Hamish

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STRETCHED OUT ON HIS bed with Akash on his side beside him, Hamish closed his eyes in an attempt to doze off. It didn’t work. His mind refused to let go of several conversations from the last few hours.

Over coffee and sandwiches, Wyatt had brought up the fact that several of their group would miss the holidays. They’d come to the conclusion that any of the company who’d be gone in December should have the next week off to spend time with their family. If they want it, who am I going to see?

Akash.

He’s about the only one.

Christmas didn’t matter much to Hamish, not with his immediate family gone. No one cared if he followed all their time-honoured traditions. He hadn’t celebrated much in the past few years, though Lily or Nye often invited him over to theirs, so he wasn’t alone.

Until Akash mentioned it, being gone by the end of December hadn’t mattered much one way or the other. Hamish was slapped in the face by the realisation that for the first time in a while he had someone to leave behind. Not a family member, not a friend, but a lover who would worry about him and miss him.

I’ll have to update my letter.

When his parents were alive, his commanding officer kept a letter written by him to be sent to his family in the case of his death. His goodbyes. Most of the men and women who served did the same thing. They never wanted to leave any words unsaid if the worst happened. Always say your I love yous and your goodbyes.

He hadn’t penned one in a while. Friends wouldn’t appreciate it the same way. He thought now he’d found someone who might actually need words of comfort if his return trip was in a wooden box in the cargo hold of a plane.

God forbid.

Finding sleep impossible, Hamish snuck out of bed. He left Akash snoring lightly and grabbed his laptop off the dresser. The thought of not having a letter ate away at him, and rest wouldn’t come until he’d made an attempt at it.

Hamish sat for an hour staring at a blank document. He eventually found at least the right place to start. A poem he’d memorised in school came to him, and it seemed to somehow speak to what he wanted to say.

“Hamish?” Akash called out to him from the shadows of the bedroom doorway, his naked form highlighted by the single light in the living room. “Can’t sleep?”

Hamish hit Save and quickly shut down his laptop; the rest of his letter could wait for another day. “Too much on my mind. Did I wake you?”

“You’ve had too much coffee.” Akash started to walk by him toward the kitchen. “My mum swears by warm milk. Maybe with a splash of brandy?”

Hamish caught him by the waist and dragged him over. He pressed their bodies tightly together. “I’ve a far better idea than hot milk. A bit of warmth will likely be involved.”

“Aren’t we supposed to be resting? This doesn’t feel like resting.” Akash followed him readily over to the sofa. “Is the bed too good for you?”

“That’s enough out of you. Hold on a minute.” Hamish left to retrieve a condom and lube from the bedroom, and returned to find Akash stretched out on his back on the sofa with his arms crossed behind his head. “Gotten all comfy, have we?”

Climbing onto the couch to straddle Akash’s legs, Hamish bent forward to make a meal of licking and sucking his way across the bronze-toned upper body laid bare for him. He teased one hard nipple then the other with his fingers, and drew lines with his tongue between them and down Akash’s stomach, which tightened when he nipped at his side.

As they’d played around before bed, foreplay was more of a luxury and less of a necessity. Hamish enjoyed the slow build-up. He loved how Akash grew increasingly frustrated with him.

Eventually, though, Hamish took the condom to ready himself and moved up to cover Akash with his body. His arms found purchase on either side of him, keeping him from tumbling off the sofa. Their lips met in a languid exploration.

Akash brought his legs up, and his heels dug into the back of Hamish’s legs. He caressed Hamish’s thighs. “I’m putting this on the list of activities not likely to help me sleep.”

Silencing him with his lips, Hamish ground their shafts together. He finally reached between them to take his cock and guide it into Akash, whose heels dug harder into his thighs, trying to push him in further—faster. He played absently with the baker’s black hair; their lips stayed connected in lazy, carnal grazes.

Their noses bumped together. Hamish sunk himself all the way into Akash. He leant up to watch the expressions flitting across the baker’s face when he started to thrust harder.

The raw, exquisite pleasure on his face would feed Hamish’s dreams during the lonely months without him. His throat clogged up as thoughts of the unfinished letter on his laptop went through his mind. He dropped his head against Akash’s forehead and continued to drive into him.

It wasn’t enough.

Getting up and carefully easing himself out, Hamish sat up and helped Akash into his lap. They wound their arms around each other as his lover sank down on his shaft. His hands roamed across Akash’s back while he rode with a desperate abandon.

Hamish slipped an arm between their bodies to wrap his hand around Akash’s erection. He stroked in time with the rise and fall of his body. “Are you ready?”

A sudden primal ache to control the moment grabbed Hamish and refused to let go. He shifted his hold on Akash, forcing him to lift up higher and drop down harder. The fingers around his shaft stroked faster, squeezing him almost too tightly.

“C’mon then, Aki.” Hamish relished the shudder from the other man. Akash trembled in his arms, sunk down on his shaft, both lost in a burst of heated pleasure. “You’re so sodding brilliant, and I’m going to fucking miss you.”

I am spent in more ways than one.

Bright sunlight shining on his face woke Hamish up out of a deep sleep. He struggled to sit up, only to find Akash stretched out on top of him, the two of them squashed together on the couch. His shoulder ached almost unbearably, and he couldn’t help a grimace at the dried, flaky mess on his stomach.

Akash rolled off his body and dropped to the floor before Hamish could stop him. “Shit. I’ve no recollection of falling asleep.”

“We did.”

“I’m aware.” Akash got to his feet, stretching slowly in an obvious attempt to wake up. “Did we bother to clean up at all?”

Hamish covered his face with his hands to attempt to muffle his laughter. “Not even with a tissue.”

“Why are you— Oh my bloody— Did someone forget to discard their condom?” Akash peeled the rubber from his inner thigh where it had obviously slid. “Stop laughing, you wanker.”

They both dissolved into helpless laughter. Akash finally regained control of himself and tossed the condom into the rubbish bin in the corner of the room. Hamish watched him wander across his flat, appreciating the way the sun shone on his naked form.

Getting to his feet, Hamish strode by him toward the bedroom. He smirked when Akash chased after him. Nothing loosened up his muscles like a hot shower; sex would simply be the cherry on his sundae.

Their soapy hands meandered across every inch of skin. They traded positions under the showerhead to rinse each other off. Hamish committed it all to his memory so he could remember Akash in vivid detail.

And he would.

Dropping to his knees in the tub, Hamish shifted them both out of the direct spray of the water. He’d done slow and steady. This morning he was ravenous, and only Akash could sate his hunger.

Taking Akash into his mouth, Hamish coaxed him easily to a full erection. He bobbed up and down, licking and sucking. His fingers gripped Akash’s balls to lightly play with them.

His other arm stretched underneath to allow him to pump two of his fingers into Akash. The multiple stimuli had Akash gripping him by the shoulders to keep on his feet. His groans filled the bathroom, echoing around the tiled walls.

Drawing his lover closer to the edge, Hamish pulled his mouth off. He moved his hand up quickly to stroke him to completion. Akash’s knees went seconds later, and Hamish brought his arm around him to lift him.

Let’s not add a concussion to the list of problems we’ve suffered this year.

Finishing up in the shower, Hamish wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way into the kitchen. Akash wanted to check in at the bakery and on Ganesh. A glance at the clock by the refrigerator told him they had just enough time for breakfast.

Akash joined him several minutes later, fully dressed. He buttered the toast and got the coffee on the table while Hamish served up two simple omelettes. “Do you have time to hang out at the bakery with me?”

Hamish grabbed two bottles of water for them. “I’ve all the time in the world over the weekend. I told Wyatt last night that I’d be in the office on Monday.”

Akash grinned around a mouthful of food. “I should blog about my towel-clad chef.”

“No, no you shouldn’t.” Hamish snatched the mobile out of Akash’s hand and set it out of reach. “Eat your eggs.”

They ate quietly. Hamish wanted to drown himself in the coffee. He’d require at least two more mugs to get through the day.

“Hamish?”

“Hmm?” He set his coffee down to focus fully on Akash. “Yes?”

Akash absently tore pieces from his toast. “We’re a couple, right? It doesn’t feel like dating, or a quick fuck to get it out of our system.”

“It’s going to take a lot more ‘quick fucks’ to get you out of my system.” Hamish caught the piece of toast thrown at him in his mouth. “Finish your breakfast. I’ll keep you company in the bakery for a bit.”

“That is a yes, right?”

Yes.

“Eat your breakfast, Aki.” Hamish smiled mildly in response to the pointed glare sent his way. “Yes. Daft idiot.”