A firm squeeze to his ass caught his attention. Pulling back from the kiss, he stared into those rich brown eyes as he ghosted a finger along the side of Gabriel’s face and down his neck.
“I want you,” Gabriel said, speaking slowly, refusing to release his handful of Ben’s ass to sign his words. “So much.” He pressed their foreheads together, his shaky breath breezing across Ben’s heated skin.
Ben cupped Gabriel’s face, awed by the control battling with the desire and need. Behind that control, he swore he saw something deeper. He couldn’t stop the hope from blooming in his heart. He lowered his head, trusting he had read Gabriel correctly.
“I’m yours,” he signed, keeping his head down.
A finger under his chin pulled his face up, forcing him to make eye contact. There was so much said in Gabriel’s gaze. Ben recognized the trust. And the hope was just as bright and commanding. But so was the fear, proving Ben wasn’t the only one who had been betrayed by those around him.
Or the only one taking a chance with his heart.
“And I’m yours,” Gabriel said before sealing the declaration with a kiss. Ben placed his hand at the side of Gabriel’s neck, sighing into the kiss when the moan vibrated against his palm. His lips parted in surrender, giving in to every emotion swirling in his heart and the hope blooming in his chest.
A firm arm around his waist held him in place as they shifted on the bed, the soft mattress pillowing against his back.
He fought for each breath as Gabriel peppered kisses along his cheeks and features. It was a drugging feeling. Floating yet grounded. Fantasizing while firmly planted smack in the middle of reality.
Gabriel hovered over him, speaking as he rested his weight on his forearms, granting a little distance between them so Ben could sign his reply. “What do you want to do?”
A chuckle bubbled up Ben’s throat. “Everything.” The smile on Gabriel’s face likely mirrored his own. Ben bit his lip, his cheeks heating with a thought. A truth. “You never say it, but I know you like it when I make the first move.”
The spark of playfulness glinting back at him in that steady gaze was the confirmation he needed.
“Show me so I know what to do the next time.”
He laughed when Gabriel instantly grabbed the hem of Ben’s T-shirt and yanked it up and over his head. Pitching it to the side, Gabriel quickly did the same with his own. Ben reached out and flattened his hands on Gabriel’s body, touching every exposed inch of his skin. The muscles were firm, his skin warm and soft. Just as he had fantasized they would be. He locked his legs around Gabriel’s waist and arched his body up into him, teasing him, wanting to shatter that control screaming from Gabriel’s firm gaze.
Gabriel hovered over him with his hands fisted in the sheets, his nostrils flaring with each breath. Ben pushed his body up and into Gabriel again, challenging him, silently demanding more. He mentally fist-pumped the moment Gabriel buried his face at the crook of Ben’s neck, kissing, licking, and sucking on his skin.
Ben threw his head back onto the pillow and stretched his neck. Every swipe of Gabriel’s tongue against his skin shot another bolt of need to his heart and kindled the fire between them. He dug his fingers into Gabriel’s hair and thrust his hips up into Gabriel’s body, seeking friction, pulling him closer as he sucked in a breath through his gritted teeth. He groaned with the nip at his shoulder, then with the suction at the base of his neck.
He would have a mark tomorrow. Maybe two.
Dammit, he wanted three or more.
He gripped Gabriel’s face and pulled him into a kiss. Biting, licking, and sucking as he slid their bodies together, desperately searching for something to tame the wildfire racing through his veins. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t sign. A whimper tore through his throat as he dug his fingers into Gabriel’s firm backside, pulling him closer, needing something to cool the aching heat burning his body.
Gabriel pulled back and held Ben’s face, centering him in that very moment. Ben stared into those rich brown eyes, begging for relief. For understanding.
“Do you trust me?”
He rapidly nodded.
“If you want to stop, we stop. Just tap my head.”
His mind was in a fog as his lips pressed against Gabriel’s in a desperate kiss. He swore another