Rewind Boxed Set

by Rowan Shaw

  Chapter 30

  ENZO

  "You think I should get tested too?" I asked Florian when we left the car and he told me he wanted to set a doctor's appointment for himself as soon as possible.

  "Probably. I mean, Cyrille was cheating on you. It's better to get a check-up."

  "You think I have reason to be concerned?" I tried not to think about the worst possibility, but the thought kept gnawing at me.

  "Were you using rubbers?"

  "No, after dating for six months, we started having unprotected sex. I'm pretty sure he was cheating the entire time, though. I only insisted on using rubbers again once I suspected something."

  "You'll be fine," Florian signed quickly, though he didn't seem so convinced. "It's always better to know for sure anyway. STIs get a lot worse if they remain untreated."

  I swallowed hard but had to agree. "Can I come with you? I don't want to go alone."

  Florian smiled reassuringly and grabbed my hand. "Of course. We can get our results together, too." His blue eyes lingered on mine. "Then we can celebrate when we are both clear of all STIs."

  There was a fire in him I hadn't seen in years. I knew he wanted me, but this was different. His gaze took me back to simpler times, back when we were still naïve and in love.

  "What if your results are good and mine aren't?" I asked.

  Florian ran his tongue over his teeth. "There's an equal chance, really. If my results or yours aren't good, we'll still have each other. No matter what, we might as well find out right away and support each other if something's not right."

  "What's the list of STIs I could be infected with, again?" I sighed.

  "I'm sure you're fine. Stop worrying. No need to fret over something that'll probably be okay."

  I didn't like that he'd used the word "probably."

  Asking me not to worry wasn't helping. Even as a kid, I would get anxious over the tiniest things: my grades at school, the thought of my parents dying from some incurable disease, our house catching on fire, robbers, the sun exploding.

  I nodded anyway, only because I didn't want to concern Florian. "Don't we need an appointment?"

  "I can call."

  "What if we went to the LGBT Center instead?"

  Florian bit his lower lip. "We can, but it will be the same process. We might as well go to the hospital and run all the tests there. I don't think the Center tests for gonorrhea, you know?"

  I nodded more reluctantly when we reached the door to my building. Florian gave me the tiniest smile and pulled me to him for a kiss. He slid his tongue between my lips and didn't stop kissing me until I was fully aroused. He shot me the most wicked smirk but didn't ask to come upstairs. He did it on purpose, leaving me wanting for the night.

  When he left, I realized his little trick had worked a bit too well. I'd been so distracted by the tests, I'd let him kiss me out in the open without fear, and now I was so turned on, I could barely think straight.

  Chapter 31

  FLORIAN

  "Don't worry so much," I said after Enzo sulked all the way to the parking lot.

  "I never realized how Cyrille's infidelity could affect my life. I was so upset he was cheating, I didn't consider I could get sick. Isn't that nuts?"

  I stopped in my tracks and turned to him to cup his face and look him straight in the eyes. His gaze dipped toward my lips to read my words as I spoke.

  "Even if we are sick or if one of us is sick, it is not the end of the world. HIV is not a death sentence. They have excellent meds now. It can go undetectable so we can't even pass it along. If one of us has it, we'll use condoms, and the other can also take PrEP to keep safe."

  Enzo squinted his eyes. "What's PrEP?"

  I blinked. He was joking, right?

  "PrEP, the pill we can take every day so we don't catch HIV."

  "Wait! There's a pill for that?" he exclaimed. "No one ever told me! I could have taken it when I was with Cyrille."

  "Or you could have dumped his sorry ass and not let him cheat on you," I felt like saying but didn't want to judge him and his overly-forgiving heart. I gave him a reassuring smile. "Everything will be fine. If PrEP is something you want to take no matter what, that's fine."

  He scrunched his face. "Well, I don't expect you to cheat, I mean... Although I wasn't expecting Cyrille to cheat either."

  "I'm not gonna cheat, Enzo."

  "What about herpes and all the rest, though?" he asked. "What if I got that?"

  "Enzo..."

  He was still facing me, but he was kicking invisible rocks with his foot, staring at the ground, his hands in his pockets.

  "Enzo, look at me. In the eyes."

  He did as I asked and blinked.

  "Everything will be fine. And even if it isn't, I am here for you. Okay?"

  He nodded a bit more forcefully, though doubt still clouded his beautiful brown eyes.

  I decided to drop the subject for now and grabbed his hand to lead him to my car. I didn't give him time to react before I opened the door for him and walked to my side to sit behind the wheel. I hated to see him this way. It made me wonder what life was like for him when he lost his hearing. I knew him enough to understand he must have been terrified. Every day, I hated thinking I wasn't there for him back then. I promised myself that wasn't going to happen again. No one was preventing me from helping him through whatever may happen this time.

  I drove us to the hospital, where we walked to the front desk together. We gave our names, then sat in the waiting room side by side. I held his hand the entire time. He leaned into me, pressing his head against my shoulder as I ran my thumb over his knuckles, then brought them to my lips.

  The doctor called for me first, but I asked for us to go together. She didn't protest. Nothing in her impassive expression indicated if the results might be good or bad. Enzo's back was so tense, he was ramrod straight. He fidgeted as soon as he sat in the doctor's cold office. I squeezed his knee so he would stop stirring, and he ceased for a few seconds, then started squirming again.

  "Whom should I start with?" the doctor asked after greeting us both with a firm handshake. Two dimples dug into her bronze cheeks when she smiled and sat behind her desk.

  I thumbed toward Enzo. "Please start with Mr. Chevalier."

  I prayed his results were good, only because I could tell he wouldn't be able to take anything bad right now.

  The doctor clicked through her computer files. "You're negative for every STI and HIV."

  Enzo's shoulders dropped so low, he slumped in his chair. I squeezed his hand, kissed his palm, and gave him a wink. "See? I told you."

  The doctor's eyes shifted toward me and narrowed slightly before she ran her gaze over her computer screen. She took so long, I grew nervous.

  "So are you, Mr. Beaudry," she finally let out. "You're negative."

  "Really?"

  So Marlène hadn't infected me with shit after all? That was a miracle. Maybe Guy was steadier with her than I'd realized. The thought of that gutted me more than I wanted to admit. It was one thing for them to be friends with benefits, but it was a whole different story to think of them as a serious item. I'd never even considered that a possibility before.

  "Hey, you okay?" Enzo asked me.

  I must have missed what the doctor was saying because she was staring at me as well.

  "Yeah, sorry. You were saying?"

  The doctor gave a warm smile. "You're good to go, Mr. Beaudry. Your results are perfect. Just stop by the reception desk on your way out."

  I beamed at Enzo for the first time today. Even if I'd tried to act cool about all this, I'd been stressing out over the tests all week. I'd hidden my true feelings from him because I knew he was freaking out already.

  Chapter 32

  ENZO

  The moment we got our results, all I could think about was having sex with Florian, and now my hard-on wouldn't let up. It was embarrasing how I couldn't control myself much more than a teenage boy. I'd been craving Flori
an's touch since that kiss at the movie theater.

  We'd discussed moving to the next step after getting our results, but I was worried Florian might have changed his mind. He'd seemed awfully sullen since we left the office, and I couldn't figure out what happened to sink his mood. The ride was silent, mostly because I couldn't hear Florian talk if the music was on, but also because he hadn't said a single word since we got into the car.

  "You okay?" he asked as if I were the one behaving strangely.

  "Mmm mmm."

  He gave me a sidelong glance. "You think I don't know you, Enzo. What's wrong?"

  "You look sad, and I don't understand why."

  Florian sighed heavily. "I'm alright. It's just... It never crossed my mind that Guy could be serious about Marlène. Maybe he even has feelings for her, you know?"

  I stroked his hand that gripped the gearshift. "You were hoping it was casual."

  "I don't know."

  I nodded. I understood, though.

  He looked at me from the corners of his eyes again. "Are you sure that's all? You're acting weird."

  I took a few seconds to reply, "I have a hard-on. I got hard the moment we left the hospital."

  Florian let out a throaty laugh. "Yeah? Me too. Been hard for days, actually. I've been jerking off thinking about you since I saw you at that club."

  I stared at him. "You have?"

  He cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why? You haven't? Been jacking off thinking about me, I mean?"

  I laughed. "I have."

  "Yeah? How often?" When Florian licked his lower lip, I couldn't help but follow the motion of his tongue. My painful swelling pressed against my zipper.

  "Every day, at least twice a day."

  "Twice a day, huh? Thinking about me?"

  I nodded, feeling too uncomfortable to say it out loud.

  Florian didn't look at me again, though a cocky smile tilted his mouth. "I would have taken you home that first night, but Patrick was watching us like a hawk, and I didn't know how you felt about us. When your parents told me you didn't want to talk to me anymore, I didn't see any reason why they'd be lying. I was kinda nervous when I saw you again. I thought you were gonna walk away."

  "I'd been hoping to run into you for eight years, Florian. I wouldn't have walked away."

  He didn't stop staring at the road, but I could tell my words had affected him. I stared at his handsome profile, his long, straight nose and his pillowy mouth, then I extended my hand toward his crotch to undo the buttons of his jeans.

  "What are you doing?" Florian asked, though he pushed his hips toward my palm. "You're turning me on while I'm driving."

  "Is this okay with you?"

  "Yeah, don't stop," he croaked.

  I slipped my fingers under his boxers to grab him. I hoped the other drivers around us wouldn't sneak a peek into our car. We were stuck in traffic downtown. This was by far one of the most risqué situations I'd ever put myself into.

  "Oh shit." Florian jerked back in his seat.

  "Is this okay? You're sure?" I looked around to make sure the other drivers were still focused on the red light. When no one even glanced our way—most of them were staring at their phones—I grasped Florian harder.

  "Fuck, Enzo. Don't stop! I'm not sure it's safe to do this while I'm driving, but please don't stop."

  I gave a lopsided grin and stroked him up and down.

  "It's been so fucking long," he gasped, his hands tightening around the wheel, his knuckles turning white as he bucked faster in my palm. "I don't think I'm gonna last."

  He pressed the accelerator when the light turned green.

  "It'll make you last longer when you're inside me later."

  My words pushed him over the edge as he moaned, releasing in my hand and all over his pants. "Ah fuck!"

  I looked down at the mess he'd made. "Do you have any tissues?"

  "No. I'm gonna have to do the walk of shame all the way to the apartment."

  I laughed and wiped my sticky hand against his boxers.

  "I want to pull over and suck you dry right now," he panted, coming down from his high.

  "We don't need to get arrested over this, really. We're almost there anyway."

  "True. Although, fucking in the car has been a fantasy of mine for years."

  "Maybe some other time."

  "I'm gonna hold you to that.”

  I zipped his pants up and wiped the sides of my fingers against his jeans.

  "Gee, thanks," he said, shooting a quick look down at his pants. There was no hiding how he'd gotten those stains.

  "You can always take off your shirt and wrap it around your waist," I suggested.

  He smirked. "Nice try."

  "I don't need to try. We are going to your apartment, right?"

  He groaned.

  "What?"

  "It's not going down. I want to fuck you so bad. You sure we can't stop somewhere on the way?"

  "No. I don't want our first time to be in the car."

  Florian grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. "We're hardly virgins."

  "It doesn't matter."

  He squeezed my fingers, then let them go to change gears.

  I gave a lopsided grin. "It's going to be a long night."

  Chapter 33

  FLORIAN

  As soon as we entered my bedroom, I pinned Enzo hard against the wall and kissed him. I was so hard for him, I could barely take the pain anymore, my cock begging for release.

  He groaned in my mouth as I sought his tongue while I caressed the sides of his body, feeling his cock harden against my thigh. He kept pushing against me the deeper I kissed him. I couldn't tell if he was seeking control or if he wanted to get closer. I shoved him against the wall again and ran my tongue down the length of his neck, relishing his shivers and the whimper escaping his throat. I wanted to fuck him so good, he'd lose all sense of time and space.

  When I grabbed his crotch, his ragged breath hitched as I gave a tiny squeeze. He was aroused all right.

  "J'ai tellement envie d'toi," he exhaled, confirming his needs.

  "You'll let me take control?" I asked, then bit on his earlobe.

  His body trembled through a shaky, "Yes."

  I smiled against the shell of his ear surrounded by his processor. "I'm gonna make you feel good."

  He let out a complaint, almost like a pleading sigh, so I grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, trying not to knock off his hearing aid before I let my eyes run over him. Enzo wasn't muscular like some other guys who thought muscles were all that mattered. His gray cells always meant more to him than the way he looked.

  He was lean, all hard edges, and he smelled fucking intoxicating. The masculine scent of his skin drove me nuts. I went for his neck again and inhaled all I could as I kissed my way down his throat toward his Adam's apple. I wanted to play with him until he begged.

  "Florian."

  I hummed a "yes" against his soft skin.

  "May I take off my processor?"

  I looked at him, taken aback by his question. "You can do whatever you want, Enzo. Of course you can take it off."

  He gave a tiny smile and nodded as he slid it off his ear. "I'll feel you better if I only focus on your touch."

  He placed the processor on the chest of drawers to our left and beamed at me. "Where were we?"

  I grabbed him by the belt of his pants and pulled him toward the bed, then pushed him on top. He crawled over the comforter, and I sat astride his hips, leaning forward to kiss him. He didn't wait to pull at the rim of my t-shirt and yank it off as I raised my arms. We laughed when the collar caught on my chin. Enzo wasn't able to take it off me, so I helped him and threw the shirt to the ground before kissing him slowly, taking his tongue in my mouth. The kiss lasted, turning me on to an excruciating point.

  "You're so handsome," he signed when I pulled back. "I like the man you've become."

  "Vraiment?"

  "Yes, really."

  He raked his gaz
e over my body, from my face all the way down to the bulge in my pants.

  "You work out a lot?" he asked.

  "It's been a while. I lost a bit of my stamina recently."

  "Too bad for me," he chuckled.

  "I can still last pretty long." I closed my eyes, rethinking that, then looked down at him. "Scratch that. I last long when I jerk off, but I haven't had sex in over six months. I can't promise I'll last."

  For some reason, that seemed to reassure him. His shoulders relaxed as he gave me a breathtaking smile. "Well, I haven't had sex in months either. Maybe we can compete and see who lasts the longest."

  I cocked an eyebrow. "A challenge, huh?"

  "You don't think you can win?"

  I burst out laughing. "Oh Enzo, I'm gonna hit your prostate so hard, there's no way you'll last."

  His laughter echoed along with mine, and my dick twitched at the sound of his chuckles, pushing hard for him against my denim pants.

  I undid my buttons and zipper as fast as I could, feeling much better upon releasing the pressure squeezing my blue balls. As soon as I settled between his legs again, Enzo slid his hand through the slit of my boxers, stroking my shaft while I thrust in his hand. His touch almost undid me. He felt as good as I remembered, maybe even better. I couldn't believe it'd been eight years. It felt like only yesterday, like he never left.

  I wanted to slide inside him so badly. When he withdrew his hand, he left me panting, ready to break.

  He unzipped his jeans without looking at me and pulled them down along with his underwear, releasing his cock. He was uncut and long, just as I remembered, and so fucking gorgeous. It'd been so damn long since I'd last sucked him, I could barely restrain myself.

  "Do you mind if I straddle you?" he asked.

  I struggled my way out my boxers, then lay back down, stark naked. Enzo's long, ardent gaze could have burned my skin. He took me in inch by inch and sat across my lap, his eyes landing on my dick, staying there for a while. I was so hard at this point, I wasn't sure how much more of his teasing I could take.

  "You're gorgeous," he said.

  I ran my hands down the sides on his torso, feeling all his hard edges. His flat stomach led to a happy trail that I outlined with my fingertips before grabbing him to jerk him off. He gasped and closed his eyes, tilting his head back in a shiver while I growled with need—a sound he couldn't hear.