Can I go flying with you today, Uncle Vaughn?

Not today, buddy. But soon, I promise.

I’m gonna be a pilot just like you.

I thought you wanted to be a businessman like your daddy.

I’m gonna be that too. You can fly me and Daddy around on our business trips and when you’re too old, I can fly us. And I can fly Uncle Con to his fights and Uncle Lex to his con…con…

Conventions.

Right. And Uncle King… I can fly Uncle King wherever he wants to go when he needs a time-out. But I’ll go with him because no one should be in so many time-outs… it means he’s being too naughty.

Sounds like a good plan, Gio.

It is, Uncle Vaughn… because I’m smart like Daddy.

“James, open your eyes.”

I did as I was told because it was Aleks speaking and I would always do what Aleks asked. I pulled in a breath as I opened my eyes and saw him leaning over me. At some point, he’d turned on the light on the nightstand next to me, which meant he’d leaned across me to do it and I hadn’t even noticed.

God, why was I suddenly sleeping through so much?

“Sorry,” I muttered. “Guess we shouldn’t have slept in the same bed. You need your sleep.”

Aleks had his left arm bent at the elbow so he could rest his cheek on his hand. His right hand was on my face. My body reacted to the sensation of his lithe body pressed up against mine beneath the blanket.

“I sleep better with you,” he said. “I like how big and warm you are and how you wrap yourself around me when you sleep… like you’re afraid to let me go.”

His bluntness had me looking at him in surprise. I could see that there was a hint of color in his cheeks. It was then that I realized my right arm was indeed beneath his body. We hadn’t fallen asleep like that because I hadn’t wanted to crowd him.

Aleks’s fingers played with my beard as he held my gaze. His thumb skimmed my mouth and I couldn’t help but press a kiss against it. I knew I needed to put a stop to whatever was happening between us because it would only hurt all the more when I had to let him go once all this shit was settled, but when Luca had asked tonight if we needed one room or two, I’d blurted one before even giving Aleks a chance to answer. Con had bought Aleks some clothes, including a T-shirt and shorts he could wear as pajamas. While Aleks had been in the middle of changing in the attached bathroom, I’d offered to talk to Luca about sleeping in the room across the hall so Aleks could have some space.

Then he’d come out of the bathroom and I’d nearly swallowed my tongue.

Not only because of how great he looked in the shorts, especially since they were snug along his slim thighs and shapely ass, but because he’d chosen to wear my T-shirt instead of the new one Con had gotten him. He’d been nervous and hadn’t been able to stop rubbing one of his arms with the opposite hand, but as he’d gone around to the other side of the bed, he’d murmured that we could share the bed.

We hadn’t talked after that and there’d been a gap between us when I’d turned off the light, but apparently my body hadn’t been satisfied with the lack of contact.

“I don’t usually dream,” I said as I tried to get control of my lust. The last thing Aleks needed was to know what the proximity was doing to me.

“We’re the same,” Aleks said as he continued to touch me. “Our minds have been hiding from the past but the memories don’t want to be forgotten.”

I nodded because that was exactly it.

“Sometimes I wish I could forget...”

“Me too,” I admitted as I used my free hand to brush the hair that was dipping down on his forehead just a bit.

Aleks seemed to hesitate for a moment before he added, “But not you… I wouldn’t want to forget you.”

I felt my throat threaten to close up and all I managed to do was shake my head. I hoped he understood what I was trying to say. I had no idea why this one man had the power to leave me speechless with the simplest of words, but I was tired of trying to fight it or pretend he didn’t completely own me. He’d done something from the moment I’d first seen him and there was no going back.

Aleks smiled as he took in my nonverbal response.

Yeah, he knows, I thought to myself.

“You said I never had to ask to touch you,” Aleks murmured as his eyes fell to my mouth for a moment. “Does that mean… anywhere?”

“Yes, it fudging does,” I managed to say.

He smiled wide as his finger continued to stroke back and forth over my lower lip. Then he leaned down and tentatively brushed his mouth over mine.

I kissed him back but let him set the pace. Much like our first kiss, it took a little while to find that perfect rhythm, but he was a quick study.

He also had this thing with touching my face as he kissed me. Like he wanted to make sure I didn’t try to pull my mouth away.

Like that would ever happen.

I let my lips part in invitation, which caused Aleks to pull back just a little. “I’m not good at this,” he said with a shake of his head.

“Aleks,” I said with what was supposed to have looked like a grin but probably came off looking like a grimace instead, because my body was lighting up like a brushfire. “If you were any better at this, I’d end up stroking out.”

I could see that last part confused him, but before I could explain, his mouth was back on mine. He still hadn’t tried to deepen the kiss when he pulled back again, but his entire upper body had shifted so he was lying on my chest.

“I… I like kissing you,” he began hesitantly. “But…”

“It can be as much or as little as you want, Aleks. You’re in control.’’

His eyes widened at that.

I used my free hand to run my fingers along the back of his arm, which he had pressed next to my body so he could support some of his upper body weight.

“Anything we do together is about choice, Aleks. Yours and mine. Together. If there was something I didn’t want you to do, I’d tell you and I’d expect you to stop just like I will always stop when you ask me to.”

My words seemed to stun him into silence and he actually pulled back a little more as if he needed the distance to process what I’d said. I kept toying with the skin behind his elbow because I wanted to maintain as much contact with him as I could.

“I won’t ever hurt you, James,” he finally said, then he dropped his weight down on top of me again.

“I know you won’t.”

“But I may do things wrong… you’ll tell me if I do, right? I want to make you happy.”

I shook my head in disbelief at him. “Jesus, Aleks, what you do to me,” I murmured, then I brushed my mouth over his. He kissed me back and this time his tongue ventured into my mouth. I groaned at how sweet he tasted and my entire body tensed in anticipation with every pass of his tongue over mine. I fought the natural instinct to kiss him back and just let him explore my mouth instead. It was a good minute before he suddenly whimpered and grabbed my face more firmly.

Then his kiss turned possessive and needy.

“James,” he breathed against my mouth and I knew what he wanted. When he kissed me again, I kissed him back.

Hard.

Deep.

Desperately.

I closed my fingers around his upper arms as he lay more of his body on top of me. I barely noticed his weight, but I didn’t miss the hardness that was brushing my stomach as Aleks started to squirm.

I knew what he was trying to do, but I doubted he did.

I used one of my hands to pull the hem of my T-shirt up so my abdomen was exposed. The move had Aleks freezing and then looking down between our bodies. His skin was flushed and I could feel a tremor running through his body.

“Aleks,” I called. He looked up at me, his pretty brown eyes wide with confusion… and desire. “Take what you need,” I said. “I’ll like anything you do.”

He looked like he wanted to say something, but then his mouth was back on mine.

Ravenous.

He began grinding his dick against my abdomen. Slow at first, then a little faster. He began twisting his hips. Suddenly he grabbed my face. “James?” he asked, his voice full of so much question and lust that my heart broke for him.

Had he never felt pleasure before? Was the torrent of need his body was putting him through that new for him? I’d known him to be innocent despite all that had been done to him, but clearly I hadn’t understood how much.

“Do you trust me, Aleks?” I asked as I cupped his cheek. He was breathing so hard he couldn’t actually answer me, but he vigorously nodded.

And he was still grinding against me.

I reached down and slowly slid my hand over his lower back. I carefully worked his T-shirt up and since it was actually my shirt, it took a little bit of effort to get the folds of the shirt clear of our bodies. I left it on him but made sure our skin was touching. We both gasped at the sensation. Aleks’s humping increased, so I took a chance and moved my hand to his ass. When he didn’t panic, I slipped my fingers up to the waistband of his shorts and started drawing it down.

He froze.

“Just trust me, baby,” I reminded him.

I waited until he nodded, then said, “Lift up a little.”

He seemed to finally understand what I was trying to do. He lifted his hips.

“Free yourself,” I urged.

Aleks swallowed hard, then his hand was reaching down to pull his dick free from the confines of the shorts. I slipped them down enough to expose his entire shaft, as well as his ass. I used my hand on his slim backside to urge him back down. My own dick was like a spike in my shorts, and there was no doubt he could feel it against his body, but I kept one hand on his ass and the other on his back to steady him.

“Just feel, Aleks,” I said, then I lifted my hand to the back of his head and pulled him down for another kiss. He moaned and began kissing me like a starved man. His cock was hard and hot against my abdomen and I could feel pre-cum leaking from the head. I would have given anything to touch him there, or better yet, taste him, but I knew he wasn’t ready for that.

Aleks’s instincts took over as he fervently kissed me. He humped my stomach as hard and heavy as if he’d been inside of me and I nearly came at the thought of it. I’d let a few guys fuck me early on when I’d realized I was interested in men and not women, but it’d been a long time since I’d allowed anyone that level of intimacy.

But I knew I’d give it to Aleks in a heartbeat.

“That’s it,” I groaned as I squeezed Aleks’s ass just a bit, then urged him to grind into me even harder. He dragged his mouth from mine and buried his face in my neck. He was panting hard, his hot breath further dampening my already sweaty skin. His whole body twisted and writhed on top of me and I lifted my legs so I could pump my own hips upward. I had nothing to actually fuck besides the material of my shorts, but that was more than enough.

The fingers of Aleks’s right hand twisted into my hair as he began to cry against my throat.

But I knew he wasn’t scared or upset.

He was just completely overwhelmed.

“That’s it, baby, just let go,” I said as I kissed his cheek.

His left hand sought out mine. He linked our fingers and then he pressed our hands onto the bed. His hold on my hair tightened as his entire body drew taut.

“James,” he groaned.

My own orgasm was right there, but I managed to hold it off. I slid my finger along Aleks’s crease but didn’t apply enough pressure to let it slip between his cheeks. I eased it beneath the shorts and gently touched his balls before giving them a little squeeze.

“James!” he cried. I sought out the shell of his ear with my tongue, then bit down on the lobe as I massaged the sensitive skin between his balls and his hole. He came apart at the contact. Hot liquid spewed all over my abdomen as he desperately fucked me. I kept massaging him through the orgasm as my own climax raced up my spine. I moved my hand up to grab his ass as I fucked upward, imagining it was his tight body I was about to empty myself into.

Aleks clung to me as I came. I shouted into his ear as my cum shot from my dick and soaked through my shorts and began dripping down the inside of my thigh. My brain turned to mush as the pleasure quaked throughout my body and caused my limbs to tingle with sensation. When I finally relaxed, Aleks’s body was still on top of mine and his mouth was pressed against my ear. He’d unlinked our hands at some point and was holding my face. My hands had somehow both ended up on his ass, one closer to the dip in his back, the other lower down where the fabric was bunched up. I could feel his cum sliding down the sides of my abdomen as well as pooling in my belly button.

What I wouldn’t have given to have been naked beneath him and felt the hot liquid mixing with my own juices and drenching my spent dick.

I felt the moment Aleks came back to himself and realized what we’d done. He tensed up and then he was lowering his hands.

I expected him to panic and climb off me, but he didn’t. Instead he whispered, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say now.”

I kissed his neck.

“Anything you want.”

“You’ll think I’m being foolish,” he said.

“I can guarantee you that’s not going to happen.”

I felt him smile against me. “I think I messed up your shirt.”

“Good,” I said with a laugh.

“Not good,” he said. His fingers began stroking my beard. “I love wearing your shirt.”

“Then we’ll wash it.”

“Now?”

“Now,” I agreed.

He finally leaned up so he could look at me. His smile was languid and wistful. He ran his thumb over my mouth. “Will you feed me?” he asked. “I’m very hungry.”

“Absolutely,” I said.

“Grits?”

“If Luca doesn’t have the ingredients, I’ll go find a cornfield and cut some of that shit down and figure out how to make it… with jalapeños,” I said in complete and total seriousness.

His mouth went still for a moment and I knew it was because he could tell I meant every word I said. He smiled again. “Or maybe just cereal with rabbits on the box?”

“One trickster rabbit coming up,” I said.

Aleks leaned down and kissed me. “Did I do it right?” he asked, his voice taking on a desperate quality. I remembered his fear of not being able to please me. I took his hand and first put it on my heart, which was still pounding.

“If that doesn’t convince you, this will,” I said as I moved his hand down to my damp groin. I made sure I wasn’t inadvertently making him touch my still half-hard dick in the process. But to my surprise, when I released Aleks’s hand, he let it linger and then he was brushing me through the shorts.

“I guess you have to do laundry too,” he said with a sheepish smile.

“I guess so.”

“Maybe next time we take our clothes off first,” he said, his voice holding a hint of uncertainty.

I was just thrilled there’d be a next time. I sat up, grabbing his waist as I did so that he wouldn’t topple off me. “That sounds like an excellent plan,” I assured him. I kissed him softly and said, “You can use this shower and I’ll use the one in the guest bathroom. Do you know where the kitchen is?”

Aleks nodded as he wound his arms around my neck. “Or you could just show me where it is… after we take a shower… together?”

I kissed him again. I loved his shyness but I loved even more that it wasn’t silencing him.

“Now, that sounds like an even better plan.”