“Sleep with them all, do you?” Eli taunted, then immediately regretted it. Daniel had done that for him.
Daniel took another step right into Eli’s space. “Why would I?”
Eli shook his head. “Back off,” he warned and lifted his hand. It would be so easy, and he felt the heat flow through his fingers in preparation.
“Why?” Daniel said, and before Eli could stop him, he linked his fingers through Eli’s on his raised hand, pressed Eli back to the wall, and pushed his arm over his head, pinning him there. Panic raced through Eli’s blood like lava just as Daniel bent his head and kissed him.
Then the only heat was the one they generated between them.
Eli moaned helplessly in the back of his throat. This had been going between them for days. The almost-there kisses. The nearly there touches. The times when Eli had felt the first tendrils of unease as Daniel’s kisses became more insistent only to have Daniel immediately gentle, but frustration was pulling at them both. “Let me undress you,” Daniel murmured, his lips trailing the line of Eli’s neck, each touch sending small aftershocks the length of his spine. Eli tugged at his shirt in answer, and Daniel dropped his arm and slid his fingers under the cloth. The heat from his touch and the slight scratch of his nails set off a thrum under Eli’s skin he was helpless to silence. It was almost as if he was coming alive.
Inch by inch Daniel slowly undid every button. He pushed Eli’s shirt open to slide off his shoulders and flutter to the floor, immediately pressing gentle kisses on every new patch of bare skin. Daniel was still fully dressed, and at the same time as Eli wondered if he had the coordination to try and take Daniel’s clothes off him, the thought of being naked while Daniel was dressed sent shivers of delight up his spine. Daniel’s hand moved to the front of his jeans, and he made a pleased, satisfied noise because Eli was half-hard. He had a moment of pleasure, of utter relief in a normal response to Daniel’s touches, and then with a cry he twisted his body away from Daniel’s touch. He heaved a panicked breath, ready to bolt, but Daniel didn’t move. It was as if he knew one step was all it would take. One more step from Daniel was one too far.
“Eli?” Daniel reached out a hand, palm up, ready to take Eli’s fingers in his. “I won’t do anything you don’t want, and I am more than capable of stopping the second, the very second, you tell me.”
Eli shivered. Was it really that simple? All he had to do was reach out and touch Daniel’s hand, and Daniel wouldn’t ask for any more than Eli was capable of giving? No one had ever asked. People took. They took and they took until Eli had nothing left even to give himself.
Eli lifted his hand, stretched out his fingers until he could almost touch Daniel, but still Daniel waited. As if he could wait forever. As if he would wait forever.
How Eli ever got the courage for that step was beyond him, but he was there, in Daniel’s arms, and he knew Daniel hadn’t moved. “Let me spoil you.” Daniel took his hand and walked him through to the bathroom. It wasn’t real, but Eli stood while Daniel turned on the large shower and quickly undressed. He tested the water, then held out his hand for Eli to take.
“I don’t know.”
Daniel nodded. “Shall I stay out here while you shower? Then we can just cuddle here or on the sofa, eat, or not.” It was Eli’s decision but one he seemed incapable of making. He reached out and clasped Daniel’s hand, and Daniel stepped in the shower, taking Eli with him.
“Turn around,” Daniel whispered, and Eli did. The hot water pelted his shoulders, and he sighed in relief. This wasn’t so bad. He absently heard Daniel pump some shower gel into the palm of his hands, and he leaned forward. Each word tickled the shell of Eli’s ear. “I’m going to wash your back.”
Eli didn’t have time to react before Daniel’s hands smoothed over his shoulders. Eli let his head drop forward, inexplicably enjoying the firm sensations. Daniel pressed his thumbs into the dip on the back of Eli’s neck, and Eli had to clamp his lips closed to stop the moan. “Good?”
Eli might have murmured yes, but Daniel took it as assent because he worked his way over every muscle, every patch of skin. His shoulders, his arms, even each finger until Eli was relaxed and leaning forward, letting his head rest on his arm and leaning against the shower wall.
“Any second,” Daniel repeated his promise, then still stroking firmly, moved his hand lower. His other rubbed gentle circles on his back. Nerves fluttered from somewhere. A strange sensation Eli hadn’t felt in a very long time, maybe even never. Daniel’s hands ghosted over his hips and across Eli’s buttocks, but Eli was too lost in how good it felt to worry. A tiny breathless sound escaped his lips, and Daniel leaned forward to press a kiss to the back of Eli’s neck.
He felt it then. Daniel’s cock, hard and pressing against him. Eli couldn’t even breathe, but Daniel moved back a little and gently encouraged him to turn around. He pumped some more shower gel into his hands and started from the top again. Eli closed his eyes. He could feel his body tightening everywhere, and panic warred with the strange sensations of simple enjoyment. Eli gasped as one of Daniel’s fingers circled his nipple, and he opened his eyes.
“That good?”
Eli didn’t get chance to answer because Daniel took his lips in a breathless kiss. His hands touched and explored, his mouth sucked and licked, and Eli just stood, letting the heat of the water and the firm touch of Daniel drown everything out. Daniel moved his hands lower. “I can stop.”
It wasn’t a question, merely a reminder, but the zings of tension mixed with pleasure were coalescing deep inside him. Half of him wanted Daniel to stop, and half of him desperately wanted Daniel’s hand to move lower. He felt Daniel’s smooth palm slide farther toward his cock, and he felt his own cock jump in response. He waited for the feeling of nausea that often accompanied his own hand, but apart from almost unbearable tension, it didn’t happen. Daniel murmured his gentle approval and rocked his hips, pressing his own cock into Eli. Eli’s breath came faster, his hands trembled, his body shook.
Just as Eli was going to jerk away, Daniel hushed him and turned him back around. Eli let out a gasp of relief and buried his head in the crook of his elbow again. His heart hammered against his ribs. He needed to go. He couldn’t—
Daniel’s fingers slid up the nape of Eli’s neck and into his hair. He groaned aloud at the new sensation, and Daniel hummed his approval. “Lean back.” Daniel directed him so the spray was wetting his hair, and then those strong but wonderful fingers were back digging into his scalp. Eli felt his knees wobble but stood while Daniel shampooed his hair and moved obediently when Daniel asked.
Rinsed and clean, Daniel turned him around one last time for a heart-stopping, breath-stealing kiss, and Daniel turned the spray off. In seconds Eli was wrapped in a towel and directed to sit while Daniel scrubbed himself dry. Then Daniel stood behind him and rubbed his hair, then encouraged him to stand so he could dry him.
It was as ridiculous as it was confusing. He wasn’t a child. He supposed his mom would have dried him after a bath, but he couldn’t remember her doing so. No one had ever done anything like this before, and he was floating in a myriad of sensations too confusing to identify. His skin prickled. Nerve endings danced.