He nodded again.
“Use your words,” I murmured.
“Yes, Thane. I’m with you.”
“Good job.”
I felt his shoulders relax under my hand. I lowered my mouth to his neck, kissing the spot where his pulse fluttered. He gasped softly, and his fingers dug into my shirt, bunching the fabric at my sides.
I pulled my shirt off one-handed, not wanting to break contact. When my bare chest met his, he made a small sound—a whimper, maybe—and wrapped his arms around me.
I eased him back onto the mattress, following him down, bracing my weight on my forearms. His legs opened to make room for me. The city light filtered through the curtains, painting silver stripes across his skin.
I kissed down his throat, across his collarbone, over the small dip at the center of his chest. His breath came in short, sharp bursts. When I took his nipple into my mouth, he arched up, his hand flying to the back of my head.
"Thane," he gasped.
I laved the sensitive nub, then the other, while my hand worked its way down his stomach. His abdominal muscles fluttered under my palm. I unfastened his jeans slowly, teasing the button open, pulling the zipper down tooth by tooth.
He lifted his hips to help me push the denim down his thighs. I pulled them off, then his boxers, and then he was naked beneath me, flushed and hard and trembling.
I sat back on my heels, just looking. His cock curved against his belly, precum already beading at the tip. His thighs were open, his hands fisting the sheets. He looked like he was holding himself together by a thread.
"God, you're beautiful," I said.
He laughed, a nervous, breathy sound. "You're looking at me like I'm?—"
"Like you're something I don't want to forget," I finished.
His cheeks flushed darker.
I leaned down and kissed the inside of his thigh, then the other. He twitched. I let my mouth hover over his hipbone, the spot where I'd bite him later, but first I wanted to taste him properly.
I took him into my mouth in one slow, deliberate motion. His whole body jerked, a sharp cry escaping his lips. I swallowed him down, tongue working along the underside, feeling him throb against my palate. His hand tangled in my hair again, not tugging, just holding on.
"Fuck," he breathed. "That's—that'ssogood."
I hummed around him, and his hips bucked. I eased off, letting him slide from my lips with a wet sound.
I brushed my thumb across his cheek and held his gaze. "Kieran, can I ask you something?"
A nervous smile tugged at his mouth. "That depends."
I laughed softly. "Fair."
For a moment, I considered how to phrase it. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was making assumptions.
"We haven't exactly covered the details."
Understanding flickered across his face. "Oh."
I nodded. "I don't want to assume anything."
The color in his cheeks deepened. For a second, he looked embarrassed, then amused. "You're being surprisingly considerate for a guy who brought me back to his hotel room."
"I have layers."
That earned me a laugh. The sound eased some of the tension between us.
