Page 40 of Chasing Benedict
“All right?” Ben asked, pausing with about one third of his length lodged inside Alex.
“Yes,” Alex ground out. “Keep going.”
Ben obliged, adding more oil before pushing in further, using his grasp on Alex’s hips to pull him back into the slow, forward thrust. Pulling out a little, he then pushed in a bit further, drawing a sharp yelp from Alex at the resulting burn. But Ben gained another inch, then another, and after what felt like an eternity, found his way in to the hilt. He paused, his harsh breaths mingling with Alex’s short, strained ones. Alex let himself experience the feeling of fullness, marveling at the crisp rasp of Ben’s leg hairs along the backs of his thighs, the strength of the hands holding him steady, the solid presence holding him together when he felt he might fall apart.
Ben’s hand slid along his thigh before delving inward, finding Alex’s jutting cock. Alex fought not to push into the fist clenching around him, holding perfectly still as Ben stroked him, the pleasure of it tangling with the ache in his arse until the two were indistinguishable.
“God, the way you feel,” Ben murmured, his lips brushing the shell of Alex’s ear. “So tight and hot. Did you miss me, Alex?”
There were equal parts a taunt and a real question in those words, and Alex decided to be honest and speak to the part of Ben that seemed to really want to know.
“So much it hurt,” he whispered, his eyes prickling with sudden emotion. “Every hour of every day.”
Ben didn’t respond aloud, his grip tightening on Alex’s cock as he rolled his hips. They groaned in unison, the stroke of Ben’s rod sending waves of exquisite pleasure and a heated ache throughout Alex’s entire body. Ben did it again, then again, slowly withdrawing a few inches and plunging, his hand never faltering in its rhythm around Alex’s cock.
Face buried in the counterpane, Alex moved with him, rocking back to meet each thrust, then pushing his cock into the circle of Ben’s fingers. Ben skillfully acted on Alex’s unspoken urgings—the sharp intake of his breath, the arch of his back, his euphoric moans of pleasure. He quickened his pace when he realized Alex could take it, that hewantedit more than he wanted his next breath.
Ben’s weight pressed Alex down into the mattress, one hand working his cock, the other braced on his shoulder. Ben’s pelvis battered at him now, hard and relentless, the path eased by his careful coaxing and the lubrication of the oil. Alex was lost, utterly at Ben’s mercy and never wanting it to be any other way. His climax nipped at his heels, propelled along by Ben’s perfectly angled thrusts and the pulls of his hand. Alex tried to fight it off, praying for more time, but the force of it was too powerful. Alex cried out his ecstasy as release overtook him with limb-shaking intensity. It seemed to go on forever, his gut clenching and his back arching as his seed flooded from him to stain the counterpane.
Ben wasn’t finished with him yet, sweat slicking between his chest and Alex’s back as he chased his own finish. Alex was near collapse, unable to do anything other than accept everything Ben had to give. With a few more frantic thrusts, Ben seated himself inside Alex and spent. His growling groan of pleasure was muffled, his lips pressed against Alex’s shoulder as he spilled his seed.
Ben’s weight slowly eased off Alex, his softened cock slipping free. Collapsing at Alex’s side, Ben freed him to do the same, letting out a relieved breath as the last bit of tension left his limbs.
For a long while, only the rhythm of their breathing could be heard as they lay back to back, each absorbed in the aftermath of his own climax. Eventually, the mattress shifted and dipped as Ben turned onto his back. Alex followed suit, but a pang through his rear had him on his side facing Ben.
Running a hand over the fleece on his chest, Ben sighed, turning his head to look Alex in the eye. Alex found himself hypnotized by the sapphire depths, fringed in those spiky, pale lashes. Ben was softer just now, more at ease. Through the haze of exhaustion and ecstasy, Alex could imagine Ben as he had been at eighteen, twenty-one, twenty-five. The furrows in his brow hadn’t been so deep, and scorn didn’t show at the corners of his mouth. He smiled with genuine joy and not derision. He laughed with freedom instead of sarcasm.
His heart had not yet been broken.
They stared silently at one another, but before long Ben looked away, that ever-present frown pulling on his lips.
“Ben,” Alex ventured.
“Not tonight, Alex,” Ben whispered, eyes squeezed shut. “I’m not stupid. I know you dragged me out of London so I would be forced to hear you out. But we just arrived, we are both exhausted and in no condition to start inviting the ghosts of the past to join us.”
Alex bit his lip, not wanting to admit that Ben had a point. He was tired, and barely had the strength required to rise and wash before falling face-first back into this bed. They would both think clearer after a few hours of indolence and a good night’s sleep.
“Even I like a reprieve from self-pity and anger from time to time,” Ben added. “I’ll give you my ear tomorrow, though I must warn you, it is only to end your ceaseless wailing. It won’t change my mind, so this will simply be an exercise in futility, but one that will allow you to ease your guilt.”
Alex laughed, shoulders quivering as he stared at Ben’s profile. “Why can’t you look at me while telling such outright lies?”
Ben snorted, but his eyelids remained lowered. “I’m only too exhausted to open my eyes right now. My God, why would you ever suggest something so ludicrous?”
Alex was trembling with laughter now, which he tried and failed to muffle with pinched lips. “Fine, Ben. Have it your way. I will ease my guilt and you will continue on uncaring and unfazed.”
“Quite right,” Ben drawled.
“We are agreed.”
“Indeed.”
“So, we will talk tomorrow?” Alex teased. By now, he was simply enjoying being a thorn in Ben’s side.
“Yes, tomorrow, as I’ve said already.”
“Good.”
“Good.”
