Page 116 of Heated Rivalry 1
They stood for a moment, silently staring at each other, waiting for whatever was going to happen next. Finally, Ilya reached a hand up and brushed the backs of his fingers against Shane’s cheek. Shane unconsciously licked his lip and Ilya moved in to kiss him.
The moment Shane’s mouth opened under his, everything made sense. All of Ilya’s nerves left him, and he grabbed at Shane’s T-shirt and pulled him closer. Shane made a little moaning sound and plunged his fingers under Ilya’s ball cap, knocking it to the floor. He tangled his fingers in Ilya’s hair and began walking him backward to the leather sofa.
They hadn’t been together for months. The ridiculous thing was, Ilya hadn’t been withanyonein all that time. For the first time in his life, he hadn’twantedto be with anyone else.
But now he felt like he was going to burst if Shane didn’t touch him the way he’d not been able to stop thinking about.
He went willingly down to the sofa when Shane shoved him. He kept a firm grip on Shane’s T-shirt so the other man immediately tumbled on top of him. Ilya winced as his sunglasses were pressed into his chest, then he pulled them off and threw them, clattering, to the floor.
Ilya kissed Shane wildly, jerking his hips up to get more friction on his cock, and was delighted to feel that Shane was as hard as he was.
He pulled Shane’s shirt off over his head and slid his hands down to open Shane’s fly.
“Fuck,” Shane panted. “I’m...it’s been kind of a while... I might not last long.”
“Yes. Same. But we have two weeks, right?”
Shane laughed. “Right.” Then, “Wait...same?”
“Hm?”
“You said ‘same.’ You haven’t...been with anyone? Lately?”
Ilya grimaced. He probably shouldn’t have admitted that. But...
“No.”
“Like, not since—?”
“No. Not since. Can we please get back to—?”
“Really?” Shane pulled back so he could look Ilya directly in the eyes. He looked stunned and way, way too happy.
“Is not a big deal, Hollander. Relax.”
“It’s been, like—”
“Months. Yes. Which is why I would really like to—”
“I haven’t either,” Shane said quickly. “Not since the last time we were together. In Boston.”
“Well then...” Ilya said, moving his hand to continue to work his way into Shane’s pants. But Shane didn’t go back to grinding his hips or attacking Ilya’s mouth with filthy desperate kisses. Instead, he reached up and gently brushed a lock of hair out of Ilya’s face. Ilya could only stare, mesmerized, at Shane’s face as he looked down at him with so much...tenderness.
“I have an idea,” Shane said. He was brushing his thumb over Ilya’s bottom lip as he said it.
“What?” Ilya asked, with more bravery than he felt.
“Let’s be honest with each other. For these two weeks, let’s just...say what we’re actually thinking. Maybe...say how we really feel.”
I can’t, Ilya wanted to say.I can’t because if I do you’ll think I’m pathetic, or, worse, you’ll say it back and then what the fuck are we supposed to do?
“I will try,” he said instead.
“Will you?” Shane asked skeptically.
“Yes! I will do anything if it will make you touch my dick right now!”
Shane laughed and shook his head. But then he slid down Ilya’s body and hauled down Ilya’s shorts, andthank Christ.
