Page 13 of The Question of Us (Fisher & Church #2)

The delicious pressure began to burn hot and my head fell back against the tiles.

“Oh... shit... that’s... fuck.

..” Too much. Not enough. I paused to let my body adjust. But when the burn switched to need and desperation, I started up again, more and more, until it felt like my arse would split apart.

“Jesus, Mads. You’re fucking killing me here.

” Nick was staring at the spot where the dildo disappeared into my hole.

“I’ve never seen anything... I haven’t.

..” He trailed off, and my heart danced at the thought that I might be the first to do this for him.

“I’m not gonna last. Not with you like that. ”

Good news to me . “Then don’t.” I slid up and almost off the toy before plunging back down.

“Oh, Jesus wept,” Nick breathed with awe in his tone, and his obvious approval spurred my confidence.

Any last vestiges of self-consciousness slipped away and with my eyes glued to his face, I ran a hand down my chest to my balls and began stroking my dick, moaning shamelessly as the pleasure rocked my body.

On the next pass, the dildo nudged my prostate and stars exploded behind my eyes.

I groaned and did it again. And again. And again.

Each lunge ramping me closer to the edge.

Deeper, faster, more desperate to fall into the void.

Nick’s eyes jerked up to meet mine. “Come, Mads. Come now!”

It was all I needed. The dildo rocked in and out of my arse one more time and pleasure exploded in my groin.

My dick pulsed in my hand and come spurted over the wet tiles.

I pumped and pumped, milking every drop I could.

Nick’s eyes fluttered closed, his orgasm barrelling through him in a series of sharp, shuddering jerks.

He spilled over his belly as he stroked himself through it, his expression morphing from ecstasy to slack relief until his body collapsed on the tiles with a soft and almost painful groan.

For a few long seconds, he just sat there, leaning on the glass, chest heaving. He was so still I had to reach around the glass and prod him to check he was okay. He was.

“Just need a second,” he murmured. “You wore me out.”

I grinned, feeling decidedly pleased with myself. I set the dildo aside to rinse under the spray and slumped to the floor of the shower. A warm hand landed on my thigh, and I turned to find Nick watching me.

“Can I join you?” The tender expression on his face broke something open in my heart. Something I’d guarded closely for a long time.

Too raw to speak, all I could do was nod.

I wriggled forward and he crawled into the shower on his hands and knees. With his back to the wall, he positioned me between his legs and pulled me against his chest.

“Mmm, much better.” His arms circled my waist. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. I want you here, remember?” I relaxed against him, my skin sizzling in every spot our bodies touched.

“And I thank you for that, as well. After the arse I’ve been, I don’t deserve it.”

“I know,” I said evenly, hiding my smile. Nick nipped me on the shoulder anyway, and then he went quiet for a long moment, a moment I didn’t feel tempted to break. It felt... important.

When he finally spoke, his voice was hesitant, almost childlike, and his heart thundered against my back. “I’m going back to therapy,” he said softly. “When Samuel left after chewing me out, I made the decision.”

I spun in his arms. This was big. Not just for Nick but for us. For any chance we had of making it. I tried not to look as excited and grateful as I was, but I must have failed dismally.

He grinned and shook his head. “You’re welcome.”

Heat bloomed in my cheeks. “Sorry.”

He kissed me gently. “Don’t be sorry. I should’ve gone back after the accident, but I was too angry. And yes, I know that’s exactly why I should’ve gone back but?—”

“Hey—” I put a finger to his lips. “—no judgement here.”

His eyes softened. “Thank you, but there are some things you can’t do alone, right?

I still have some childhood shit hanging over me.

I can feel it. I still hear the scared voice of the kid I was hammering in my head, urging me to run from you.

.. from... us. And now there’s not just my childhood, but there’s what happened to Davis screwing with my head as well.

So, I pulled on my grown-up pants and called my old therapist. I booked a recurring slot starting in a couple of weeks. ”

I didn’t know what to say. Nick had done this not just for him but for us, and that said every fucking thing that needed to be said. He was serious. He was in. And I couldn’t fucking believe my luck.

“Please don’t say anything.” He traced the line of my nose down over my lips to my chin. “I just wanted you to know that I am doing something. I am trying to change.”

I cradled his face and met those beautiful grey eyes. “You are the bravest man I know, and I am so fucking proud of you. I am also more grateful than you realise, but it’s made me think that maybe I should do a little work on myself as well. Banish a few voices like you said.”

He chuckled. “So, this is you not saying anything? Good to know. But you’re welcome. Now turn around.”

I did. And when he nibbled his way along my hairline at the base of my neck, I groaned and dropped my chin to my chest to make it easier for him to reach. He tightened his hold, his forearm grazing my dick, and a flush of heat rolled through my belly.

I opened my eyes, half-expecting my cock to be rising to the occasion but it remained as boneless as a jellyfish. “Typical,” I grunted, unimpressed.

Nick peered over my shoulder to see what I was complaining about and chuckled. “Me too. Getting older sucks, right? Take a ticket and wait. We’ll call you when we’re ready.”

I laughed and wrapped my arms over his, my head resting back against his shoulder. “I dunno about that. I kind of like not feeling the pressure to do something about it. This, right now, feels really, really good. I’d go so far as to say it’s way better than another round of... whatever.”

“Yeah?” He kissed up my throat.

“Yeah.” I turned to look over my shoulder and we shared an awkward kiss.

“When you’re young, it’s all about how long you can last and how many times, all that macho competitive shit.

But getting older makes you realise that this is what it’s really all about.

Intimacy. Tenderness. Shared time. This is what I’ve missed about not having a boyfriend.

These moments. The sex is just icing on the cake.

Without the cake, it’s just an empty sugar rush.

Not saying that doesn’t have its place, but it’s not for building a life on. ”

Nick kissed my ear. “I couldn’t agree more.

After the accident, I rarely thought about the fact I couldn’t have sex with Davis.

What I craved were his hugs and kisses. I missed curling around him at night and telling him about my boring day.

I missed grocery shopping and fighting about whose turn it was to do the laundry. ”

I chuckled and cupped his cheek with one hand. “Well, that’s an easy one. Yours. It will always be your turn to do the laundry. I hate it.”

He arched a brow. “I guess I can do that. But aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves a bit?”

“It’s never too early to lay the ground rules.”

He groaned. “Back to the rules, I see. Can I get a copy of those please?”

“No.” I grinned. “They’re . . . fluid.”

He simply looked at me.

“Anyhoo,” I continued. “What did you mean, you guess you can do the laundry? That’s lacking a certain amount of confidence. Can I trust you to do it right?”

He snorted. “Does this involve more of those rules of yours?”

My cheeks flamed. “Maybe. Answer the question.”

He shut me up with a kiss. “You’re cute when you’re sassy.”

I elbowed him in the stomach, making him grunt. “I am not sassy.”

“You are too.” He made monster sounds as he gobbled along my jaw, and I squirmed.

“Quit that.” I shrugged him off but couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.

He pumped some body wash into his hands and began lathering me up.

I groaned and leaned into his touch. “Let me allay your concerns regarding the whole laundry issue,” he said as he worked.

“Of the two of us, who cares more about fashion and clothes versus whose wardrobe looks like a laundry hamper?”

I glared over my shoulder. “ I care about clothes.”

He ran a line of soap down my nose. “Liar.”

“I do. A little,” I amended before giving a weighty sigh. “Okay, fair point. So, here’s the deal. If and when the time comes that we move in together, you do the laundry and I’ll take the supermarket. I wouldn’t trust you to do a grocery shop if my life depended on it.”

“Hey—” He started to protest but I clamped my hand over his mouth.

“I’ve seen your fridge,” I reminded him and he smiled against my palm. “Exactly. So, when you’re staying here, you do the laundry and I’ll do the groceries. Deal?” I removed my hand and he leaned in and kissed me.

“Deal. But why just your place?”

I scooted around and he began soaping my chest. “Because I don’t think either of us are ready for your bed quite yet. Yours and Davis’s bed.”

Nick stilled, his expression sheepish. “Yeah, I think maybe you’re right. Although, I have to tell you, after that little performance, there was no way in hell I was thinking of anyone but you. That’s a good start, right?”

I couldn’t hide my delight as I pumped some body wash into my hands to soap Nick in return. “Yeah, baby. It’s a great start.”

He stilled, then tipped my chin up. “Baby? That’s the second time you’ve called me that today.”

I stiffened but held his gaze. “Yeah, baby . You got a problem with that?”

He grinned and leaned in and kissed me. “Nope. No problem, whatsoever.”