Red Hot

by Sean Ashcroft

Heat built in his belly as he stepped up his pace. He really wasn’t going to last, not like this. The combination of Red’s great cock inside him and the gentle touch of his hands was too much to bear for long.

  Andy had dreamed of a man like Red for a long time, and he wasn’t ever letting him go now that he’d found him.

  “You too,” Red murmured, moving one of the hands on Andy’s waist to his stomach, and then lower, finally wrapping it around his cock. Andy moaned, no longer sure whether he wanted to rock forward into Red’s hand or back onto his cock more.

  It was all happening too fast, but Andy wasn’t inclined to slow down. He closed his eyes again, letting himself feel everywhere he was connected to Red, from his cock and his hand to the way the delicate skin of Andy’s thighs was rubbing against the hairs on Red’s own.

  Andy was torn between never wanting this to end and wanting to come, right now, because this was so good. This was everything he’d wanted, and so much more. He couldn’t wait to show Red all the wonders of his own body, teach him everything he knew about sex and pleasure and all the fun two people could have together.

  He’d never get tired of that. Never get tired of being with Red.

  Andy had been in love before, but he couldn’t ever remember it being like this. It felt so big he could barely contain it, especially now with all his senses on overload.

  Pressure built deep in his gut, tension making his thighs tight, his balls heavy. It wouldn’t take much to make him come now, and he was ready for it. So ready for it.

  “Close,” he gritted out, having to force himself to make the sound. Andy rolled his hips, leaning back and bracing himself with his hands against Red’s chest instead, riding him hard and fast.

  Red nodded, gripping Andy's cock tighter. He had to be close as well.

  Andy leaned back even further, sitting up straight and pressing his knees into Red’s sides, grabbing both of his forearms for support, moving faster and faster. His heart pounded in his ears, his breathing harsh.

  So close, so close.

  All at once, all the building tension reached its peak and Andy slammed his hips down hard, taking Red’s cock as far as it could go as he came, his head spinning with the force of it.

  He moaned lowly as aftershocks of pleasure rolled through him, as he slowed his hips down to a stop. All he could hear for a moment was the rush of blood in his ears and the sound of his own breathing. Stars burst in front of his eyes, his entire brain shutting down for a moment.

  Orgasms that intense were normally rare for Andy, but this was the second in two days. No amount of data could predict how hot the sex would be, how perfectly matched his and Red’s bodies were.

  Andy was already looking forward to fitting their bodies together in all kinds of exciting ways.

  As Andy started to recover, he realized Red was panting just as hard as he was, his eyes glazed. Andy took that as a sign that he’d come as well.

  He’d completely missed it, too busy enjoying his own pleasure. The fact that Red had made him come that hard seemed like a good sign for their future together.

  After a few moments of getting his breathing back under control, Andy lifted himself off Red gingerly and angled his collapse so that he wouldn’t be landing directly on top of Red’s chest. He knew that under normal circumstances, Red could take the weight, but he didn’t want to risk hurting him right now.

  Normally, Andy would have wanted to put a little space between himself and his partner, cool off for a few moments before even thinking about being touched again, but this time he couldn’t fight the urge to curl up next to Red.

  He needed the contact. He needed to know that he had him, that he wasn’t going to lose him, that for reasons he couldn’t even begin to work out, Red actually wanted to be with him.

  Unexpectedly, Red rolled onto his side as well, pulling Andy into a tight hug.

  The part of Andy that had started panicking the moment he heard about a fire on the news and had never quite stopped finally relaxed. Red was here, and he was safe. Everything was going to be okay.

  “Tired,” Red murmured into Andy’s hair, then bent his head to kiss Andy’s forehead. It was only the barest press of his lips, but it made a swarm of butterflies explode in Andy’s stomach.

  The sex had been great, but the affection was a whole different kind of high. Andy was pretty sure he’d never get tired of that, either.

  “You should nap,” Andy responded, snuggling closer. “I’ll be here.”

  Red made a soft, happy sound, and grabbed the blankets they’d shoved aside earlier, pulling them up over both of their bodies. “Good,” he said.

  Andy could feel him relaxing into the mattress, his breathing slowing down, the steady thud thud thud of his heartbeat going back to normal.

  Within what felt like a handful of seconds, Red was asleep.

  Within a handful more, Andy was, as well.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Waking up with Andy still curled around him was a huge improvement on waking up alone, Red thought. This time, he wasn’t afraid that he’d done the wrong thing, or lost the guy he wanted most through inaction.

  There’d been something special about Andy from the first moment he met him. It might have been fate or coincidence or whatever, but he was really glad he’d gotten the chance to get to know him.

  To love him.

  Red realized that in all his excitement and relief and eagerness to get Andy naked again, he’d never returned the sentiment.

  That suddenly seemed like an urgent task.

  “Andy,” he whispered, hoping to wake him gently.

  Andy snored.

  Red nudged his shoulder, just enough to get his attention.

  He kept snoring, apparently oblivious.

  “Andy,” Red said, louder than before.

  Andy stirred a little, murmuring something. For a moment, Red thought he was awake.

  Then he rolled over, sighed, and fell asleep again.

  Red realized this was probably what he was always going to be like. If Andy was asleep when he came in from work, he never woke up no matter how much noise Red made. That had seemed like a good thing before.

  It probably still was. They kept different hours, and Red didn’t want to end up waking him all the time.

  He just wanted him to be awake now, so they could talk.

  Wondering how deep Andy’s sleep went, and how difficult he would be to wake, Red reached out and trailed his finger along Andy’s spine.

  That got a reaction, a full-body shiver and a soft, sleepy moan. Red did it again just for the hell of it, grinning as Andy shivered again. At least he was fun in his sleep.

  “Andy,” Red tried one last time.

  Andy rolled onto his back, finally awake. “Is this an emergency?”

  “Well… no,” Red said. Maybe he shouldn’t have woken Andy like this. Maybe he should have let him sleep instead.

  Slowly, Andy opened his eyes. “Are you going to work?” he asked.

  “No.” Red cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for waking you.”

  Andy gave him a look that said, loud and clear, that he knew Red wasn’t sorry at all. He knew Red way too well by now.

  “Okay, so, I’m not actually sorry for waking you,” Red admitted. “I wanna say something.”

  Humming, Andy turned onto his side to face Red. “I’m listening. Kind of. Probably don’t make it anything too complicated.”

  “It’s not complicated. Well, it kinda is, but it doesn’t have to be.” Red paused, aware he was rambling. He just needed to come out and say it.

  Andy had been at the center of a lot of his firsts, and now he was about to be at the center of another one. Red had never told anyone he loved them before. Not romantically, anyway.

  “Are you gonna-”

  “I love you,” Red interrupted.

  Andy blinked at him for a few moments, and then nodded. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Okay,” Andy repea
ted, yawning widely.

  Red wasn’t sure how to take that. At least, he wasn’t sure until Andy reached out and took his hand.

  Then he knew that Andy had heard and understood, and only felt a tiny bit guilty for clearly having woken him from a deep sleep. They had plenty of time to go back to sleep, and the earlier events of the day were still fresh in his mind. He needed Andy to know how he felt.

  “I wake up slowly,” Andy said. “Give me a minute, and I’ll write you a sonnet about how perfect you are.”

  “Not necessary.” Red blushed. He was sure Andy would do it. He was even pretty convinced that it wouldn’t be bad.

  “Just so we’re clear, I love you, too.” Andy cleared his throat. “I’m not, uh. I’m not good at relationships, particularly, but I did mean it. I like pretty much everything about you. I want to be with you. I’ll probably never be this clear and direct again, so make the most of it.”

  Red laughed softly. “It’s okay. I get you.”

  “I know.” Andy smiled a tiny, shy smile. “That’s why I love you.”

  Red breathed a sigh of relief and let his eyes fall closed again. Everything was okay for now, and they could worry about the details later. They’d done just fine so far.

  “You’re just gonna fall asleep after declaring your love for me?” Andy asked, incredulous.

  “Pretty much.” Red grinned. He wasn’t about to stop teasing Andy mercilessly just because they were in love.

  To his surprise, Andy curled up beside him again. “You’re lucky I like you,” he murmured, resting his head against Red’s chest.

  “I am,” Red agreed. As far as he was concerned, he was the luckiest man on Earth.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Oh, shit,” Andy murmured to himself as he realized what he’d done.

  This whole time he’d been worried, and it had been over nothing. He’d been right all along, and a tiny mistake had stopped him from seeing it.

  He glanced over at Red, who was fast asleep beside him, and hesitated. On the one hand, he’d been tired when he came home, and needed the rest.

  On the other hand, he had woken Andy the other day, and payback was a thing.

  Besides, this was important. Or at least, it felt important to Andy.

  Chewing on his lip, Andy considered for another few moments, and then reached out to touch Red’s shoulder. If he didn’t wake easily, Andy would leave him to rest.

  Of course, Red being Red, he sprang awake immediately, turning over to face Andy and blinking at him, the light from Andy’s laptop screen just enough to illuminate his face.

  “Andy?” Red asked, frowning.

  Andy swallowed. Now that he was actually going to tell Red, it seemed stupid. They’d already agreed that not everything could match up to statistics, but…

  It had still mattered to Andy. He’d felt like a failure for not being able to calculate his and Red’s compatibility according to his own rules properly.

  He knew they worked well together, but the numbers just hadn’t added up.

  Except, well…

  “I was just, uh, pushing some new code to the server, and, uh…” Andy turned the laptop so Red could see the screen.

  And the huge 97% match displayed in the middle of it.

  “I don’t get it,” Red said, his voice thick with sleep.

  It had turned out that after his initial burst of alertness, he didn’t wake up quickly earlier. And that he was adorable when he was still sleepy. The more time Andy spent with Red, the more in love with him he was.

  Now that he was about to admit to a really stupid mistake, Andy was glad that Red loved him, too.

  “That’s us.” Andy scrolled down so Red could see both of their profile pictures. “I hadn’t actually pushed my own profile to the server after I changed the way profiles worked a while back. Before I met you. But now that I have…”

  “We match.” Red smiled. “I coulda told you that without any fancy computer… things,” he said.”

  “Well, yeah, but… it’s nice to know I was never wrong about us. I don’t think you understand how upset I was when we didn’t.”

  “As upset as I was that you kept trying to push me onto other guys?” Red raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh.” Andy looked down at the keyboard. “Yeah, I guess. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Red murmured.

  Andy really believed that it was. Red was quick to forgive, at least in Andy’s case. It was nice to be loved.

  “Are you done with your server thing?” Red asked.

  “Pretty much.” Andy tapped on his keyboard a couple of times to check that everything had worked as intended.

  “Good.” Red reached out to close the laptop. “Put that away and come over here.”

  Andy glanced at his laptop, and then at Red.

  Given the choice between torturing himself over his own stupidity and curling up next to his hot boyfriend, Andy didn’t have any trouble deciding. He set the laptop aside and wriggled his way under the blankets, letting Red pull him into a bear hug.

  Red was really good at hugs.

  “I still think you’re a genius,” Red said, pressing a soft kiss to Andy’s forehead.

  “I’m an idiot,” Andy huffed, still sulking a little bit. All that worrying over literally nothing. He’d never felt so stupid in his entire life. He could hardly believe that he hadn’t thought to check.

  But then, he’d never felt the need to check his compatibility score against anyone else. Red had been the only person he’d met since he started work on M4M who he’d wanted to have a shot with.

  That should really have been more of a clue than it was.

  “Most geniuses are,” Red agreed. “But you’re my idiot.”

  Andy liked the sound of that.

  Once upon a time, he’d been afraid of the idea of belonging to anyone. It had felt like a burden, a leash. Now, it felt more like an anchor.

  He could move if he needed to, but it stopped him from floating away.

  Red was the right person for him in a way Andy had never imagined anyone could be. He wasn’t the kind of man who believed in fate, or soulmates, or anything like that, but Red…

  Red was just about enough to make a believer out of him.

  He liked a lot of things about him, but he also had this feeling, one he couldn’t quite describe, when they were together. One that made him want to hang around Red as much as possible.

  It was the first time Andy had ever felt it, and right now, he never wanted it to end.

  Thankfully, as he curled up in Red’s arms and let his heartbeat lull him to sleep, he knew it didn’t have to.

  “We’re a one hundred percent match,” Red murmured.

  Andy couldn’t help but agree.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Although he'd known the day was coming, Red still wasn't ready for Andy moving out. He got that Andy was used to having his own place, and if the guy could afford to own an apartment instead of renting, then Red wasn’t about to tell him he shouldn’t.

  It was just that he’d gotten used to Andy’s company, and he was going to miss it.

  Andy moving out didn’t mean they’d stop seeing each other or anything—things were great, and Red intended to keep them that way. It just meant that he wouldn’t be right there all the time.

  No matter how many times Red tried to tell himself he was okay with that, he wasn’t quite convinced.

  That hadn’t stopped him from agreeing to go look at apartments. Andy deserved his support, even if Red would be sad to see him go.

  “I like that,” Andy nodded to the far wall, most of which was taken up by a huge glass door that lead out onto a balcony. “And I have always wanted a balcony.”

  Red watched him walk over and step outside, unsure how much input he was supposed to be giving. This was the fifth apartment they'd been to today, and Andy had started out liking them all and then going quiet as they left.

  It was a big decision, so that mad
e sense. Red just hated to see him walking away disappointed.

  Andy waved him over to the balcony. Red stepped out cautiously, having seen too many of them collapse to be totally sure this one wouldn't.

  “Don't tell me Mr. Brave Firefighter is afraid of heights,” Andy teased, reaching out to take his hand.

  Secretly, Red loved holding hands with Andy. They didn't do it all the time, but it made him feel so secure when they did.

  Andy moving out didn't mean Andy was leaving him. He hadn't mentioned his fear, but Andy had done plenty today to show him that it was baseless. Like pointing out how close a place was to the station.

  Andy was still expecting Red to be around. To stay over. It wasn't the end, and Red just had to keep telling himself that.

  “There’s a park just down the street that I think Spot would like,” Andy said.

  “You were serious about adopting Spot?” Red asked. He'd thought Andy would have forgotten about it by now.

  “Unless he's already found a new home? I can get another dog.”

  “No, Spot’s still looking for somewhere to live. I think he'd love to live with you.” Red smiled. Andy would be perfect for Spot. There was nothing Spot wanted more in his old age than to sit around on the couch all day next to someone who loved him, and no one who'd met him could not love him.

  Andy clearly did, since he’d kept him in mind all this time.

  “Good,” Andy beamed. “I figure this way you could take him out with you on your morning run.”

  Red turned to look at Andy. “You want me to come all the way over here every morning?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Andy gave him a lot of crap about his raised eyebrow, but Red knew he was only teasing. It never hurt when Andy teased him.

  Andy frowned. “From where?”

  “From my place,” Red said, leaving the duh unspoken.

  “But you're moving in here.” Andy paused, looking unsure. “Aren't you?”

  “I… what?” Red was confused. Andy hadn’t mentioned that he wanted Red to move in with him or anything. This was, as far as Red was concerned, coming out of nowhere.

  Andy looked down at his feet. “It’s okay if you don’t want to, and I know that under normal circumstances it’d be moving too fast, but… we’ve lived together since we met, and I don’t want that to change. Which doesn’t mean you have to go along with it, but I just assumed… I mean, it never occurred to me that you wouldn’t be coming with me.”