Adriel let go.
He rode Landen the way he'd always wanted to. The way he'd imagined in those lonely nights when he'd touched himself to the thought of this man. His hips snapped forward and back, impaling himself on Landen's cock over and over, chasing the pleasure that was building with every thrust.
Landen's head was thrown back against the couch. His eyes were glazed, fixed on Adriel above him, watching him with an expression of pure wonder. His hands gripped Adriel's ass so tightly Adriel was sure there would be bruises tomorrow.
He loved the thought. It made him crazy.
He went harder. Faster. Slamming himself down onto Landen's cock, taking him deeper with every thrust. His head was thrown back, his hands braced against Landen's chest, and he was moaning, loud and unashamed, the sounds filling the room.
Landen groaned. Started to snap his hips up in tandem with Adriel's thrusts, meeting him halfway, driving deeper.
"Fuck, baby," Landen gasped. "Look at you. So pretty. So beautiful."
Adriel moaned louder.
"Fuck... You are so good to me. So tight." Landen's voice was breaking apart. "Drive me fucking crazy. Fuck, I... I'm gonna…"
His hand flew to Adriel's cock. Wrapped around it. Jerked him off in time with his thrusts.
"Shit… I'm gonna cum," Landen groaned. "Cum with me, baby. Cum with me."
Adriel shattered. His cock burst, painting Landen's fist and stomach with hot stripes. His body clenched around Landen's cock, milking him through his own orgasm, and he felt Landen follow; felt the heat of it inside him, felt the way Landen's whole body shuddered beneath him, felt the broken sounds he made against his chest.
Eventually, Adriel slumped forward. His face found Landen's neck, nuzzled into the warmth there, into the scent of him, into the steady pulse beating against his lips.
Landen's arms came up immediately. Wrapped around his back. Pulled him even closer, his cock softening inside Adriel, neither of them willing to move yet.
Adriel's lips moved against Landen's skin.
"I love you." The words came out soft.
Landen's arms tightened around him. Squeezed him harder, like he was trying to pull him inside, like he could absorb him through sheer will.
"I love you too," Landen whispered back. "So much. Don't ever scare me like that again."
Adriel laughed. Small and wet against his neck.
"I'll try."
Chapter 24
Adriel
Five months later
The restaurant is the same one they always use for this; neutral ground, equidistant from both his parents' homes, quiet enough that any tension between them won't draw attention. They've been doing this every year since the divorce: the birthday dinner, one day early because Adriel always has plans on the actual day. A tradition that none of them enjoy and none of them have ever suggested stopping.
Adriel arrived first. He ordered water, checked his phone. Tried not to think about the fact that he'd rather be anywhere else.
His father arrived next. He clapped Adriel on the shoulder as he sat down; too hard, the way he always did, as if affection required force to count. He looked the same as ever: broad, greying at the temples, dressed in casual clothes that he knew his mother would scoff at.
"Hey, kid," he said. "Happy almost-birthday."
"Thanks, Dad."
A silence settled between them immediately. His father picked up the menu, studied it as if it contained something new, which it didn't, they'd been coming here for years. They sat in it, the silence, the way they always did. His father wasn't a talker. Not with Adriel, anyway. He saved his ease for other people; his gym friends, his colleagues, the men he watched games with on weekends. With Adriel, conversation had always felt like something he endured rather than enjoyed, a series of obligatory exchanges that neither of them knew how to make natural.
His mother arrived last. Immaculate hair, pressed clothing, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She air-kissed Adriel's cheek, gave his father a curt nod, the full extent of their interaction these days, and sat down, signalling for a waiter before she'd even fully settled into her chair.
