circling, teasing, making Adriel's back arch off the mattress with a sharp inhale. Landen did it again, slower this time, and Adriel's fingers pushed into his hair and held.
"Good?" Landen murmured against his skin.
