I WOKE UP SLOWLY THE following morning with David’s nude body pressed to my side, his leg draped lazily over mine, his head resting on my shoulder, and my arm wrapped around him. His hand rested on my chest, directly over my heart, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he could feel my heartbeat in his sleep. For a moment, I hoped he could, that it gave him some connection to me as he dreamt. Foolish, I know, but after the previous night, it was all I could do not to take him far away somewhere, away from everything and everyone that had ever caused him pain. I knew it wasn’t feasible or even logical, but when it came to him, logic flew out the window.
My ass ached dully. Granted, I was by no means a virgin, but it had been awhile. Most of my previous encounters had simply been about getting off. Two guys, needing release as quickly as possible, then going about our merry way. No harm, no foul, no commitments.
The previous night had been different. David and I didn’t have sex. I mean, sure, in the purely technical sense, we did, at least physically. But for me, and I would wager for him as well, it wasn’t so much the act as it was the meaning behind it. The moment he entered me, it was like something just clicked into place, something I didn’t know had been missing was suddenly found. While I had wanted the experience to be about giving something to him, what I didn’t anticipate was what I would get in return. The sense of completeness.
I could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed against my side, his soft breath skated across my chest through his slightly opened mouth. I fought the urge to touch his cheek. Instead, my fingers lazily traced his bicep. I had an overwhelming need to touch him, which was ridiculous given how he was almost lying on top of me.
I’m not sure how long I watched him, drinking in his beauty. It’s funny, really, you hear all the time how peaceful we look when we sleep. But it really is true. The mask that David normally wore had fallen away leaving behind something akin to childhood innocence. I thought about what he would have looked like before his life seemingly fell apart, before his father all but destroyed him, and I imagined that had to be it. This was what a younger David looked like, young and angelic, not a care in the world, and at peace.
The gentle shift in his breathing was the first indication that he was waking up. I watched him flex his fingers against my skin, coming out of what I hoped had been a peaceful sleep. His eyes fluttered open. He peered up at me through his lashes, and I felt his lips twitch into a grin against my chest.
“Morning,” I said, leaning forward to kiss the top of his head.
“Morning. How long have you been awake?”
“Not long. I was just lying here.”
“You were watching me, weren’t you?”
Busted.
“And if I was?”
He rested his chin on the hand that was on my chest. Looking up at me, he playfully said, “If it were anyone else, it might be creepy.”
“But since it’s me?”
“Only a little less creepy.” But his mouth broke into a grin that I just had to kiss.
Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to his. The kiss wasn’t hungry or needy. Just a simple, lazy good morning kiss that I imagined couples around the world greeted each other with. What made it special was that it was David.
He pulled away, and covered his mouth with his hand. “I have morning breath.”
I cupped his cheek in my hand. “David, your dick’s been in my ass. I think we’re past the point of morning breath being an issue.”
He gave an embarrassed little chuckle that, truth be told, I found to be incredibly endearing. He laid his head back on my shoulder, knowing him to divert his gaze from mine. I continued to stroke his cheek with the pad of my thumb, trying to sooth him without speaking.
I wondered if he would ever be comfortable enough with himself to talk about sex. It was such a natural extension of who we were, and how we expressed ourselves. I found it sad that there was a part of him that he had closed off, that he couldn’t talk about. I hoped the talk we had the previous night had helped to open the door for him, even if only a little.
We lay in silence for a while. Maybe we were both afraid of breaking whatever spell had been created the night before. Maybe neither of us wanted to venture out into the real world. If I had my way, I would keep him there with me forever, safely cocooned within his small studio. Would we drive each other crazy? I had only ever lived with my family, and, believe me, there were times that they drove me nuts. But I suspected that with David, it would be different.
Before I even gave it any thought, I said, “I think you should stay with us.”
Once I said it, it just felt…right. Like everything else about being with him.
He pulled away and said, “Adam, you can’t be serious.”
I looked him in the eyes and tried to make him see everything that I felt about the situation. “Yeah, I am. Stay with me. If you’re not comfortable, then fine, we’ll go somewhere else. But you can’t stay here. If it is your father, then he knows where you are. God knows what he’d do to you if he found you here alone.”
“I can’t do that. I can’t put you, Ryan, and Lucas at risk. If anything happened to the three of you, I couldn’t live—”
“Nope, not saying that. Never saying that, not ever thinking that, ever again, am I clear?”
“We are. Crystal.”
“Good. Now, pack a bag. We’re leaving. You’re not staying here any longer than you have to. At least not until we know for sure who broke in.”
“I can’t stay with you. I work tomorrow.”
“And I’ll bring you. I just got you back. I’m not willing to risk having you here, by yourself, as long as your father’s still out there.”