Page 81 of Deep Down
Two years later
Alex
“Hey, sweetheart. How did it go?” Alex dropped the dishcloth into the sink and dried his hands before enfolding Craig in his arms and inhaling his scent.
Craig gripped the back of Alex’s shirt, as he always did, and exhaled against his neck. “Good. Tiring, but good. You know how much talking to Amanda wears me out.”
Pulling back, Alex lifted a hand to Craig’s cheek and kissed him gently. “You ready for dinner now? Or do you fancy having a bath first?”
“Hmm, a bath sounds nice.”
“Okay. Let me switch off the oven, and I’ll get it set up for you. Why don’t you go and chill for a bit, and I’ll call you when it’s done?
Craig nodded, lifted his chin to join their lips briefly and pulled away. Alex watched as he drifted down the hallway to their bedroom before switching the oven off. He hesitated outside the bedroom door, wanting to wrap Craig in his arms again, but knowing he needed time to decompress from his session. Sighing in regret of everything Craig had been through and was still going through, Alex did what he could to make things easier. Craig had come so far in the last few years, but some things refused to leave him. So, he continued to work on it with Amanda, once a month.
The warm, lavender-scented bathwater was prepared with little fanfare, the scent chosen as a soothing reminder of Craig’s childhood, and Alex called for Craig. He entered wearing his boxers and nothing else. Alex swallowed at the vision and exhaled slowly, hiding his immediate arousal.
“All yours.”
“Thanks, Alex.” Craig shed his underwear, leaving it in a heap on the floor when he climbed into the bathtub. Craig’s groan created havoc in Alex’s body, and he shifted from foot to foot.
“I’ll leave you to it. Shout me if you need anything. I’ll bring you a glass of water in a few.” Alex exited the bathroom, traipsing to the kitchen on his self-imposed errand and ignoring his body’s response. Filling a tall glass with water from the tap, he inhaled and exhaled a few times to get himself under control and headed back to place it on the side of the bath where Craig could reach it.
Craig was laid submerged, save for his chin upwards, with his eyes closed. If Alex didn’t know better, he’d have said Craig was asleep. It was the tension lines along his forehead, which gave away his less than peaceful demeanour.
Wishing he could do more to help, Alex shifted away.
“Stay.”
Alex jumped at Craig’s voice, having not expected it. Facing Craig once more, he saw Craig had his eyes closed. “You sure?”
“Definitely. You can scrub my back.” A small smile appeared on Craig’s face.
Needing no more invitation, Alex scrambled to remove his clothes. Standing next to the bath, naked and unable to hide his arousal, he waited for Craig to open his eyes.
“That’s a nice picture.” Craig pulled himself forward to indicate for Alex to get in behind him, which he did without hesitation. After he sat, Craig leaned back, getting comfortable against Alex’s chest and encouraging Alex to lift his legs over Craig’s.
Alex wrapped his arms around Craig, leaning his cheek against the top of his head and exhaled into Craig’s hair. He wanted to ask if everything was alright, but Craig would tell him when he was ready.
“Thank you, Alex.”
“Whatever for?”
Craig rolled his head to the side and pierced Alex with his gaze. “For everything. For helping me become who I was before, who I wanted to be. For loving me as I am and continuing to love me as I become my old self.”
“I love every part of you, and that’s not going to change.” Alex pressed his lips against Craig’s temple.
“I love you, too.”
Closing his eyes, he cherished every time Craig told him he loved him. He believed Craig, but Alex knew how short life could be.
They laid quietly for some time, rousing to add some hot water when it cooled considerably. As the water rippled around them, Craig’s breath caught, and his muscles tensed.
“You okay?” Alex peered down at Craig, witnessing the heat enter his cheeks, flowing down his neck and chest. As his gaze followed the path, it came to rest on Craig’s cock, standing upright in the water, with the ripples dancing around his tip. Craig’s breathing increased with the motion his hips made, encouraging the water’s movements. “Does that feel nice?”
Craig licked his lips, inhaled deeply and nodded. “I came like this once. Thinking about you.”
His admission sent heat flooding his veins, and his cock hardened in seconds. “Fuck.” Lying as they were, Alex could picture it with ease. Sliding one hand up Craig’s stomach to his nipples, Alex flicked each nub until it was swollen and rigid.
