“Same here. You also haven’t gotten off yet, young man. Tell me what you want.”
George’s use of the same words had come across like a command; Levi’s came across more like a reverent question. His courage grew in the face of that question, and George’s cheeks burned when he spoke. “Use your mouth.”
Levi let out that familiar growl an instant before he began a quest to kiss and lick every part of George’s body. Well, every front part, from his throat to his nipples, and further down to dip into his navel. George writhed and laughed and enjoyed the exploration, trusting Levi implicitly. They’d connected on a level George didn’t understand and was incapable of unboxing when his body was soaring with unbridled pleasure and joy.
Levi’s chin bumped his erection, and George cried out from the jolt of stimulation.
Yes, please, soon and thank you.
Warm air blew across his dick a moment before Levi grasped him in one hand. Levi’s steady gaze held his up the length of George’s trembling body. “Thank you for this,” Levi said a moment before closing his lips around the head of George’s dick. The intensity of this brand-new thing short-circuited George’s brain a little bit, and he released a sound part moan and part wail. It rose from the deepest part of himself that had denied his feelings for men for so long. Had denied himself sex of any sort because of his own fears.
He thrashed and made noise and came completely undone under Levi’s mouth and hands and care. He had no words to warn Levi he was coming before it happened, and Levi sucked him through it, swallowing every drop like it was the most precious nectar from the gods. Tiny aftershocks left George a trembling mess that Levi pulled into his arms. Levi wrapped the coverlet around their naked bodies and held him while George came down from the biggest high of his entire life.
“Are you with me?” Levi whispered.
“Think so. Wow. I just...wow.” Yeah, no real words yet.
“I loved doing that for you. You were completely free for a little while. Perfectly innocent and beautiful.”
“You’re the only person who’s ever made me feel beautiful. I feel ugly most of the time.”
“What?” Levi dropped several kisses on his forehead, cheeks and nose. “You are beautiful all the time, George. Why do you doubt that?”
“My past.” More naked than ever before, George rolled away from Levi and tried to burrow under the covers. He felt more than saw Levi sit up as the mattress dipped. Then Ginger was on the bed, her orange body curling up close to George’s head. He nuzzled her soft fur with his nose, grateful for the comfort from his favorite kitty.
“You don’t have to tell me about it,” Levi said. “But I’ll listen to anything you want to talk about.”
“It’s not a huge secret if you know where to look online.”
“I know, but when I realized who you were, I chose to let you tell me about your past, rather than finding out things from tabloids or gossip rags. I wanted that trust from you.”
Hot tears stung George’s eyes. “You have that trust, Levi. I just...it’s shameful to talk about. And sometimes I don’t know why I’m ashamed because none of it was really my fault. It was the fault of all the adults in my life who should have valued my physical and mental health over a fucking gold medal.”
“I am so sorry the adults in your life didn’t see your value. And I am so sorry they risked your health. What about your brother?”
“It was complicated. Orry and I took different paths when we were kids. I was athletic, while he was musically inclined. When our parents hired Adrian as my coach and he floated Olympic glory in front of them, Orry’s passions became less important to them. Our lives became about my training and skating. Orry fell into the background.” Old grief bubbled up in George’s chest and he sobbed once against Ginger’s fur.
Levi carefully turned George until he was burrowed close to Levi’s chest, arms tight around each other.
“Adrian was a good technical coach,” George continued, finding strength in Levi’s embrace. “He was great at turns and jumps and choreography. He knew how to put on a show the judges would love. But emotionally and physically he...was abusive. Praise was few and far between. I was always too slow, too fat, too low on the ice. Couldn’t jump high enough. Couldn’t spin fast enough. He taught me how to make myself throw up.”
A protective sound rumbled through Levi’s chest, and his arms cinched tighter around George.
“I was anorexic and bulimic for years, and I was sixteen when it came crashing down. I was supposed to skate at the World Championship, which was my gateway to the Olympics team. But I couldn’t do it. I was sick, hungry, stressed out, and terrified of everyone in my life. I locked myself in my hotel room and refused to come out. I remember looking at the glass carafe of the coffee pot and thinking I can break that and make the pain stop.”
“Oh, George.”
He started shaking, and Levi held him tighter. Never letting go or giving up. “Then I heard Orry’s voice. I hadn’t seen him in months, because he’d run away from home. I missed my brother so much. He helped me check into the hospital and put my health first. Orry saved my life.”
“I’m grateful you had him. So grateful.”
“Me too. He survived his own battles and still managed to save me. I owe him so much. He deserves to have a life apart from me. To date and love and live, and I want him to have that. But I’m terrified of letting him go.”
“You don’t have to let him go for him to have a life.” Levi kissed his forehead. “You just...need to take a few steps back. Give him space, not let him go. I cannot begin to imagine what your life has been like, but I do remember how jealous I was when Xander and Robin first got together. I felt like my brother had been stolen away. But he hadn’t. He was simply taking a new step. And it scared me because I wasn’t taking it too.”
George needed to take the focus off himself for a bit. “Have you ever been in love like Xander was?”
“I thought so. But I was wrong.” Levi’s dark tone intimated he wasn’t going into details this afternoon.
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. And I’m sorry for what your coach put you through. I’m grateful to Orry for helping you, and to you for having the strength to be here today so I could know you.”
“Orry’s my hero.” George raised his upper body and looked down into Levi’s shining blue eyes. “But you are someone incredibly important and special to me. You’re the only person outside my immediate family that I’ve ever told about my eating disorder. I still have trouble sometimes, but I’m a work in progress.”