Then the world shifted.
Adriel's back hit something soft, the mattress, and suddenly he was on his back with Landen above him, those long, strong limbs bracketing his body, that weight pressing him into the sheets.
Landen's body felt so good over his. So solid. So warm. Sorightin a way that made Adriel's chest ache.
His breath hitched. A small whimper escaped his mouth as their groins aligned, as the heat of Landen's body settled against his, as their cocks brushed through layers of clothing. The contact was electric, sent sparks up his spine, made his hips twitch without permission.
Landen dove right in. Kissed him furiously. Deeper, harder, more desperate than before. His tongue plunged into Adriel's mouth, claiming, possessing, leaving no corner unexplored. Adriel kissed back as well as he could, which wasn't well at all; he was shaking too much, gasping too much, feeling too much to do anything but hold on and try to keep up.
Landen's hands began to move. They traveled down Adriel's body, palms pressing against his chest through his sweater, fingers spreading wide to feel as much of him as possible. The heat of those hands seeped through the fabric, warmed him from the outside in.
It felt so good.
Adriel was so hard it hurt. His cock was pressed against his thigh, trapped in his jeans, aching for attention he was too afraid to ask for. Every brush of Landen's hands, every shift of his weight, every slide of his tongue sent new waves of want crashing through him.
But.
There was always a but.
Every touch made him cringe slightly. Just a little. Just in the part of him that was watching this happen, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Landen's hands moved lower. Found his stomach. Pressed into the softness there.
Adriel flinched. A tiny tensing of muscles, a catch in his breath. Landen didn’t seem to notice.
His hands moved lower still. Found the swell of Adriel's belly, the place he hated most, the part of himself he'd spent yearstrying to shrink and hide and make smaller. Landen's palms pressed into it, fingers spreading, feeling the give of it.
Adriel's eyes stung.
He was sure, with every passing moment, that this was it. That Landen would balk. That he'd finally come to his senses, finallyfeelwhat Adriel really was under the clothes and the low light and the wanting. That disgust would flicker across his face and he'd pull away, make an excuse, leave.
Landen's hands kept moving. Kept touching. Kept exploring. His tongue slid deeper into Adriel's mouth, and Adriel kissed him back, and waited for the moment it would end.
Then Landen's hands were beneath his sweater. The contact was sudden; warm palms against bare skin, fingers spreading over his stomach, his sides, his ribs. Landen's hands were soft. Warm. They felt so good against his skin, so right, so…
Adriel froze.
Every muscle locked. His hands flew from where they'd been clutching the sheets and grabbed the edge of his sweater. Tugged at it. Tried to pull it down, to cover himself, to hide.
Landen slowed the kiss. Drew back.
Adriel couldn't look at him.
He stared at Landen's chest instead. At the wrinkled shirt, the undone collar, the skin at his throat. Anywhere but those eyes. Anywhere but the judgment he was sure he'd find there.
His face was flaming. He could feel the heat of it, the burn spreading down his neck, probably staining his chest. He'd never been more embarrassed in his life.
"Do you want me to stop?" Landen asked quietly. His voice sounded strange. Raspy. Broken in a way Adriel hadn't heard before.
Why?Adriel wondered.
Why did he sound like that?
Adriel stayed quiet for a long time.
Of course he didn't want Landen to stop. He had never felt this good in his entire life. Never felt this wanted, this desired, thisseen. Landen was probably the most beautiful man Adriel had ever met. And he was here. In Adriel's bed. Touching him. Kissing him. Looking at him likehewas the beautiful one.
No. He didn't want him to stop.