“Hey,” Ian whispered.
“Hey,” Noah echoed with a grin. It was something they’d done when they were young and nervous around each other those first few times after they’d been intimate with each other.
“How does this BDSM stuff work?” Ian asked. “Do I kneel? Do you tell me what to do?”
“Not tonight.” Noah stepped forward and tugged Ian against him. And they fit. They fit so fucking good together. “Tonight we’re only us. You and me. There’s plenty of time for the rest of it, but tonight, I just want you.”
There was an instant Noah thought this must be a dream. He leaned into Ian and their lips almost met. Their breath mingled. Noah watched Ian close his eyes. And the moment their lips touched, reality set in and Noah buried his hands in Ian’s hair. He gripped him tight and backed him up into the wall. They battled as much as they kissed. Tongues danced together, pressing into each other’s mouths. Harsh pants filled the silence. Ian’s hands tugged at Noah’s shirt, then slid underneath, sliding over his flesh. Noah could feel Ian’s greed in his touch, in the way he tugged and pulled at Noah.
If they didn’t stop, they weren’t even going to make it to the bedroom. He’d end up fucking Ian right there in the foyer and while the idea had merit, Noah was too old and sore to be fucking on the floor, and too tired for wall sex.
With great reluctance, Noah pulled away. “Bedroom.” He was breathless. Horny and desperate and he wanted nothing more than to bring them both to completion right there, but he wanted to savor every moment. He’d dreamed of a reunion with Ian, but nothing compared to the feeling of Ian twining their fingers together. Noah led them down the hallway and into his bedroom.
There’d been a time when he’d thought he’d never see Ian again. A time when he’d give anything for one more taste, one more touch, and now he was here. In his room. In his life and Noah knew he’d do anything to keep him there.
Noah kissed him again. Soft and reverent. He let himself get lost in the feeling of Ian’s mouth on his. The perfection of a simple kiss. He wanted to freeze time and live in this moment where there was no past, and no future. Nothing to worry about. No heartache. There was only the two of them and their desire.
Ian tugged at the hem of Noah’s shirt. Noah pulled away and yanked his shirt off. There was a flurry of activity where they both undressed down to their briefs. There would be other times to take things slow. To savor the event and take their time with every moment. They crashed together. Desperation took over as they tumbled down onto the mattress in a tangle of limbs.
Noah rolled on top of Ian and nestled between Ian’s powerful thighs.
“Can you still do that thing with your tongue?” Ian asked, his voice quivered with laughter.
Noah peppered Ian’s jaw with rough kisses. Oh, how Ian had changed. The man beneath him was a far cry from the boy he used to love. A startling familiarity mixed with a fresh new experience this was. The bones were the same, but the muscles over them were thicker, older. His skin, hairier. Noah ran his fingers through Ian’s chest hair and growled. Ian had become a beautiful man, and Noah wanted to claim him.
“Yeah,” Noah answered, kissing his way down Ian’s chest. “I can do lots of things with my tongue.”
Noah ached to taste Ian. He shut his eyes and let the enormity of the moment wash over him. He gripped Ian’s hips and kissed his stomach. From the first taste of Ian’s skin, Noah didn’t know how he’d lived without it for so long. If there was ever a time he didn’t want to think about those years he spent with Ian’s ghost, now was it.
He moved lower, mouthing Ian’s cock through the fabric of his briefs. He was thicker than he remembered, and Noah couldn’t wait to get his mouth around Ian’s cock. He pulled at the waist of Ian’s briefs, carefully freeing his erection. He buried his nose at the base of Ian’s cock and breathed deep, inhaling his scent.
“I can’t wait to be inside you,” Noah said and moved toward Ian’s cock, eagerly anticipating his first taste.
“Noah, wait. Fuck.”
Noah sat up and looked at Ian. Gone was the confidence Ian had shown up to this point, and Noah had to wonder if this was it. Was this the end before it began? Maybe he’d done something wrong. What if Ian wasn’t as into this as Noah thought he was? Maybe he didn’t want him after all.
“What is it?”
Ian tugged his underwear back on, covering his dick as Noah tried his best to be okay with the sudden turn the night had taken.
“Whatever it is, tell me, please.”
“I don’t bottom.” Ian searched Noah’s expression, then inched away.
“Where are you going?” Noah grabbed Ian’s hips and pulled him back.
“I don’t bottom, Noah.”
“So?”
“You always topped.”
“I don’t need to.”
“You’re a dom. I’m assuming it involves lots of topping.”
Noah put both hands on Ian’s shoulders and pushed him down into the mattress. “I’m a lot of things, Ian. I’m a photographer. A handyman. An editor. A business owner. I’m a man. And yes, I’m a dom. Each of these things are just a part of me. They’re not all of me. I can be a dom and you can be a top and we can make this work, but we can’t make anything work if you abandon ship at the first sign of trouble.”
“I haven’t bottomed since you.”
“And I’ll never ask you to. You’re allowed to be different, Ian. You’re allowed to have limits, and it’s my job as a decent human being to obey them.” Noah stretched out, putting his weight on Ian. He rested his head on Ian’s shoulder. “Tonight, can we just… can we forget about everything else but each other?”
Ian’s fingers danced over Noah’s scalp and he turned Noah’s head and slanted their mouths together. “I can live with that,” he said breathlessly as he arched up into Noah, pressing their erections together.
Chapter Sixteen
Noah lowered himself down on top of Ian. He kissed Ian’s neck, the line of his stubbly jaw, the corner of his mouth. He wanted to show Ian it didn’t matter what he liked now. Time and experience hadn’t changed them, but it had shaped who they already were. Noah couldn’t wait to explore all the new facets to Ian.
“God, you’re so fucking beautiful, Ian.” Noah kissed the spot below Ian’s ear. It still made him shiver. Noah tucked that nugget of knowledge away and continued his exploration of Ian’s body.
Underneath him, Ian relaxed. It hadn’t been easy for Ian to admit he didn’t bottom, and he acted like a skittish cat, as if he’d disappointed Noah. The only thing which would have disappointed him was Ian’s leaving because of it. But Ian had stayed, and Noah felt determined to prove to him staying had been the right decision.“Tell me what you like.” Noah moved his lips along Ian’s shoulder, noting the dark mole that he used to kiss when they were teenagers. Noah smiled against Ian’s skin.
“What do you mean?”
“What do you like, Ian? Do you want me to eat your ass? Do you want to finger me? Do you like sixty-nining as much as you used to? Tell me what you like.”