Page 76 of Sweat

Cracking a smile, I forgo the low hanging jokes in my head and ask, “You okay? Did I hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” he answers with a soft chuckle before scooping his arms around me and pulling me back down to lie against him.

“I liked it,” I say, because it’s true. If I had known it was Tommy from the get, I would have leaned into it instead of shoving him away.

“Your dick seemed to like it. Just gotta remember to ask the rest of you if it’s okay first.”

God, I feel like a weenie. Tommy can do whatever he wants to me. I don’t want him asking permission every time he puts his hands on me. I want his hands on me all the time. Like now, with his strong, warm arms wrapped around me like I deserve it.

Takes me longer than it should for me to realize we’re cuddling. Not just spooning, like what Tommy did to me the last time he stayed over, but actually cuddling, like what actors do in movies after they make sweet, passionate love to an R&B song. Feels weird. I never pegged myself for a cuddler, but Tommy and I fit like two complementary puzzle pieces. Someone could shake me, and I still wouldn’t slip from Tommy’s embrace.

His nose pecks my forehead until I lift my chin, and that’s when he lays his mouth on mine. His pillowy lips fill me with a tantalizing warmth, like my insides have turned to honey.

“I'm glad you were my first guy-kiss,” he says.

First…As beautiful as the word is, it’s laced with a foreboding I’m too insecure to shake. If I’m the first, it stands to reason there will others. Fuck that. I stare at a freckle just below Tommy’s left eye, wanting to kiss him there.

Surprising myself, I admit, “You were my first kiss.”

“With a guy?”

“With anyone.”

Tommy goes silent for a bit, his eyebrows hopping a fraction and his mouth twitching with the promise of a smile. “Really?”

“Thought it was obvious,” I mutter, remembering how stunned I was the first time Tommy pressed his mouth to mine, and how awkward and bumbling I was when we made out a minute later.

“What about… But, you’ve hooked up with people. Girls…”

I’m glad when Tommy stops short of speaking his ex’s name. I don’t care about that girl, but I do think about her from time to time in the context that I wonder how Tommy could give years of his life to her. Was it really just so he’d have an excuse to keep other girls away?

“Here and there,” I say, “but that’s just hooking up. I never liked any of ‘em. Never wanted to kiss ‘em.”

“You’ve never been in a relationship at all?”

“Nah. Never even been on a date, except hanging out with you.”

Tommy goes quiet again, long enough for me to wish I’d kept my mouth shut. I’m usually good at that, but cuddling has turned me soft as pudding.

“I’m not exactly Mister Romantic,” I say.

“Open your mouth.”

“What?” I chortle.

Tommy’s pouty lips finally form that big smile. “Open your mouth.”

I’m skeptical, but I roll onto my back—just enough room to do so without falling out of bed—and I open my jaw real wide toward the ceiling, like I would if reclined in a dentist’s chair.

“Not like that, you weird-o,” Tommy laughs, turning on his side and propping himself on an elbow. He pinches my chin and turns my head so our noses touch. “Relax the muscles in your face and let your mouth open naturally.”

Just the deep tenor of Tommy’s voice is enough to give me goosebumps. I consider defying him, feigning playfulness when I’m really just a scaredy-cat. But I give up a bit of control for the sake of him, and I calm my face and part my lips.

“Relax, and follow my lead,” he murmurs.

The second Tommy’s lips graze mine, my eyes drift shut. I feel his tongue dip into my mouth, probing slow. My tongue responds, lifting to slide against Tommy’s and savor the taste of his saliva setting my tastebuds ablaze.

His hand touches my chest, palm skating across my body like he’s trying to memorize my form, and it’s not long until I’m moaning into his mouth. I knew Tommy was a softie, but I’m the one turning to mush. Even if Tommy is the gayest boy who ever lived, I don’t know why I turn him on so much, but I can feel his cock twitch against my hip.

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