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Corey could barely breathe. How much had it taken for Tal to do this in front of his friends? Showing them how he felt? His courage inspired Corey. He needed to be brave too.
But before Corey could touch him, stroke his face, hold his chin, Tal spoke. “I remember all of it.”
Which was enough to rob Corey of the ability to move or speak. Temporarily.
“What the hell are you doing?” Louis asked in a choked voice.
Me?But Corey glanced round to see Louis was talking to Tal. Corey turned back again and Tal met his gaze, his navy-blue eyes dark and trusting.
“Tal, get up,” Louis snapped.
Corey swivelled round, almost unbalancing himself. He barely managed not to snarl. “This has nothing to do with you. Don’t interfere.” He turned back again. Tal was still looking at him.
“Tal! He’s a kid.”
Louis was still talking, mumbling stuff Corey sometimes caught, sometimes didn’t, he was so entranced by the sight of Tal on his knees.Oh God. I’m so hard.
“He’s not a dom. Look at him. He’s a kid. What the fuck are you playing at?”
Tal stayed silent. Watching. Eyes always on Corey. Waiting.Oh yes, waiting for me to defend him.
Corey didn’t take his attention from Tal, but addressed Louis. “Do you think you have to be a big guy, like you, to be a dom? That you have to be older, more intelligent? That only guys who look like you can be sure of themselves, know what they are and what they want? You’re wrong. Tal is on his knees for me because that’s what he wants. He chose to do that for me and I’m extremely pissed off you don’t respect that.” Still no raised voice.Go me!
He tugged Tal to his feet and wrapped his arms around him.
“I am so turned on,” Tal whispered in his ear.
He could feel the press of Tal’s cock against his equally hard one. “The best Christmas present ever,” Corey whispered back.
They faced Louis and Benjamin. Benjamin looked as though he was trying not to smile. Louis looked a little contrite. Maybe.
“I don’t much like you.” Louis stared at Corey.
“Is it my aftershave?”
“Do you even need to shave?” Louis flung back.
“Ah, then it’s my charming personality.”
Louis laughed, and Corey mentally breathed out.
“I get that Tal has been your friend for a long time,” Corey said. “You know him really well and you think I don’t. That’s true. I don’t know him as well as you do but I want to. I do know about Dorian and what he did. You should know I will never hurt Tal. That’s not my thing. Tal likes me and I’d… It would be good if you’d try to like me too. If you get to know me, you might see I’m a better guy than you think.”
“Louis, do I need to remind you of what you said to me?” Tal asked quietly. “That I needed to actually meet people and give them a chance to show me their true colours? I’ve been stuck for too long. Since before Dorian. I’m not using my autism as an excuse but it hasn’t helped.”
“How can youremember all of it?” Louis asked. “You crashed, you sheltered in Corey’s car and you were rescued.”
“Whether the things I did were in my head or not, they were things I wouldn’t normally do. Now I’ll do them again. Play in the snow, paint, decorate biscuits, host a murder-mystery weekend, line dance, use a potter’s wheel. Not Bingo though.”
Corey laughed. “You won. Your memory is phenomenal.”
“It was your card.”
“Yeah, but you marked it.”
Corey slid his hand into Tal’s.
