“Oh? I thought you had big plans for tonight?” Linden chuckles as he steps up to the bed, towel still in hand. He’s already wearing one of his oversized shirts again. Its seams are frayed, the faded logo of a high school volleyball team printed on the front.
“I did,” I whine, then correct myself: “I mean, Ido. I just need to recharge for a second.”
“You know we don’thaveto…uhm…do sex stuff tonight, right? Or any night, that is.”
“Yeah, sure, but what if Iwantto dosex stuff?” I ask, a satisfied grin spreading on my lips when I detect a splash of pink blooming on his cheeks.
Linden rolls his eyes at me, hiding behind the towel as he pretends to rub his already-dry hair.
“You’re terrible.”
“I’m just trying to be a good student! C’mon, throw me the book.”
Linden raises his eyebrows. “Last-minute cramming before the mock exam?” he jokes, but still steps over to pick up the book from the nightstand and put it into my outstretched hands.
“No, I just…I thought I saw something in here that doesn’t require too much movement. Because I won’t be getting up from this spot before the sun rises again.”
“Aw, did those cherries wear you out?” Linden teases as he sits on the bed beside me.
“Screw you. Who could’ve known—” I break off when I find what I’ve been looking for, clearing my throat before I start to read out loud.
“The moment Noah’s hot tongue lapped over his puckered hole—so incredibly slowly as if he were savoring the sweetness of his favorite ice cream flavor—Owen’s world was reduced to two conflicting sensations: more and too much.
Forgotten were the hard floorboards of the rustic kitchen beneath his elbows and knees; forgotten were all the worries that swirled in his head and kept him up at night. Instead, he squirmed and writhed under the attention while simultaneously trying to preserve a smidge of dignity by keeping himself from thrusting his ass at Noah. But when his lover’s tongue slipped inside of him—hot, greedy, ravenous—that last resolve vanished completely from his brain.
“Noah!” he groaned—no, yelled—no…begged—”
“Ohmigodshutthefuckup, the window’s still open!” Linden gasps, jumping up and launching over to press a hand over my mouth for the second time today. I laugh from behind his palm, swatting his shoulder with the paperback I’m still holding.
“Stop laughing; I’m serious!” Linden complains exasperatedly. The pink bloom in his cheeks deepens to a full-on crimson. It’s a stark contrast to his pale skin, and for a moment, I have to think of the red apple in Snow White.
“I’m going to take my hand away now, and you’ll stay quiet until I close the window, understood?”
I nod solemnly at his questions, even though the corners of my mouth twitch again.
“Good boy,” he praises me teasingly, and I roll my eyes at him. At the same time, an unexpected tingle starts in my stomach. My surprise must reflect on my face because now it’s Linden’s turn to grin.
“Aw, you like that,” he points out as he draws his hand back, then climbs off the bed to close the window.
“Fuck off,” I huff, the exact moment a loud moo comes out of the barn, sending us both into another fit of laughter.
“So, you game?” I ask once we’ve calmed down again. We’re both lying on the bed now, feet dangling off the edge. Linden collapsed a few inches away from me after finally closing the window amid our suppressed giggles and the continuous moos of the cows. Our bodies don’t touch, but I can still feel his warm breath ghost over my skin when he turns his head and huffs.
“Rimming, you mean?”
There’s that fake casualness again, a thin calmness in his voice. By now, I can hear the tiny fractures in it, the soft vibration of nerves.
“Yeah? It involves a lot of lying down. Fucking and not moving—sounds great!”
“Right, but it also involves some…hm-hrm.” Linden sits up and gestures helplessly before darting a glance back at his closed door. Only then does he carefully stick out his tongue to mimic a licking motion.
I snort at his obvious embarrassment. “Don't worry, I understood what I was just reading,” I promise with an eyebrow waggle. “And I've done that before.”
“You've rimmed another guy before?! I thought you said younever—”
“I meant I've eaten a girl out before,” I explain before he can talk himself into another frenzy.
Linden's eyes widen until they look like silver saucers, his mouth forming a silent “oh”. For a second, silence spreads between us, then he clears his throat again.
