“So you want me to…?”
He studies me for a moment and then nods slowly. “I don’t know if I can handle it.” His features tighten for a second, but he starts to relax, and his eyes narrow as a grin comes to life. “I do want to try.”
I grin back and lean down to let my lips graze his. Then I start downward, kissing underneath his jaw before continuing along his throat. His skin is deliciously hot to the touch, and when I reach his collarbone, I can’t resist a gentle bite.
“Fuck.” Michael arches beneath me. His fingers run through my hair, twitching each time my lips or teeth touch his flesh. “This definitely brings back memories.”
I glance up at him. “Good ones?”
“V-very good ones.”
I kiss below his collarbone and inch downward. I tease one nipple with my tongue. Then the other. He curses under his breath while I struggle to catch mine—I should be used to the mix of nerves and arousal by now, but tonight, they’re both more intense. A lot more intense. This could turn out so incredibly hot, and it could so easily turn into a disaster.
No pressure, Josh.
One kiss at a time, I work my way back to the middle of his chest and start down again. This reminds me so much of that first time, when every light kiss down his beautiful torso gave me the courage to continue. Helped me work up the nerve to suck his cock for the very first time. Now, it’s the same, and it couldn’t be more different, and I pray with every touch of my lips to his skin that this ends the way it did that very first time. Orgasms. Kisses. Smiles. No ghosts, no demons—only pleasure and innocence.
Michael shifts a bit. I glance up, and he’s lifted himself onto one elbow, probably to give himself a better view. He still has a hand in my hair, combing through it in gentle, uneven motions.
“You good?” I ask.
He runs the tip of his tongue across the inside of his lip, and nods.
I keep going. His abs tighten beneath my lips. A flick of my tongue above his navel makes him gasp. His fingers twitch in my hair. Not long ago, I’d have been convinced he was about to grab my hair, jerk my head back and call this whole thing off. This time, though, he’s pushing a little, as if trying to encourage me to go farther, faster.
All in good time, Michael. I grin against the thin treasure trail. All in good time.
But I want to get there quickly too, so I continue downward. As I follow his hipbone, inching closer to his cock one featherlight kiss at a time, I look up at him again.
His eyes are a little wider now, and his forehead is creased. His chest rises and falls faster than before.
“Sure you’re okay?”
He nods vigorously. “Yeah. It’s just…intense.”
“Good in—”
“Yes. D-definitely good.” He bites his lip and lifts his hips, letting his cock brush the edge of my jaw. “Please, Josh…”
Goose bumps. So many goose bumps.
Cautiously, I tease the base of his cock with my lips. Michael moans and fidgets. His hand leaves my hair and drops to the sheets, and his fingers curl as I run the tip of my tongue from the base of his cock to the head. I do it again, even slower this time, to both tease him and give him a chance to get used to this.
The third time, Michael’s whole body seizes. His knuckles turn white as he grips the sheets.
My hair stands on end. “Michael? You okay?”
He doesn’t answer. And he’s suddenly breathing a lot faster. “Fuck. Oh fuck.” His whole body tenses. His grip on the sheets gets even tighter.
“Michael, are—”
He sucks in a breath that’s made of pure panic. “No!”
I immediately stop and join him up by the pillows. His eyes are screwed shut, sweat on his brow catching the light as he hyperventilates and begs me—or maybe not me?—to stop.
“Please, no more. No—”
“Hey, hey.” I hold him close—my God, every muscle in his body is completely tense. “Relax. It’s me. It’s just me.” I cradle the back of his head. “Michael. Look at me.”
He opens his eyes, but I swear he’s looking through me.
“Michael.” I run my thumb along his cheekbone. “It’s me. It’s Josh. You’re safe.”
He blinks a few times. One by one, his muscles soften. He wipes his eyes. Then his forehead. After a moment, he shifts his focus to me, and cool relief surges through my veins—wherever he went for those few seconds, he’s back.
“You okay?”
Sighing, he closes his eyes again and rubs them. “Yeah. Flashbacks are not fun.”
I shiver—I’ve never been through anything traumatic enough to cause my mind to suddenly quantum leap back to it, and I hope I never find out what that’s like. Just seeing Michael slip away and snap back is terrifying enough.
He drops his hand beside him. “God, I’m so stupid.”
“No, you’re not.” I stroke his hair. “Just talk to me. What happened?”
He’s shaking like mad now, shivering as if all the heat in the room has suddenly vanished, so I pull the covers up over us and hold him close. It’s uncomfortably hot while I’m still dressed, but I keep that to myself.