Page 16 of Hold Me Down

Ifhe decided.

For now, there were other things to focus on—like the steps downstairs that normally took him a few seconds and now seemed like an insurmountable mountain. Last night, Dave had climbed it slowly with clenched teeth and Travis's assistance, but at least he could chalk it up to the exhaustion of the day.

Today was another story.

"Nope." Travis tightened his grip on Dave's waist, stopping him before the first step down. "Your choices are a fireman carry or a bridal carry, that's it."

Dave huffed. "I can—"

"You can fall down and break something else, and maybe take me down with you while you're at it." Travis shook his head. "You know descending isn't any easier than ascending like this, especially on such narrow steps. We'll practice, but for now, this is a safer option. I should've suggested it last night, to be honest, I just wasn't thinking."

And Dave wanted to push, to protest, but Travis was right—and he was also giving Dave an out.

So Dave took it.

"I'm half-tempted to make you carry me bridal style for being a know-it-all. We'd definitely be at a risk of falling then, though, and I try not to cut off my nose to spite my face."

"Fireman style it is." With a decisive nod, Travis swiftly shifted and hoisted Dave up before patting his thigh. "Hang tight."

The words died on Dave's tongue as he stared at Travis's round ass, now so close and tempting that Dave would have bit it if doing so didn't mean sending them both falling down for real.

Damn, he was intimately acquainted with that ass, from every angle and in every way they could think of over the years, but he sometimes still got struck with the sight of it, the shape, the—

Before he could finish that thought, Travis deposited him in the wide chair in the kitchen, moving the table further to the side to make room. The soft landing made Dave even more grateful than usual that Travis had talked him into buying two comfortable chairs for the kitchen instead of a bigger set of narrow ones that Dave had wanted initially.

"I'll get you your coffee and you can tell me what you have in mind for breakfast."

"I'll eat whatever, I know you have to go soon—"

"I don't, actually. Kalei said I can work remotely for a bit, since I'm benched anyway." Travis grimaced briefly. "I'll have to call in soon, because he wanted to talk after he had a chance to figure out the best use of my working hours, but they're going to be flexible for at least a week, maybe two. So you have me for the whole day, every day."

Dave squashed the instinctual response—all day, every day, yes please—as he glanced through the window at their backyard.

"So the usual, huh?" he said after a beat, turning to meet Travis's clear blue eyes.

Travis laughed. "Pretty much, yeah. Why mess with perfection, am I right?"

Dave nodded, settling more comfortably in the chair.

Why, indeed.

* * *

An hour and a half later, they were both sitting on the couch and half-heartedly watching the rerun of oldSeinfeldepisodes while scrolling on their phones, when Travis spoke up.

"Internet says receiving a blowjob can be beneficial to your recovery and overall well-being."

Dave lowered his phone even as his heartbeat sped up.

"What the hell are you reading?"

"You mentioned sex before, which, as you well know, is not a topic I take lightly, so I'm researching our options." Travis's grin only grew. "The results were illuminating."

"I bet. What else did those undoubtedly reputable sources offer in terms of advice?"

"A more active role from the uninjured partner, avoiding any acrobatics, and being aware that the discomfort of the injury may prolong the path to an orgasm or make it hard to ever get there, pun intended."

Dave blinked at the swift change into seriousness, but then before he could blink again, Travis slid off the couch, settled on his knees, and winked at Dave before pushing his uninjured leg to the side to slide in closer.

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