Cocky

by Sean Ashcroft

  Seeing him collapse on TV had driven home how strongly Eliot felt. Even though he’d known it was only his knee, and that Danny would be fine, he’d felt his heart leap into his throat, his stomach bottom out with panic.

  He’d seen someone he loved in distress, and for just a few seconds, it had felt like dying.

  There was no way in hell he was letting Danny go without a fight.

  “Working, maybe,” Danny said. “I know you’re busy. This means a lot.”

  “Well, firstly, you’re more important than any work. Secondly, the article went live today, and it’s going in this month’s print issue, too. There’s over five thousand words of evidence and analysis. The FBI are already involved. Walter’s not getting out of this.”

  “Sounds like you’ve had a helluva week.”

  Eliot chuckled. “You could say that. It’s been worth it, though. Your team is safe. My cover story is that I was pretending to date you to get to the bottom of Walter’s bullshit and then I accidentally fell in love with you anyway.”

  Danny opened his mouth to respond, then paused. He went to start a sentence a few times, but each time stopped himself before he got the first word out.

  Taking his hand again, Eliot smiled softly, and waited. This was exactly the response he’d imagined.

  “You’re in love with me,” Danny said with child-like awe. Eliot’s heart swelled in his chest.

  “You could say that,” he repeated softly, leaning in close to kiss Danny’s cheek.

  Danny made a soft, happy sound, and turned his head to catch Eliot’s lips. His mouth was still dry, his lips cracked from lack of fluids, but that didn’t stop it from being the nicest, sweetest kiss of Eliot’s entire life.

  “I love you, too,” Danny said. It was obvious that he was still sleepy and under the influence of heavy painkillers, but Eliot believed him anyway.

  “Good.” Eliot reached into his pocket for his lip balm, uncapping it and spreading some onto his finger. When Danny saw what he was doing, he didn’t bother to resist.

  Eliot smiled as he spread the balm over Danny’s lips. Maybe it wasn’t the most useful way of taking care of him, but he needed to do something. He’d been so worried while he’d waited for Danny to come out of surgery.

  “If I admit that feels kinda good, will you keep touching me?”

  Eliot laughed softly, grabbing a tissue to wipe his fingers and then reaching out to play with Danny’s hair. “Right up until someone tells me to stop, if you want.”

  “I want,” Danny said. “I missed you at the game.”

  “I watched,” Eliot said. “Between you and me, I’m glad you’re retiring. I don’t think I could have handled the emotional rollercoaster every week.”

  “You watched?” Danny asked, obviously surprised.

  “Of course. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there in person, but my boyfriend was doing something that’s important to him. Of course I watched.” Eliot cleared his throat. “And if you’re feeling down about it while you recover or something, I will sit with you and watch all your games, if you want.”

  Danny laughed at that. “That might be the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

  Eliot sighed a soft, happy sigh and let himself enjoy the way Danny’s hair felt between his fingers, the warmth of his body beside him.

  “I am so looking forward to taking you home and curling up next to you for a very, very long nap.”

  “You’re taking me home?” Danny asked, hopeful.

  “Not right now,” Eliot said. “But when the doctors say you’re good to go. And I figure you’ll need some help around the house for at least a couple of weeks, so I was planning on staying.”

  “How are you gonna get to work?” Danny asked. “You told me you had to get up at five to get to my place for nine.”

  “It’s so sweet that you’re worried, but I’d deal with getting up at five for you anyway. I don’t have to, though. I’ve made arrangements to work out of the office until you’re back on your feet. Ben has turned out to be a very fair boss.”

  Danny nodded slowly, still looking unsure.

  Eliot cleared his throat. “I made that sound like you have a say in the matter, didn’t I? I apologize; you don’t. I’m taking care of you and you can’t stop me.”

  Of course, Danny could stop him. If he said he didn’t want Eliot around, Eliot would back off. He’d be miserable about it, but he’d back off.

  He really hoped Danny wanted him around. Right now, he couldn’t imagine being separated from him any longer. They’d spent what had to be the most stressful week of their lives apart, and Eliot never wanted to go through that again.

  “I don’t want to stop you,” Danny responded softly. “It’s just… you’re not… put off? By this?” He waved in the direction of his leg.

  Eliot made a soft sound, his heart breaking for Danny. Of all the things he could have worried about, that one was ridiculous.

  “Not at all.” Eliot smiled gently at him, stroking his hair again. “Think of it this way: in a few days you’ll be feeling better, but you’ll also be more or less stuck in bed. Think of all the fun I could have with you.”

  Danny blushed to the tips of his ears, which was new.

  “But… I’m nobody now. I mean, everyone will have forgotten about me within a few months. I’d understand if you weren’t interested…” Danny trailed off, looking down at his lap.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you were nobody to me when I met you. I had to be told who you were when I got the assignment. I’ve never cared what you are, Danny. I’ve only ever cared who you are. And who you are is a sweet, kind man who I want to spend as much time with as possible.”

  Danny breathed a visible sigh of relief, his shoulders rising and falling dramatically. He closed his eyes for a moment, wet his lips, and then looked at Eliot again. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  Eliot grinned. “I know. I’m awesome,” he said.

  “You are,” Danny agreed sincerely. “I was so scared of falling for you.”

  “Still scared?” Eliot asked.

  “No.” Danny shook his head. “No, not scared anymore.”

  “Good.” Eliot reached out to take Danny’s hand again, bending down to kiss his forehead.

  He’d intended to tell him everything about Walter, and how they’d unraveled all his schemes and plots, but that could wait. All that mattered now was that he and Danny were safe.

  And that they were in love.

  That part was cool, too.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Danny hummed happily as he woke to being kissed, reaching out to pull Eliot closer. He was quickly getting used to this, and he wasn’t sure he ever wanted it to end.

  He still had a few weeks of recovery to go, and Eliot had promised he’d stick around until he was completely back on his feet, but Danny didn’t want him to go then, either. It was probably too soon to ask him to move in, but that wasn’t stopping him from thinking about it anyway.

  “Good morning,” Eliot sing-songed, bringing him back to the present. “You obviously feel better,” he added, skimming his hand down Danny’s stomach to wrap his fingers around his cock.

  Danny grunted, rocking into Eliot’s grip automatically. It had been too long since Eliot had touched him like this. Even the barest brush of his fingers was enough to make Danny feel needy and desperate.

  “A lot better with your hand there,” Danny agreed, darting in for another kiss. He nibbled on Eliot’s lip, moaning happily into his mouth as his grip tightened. He was so ready for this. Any contact he could get, he was ready for.

  Eliot nudged him gently to lie on his back, lifting himself up and climbing on top of Danny, settling himself on Danny’s hips. It was a good angle for him, and he could see now that Eliot was hard as well.

  Nothing encouraged him to recover quickly more than the thought of getting to have a ton of sex with Eliot.

  “Are you up to this?” Eliot asked. “Becaus
e it’s okay if you’re not.”

  “I’m up to it,” Danny assured him. He did feel better. He wasn’t in nearly as much pain this morning, and his cock obviously knew what it wanted.

  Eliot grinned at him. “Good.”

  He grabbed Danny’s cock again, putting just a little pressure under the head with his thumb. A jolt of arousal hit Danny square in the gut, his cock twitching in Eliot’s hand.

  Laughing softly, Eliot twisted his wrist, making Danny’s hips jerk up for more contact, more friction, more anything. Anything Eliot would give him, he wanted more of it.

  Danny watched eagerly as Eliot picked up a foil packet. “I took the liberty of stretching myself before I woke you,” he said, tearing the packet open and rolling the condom down Danny’s cock with one fluid motion.

  “Don’t expect this treatment all the time,” he added, rocking his hips against Danny’s, their cocks brushing against each other and sending little sparks of pleasure directly to Danny’s balls, making his breath hitch. “This is just because you’re recovering.”

  “You’re a good boyfriend,” Danny said, unable to keep his eyes off Eliot. Every time he looked at him, he remembered all over again how in love with him he was. How much he always wanted it to be like this.

  Eliot chuckled, leaning forward to kiss Danny again as he adjusted his position. He wriggled his hips so that the head of Danny’s cock pressed up against his entrance, tantalizingly close, the heat of his body making Danny even harder, but at the wrong angle for Danny to do anything about it. He was completely at Eliot’s mercy.

  That… that was kind of hot. Eliot had proved himself to be good at taking charge, and Danny didn’t mind handing the reins over at all. It was nice to be taken care of for once.

  Of course, Eliot had always taken care of him, like no one else ever had. That meant everything to him.

  Danny put one hand on Eliot’s hip and the other on his thigh, putting just a little pressure on him in the hopes that he’d rock back, take Danny’s cock into his warmth and tightness and let him bask in feeling loved and wanted.

  “Patience,” Eliot murmured, kissing his way up Danny’s jaw, brushing his nose against the sensitive skin of his neck. The soft touch sent a shiver down Danny’s spine, Eliot’s breath making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

  Danny’s stomach was already tense, his thighs tight, desperate to sink his cock into Eliot’s body. He would have done anything to speed it up. Eliot had a way of making him desperate, of getting him to beg.

  He was starting to suspect that Eliot liked it when he begged.

  That was kind of hot, too.

  “Want you,” Danny complained, ignoring the whine in his own voice. He was needy enough to roll with it, and he wanted Eliot badly enough right now to do whatever it took.

  “I know,” Eliot whispered in his ear, rocking his hips back and forth so that Danny’s cock brushed against him again, the head of his cock catching on Eliot’s skin. He was so close, but still so far.

  Danny bit down on his lip as the torture continued, closing his eyes so he could feel himself rubbing against the soft skin between Eliot’s thighs, nudging the entrance to where he really wanted to be.

  Eliot laughed softly, then sat back up again, angling himself so that this time, the head of Danny’s cock slipped inside him. Danny bit down on his lip as Eliot held his position, unable to move and unwilling to do anything to force Eliot.

  The sudden heat and pressure was overwhelming, even only an inch or so inside Eliot’s body. Danny couldn’t remember if he’d been this hot before, but he must have been. Maybe he was just more desperate now, more needy.

  Eliot settled down onto Danny’s hips, taking his cock inch by inch in one long, painfully slow movement. Danny squirmed, held in place by Eliot’s body and his own injury, only able to rock his hips the smallest amount. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, need and frustration making him feel as though he was going to burst before they even got started.

  Once Eliot was fully seated, his soft, strong thighs pressing into Danny’s sides, Danny’s cock was all the way inside him, as far as it could possibly go in this position.

  Eliot paused, biting down on his own lip and wriggling his hips side to side. Adjusting, Danny realized.

  He was gorgeous, sitting on top of Danny’s hips like he belonged there and getting used to Danny’s cock. Eliot’s own cock was still hard, curving up toward his belly, a bead of precome forming at the tip of the head.

  Danny licked his lips. He couldn’t focus on anything else past the way Eliot felt, too hot and too tight, so much more than he remembered. Than he ever remembered.

  “I waited a little too long.” Eliot smiled wryly. “Or maybe I should say I forgot how big you are?”

  Danny laughed at that. The way Eliot had said it was so Eliot that he couldn’t help but love it, even if he was teasing.

  “Take your time,” Danny said softly, rubbing circles into Eliot’s hip with his thumb. Now that he was where he wanted to be, he didn’t care if Eliot stayed in this position all day. He was happy to roll his hips in the tiny circle he could manage, rock back and forth, enjoy the contact, the closeness.

  “Oh, I intend to.” Eliot wet his lips slowly, bracing himself on Danny’s chest, splaying his fingers out. “We never got to have victory sex.”

  Chuckling, Danny moved one hand to Eliot’s stomach, laying it next to his cock without touching it. If Eliot was going to tease him, he was going to tease right back. He waited until Eliot looked down, then reached out with his thumb, just barely brushing the tip of it against the underside of Eliot’s cock.

  Eliot gasped, a sharp intake of breath that made his whole body jolt, just a little. Just enough to let Danny know that he wasn’t the only one who was impossibly turned on right now.

  “We’re gonna have a ton of victories,” Danny promised.

  “You and me against the world?” Eliot asked, rolling his hips in a slow, deliberate circle.

  “Something like that,” Danny murmured absently, too busy watching Eliot’s hips move to concentrate on the conversation anymore. The movement sent shockwaves of pleasure through him, rippling deep in his gut and all the way up his spine. He would have liked to pretend he was something other than completely desperate, completely at Eliot’s mercy and definitely ready to beg, but he wasn’t.

  Eliot had him in the palm of his hand, and that was okay. For once in his life, Danny was sure he’d found someone he could trust. Someone who loved him for who he was. Someone who’d never do anything to hurt him.

  Sometimes, he was so in love with Eliot that it hurt. This was one of those times.

  Danny watched eagerly as Eliot leaned back, positioning himself for better leverage. His hips started moving again, bigger circles this time, just barely enough friction to make Danny squirm under him, wanting more, faster, harder.

  Squirming was all he really could do, and Eliot clearly knew it.

  Heat pooled in Danny’s gut as he watched Eliot begin to ride him in earnest. He was beautiful, his movements elegant and calculated, his chest heaving and a pink flush spreading over his skin.

  The urge to flip him over and fuck him, make him gasp and moan on Danny’s terms instead, was almost overwhelming. Only knowing that he couldn’t physically do it right now stopped Danny from trying.

  Instead, Danny gripped Eliot’s hips a little tighter, taking some of his weight as he lifted himself up. He watched as Eliot curled his fingers around his own cock, matching the timing of his strokes to his hips, speeding up steadily as he touched himself.

  Danny stared, mesmerized, all of his senses on fire. He could hear every gasp, every moan, every soft exhale Eliot made, feel his muscles tensing around him. There was too much to take in, too much going on, but Danny didn’t want any of it to stop.

  He wanted more, and he wanted to come, and he wanted to make Eliot come, too.

  Reaching out, Danny nudged Eliot’s hand out of the way and replac
ed it, wrapping his own fingers around Eliot’s cock instead. Eliot laughed, soft and breathless, and moved Danny’s hand to exactly where he wanted it, unafraid to take control.

  The heat of Eliot’s cock in his hand was as good as the heat of his body. Better, even. Knowing that this got Eliot hard, got him off, that was amazing.

  “I could get used to having you like this,” he said, panting heavily. “I really like being able to have my way with you.”

  “Anytime,” Danny promised. He could feel his orgasm building at the base of his spine, the familiar tightness making him want to thrust hard into Eliot’s body. In this position, though, all he could do was let Eliot do all the work.

  Thankfully, Eliot seemed to be getting close, too. He braced himself against Danny’s chest again, lower this time, digging his fingers into Danny’s flesh as he sped up, groaning with every downward stroke, taking Danny’s cock over and over.

  Danny’s head spun with the sensory overload, forcing him to close his eyes. He could hear every sound Eliot made even more clearly now, every tiny gasp and moan amplified a hundred times.

  Eliot was so tight around him, so hot that it was almost too much. Danny could feel himself racing toward coming, unsure now how he’d been able to hold out for so long. He rocked his hips to meet Eliot’s thrusts, ignoring the twinge in his knee as he moved just a little too much, just a little too hard.

  Pain didn’t matter for the moment. All that mattered was Eliot, and how good he felt, and how close he was to coming. Danny couldn’t stop himself moaning deeply with every one of Eliot’s strokes, right on the edge and ready to come any second.

  To Danny’s surprise, Eliot leaned forward, catching his lips in a hard, biting kiss. His thrusts sped up even more, each one hard and fast enough to shake the entire bed. Eliot was obviously close, and all Danny could do about it was hold on for the ride, still stroking Eliot’s cock, now completely out of time.

  That didn’t seem to matter too much to Eliot, though. He moaned, long and low, as he came all over Danny’s hand and stomach, burying his face in Danny’s neck as he rode his orgasm out.