Page 173 of All The Things: The Last Thing He Needs Omnibus

Ben stopped his progress, gently wrapping his fingers around Gavin’s wrist. “Yes, really.” After a short pause, a glance around the living room, he asked, “Where’s Tina?”

Gavin pressed closer and Ben could feel the heat of Gavin’s skin even through the cotton fabric between them. “She had a tutoring gig this morning, then a class down at the rec center.” Gavin paused, scraped his teeth against Ben’s neck. “Then she’s going out with two friends she met at that teen mom group for dinner and a baby playdate…”

If the way Gavin had touched him hadn’t gotten Ben’s attention, that would’ve. “Oh?” He turned slowly, wrapping his arms around Gavin, leaning close. Before their lips touched, he asked, “Why are you still dressed?”

With a grin, Gavin shrugged. Ben could feel his breath as Gavin said, “Because you are.”

“Not for long.” Ben caught Gavin’s mouth in a hard kiss, letting all the want, all the pent-up need out in one long moment. He slipped his hands under Gavin’s shirt, trailed his palms against Gavin’s spine. When he pulled back, Gavin looked like he might say something, but Ben pushed his shirt up higher, cutting off his words as he tugged the T-shirt off over Gavin’s head.

He got the message then. Gavin reached between them, popping the buttons on Ben’s jeans open one by one before he started to push them down Ben’s thighs.

Ben groaned at the touch of Gavin’s hands, the feel of his fingers grazing against his cock through his boxers. Yeah, it’d been too long. Ben felt like he could come standing in the middle of the living room, just from being so close to Gavin. He wanted to touch Gavin all over, wanted to fuck him standing up, nothing to support them, nothing between them. But instead Gavin dropped to his knees, dragging Ben’s jeans and boxers down with him.

“Why are you wearing boots?” Gavin asked, a small laugh slipping out as he fumbled with Ben’s laces.

“Thought I was leaving…” Ben pulled off his shirt, glancing down to see Gavin at his feet, struggling to undress him. He couldn’t help but laugh.

Gavin freed one foot, got one of Ben’s legs loose from his jeans, but Ben nearly toppled over on him. “Goddamn it,” Gavin said, laughing harder now. “This was supposed to be sexy.”

Things rarely went the way they planned, though, and they both knew it. Ben kicked his other boot off as soon as Gavin had it untied, shaking his jeans all the way off, still in his socks. Gavin glanced up, laughed again, and said, “I can’t take you seriously like this.” He pulled the socks off and Ben lost his balance, flailing as he tipped over. He nearly put his hand through the wall when he caught himself. He glanced down when he heard Gavin’s sharp wince.

“Did I get you?” he asked, pulling Gavin up to stand in front of him. Yeah. He’d gotten him. Knee to the eye. Awesome.

“There’s a domestic abuse joke in here somewhere, but I’m a better person than that.”

Ben let out a laugh, tracing his finger over the red blossom around Gavin’s eye. “I’m sorry, baby.” He kissed the spot, gentle and soothing, the heat from earlier gone now.

“We suck at this.” Gavin leaned close, resting his head on Ben’s shoulder.

Ben ran his hand down Gavin’s back, felt the rough material of Gavin’s jeans against Ben’s bare skin. “We didn’t used to…” Truth be told, sex used to be the one area they were guaranteed to work. Being with Gavin was flawless, always, every time. Maybe it had just been too long. Weeks, if Ben thought about it. “Let’s get some ice on that eye.”

With a nod, Gavin pulled back. “You wanna put something on?”

“No,” Ben said, following Gavin to the kitchen. “I haven’t given up yet.”

Gavin grinned, but he looked Ben up and down. “The neighbors will see.” He sat on the edge of the kitchen table, shifting until his feet were off the floor.

“Let ’em.” Ben pulled an ice pack from the freezer and pressed it to Gavin’s eye. “They shouldn’t be looking through our windows anyway.” When Gavin put his hand over Ben’s, Ben leaned in and brushed a kiss to Gavin’s lips again. “Everything you do is sexy to me,” he whispered when he pulled back.

“God, you’re cheesy.”

“It’s your fault,” Ben said as he pulled away. “I didn’t used to be like this.” That was true enough. Gavin could get him to say and do things no one else could. He pulled the curtains closed over the back-door window, then over the sink. The early-afternoon sun lit up the kitchen in soft hues, but if anyone found a way to look in, they deserved what they got.

When he came back, Gavin set the ice pack aside. The entire side of his cheek was red, and Ben couldn’t tell if it was from getting kneed in the face or the cold. He hoped it was the cold. He reached for Gavin, ran his finger over the spot again. “Does it hurt?”

Gavin wrapped his fingers around Ben’s hand and slid it lower. “Nope,” he whispered as he let go and wrapped his arms around Ben’s shoulders, spread his legs wider to pull Ben closer.

“Good.” And with that, Ben slid his tongue into Gavin’s mouth, tasting his morning coffee and something sweet. Powdered sugar? Honey? Maybe just Gavin. Ben wasn’t sure, but he wanted more of it. He dropped his hand between them and opened Gavin’s jeans. Gavin lifted up, holding on to Ben’s shoulders so Ben could tug and pull the fabric down. Thank God he was barefoot. One more debacle and they’d give up for the year. Ben stripped him down to nothing and let him sit down again.

He pulled Gavin close, leaned him back as Gavin wrapped his legs around him.

“I know we keep saying we should fuck in every room, but we’re gonna have to bleach this table now,” Gavin said even as he ground his hips against Ben, even as their cocks hardened between them.

Ben could only groan at first. He didn’t care how impractical it was or that they’d have to clean up for an hour. He just wanted Gavin. He’d wanted Gavin every day for years, and being so close to him all the time, close enough to touch him and kiss him, and too damn tired and too damn busy to do anything about it, was more than he could stand. “Don’t care,” he whispered, his voice rough even to his own ears. He pressed harder against Gavin, shifted so the head of his cock rubbed against Gavin’s entrance. Perfect.

Until Gavin said, “We’re out of lube.”

“Now’s not the time for jokes.”

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