“You’re in charge,” Ash murmured into his ear. “Whatever you want is okay.”
“Just this?” Declan asked. “I know it’s… awkward, but…”
Ash smiled at him, fondness written all over his face. He’d given Declan the look a million times.
It usually meant he was being ridiculous.
“This is sweet. And it’s taking me back to being seventeen and new to all this, so I really don’t hate it. It’s kinda nice to revisit that with you.”
Declan gasped as Ash rocked against him again, a bright spike of pleasure hitting him deep in his gut. Even with their underwear between them, this was close to overwhelming. He couldn’t have handled anything more. Not yet.
Declan moved his free hand to Ash’s ass, the other one trapped between his body and the back of the couch. The position was awkward, but that was perfect, too. This was Ash. His best friend in the whole world.
They could be a little awkward around each other.
“This working for you?” Ash asked, breathless and panting. His breath was searing against the sensitive skin of Declan’s neck, goosebumps coming up all the way down it.
Declan nodded, not trusting himself to say anything intelligent right now.
Ash chuckled beside his ear, a low, deep sound that went straight to Declan’s cock. He laughed in response, rocking up against Ash’s body, gasping as Ash’s cock caught along the length of his own.
A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of how close they were, the image of their cocks rubbing against each other, of Ash hard and eager against him.
“You’re so sweet,” Ash murmured. “Are you always like this?”
Declan shook his head. He was never like this. He’d always liked getting off, like he assumed most people did, but Ash was different.
Ash left him in awe, and all they were doing was grinding against each other like horny teenagers.
A low, needy groan welled up in Declan’s chest, echoing in his ears as it escaped him. He was going to come in his underwear, and he didn't even care.
“Ash,” he gasped, the first thing he’d been able to make himself say in a while, and probably the last until he’d come.
It was important, though. He wanted Ash to know that he was thinking about him, that he wasn't just getting off with the nearest warm, willing body.
This meant something to Declan. What, he wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to pretend this wasn’t a big deal.
Ash hummed in response, and then seized Declan’s lips, pressing a biting kiss into his mouth. His hips sped up, the angle changed, more deliberate, the hard length of Ash’s cock rubbing against Declan’s so perfectly.
Heat exploded deep in Declan’s stomach, a burst of arousal making his hips jerk, his body seeking more contact, more friction, more.
His head was spinning, his heart racing, blood pulsing through him in breath-catching beats.
Ash’s tongue flicked against his lips, encouraging him to part them, give him access to his mouth. Declan moaned as he felt Ash’s tongue dive inside, sliding against his own, mirroring the way their cocks were moving together between them.
The familiar tingle at the base of his spine made Declan tense up, his stomach muscles tightening. He was right on the verge of coming, and as much as he wanted to, he didn’t want this to be over.
They were just getting started. There was so much more of Ash he wanted to explore, to touch, to taste. This wasn’t enough.
None of that could stop Declan’s hips from surging up against Ash, his fingers tightening, digging into the flesh of Ash’s ass, holding him in place so Declan could rut against him, jerking his hips in smaller, faster movements.
Ash broke the kiss, leaving Declan gasping for air. He was so close now, so desperate to come that he could taste it right at the back of his throat, need and want and pleasure welling up inside him.
“Come for me,” Ash whispered beside Declan’s ear. The words made him shiver as they travelled down his spine and directly to his balls.
Declan groaned as his body followed Ash’s order, biting down on his lip as his hips surged up against Ash, his cock twitching as his orgasm rolled through him in wave after wave, his vision whiting out for a moment.
A soft, satisfied grunt from Ash made its way past the pounding in Declan’s ears to his brain, his stomach flipping at the thought that he’d made Ash come, too.
Or at least helped the process along, anyway.
Declan sank into the couch cushions, his muscles suddenly useless. Even without Ash’s weight pressing down on top of him, he couldn’t have moved if he’d wanted to.
Not that he wanted to. He was happy where he was.
“We’ll need to talk about this at some point,” Ash said after a moment.
Declan hummed. He knew that. He even wanted to talk about it, though he had no idea what he was going to say.
The last thing he wanted was to risk his friendship with Ash. If this was going to do anything other than ruin what they already had, they both needed to be open and honest.
But not before he’d had a nap. Right now, he couldn’t trust himself to say anything useful or entirely coherent.
“Later,” he promised, moving his hand to Ash’s back instead of his ass.
“I’m good with later.” Ash sighed heavily, letting Declan take even more of his weight. “I’ll get up in a minute.”
“I’m okay with in a minute,” Declan said, smiling to himself.
He had no idea where this was going, but right now, he was excited to find out.
Chapter Twenty
“Oh, Ash, hi,” Marcus said as he walked into the store, looking over at the coffee machine. “Declan out?”
Ash looked away from the books he’d been reorganizing, smiling over at Marcus. “He’s buying me lunch, actually. He’s well-trained.”
Marcus chuckled at that, leaning back against the counter. “Yeah, well… I bring Lexi coffee and pastries every morning, so I guess I can’t say anything about that. Speaking of, we were thinking bowling? Tonight, I mean.”
Ash’s eyes lit up. He’d been dying to go since he’d seen the bowling alley. It’d been a while since he’d had one close enough by to go regularly.
“It’s kind of tradition around here. First dates happen at the bowling alley.” Marcus shrugged.
“Oh, I’m already sold,” Ash said, just as Declan came back through the door. “There’s the guy you’re gonna have to convince,” he added, nodding to Declan.
Declan looked between Ash and Marcus, obviously puzzled. “What’re we convincing me of?”
“Lexi suggested bowling tonight. Apparently it’s Hope Springs tradition to go on first dates there. And I guess this isn’t really your first date, but… it’s your first date in town, right?”
Ash was fairly sure Marcus was under the impression that they’d moved here for a fresh start because their relationship was on the rocks.
He had no idea how close he was to being right for all the wrong reasons.
Declan still had that spark in his eyes from yesterday, though. It reminded Ash of the Declan he’d first met, full of life and light and enthusiasm for all things.
Seeing it again made his heart happy. He was getting the old Declan back, after all.
Considering recent events, he might even be getting a new and improved version.
Not that Declan needed to be physically attracted to him to be improved. As long as he was happier and ready to be more true to himself, Ash didn’t care what else happened.
He wasn’t about to say no to having sex with Declan again all the same. Declan was gorgeous, and last night had been good.
Better than good. Ash couldn’t remember the last time he’d had mind-blowing sex because of who he was with instead of what they could do with their tongue.
He was looking forward to the chance to have a little more fun with Declan.
“Bowling sounds awesome,” Declan said. “That’s actually adorable.
Small towns, man. This place is growing on me.”
Ash caught Declan glancing over at him, a tiny smile turning up the corner of his lips. Just that was enough to make him blush, so he wasn’t doing a great job of hiding how excited he was about maybe, finally getting Declan’s romantic attention.
How long had he idly dreamed of that, assuming it was never going to happen?
Any hint he’d ever had that it might, he’d shoved aside as wishful thinking. Now, he was realizing that he should have been taking all those hints more seriously.
“I should warn you about what you’re agreeing to. You’ve met Charlie, right?”
“Right,” Ash said. “We had dinner with him and Scott, I love them already.”
“Awesome.” Marcus grinned. “Anyway, Charlie and Lexi are kinda town legends. They’re on a bowling team together and a few years back when they really put their minds to it, they entered the state league and came home with a trophy. My point is, they’re good. We can totally do something else, but I promised to float the idea.”
Ash opened his mouth to speak, but Declan beat him to it.
“I think Ash could give Lexi a run for his money,” Declan said.
The tips of Ash’s ears burned as he blushed, but his heart soared. It was so nice to hear that Declan had faith in him.
Even if that faith was potentially misplaced. It’d been a long time since Ash had picked up a bowling ball.
“I used to work in a bowling alley in college, which meant free games and free soda.” Ash shrugged. “I got a lot of mileage out of that.”
“He could hit a strike blindfolded,” Declan said. “I’ve seen him do it.”
“It’s been years,” Ash objected. He didn’t want to get Declan’s hopes up that he’d single-handedly win this for them. Besides, it was supposed to be a friendly game.
“I have faith in you,” Declan said, confirming what Ash had just been thinking. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything against it.
He’d just have to single-handedly win a bowling match for his husband. Who was maybe about to become his friend-with-benefits.
Or something. Ash hadn’t thought a whole lot about where their relationship was going. He liked it where it was, but he couldn’t deny that he liked the idea of exploring what it could be. It was a scary thought, but it was also exciting.
Especially if Declan was going to keep being this sweet to him.
“Bowling it is, then,” Ash said. “Tell Lexi to bring his A-game.”
“He never brings anything else.” Marcus smiled a wry, fond smile. “He’s gonna be so excited. See you guys… around eight? Or do you wanna grab food first?”
“It’s my turn to cook,” Declan said. “And I skipped out on it last time, so… I should do it this time.”
Marcus smiled at that. “Understood.”
“Eight would be perfect,” Ash added, a wave of affection toward Declan rolling through him.
Declan was being sweeter than Ash had gotten used to, but not sweeter than he’d ever been. This was what Declan was like when he was happy.
All Ash had wanted out of this was for Declan to be happy. For both of them to be happy, and free from the stress and misery of their old lives.
He was starting to think he’d gotten his wish. Declan must have felt freer here than he did back in Denver.
“Perfect. See you guys later,” Marcus said, heading for the door.
Ash waved after him, the thought hitting him as Marcus left that he hadn’t had friends in a long time. It was nice to have that again.
This place made him happy as well. They’d made a great decision in coming here, as far as Ash was concerned. He couldn’t have asked for more.
He turned to Declan, finding him unpacking the bag of takeout he’d brought in. Burgers from the local diner, as promised. Ash had mentioned wanting to try it out, so Declan had brought lunch to him instead of closing the shop, since Ash was still afraid to do that during normal hours. He wanted to be seen as reliable.
Declan had avoided rolling his eyes too hard, and said that if he couldn’t go to the diner, the diner could come to him.
Ash was really starting to hope Declan figured out what was going on in his head soon, because everything he’d done today had been incredibly attractive. He’d been attracted to Declan before, in a distant, general kind of way, but now…
Now, he actively wanted to fuck him. Declan was back to being the man he’d been painfully, secretly in love with for years.
Maybe they did put something in the water here.
“Hey, uh… thank you for having faith in me. It means a lot,” Ash said belatedly, still watching Declan dividing the food between them. He’d gotten a serve of golden, deliciously greasy-looking fries, too, and Ash’s mouth was already watering at the thought.
If Declan was looking for the way to his heart, he’d found it.
“You’re awesome at bowling.” Declan shrugged, unwrapping his hamburger. “I haven’t forgotten,” he said, looking down at the counter. “I’m remembering, actually. What we used to be like.”
Ash smiled at that, grabbing his own burger. They’d been joined at the hip since they met, more or less.
He would have liked to extend that to actually being joined at around hip level. He’d seen the way Declan filled out a pair of boxer-briefs. Regardless of whether or not he had the technique, he definitely had the equipment.
“I’d like that back,” Ash said. “I mean… we’re never going to be twenty again, but… we could be happy again. Carefree.”
“I think I’m getting there,” Declan said softly. “If you can be patient with me?”
Ash got the feeling they weren’t just talking about happiness.
It was good to have confirmation that this was still a road Declan wanted to go down. Ash was afraid he’d want to sweep it under the rug, and he hadn’t been sure he’d be able to do that. Wondering what if would have eaten away at him.
“I can have infinite patience for you,” Ash said sincerely. He owed that much to Declan, even if it wasn’t just the decent thing to do.
“Thanks,” Declan said. “Last night was, uh…” Declan paused, blushing as he cleared his throat. “Great. Magical, even. But I might… need some time? Maybe? I don’t know.”
“As long as you need,” Ash said. Waiting would kill him, but missing out on his one chance with Declan would have been even worse.
He could wait for this. It was worth it.
“You keep making this easy for me,” Declan pointed out.
Ash shrugged, stealing a fry from the bag Declan had set on the counter. “You’re my best friend, and I want you to be happy. Of course I’m making it easy on you. And if there’s anything else I can do, just let me know.”
“You can win this bowling match,” Declan said. “I mean, no pressure, but that would be kinda hot.”
Ash wet his lips.
If Declan thought it was hot, then he really did have to win. He didn’t have a choice anymore.
Ash liked Lexi, but he was going to wipe the floor with him if it meant gaining Declan’s approval.
Hopefully. Assuming he still could after years of being out of practice.
They’d find out in a handful of hours.
Chapter Twenty-One
“I shoulda believed you when you said he was good,” Marcus said, sitting down heavily next to Declan on the plastic seats behind the ball return chute.
“He is good,” Declan said, grinning. He’d barely stopped smiling the whole time they’d been out, but he loved to see Ash showing off.
He was proud of Ash. Always had been.
But today, he felt just a little prouder. Ash felt a tiny bit more like he was Declan’s to be proud of.
That was a nice feeling, and Declan wanted to hold onto it.
“Lexi beats the crap out of me every time,” Marcus said. “But I keep coming back, because, well… look at the view.” Marcus nodded to Lexi, who was lining up his shot.
<
br /> Lexi’s jeans looked like they’d been painted on, which Declan assumed was what Marcus was talking about.
Objectively, Lexi had a cute butt. Subjectively, Declan… didn’t care.
Which was probably why he’d taken so long to start coming to terms with his feelings for Ash. He didn’t look at him and start drooling, and without that reaction, he hadn’t realized how much he wanted to kiss him.
Not because of what he looked like, but because of who he was.
That had taken a lot of figuring out.
Now that he had figured it out, though…
Ash had a great butt. He was allowed to think that, and it was exciting as hell.
“Lexi’s great,” Declan said after a moment. “You’re a lucky man.”
“Thanks,” Marcus said. “You too, obviously. You guys are perfect. It must be amazing to really start a life together, leave everything behind and walk your own path.”
“It’s pretty great,” Declan agreed.
“So, uh…” Marcus sat forward, clasping his hands together. “Did you ask him to marry you, or…?”
“He kinda floated the idea first, but I asked him eventually,” Declan said, figuring it was the truth. Marcus didn’t need to know that they’d kissed for the first time a few days ago.
Marcus nodded, licking his lips. “So how did you…?”
“Actually, it was a condition of the will,” Declan said, trying to stick close to the truth. “My great uncle’s will, I mean. I had to be married to really own the bookstore, but… I wouldn’t have done it with anyone but Ash. I asked him when we saw the place.”
That was all true. Declan knew he couldn’t have done this with anyone else.
“Weren’t you terrified he’d say no?” Marcus asked.
Declan finally understood where this conversation was going, his eyes widening in response. “You’re gonna…?”
“Ask Lexi?” Marcus said, keeping his voice low. “Yeah, I mean… not right now? But… someday. We only got together over Halloween last year, but he’s…”
“The one,” Declan finished for him. “I get it. And yeah, I mean… I knew he might say no, especially because I was asking him to move all the way out here, but… he said yes, and it was fine. He’s my best friend. I trust him not to hurt me.”
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