Nobody had ever used Thomas’s title in bed before, and he wasnotprepared for the shudder of arousal that ran through him. The words, combined with Evan’s warm breath against his neck and the press of his skin, had Thomas dangerously close to spilling right then.
He let out a low growl and wasted no time wrapping one broad palm around both their cocks. Evan pressed up into his hand, urging him on, and Thomas stroked them off fast and urgent, his palm slick from where they were both hard and leaking. Clamping a hand over his, Evan guided their movements. The soft skin of his palm in contrast to the heat and hardness of Evan’s erection dragging against his own length had Thomas’s cock throbbing like a second heartbeat. It barely tooka dozen strokes before Thomas found himself teetering on the edge of climax.
He wasn’t the only one. Evan threw his head back and moaned, clutching at Thomas’s shoulders, then tensed and came in hot, sticky spurts between them, coating their joined hands. The broken sounds Evan made and the splash of cum against his skin was all it took to have Thomas’s balls drawing up tight, his cock pulsing as he came and added to the mess. Evan continued to pant and shudder against him, and Thomas worked them both through their release with gentle touches.
Once they were both spent, Evan let out a contented sigh and dropped his head against the curve of Thomas’s shoulder, pressing a series of kisses along his collarbone that had him squirming. Then, in one quick motion, Evan reached over the side of the bed and retrieved his shirt from the floor, wiping both Thomas’s hand and their stomachs clean before Thomas had even realised what he was doing.
Evan dropped the shirt and leaned in for a kiss, and Thomas melted against his mouth. They kissed slow and lazy until Evan gave Thomas a gentle shove, rolling him onto his back and throwing an arm across his chest as he moulded himself to Thomas’s side with a contented sound.
Thomas let out an answering hum as he drifted in his own happy daze, his body heavy with satisfaction and his very bones liquid. He wasn’t sure what had made this particular tumble between the sheets so satisfying. Perhaps it was simply that it had been such a long time since he’d bedded someone.
But even as he thought it, he knew that wasn’t it. No, there was just something about being with Evan that made the entire experience better. Maybe it was Evan’s playfulness, or his unabashed admiration, or simply that he’d given Thomas permission to take charge. Whatever it was, Thomas knew one thing—he wanted more.
He soaked up the weight of Evan lying against him and ran a hand down his back in long, even strokes, wondering when they could do it again. Then he wondered if Evanwantedto do it again or if he’d meant for this to be a one-time thing.
Thomas hadn’t had a chance to ask him before they’d fallen into bed, and as the minutes stretched out in silence, the last happy traces of his post-sex haze drifted away. Evan hadn’t left yet, which was a good sign, surely? His hand came to rest at the small of Evan’s back and he found himself pulling the man closer, as if to ward off the spectre of him leaving.
Evan came willingly and threw one long leg over Thomas, a twin to the arm over his chest that was pinning him in place. After a few moments, though, he sighed and said, “You know, I don’t think this is going to work.”
Thomas tensed, his gut twisting. He should have known he wasn’t good enough for a duke. He did his best to shove down his disappointment and opened his mouth to tell Evan it was fine, that they could just pretend this had never happened, but he found himself unable to form words. The best he could do was to force out, “Oh?”
Evan traced a fingertip over the dips and valleys of Thomas’s chest and stomach. His movements were gentle, affectionate—which made no sense, given what it sounded like he was saying. Those weren’t the actions of a man having regrets. But his meaning became clear when he propped himself up on one elbow, wincing. “This mattress of yours is bloody dreadful. Next time we’ll go to my bedchambers.”
Thomas wasn’t sure whether he wanted to kiss the duke or push him out of bed for making him think the worst. The kissing won, of course. He rolled them both over and settled on top of Evan, propping himself on his elbows. Evan’s breathing caught when Thomas leaned down and captured his mouth in a hungry,possessive kiss. When they broke apart, Evan beamed up at him. “So I take it you’d like there to be a next time?”
It really was impossible to be annoyed at Evan in the face of his rakish charm. “Actually, I’d like there to be many more times,” Thomas found himself saying. “Tonight barely counts.”
Evan’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Tonight’s not over yet.” He rolled his body against the length of Thomas’s frame in a way that suggested it wouldn’t be long before he was ready to match his words to his actions. And even though it was barely half an hour since he’d spent, Thomas found his own arousal burning hot once again. He rutted against Evan’s body, his cock stiffening rapidly.
Lunging up, Evan flipped Thomas onto his back, and before Thomas could catch his breath, Evan was moving down his body leaving a trail of wet, open-mouthed kisses that had Thomas groaning, filthy and desperate. Evan didn’t stop, kissing his way along the jut of Thomas’s hip bone before licking a hot stripe up the length of his shaft.
Thomas clutched at the sheets, his spine arching when Evan took the head of his cock in his mouth and sucked lightly, his tongue flicking over the slit in tiny, teasing movements. Thomas groaned, and his entire world narrowed down to Evan’s mouth on his cock, hot and wet and overwhelming. “Oh!” he gasped out. “Oh!Oh!”
Evan pulled off long enough to shoot him a wicked grin, then swirled his tongue around the head once more before taking more of Thomas in his mouth, his head bobbing as he licked and sucked on Thomas’s throbbing cock, his mouth sliding up and down in a steady rhythm. Need surged through Thomas and noises escaped him that he hadn’t even known he could make. Heat pooled in his belly low and urgent, and it wasn’t long before Thomas found himself clutching at Evan’s head, his hips rocking upward and thrusting into his willing mouth.
Then Evan reached a hand between his own thighs and there were the unmistakable sounds of him stroking himself off as he continued to swallow around Thomas’s length. Evan looked up at him from under dark lashes, grinned around his mouthful of cock, and gave a clever flick of his tongue, and any last shred of control Thomas might have had snapped. Every nerve in his body lit up and he grasped a fistful of Evan’s dark hair, thrust into his mouth, and spilled down his throat.
Heat pulsed under his skin and satisfaction flooded his entire body as Thomas all but melted into the mattress. Sparks danced behind his eyelids and his cock twitched with the aftershocks of his powerful orgasm.
Evan’s breathing quickened and he pulled off Thomas’s softening cock with a low groan. Thomas’s eyes snapped open in time to see Evan sitting back on his haunches, head thrown back and eyes closed, one hand wrapped tightly around his cock as he reached his peak, spilling over the bedsheets and Thomas’s spread thighs.
Slumping forward, Evan let out a shaky breath. When he lifted his head, his eyes were heavy-lidded and his mouth was curved up in a lopsided smile. He looked the very definition of well-fucked.
Thomas grinned back at him and he had no doubt that his own smile was just as debauched, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He lifted the arm by his side in silent invitation and Evan wasted no time snuggling up in the space there and resting his head on Thomas’s shoulder, breathing warm puffs of air against his skin.
“You know,” Thomas said, “there are plenty of stories told about the Rogue, but nobody ever said he was a cuddler.”
“Mmmm,” Evan said. “Perhaps because the only people who know that are dead.”
Thomas was certain he was joking. Well,almostcertain. Regardless, it was hard to see Evan as a threat when he was curled up against Thomas like a cat who had found a particularly comfortable lap and had no intention of moving—even if Thomas was aware that this particular cat had claws more deadly than most. His body was a comforting weight, and before long Evan’s breathing had turned slow and even as he drifted off to sleep.
Thomas gazed at the sleeping duke, noting the way his long, dark eyelashes fanned out over his cheeks, the pink flush to his cheeks, and the soft pout of his mouth.
He debated for far too long over whether he should wake him up. Part of him said it would be the sensible thing to do. He had no idea whether Evan had intended to fall asleep or if he wanted to stay the night. But another, selfish, part of him whispered that perhaps Evandidwant to stay and Thomas was allowed to enjoy this without questioning it, and that it wouldn’t be the worst thing if they just happened to find themselves bundled up beneath the quilt in the morning.
Besides, Thomas got the impression that not many people got to see Evan like this, still and quiet and unguarded.
It felt like he’d been given a gift, and he didn’t want to waste it.
