Page 60 of Faking It Right
“Yeah.” He reached out, taking my hand and tugging me closer.
My heart skipped a beat as he guided me to curl up at his side, resting my head on his shoulder and draping my arm and leg over him. It felt so natural, as if we’d been cuddling forever.
For several minutes, we lay there in comfortable silence. I listened to the steady rhythm of Harley’s heartbeat beneath my ear, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest with each breath.
“Was it really okay?” I asked. “I’m obviously inexperienced with doing things with a man, but I’m not a complete virgin with sex.”
“Just a partial one,” he quipped. “It was more than okay, Ryker. It was perfect.”
Something in his tone made my throat tighten. I laid my head back on his chest, needing a moment to collect myself. “It was different than I expected.”
“Which implies you’ve thought about having sex with me before,” Harley declared triumphantly.
I ignored his gloating as I traced a circle around his nipple, watching it harden under my touch. “It wasn’t merely the physical stuff, though that waswow. It was being with you.”
Harley’s arm tightened around me. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I swallowed, mustering my courage. “I’ve had sex before, obviously, but it never felt like that. Like I was connecting with someone beyond the physical.”
“Not to sound corny, but that’s probably because you weren’t just having sex. You were making love.”
I expected to flinch at the cheesy phrase, but instead, I nodded. “Yeah, I guess I was. We were.”
Harley grew quiet, his fingers still moving in those soothing patterns across my skin. When he spoke again, his voice had lost its usual teasing edge. “I’ve wanted this for a long time, you know. Not only the sex, but this. You and me. The tender moments, in addition to our usual banter and shenanigans.”
“It’s nice,” I replied, although the word seemed inadequate to convey the enormity of the experience.
His fingers found their way into my hair again. “So what happens next?”
It was the question I’d been avoiding thinking about but could no longer ignore. “I don’t know. Everything’s different now, isn’t it?”
“Some things are,” Harley acknowledged. “But not everything has to be.”
I frowned, not understanding. “What do you mean?”
“We’re still Harley and Ryker, who love the same stupid movies and bicker over whose turn it is to do the dishes. We’ll always know how to make each other laugh and how to drive each other bonkers. The foundation doesn’t have to change because we’ve added something new to it. We’re building on what’s already there.”
I nodded, feeling some of my anxiety ease. “I like the idea of building on our friendship instead of replacing it with something completely different.”
“Exactly.” Harley pressed a kiss on the top of my head. “Besides, can you imagine trying to train a new boyfriend to tolerate your quirky habit of leaving half-empty cereal bowls as modern art all over the apartment?”
I laughed, pinching his side in retaliation. “Hey, at least I don’t serenade the neighbors with show tunes in the shower at six in the morning.”
“That’s called culture, Ryker. Something you clearly lack.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, snuggle butt.”
We exchanged grins, finding comfort in our familiar banter. But beneath the playful surface, there was something else on my mind.
“I know there’s a lot I still have to learn.”
He rubbed my arm in silent comfort. “That’s okay. We can figure it out together. There’s no rush. This isn’t a race.”
I bit my lip, hesitating before continuing. “Considering the size of your dick, I probably need my head examined, but part of me is curious to try it the other way, too. With you inside me. You obviously enjoyed it.”
“You don’t have to if you’re not ready. It’s totally normal for a lot of guys to never bottom.”
“I know. But I want to experience everything with you, even if the idea makes me feel like I’m about to perform brain surgery with oven mitts on.”
