of his throat when my other hand reached beneath to gently caress him.
“God, lie down.” He stepped back, leaving my mouth with a wet sound.
“I wasn’t done,” I protested.
He grinned, shaking his head. “I will be soon, but even though I plan to come many times with you tonight, I don’t want the first time to be in your mouth.”
I licked my lips as he rolled the condom he’d been holding in his hand over himself, then I did as requested and lowered to the bed.
He stroked himself as I eyed the twitching of his pecs, abs, and arms. He was barely restrained power, and having him crawl over top of me and swipe his fingers over the wet between my thighs was almost like having an out-of-body experience.
“You’re magnificent,” I breathed.
He thrust a finger inside me, then slowly pulled it back out, lashes heavy as he watched my reaction. “Magnificent?” I nodded, and he chuckled. “I haven’t been inside you yet.”
My legs wound around him, my hands roaming over the bumps in his arms and shoulders, feeling them twitch until I reached his face. “Then hurry up.”
Pushing at my entrance a second later, he eased inside as our foreheads met. My body awakened further, stretching to accommodate, gripping and lubricating for more.
“Aiden.”
“Mmm, you feel so fucking good.” A stumbling breath peppered my lips. “This… I can’t believe I’m finally able to do this.” His lips grazed mine, his hips slowly pulling back before pushing forward again, deeper, as deep as he could go. “And holy hell, it’s better than I ever could’ve dreamed.”
“Aiden,” I tried again, my voice struggling to rise over everything my body was feeling.
“Fuck,” he said, seated deep and grinding his pelvis into mine.
“Aiden,” I snapped, gasping as he continuously hit that perfect spot. “Shit.”
His licorice eyes narrowed, and he lowered onto his forearms. “What’s wrong? Am I hurting you?”
“No, you adorably, ignorant hunk of man,” I sputtered out, my eyes closing when his hips stilled. I opened them, and blurted everything that’d been gathering, collecting, and coalescing since I’d met him. “I… I’m in love with you.”
His breath washed over my cheeks, his own hollowing with the escaped rush of air. Then he blinked, a crooked slant to his lips. “My cock’s that good, huh?”
I ignored the words, and instead, I listened to the vulnerability lingering beneath them. Moving my hands over his cheeks and into his hair, I pulled him close, nose to nose, until every breath we inhaled and exhaled was shared, and he looked at me.
“You’re my best friend, and the best thing to ever happen to me,” I whispered. “So yes, your cock is that good, but really, I’m just a chicken shit who’s been too afraid to utter those words to someone again. Even if I’ve been feeling them for months.”
“Months?” His voice croaked.
“Months.”
He stared a full minute longer, then his arms swept beneath me, holding my chest to his as his hips started moving, and his tongue swept inside my mouth.
Beat for beat, our hearts pounded to each other through our slick flesh, and my nails dug into his back as he slowly carried me up the hill, then gently pushed me over the edge.
He followed, groaning his pleasure into my mouth as our bodies quivered and our hearts thumped like wild beasts that’d been caged for too long.
And afterward, as he lay half on top of me stroking the skin on my arm with his lips against the side of my forehead, he murmured, “Say it again.”
I turned into him, smiling into his clammy chest. “I love you.”
He sighed, his arm moving to my back, gripping me so tight, there was no space between us. “I love you too.” He kissed my head. “I fucking love you too.”
We spent the summer jumping between my place and his apartment.
Aiden usually went home, but claiming he didn’t have many people to see there besides his dad and some old high school friends, he’d decided to stay behind.
I had to work, but as much as I was starting to finally miss home, I wasn’t ready to go back just yet. Mom understood when I’d called and told her I had to stay, but she made me promise I’d come home for Christmas and at least stay a few nights.
That I could do, and it became easier to look forward to after I’d asked Aiden to come with me.
Mom and Dad had visited last Christmas, but I couldn’t continue to hide behind