It doesn’t take long for him to arrive; when my intercom chimes, I’m in the middle of pulling on a fresh T-shirt after the quickest shower I’ve taken in my life.
I push the button to reply. “Hello?”
“It’s me. Manne.”
“Come on up.” I unlock the door, run my fingers through my damp hair, and look around my apartment one last time to make sure I haven’t left anything embarrassing lying around. Then I throw open the door and wait for him to climb the three flights of stairs to my floor.
Heavy, quick bootsteps echo in the staircase, making my belly tingle, and I have to force myself to stay put and not run down to meet him. When he emerges on my floor, his cheeks are tinged pink from the chill, his eyes clear and smiling. His jacket hangs open, revealing a shirt stretching tightly across his broad chest, clinging to his abs. It’s on the short side, so it reveals the tiniest strip of skin above the waistline of his pants, making me want to fall on my knees, push up the flimsy fabric, and explore.
Manne’s eyes wander and he bursts out laughing when he notices my T-shirt. “What are you wearing?”
“My friend gave it to me for Christmas a couple years back.” It’s a plain white T-shirt printed with what looks like an untied bowtie. I’ve never worn it before but found it appropriate, considering our earlier conversation. It’s also on the tighter side, and I’m a bit too tall for it, so it leaves a wide strip of skin visible over my jeans, something he’s noticed. His gaze is lingering on my middle as he approaches.
“I love it,” he growls.
“Mhm. I can see it’s the T-shirt you’re so fond of.”
He stops right in front of me, right up in my space, so close we’re almost nose-to-nose. “I like the T-shirt, too.”
I smile. “Hi.”
“Hey.”
We’re not touching but his presence embraces me, surrounds me from all directions, and makes my body tingle all over. “There’s nothing I want more in the whole wide world right now than to touch you,” he mumbles, his gaze eating me up as best as he can this close.
“What’s stopping you?” My hands itch to reach out to him and finally feel him underneath my fingers.
“I like the anticipation.”
I nod. “Yeah.” I grab his jacket, careful not to accidentally touch him, and walk us backward, into my apartment. When we’re inside, I mumble. “Close the door.”
He does as asked without taking his gaze off me even for a second. His brown eyes are almost black in their intensity and flay me open, baring my desire to him. My soul.
“Can I get you a drink?” I can’t stop looking at him; my muscles tremble with the need to tear off his clothes and spend the next month exploring his skin, his body. Study the tattoo disappearing into his shirt. Find out if he has more of them underneath his jeans. Worship his thick thighs, rub myself on his chest. Lick every inch of him.
“No, I’m fine,” he says.
I have no idea what he’s talking about, so I just nod. “Yeah, you are.”
He unlaces his boots and place them neatly next to mine, shrugs off his jacket and hangs it next to the door, his biceps bulging and bunching with his every move. I swallow. He moves even closer, until our noses touch and his breath caresses my face, spreading shivers in all directions. His chest nudges mine when it rises with every inhale, and if I don’t touch him right this second, I’ll die.
He makes the first move and lays a big, rough hand on the exposed skin on my waist, making my entire body shiver. I grab his hips and press our groins together, shuddering as our dicks make contact through layers of clothing.
“Oh,” I breathe.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” he says. “If that’s okay with you.”
“I don’t know. I usually prefer to kiss nice boys.” I can’t take my eyes off his mouth.
His grin widens. “Is that so?”
I nod. Leaning closer.
“So what’s this then?” He rocks his hips, pushing his hardness against mine. “A banana in your pocket?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I press my lips against his. Our mouths are closed, or noses perfectly slotted against each other. I tighten my grip on his hips as he’s sliding his hand to my back, raising goosebumps in its wake.
Our chaste kiss stops the world. Everything except him ceases to exist. His hand on my back burns into my skin, his heartbeat thunders in my veins, his life force surrounds me. It’s overwhelming and too much and not enough and I gasp when we pull apart.
“Wow,” he says.
“Yeah.” I rub my nose against his. “Wanna come inside?”
“Yeah.”
I let go of his hips and take his hand, dragging him further into the apartment. “This is it. What you see is what you get. Well, I’ve got a bathroom, too.” I point to the only other door except for the front door.
He’s standing so close to me, our hips are touching. “It’s not big.”
“I told you it’s a closet.”
“I thought you were exaggerating.”
I stroke my thumb over his. “Nu-uh.”
“I’m amazed you have room for all these books.” He rubs his nose against my temple.
“I’m very good at Tetris,” I mumble, letting my eyes fall closed.
“You don’t have furniture.”
I wrap my arm around his waist and turn to him. Bury my face in his neck. “I do!” I inhale him; he smells like he just stepped out of the shower. Fresh. Clean.
“You have bookcases. You don’t even have a couch.” His hand finds the strip of bare flesh again; his thick fingers drag across my skin, and he doesn’t sound like he cares about my furniture or lack thereof.
“My day bed doubles as a couch.” I press my nose into the crook of his neck and inhale, dragging his scent into my lungs.
“It’s not very big.” He tilts his head, giving me better access to his neck.
“I sleep alone. Don’t need bigger. Besides, you’ll fit.”
His arm tightens around me. “You sure about that? I’m a pretty big guy.”
“Yeah, you are,” I say on an exhale, making him chuckle. “Worst-case scenario, you lie on top of me.”
“That’s your worst-case scenario?”
“Worst case, best case, who cares?”
“Shall we test your theory?”
I lay my palm on his abs, splay my fingers, and whine when all I can feel is the T-shirt fabric.
Manne grabs the neck of the offending garment and pulls it over his head. He tosses it at me and I’m too busy staring at him to catch it, so it lands on my face, obscuring my view. When I tear it off, he’s sauntering across the room toward the bed. “Coming?” he asks over his shoulder.
He stops by the bed and turns to look at me, the tattoo that’s been teasing me for what feels like forever finally on display. It’s a tribal, all in blacks and grays, starting on his neck, continuing over his shoulder and pec, and down his arm. It’s mouthwatering.
Manne lies on the bed. Stretches his arms over his head, arching his back. Exposing a lick-worthy chest and taut abs, and a thick outline of his hard dick in his tight jeans.
I scurry across the floor and climb on top of him, pressing my groin against his, my knees bracketing his hips. I lay my hands on his wide chest, snapping my mouth shut around the moan that threatens to escape when I feel his warm and soft skin underneath my fingers. He hasn’t got a lot of chest hair; just a downy smattering across his pecs, his abs, then disappearing into his pants.
I want to touch him everywhere at once and I can’t decide where to start, so I lower myself onto him, propping myself up on my arms to keep most of my weight off him.
He wants none of that and wraps his arms around me and pulls me flush to his body until I’m resting completely on top of him, nose buried in his neck. “You were too far away,” he mumbles. “This okay?”
I nod.
He tugs on my T-shirt until it rides up, and lays his hands on my back, fingers spread wide. “This okay, too?”
I lift my head and look at him. “I’ve wanted your hands on me since I first saw you, so yes.”
His gaze falls to my mouth. “Same. At least once I stopped panicking and got a good look at you.”
I hover right above him, our noses touching, mouths just millimeters apart. “Have you noticed how you’re not freaking out despite all my books?”
He hums. “You’re distracting.”
“I’m not even naked.”
He chuckles. “No. What’s up with that?”
I wiggle out of his grip and sit up, tear off my T-shirt, and toss it who-cares-where. “Better?”
His gaze is drawn to my chest like it’s a magnet, and his eyes widen. His hands fly to my waist, his long thick fingers reach almost all the way around. I’m slim and lean, but well defined, with a waist that’s always been small.
“Look at you,” he rasps. “You’re so fine. Better than fine.” His hands are trembling on my waist, his lips parted, and I can’t wait any longer; I capture his mouth in a searing kiss.
Our tongues touch and a lightning bolt zaps me from the sky, making me moan. I plaster myself to him, chest to chest. Dick to dick. Opening my mouth wider, I wiggle my arms underneath his armpits and hook my hands over his shoulders, pressing my elbows into the bed for leverage, and I grind my hips against his.
“Adrian,” he gasps. “Fuck.” Then he wraps a huge hand around my neck and lifts his head to kiss me again.
His lips are soft, but the stubble surrounding his mouth rasps my face, making me shiver. He’s kissing like he’ll die if we stop, intense and energetic, setting me on fire. I suck his tongue, lick the roof of his mouth. Rock my hips against his so hard, I fear my cock will burst the seams of my pants and spring loose.
We pull apart to catch our breaths and I sit up, popping open my jeans before hooking my fingers in his waistband. “This okay?”
“Fuck yes.”
I unbutton his jeans and wiggle my hand into them, but they’re too tight. I growl and climb off him, tear at his jeans until he lifts his hips so I can pull them down. Then we work on my pants, and when we’re wearing only underwear, I climb back on top of him.
Lying almost naked on him is heavenly and the flame that’s burning low in my belly turns into a raging wildfire as we go back to kissing and rubbing against each other. His hands grip my hips, pressing me against his groin, smashing our dicks together as he opens his mouth wider and devours me.
The kisses are wet. Sloppy. Interspaced with moans and short breathing breaks. His dick pokes mine until I can’t take it anymore and shove my hand between us, cup his cock, and squeeze.
His hips buck and he lets out a loud moan, his hands finally finding their way into my underwear, to my ass, and cupping my cheeks.
“Yeah. Just like that,” I pant into his open mouth and rub his length with my palm.
Manne turns us until we’re lying on our sides, pulls down his underwear until his dick and balls are free, then does the same to me. “Wrap your hand around us both,” he says, grabs my ass, and starts kissing my neck.
I run a finger along his length, from root to tip, where I collect a bead of precum. I pull back, catch his gaze as I put my finger into my mouth and suck. “Mmm, yummy,” I say, and collect another drop from his dick, repeating the action.
His pupils are blown when I pull my finger out of my mouth with a pop and he dives in, kissing me, kneading my ass, moaning into my mouth. I wrap my hand around us both, my other hand finding his heavy, hairy balls.
“Oh, yeah, I love big balls,” I mutter.
His answer is a long, drawn-out groan that settles in my groin and increases my pace. He pulls apart my ass cheeks and squeezes harder, inching his finger closer to my crack. I bury my face in his neck, and when my lips touch his sweat-damp skin, the taste of salt drives me wild.
I lick a broad stripe to his ear and back down, alternating between kissing and licking and panting as his fingers graze my hole. My hips jerk and I push back against his touch, silently begging for more.
“You liked that, did you?” he says, voice husky with need.
“Yeah,” I breathe against his neck. “More.” I squeeze our dicks as if to add a “please” to my request.
“Look at me.”
Lifting my head, I meet his gaze as he offers me a finger. “Suck.”
I swallow it and moan around the salty taste. I lick and bathe it with my tongue, making it nice and wet, before hollowing out my cheeks and sucking, never looking away from him, my hand never stopping its pace on our dicks.
“God, Adrian.” His entire body trembles and his hips buck upward, seeking more friction. I give it to him. He groans; it’s a deep sound coming from the bottom of his chest, and it vibrates through my bones.
When I let go of his finger, his hand finds its way back to my ass. The newly bathed finger presses against my hole.
“Yes. Yesssss.” I kiss him, mouth open as though I want to eat him. He presses harder and I push against his curious finger, willing him to slip it inside.
With minimal movement so I won’t interrupt what he’s doing, I reach for the bedside table and the lube in the drawer. I pour a generous amount in my hand, wrap it around our cocks, and start pumping. I lean down, but stop before our mouths meet, close enough for his breath to caress my face. His eyelids are squeezed shut and his mouth opens, and every stroke of my hand pulls a delicious sound from his throat.
The pressure against my hole increases and I whisper, “I won’t kiss you again until you put it in.”
His eyelids fly open and he meets my gaze, sweat shining on his skin, breath ragged, hips moving as the muscles in his thighs flex and bunch underneath me.
“I’ve never been this turned on in my life,” he gasps, and his admission makes my cock throb. I can’t resist anymore and kiss him as though my sanity depended on it.
My hand moves faster up and down our dicks, our hips grinding against each other. He sucks my tongue into his mouth, puts more pressure on my hole until his finger finally breaches my sphincter, and slides inside.
I moan into his mouth. His finger is thick, and it burns inside me in the most delicious way. My pumping hand loses its rhythm and I throw back my head and ride him.
“You wish that was my cock, don’t you?” he whispers and pushes his finger deeper into me. “You wish that my cock was spreading you open and splitting you in two.”
I squeeze my hand around our dicks and rub my thumb over his head, making him jerk, but he doesn’t stop talking.
“Ah, you liked that, didn’t you? You’d ride my dick so hard you’d forget your name.”
“Yeah.” The tingling on my skin burrows into my body, moving toward my center until it buzzes deep in my spine. I jerk us faster, sweep my thumb over his head on every upstroke, our hips grinding, grinding, grinding. He’s fucking my ass with his finger that’s simultaneously too dry and perfect, and when he finally nudges my prostate, I can’t hold myself up anymore. I collapse on his chest and start kissing his neck, my hand unable to move, so I let go and start rubbing against his lower belly.
“Want me to do that again?” He nudges my prostate again. “Are you going to cum on me if I keep doing this?” He rubs it harder, making lightning strike behind my closed eyelids.
“Yes.” I’ve been turned on for so long, it won’t take much to make me explode. His finger in my ass, his dirty words, his ragged breathing, his desperate hips all push me closer to the edge.
“If you love my finger this much, imagine what I can do with my cock.” A second finger starts teasing my opening. “You’d be stretched so wide you wouldn’t know anything else existed besides me.” He punctuates his words with taps on my prostate; my breathing has turned into a long, continuous moan.
The second finger teases more, and I say, “Do it. Put it in me.”
“Will you come if I do?” His voice is raspy and dripping with want, and all I can do is nod.
When his second finger breaches me, it’s all it takes. My grip on him tightens. I gasp. My hips jerk. Once. Twice, and cum shoots out of my dick. Pumping out on our bellies, making fireworks go off in my brain, spreading through my body as I spill all of me on his abs and chest.
His fingers pull out. He grabs my ass and kneads as his mouth finds mine. When we pull apart to breathe, I give him a loopy grin and crawl down his body.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
I reply by taking his still-hard dick into my mouth. He yells and his upper body shoots off the bed. I smile around him, put my hands on his inner thighs, and nudge his legs apart. Lapping at the head, I taste the beads of precum. I lick my way down to the root, bury my nose into his balls and inhale. I hum, open my mouth wide, and suck a hairy ball into my mouth.
“Close,” he gasps. “So close.” I give the second ball the same attention before licking my way up, taking the head into my mouth, and look him in the eye, as though I’m silently asking, Are you ready?
He cups the back of my head. “Can you take all of me?”
I answer by sliding my lips down, down, down, opening my throat, until my nose is buried in his pubic hair. I swallow.
“Oh, God,” he groans. “I’m gonna…”
I swallow again, hold his gaze, and suck.
He taps my head. “Pull off if you don’t want me to cum in your mouth.” His words are gritted out, his body tense and trembling, but I just suck harder.
Give it to me.
He can’t hold it any longer and digs his fingers into my hair, hips coming off the bed, pushing his dick further down my throat. He yells.
I pull back a little, eager to taste, and I groan when his cum lands on my tongue. I fondle his balls and suck until he’s gasping. “Sensitive.”
I release his cock and crawl up his body, not caring that I smear our sweat and spunk everywhere, just needing to be close to him.
I collapse on top of his chest, and he wraps his arms around me, holding me tight. Our chests are heaving, hearts hammering like crazy.
“Wow,” he sighs.
“Mmm.”
I tilt back my head, lips parted. He correctly interprets my silent plea for a kiss, brushing his lips against mine. Humming.
We keep kissing. Light and easy. The desperation from before forgotten. The hunger sated.
When my breathing and heartbeat return to normal, I mumble, “Don’t go anywhere.” I climb off him, kick off my underwear completely, and pad to the bathroom, where I wipe off the sticky mess from my torso, and bring back a towel to clean Manne.
His eyes follow my every move as I cross the floor and kneel on the bed next to him. Gently, I wipe my spunk off his belly, enjoying the privilege of having my hands on him. When we’re both somewhat clean, I cuddle close and pull the blanket over our bodies. “This okay?” I ask.
“I just came down your throat, why would I mind this?” He turns to lie on his side and throw a leg over my hip.
“Not everyone is a cuddler.”
“True. But I am. How about you?”
I wrap my arm around his waist and shuffle closer. “This answer your question?”
“Yeah.” He rubs his leg on mine, as I let my hand wander. His back is alluring under my palm and I can’t keep it still, so I explore the vast expanses of skin. Run my fingers along his spine, rub circles on his flesh, reveling in the feeling of his strength.
He’s so strong and yet so soft. His skin is like silk stretched over muscles of steel and the contrast intrigues me. Manne arches into my touch, making little content noises originating deep in his chest and vibrating around me.
I sweep my hand over his tattooed shoulder. “When did you get this?”
“Early twenties. I started saving money for it from my first paycheck after I dropped out of high school. It took me a while to save up enough because I wanted a specific tattoo artist and she was pricey.”
I run my finger along the contours of the tattoo, follow the swirls and curves, every line is sharp and precise. “I can tell it’s well-made. Any specific reason behind it?”
“Nah. I was young and wanted to be cool. I figured since I could never be smart, I was going for ‘badass’ instead. And I thought this design was badass. I’ve never been a deep thinker, especially not back then.” He chuckles, but it’s not his usual boisterous happiness; this is hesitant and reminds me of him in the library.
“Don’t say that,” I say.
“What?”
“That you aren’t smart. That’s not true. Dyslexia is a learning disorder; it does not mean you’re stupid.”
He tightens his arms around me. “That’s what Susy always says.”
I pull back so I can look him in the eyes. “And she’s right.”
“You’re fierce.”
“When I have to be, I am.”
“And you have to be now?” The smile playing in the corners of his mouth is fond.
“I do. Just because we are born with different strengths and weaknesses doesn’t mean we get to treat each other with disrespect. You’re not stupid for being dyslexic any more than I’m disgusting for being gay.”
He cups my cheek with a huge, gentle hand. “No one’s ever put it like that before.”
“No?”
He shakes his head.
“Well, now you know.”
He closes the distance between us and brushes a light kiss on my lips. “I do. Thank you.”
I nod and burrow into his arms again. He’s so warm and I love how he makes me feel small. As someone who’s towered over everyone since my teenage years, it makes me feel protected.
It’s not necessary, but I like it.
“What happens now?” I blurt before I knew I was going to ask that particular question.
“We lie here for a while longer. You’re an excellent cuddler.”
“You’re not too bad yourself.”
“Good.” He gives me another kiss. And another. “But I know what you were really asking.”
“I figured.”
“What do you want?”
“I don’t want this to be a one-time thing. I want to see if it can become…more.”
“Good. I want that, too. I mean, our chemistry is off the charts, but I like you and want to get to know you and see if it can be more than great sex.”
I nod and hide my smile into the pillow.
“Don’t do that.” Gentle fingers nudge my chin until I’m looking at him. “Don’t hide what you’re feeling from me.” His gaze is pleading and intense and hits me right in the chest.
“I won’t.”
“Thank you.”
I splay my hand on his back, press even closer—any closer and I’ll be underneath his skin—and kiss him. It’s sweet and tender. A promise of possibilities and hope for a future together.
“Are you busy tonight?” he asks when the kiss ends.
“No?”
“So you wouldn’t mind coming to dinner?”
“Coming to dinner where?”
“At my sister’s house. I guess I haven’t told you, but I live in her basement. Her ex-husband is an asshat of the worst degree and left her and Charlie to fend for themselves. So I moved into her basement a few years ago. I help around the house. Help with Charlie. Help pay for stuff when she needs it and lets me.”
Aww, crap. And I already thought he was perfect and now he goes and melts my insides into a puddle of goo just by being a big old softie.
Maybe he interprets my speechlessness for hesitation because he hurries to continue. “I know it’s a bit early to meet the family, but you’ve already met them. Even if you didn’t mean to. And Susy told me to bring you home. You need spoiling, she said.”
“Normally, I’d agree,” I say, a smile spreading on my face. “It’s way too early to meet the family. But they didn’t seem to think so, so I don’t have objections. Besides, Charlie’s awesome. I love how fierce she is.”
“They’re both a bit protective of me. You wouldn’t think I could take care of myself judging by their actions.”
“I love it. I spoil my sisters rotten, too. You should always take care of the ones you love.”
His eyes melt. “Yeah.”
I lean my forehead against his. “When do we need to be there?”
“Before seven.”
“Then we have time.”
“Time for what?”
I roll on my back and tug on his hand until he gets with the program and lies on top of me. Even though he’s propping himself up on his elbows, most of his weight is resting on me, pushing me into the bed, and I’m already addicted to this position.
“Time for another round,” I say, wrap my legs around his hips, and pull him down for a kiss.