Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Their kisses slowed now, became gentle, achingly sweet. With Shawn’s cock softening in his hand, Jude didn’t want the moment to end. Something had changed between them, the boundaries had shifted, and they needed to talk about this thing, too obvious and too shattering to ignore. But even as Shawn clung to Jude and kissed him like a parched man drinking water, a kernel of anxiety niggled away in Jude’s chest.
It’s too good to be true. Life is never this easy.
It was Shawn who finally pulled away, but only far enough to settle his head on the pillow and grin goofily at him. “That was amazing.”
“Yeah?” Jude smiled back.
They were sticky with come, but neither seemed keen to move. Jude wiped his hand on the sheet and then settled his palm on Shawn’s hip, wanting to keep the physical contact.
Shawn’s brow furrowed and he bit his lip. Jude could tell he was working up the courage to say something. He tried not to get his hopes up.
“Thank you,” Shawn said finally, in a rush of something that sounded like relief.
“What for?” Jude was genuinely confused. “I should be the one thanking you after that.”
“For letting me do what I did… for making me feel good about wanting the things I do.” His face flushed a little but he carried on, determined. “It’s something I always wanted—not so much the doing-stuff-with-a-guy part—but playing like that, letting someone dominate me, take control.”
“Couldn’t you have tried it with a girl?”
“Maybe if I’d met the right one? But Beth was more the other way, to be honest. She wanted to be the one tied up and taken care of. And with hook-ups or casual relationships, I never trusted anyone enough to tell them what I wanted.”
Jude wondered what that made them, if not a hook-up or a casual relationship, but he wasn’t ready to ask. Not tonight. He didn’t want to derail Shawn from this rare moment of honesty. But they needed to talk about it soon. After tonight, Jude wanted more than casual. “Well, I’m glad you trust me.”
“You knew anyway.” Shawn said with a smile. “You could tell the first time you grabbed my wrists and joked about tying me up. I gave myself away.”
“You weren’t hard to read. But I think maybe I was attuned to it because I like doing stuff like that in bed too.”
“Do you always like being the dominant one?”
“I’ve tried both ways, and I can enjoy either role.” Shawn looked worried, so Jude hurried to reassure him. “But I prefer it this way.”
Shawn relaxed. “Oh, okay. Cool. I mean… I wouldn’t want to think you weren’t into it.”
“Shawn.” Jude squeezed his hip. “In case you couldn’t tell—but if you couldn’t, then you need your eyes tested or your head read—I was definitely into it.”
Shawn chuckled. “Good to know.”
Shawn yawned, and Jude noticed the dark shadows under his eyes—he looked exhausted. It was past midnight now, and it had been an intense evening. “We should sleep,” Jude said.
“Yeah,” Shawn agreed. “I’m all sticky, but I’ll shower in the morning. Can you set an alarm? I’m working at eight, so you’ll need to set it for half six. Sorry. That is, if you’re still sure you want me to stay?”
“Yes.” Jude reached over Shawn for his phone on the bedside table. He unlocked it and set an alarm with a few taps, then put it under the pillow. “There. I’ll wake you when it goes off. Can you turn the lamp off?”
Shawn rolled away to hit the switch, and Jude admired the stretch of muscle in his shoulders before he disappeared into darkness. Then there was the creaking of bedsprings as Shawn made himself comfortable. Wanting contact, Jude shuffled closer, and when he reached for Shawn, he found he was on his side, facing away. Jude spooned in behind him, putting a hand on Shawn’s waist. “Is this okay?”
“Yeah.” Shawn took his hand and pulled it up to his chest. Lacing their fingers together, he held it there. “Yeah. ’S good.” He sounded half-asleep already.
Jude smiled against the back of his neck and listened to Shawn’s soft breathing until sleep pulled him under too.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Shawn was woken by an unfamiliar sound. An alarm, but not his, and muffled… sounding faraway.
He stirred and realised there was a heavy weight across his chest—an arm—and a knee poking his thigh.
Jude.
And the noise was presumably Jude’s alarm that he’d set for Shawn last night, promising to wake him.
Shawn snorted. Jude was dead to the world and completely oblivious. Shawn moved carefully, trying not to jolt him awake, and slid a hand under the pillow to grab Jude’s phone.
The increase in volume as he pulled it out made Jude grunt and startle. “Mmph. Wha—?”
“It’s okay, just your alarm going,” Shawn said as he swiped to stop it. “Go back to sleep.”