Something Blue

by Sean Ashcroft

He wanted this to be good for Connor, too.

  “Okay there?” Connor asked softly, running his knuckles up and down the length of Max’s cock through his underwear, sending hot sparks of pleasure all the way to the base of Max’s spine. He whimpered, rocking his hips to get more contact, but Connor moved his hand out of the way, leaving Max thrusting into the empty air.

  Max didn’t need to look at him to see the smirk on his face. He could imagine it just fine.

  “Want more?” Connor asked, his voice a low rumble that went straight to Max’s balls. He squirmed again, licking his lips, eager for whatever Connor was willing to do for him.

  He nodded, his brain too scrambled to come up with a better response than that.

  Connor hummed, trailing his fingers up and pausing at the waistband of Max’s underwear. Max flushed under his touch, his skin hot and tight, every nerve ending on fire wherever Connor made contact with him.

  He’d jerked off a thousand times, but it’d never been like this. He’d had no idea how good this could be with a second person.

  Max gasped as Connor tugged on his underwear, pulling it down so his cock sprang free.

  He forced himself to look, anxious about what Connor would think. He’d probably seen more dicks than Max had, and he definitely cared more about them.

  Although… seeing the way Connor’s pants were tented right now was definitely doing something for him. A wave of heat washed over Max at the thought that he was doing that.

  That Connor was hard for him.

  He was hard for Connor, too. The thought was enough to make his head spin.

  “Pretty,” Connor murmured, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Max’s, looking down at him.

  Max hissed as Connor wrapped his fingers around the length of his cock, squirming deeper into the couch cushions. The touch was enough to make a bead of precome well up at the tip, almost too good to process.

  “Too much?” Connor asked, pausing.

  Max shook his head. It wasn’t quite too much, but it was a lot. “Don’t stop,” he begged. “Please.”

  He didn’t care if he sounded ridiculous. All he wanted was for Connor to keep touching him.

  His head was pounding, and his lungs were burning for air, but he wouldn’t have stopped for anything right now. This was hot, but it was also important. It meant something to Max.

  He didn’t know what it meant yet, but he wanted to find out. There was no point in pretending otherwise.

  “I’m not stopping,” Connor said, pausing to shove his own pants and underwear down.

  Max looked away automatically, staring up into Connor’s wide, dark eyes.

  He might not have had a lot of experience, but he knew what arousal looked like.

  No one had ever looked at him like that. No one had wanted him like Connor so clearly did.

  “You’re allowed to look,” Connor murmured. “I’ve seen yours.”

  Max glanced down, watching Connor wrap his hand around both of their cocks. Max’s ears burned, the rush of blood drowning out the sound of his breathing.

  Connor’s cock was hot and hard against his, the way between them slicked with precome. From both of them. Both of them, together, their fluids mixing as Connor ran his hand up and down, holding them together, rocking his hips for more friction.

  Max’s stomach bottomed out at the feeling, arousal making his whole body feel tight.

  “Like that?” Connor murmured in his ear, rocking his hips against Max’s, their cocks sliding against each other again, held together by Connor’s grip.

  This was so good. Connor’s cock felt incredible against him, velvet-soft skin, heat like nothing he’d ever felt, hard and eager because of Max. He couldn’t have imagined how good this would feel.

  Max nodded, reaching out to put a hand on Connor’s thigh with a surge of confidence. Connor laughed, the kind of soft, delighted laughter Max had always expected to hear during sex, had always wanted to hear.

  Max’s heart swelled at the thought that this was exactly how he’d wanted it to be. Better than he could have imagined, but more than living up to the few fantasies he’d had.

  It really didn’t matter that Connor was a guy. His touch felt good, and he clearly liked Max, and he knew exactly how to touch him.

  Connor was amazing, and Max was so glad he’d met him.

  “You’re so hot,” Connor purred into his ear. “And so sweet.”

  Max swallowed, shocked by how good that felt to hear. His stomach clenched tight, a wave of arousal washing over him at the knowledge that Connor was getting off on this.

  He was so close to coming, and all it took was gentle praise whispered in his ear.

  Well, and a hand around his cock.

  Max closed his eyes, his fingers sinking deep into Connor’s thigh as he tried to hold back. He couldn’t come yet. He wanted this to last forever.

  He didn’t want to lose Connor’s warmth or closeness, he didn’t want to face the aftermath or all the questions he suddenly had.

  He just wanted to be here, in this moment, wanted and cared for forever.

  Connor rocked his hips again, sliding his hand up and down Max’s cock, stroking him in time with his heartbeat. Max bit down on his lip, shifting his grip on Connor’s thigh, moving his other hand to his waist.

  Max let his eyes fall closed, enjoying the rhythm, feeling arousal build and build inside him. This was so good, so much better than doing it for himself. He couldn’t stop himself from gasping and whimpering, shocked at how sensitive he was with someone else touching him.

  He wasn’t brave enough to touch Connor’s cock, though he wanted to. He wanted to feel it under his own fingers, give Connor everything he was being given.

  Next time, he promised himself.

  The thought of a next time made his stomach bottom out, his hips rolling in circles to meet Connor’s thrusts. The air between them was hot, his cock aching with need, everything close and urgent.

  He wanted to come. He wanted to come so badly he could taste it, and he wasn’t going to be able to hold back much longer.

  He whined, need getting the better of him, his stomach twisting with the urge to come, his balls tightening between his legs.

  Connor shushed him gently, squeezing Max’s shoulder with his free hand even as he rocked his hips, grinding against Max with long, deep strokes, squeezing his cock tight. Not faltering once, not for a second, even though he was panting for breath now.

  Max didn’t know for sure, but he got the feeling Connor was close, too.

  Another rush of arousal washed over him at the thought, a spurt of precome making him panic that he’d already come too soon.

  Not that he could wait much longer now. He was going to come, and he couldn’t stop himself. He didn’t want to stop himself. He wanted Connor’s touch to make him finish.

  “I wanna hear you come,” Connor murmured. “I can feel how close you are.”

  Max groaned, wriggling as he felt the beginnings of an orgasm tingle their way down his back. He couldn’t hold off, not with Connor asking him to come, wanting him to come.

  Connor’s hips jerked against his, their cocks catching on one another, rough friction tugging Max closer to the edge. He could feel it pulling deep in his gut now, the overwhelming, familiar pressure of being so close, of just needing a little more…

  A soft, unmistakable gasp from Connor was enough to set him off as well, a rush of heat and need flowing down from the pit of Max’s stomach to his cock, his hips rocking up against Connor’s as he started to come.

  He moved his hand to grip Connor’s ass tight, keeping him in place while he bucked and writhed, all the tension he’d been carrying in his stomach, in his hips fading away as he thrust against Connor, his orgasm washing over him in an overwhelming wave of pleasure and relief.

  Max could feel his cock spilling all over both of them, his balls aching with the force of his orgasm, a heartfelt groan scraping his throat as it escaped him.


  His head was spinning, his thighs weak as he started to come down. Blood pounded in his ears so loudly it was the only thing he could hear for long moments. As his spent cock started to soften, the pounding eased off, making him shiver as though the temperature had dropped five degrees.

  He whimpered as Connor took his hand away, relief and disappointment both making him squirm.

  The only thought spinning around his head that he could grab hold of was how good it had been to get off with someone else.

  No.

  With Connor, specifically. He wasn’t just anyone.

  He was Max’s friend.

  And he was kind, and sweet, and…

  Hot.

  And Max didn’t know what to do with that last piece of information, but he couldn’t exactly pretend he didn’t think it anymore.

  Connor collapsed against him, his warm, boneless body pinning Max in place on the couch. Max could hear him panting for breath, swallowing to wet his throat, and then gasping for air again.

  He moved his hand up from Connor’s ass to the middle of his back, pulling him in just a little closer.

  Connor smelled of rosemary and mandarins. That was the scent, Max decided.

  It was sweet, but it was unmistakably masculine. There was no pretending Connor wasn’t a man.

  Max didn’t even want to. Not really.

  It was okay that Connor was a man. He knew that. He lived in Hope Springs, he was used to the idea that some people were gay.

  He had a whole lot of questions for himself, and he suspected he knew what the answers were, but he wasn’t ready to set them in stone. Wasn’t ready to voice them at all, even inside his own head.

  For now, he just wanted to enjoy the moment.

  “Feeling better?” Connor asked, shifting his weight to get comfortable.

  Max chuckled. “Yeah. That was, uh…”

  “Intended to cheer you up,” Connor finished for him.

  Max was grateful that Connor wasn’t turning this into a big deal. Or asking any awkward questions.

  He was just letting Max be, which was probably what Max liked so much about him. Connor was easy to just exist around.

  “Consider me cheered up,” Max said.

  Connor groaned, leaning back and looking Max in the eyes. His eyelids were heavy, eyes still glazed and unfocused, and hair a mess.

  It was a good look on him.

  So was the slow smirk spreading over his lips.

  “I’ll get a washcloth or something to clean us up. You just… relax.”

  Max nodded, letting Connor go and watching him hitch his sweatpants back up over his ass as he walked away. The tiniest twinge of arousal hit him, but he was too spent for it to do anything other than fizzle out.

  All of this had been really, really hot. Max had never been so worn out after coming, so deeply satisfied. His worries were quiet for the first time in a long time.

  All he could think about right now was how much he wanted Connor to come back and snuggle up next to him. Maybe they could even take that nap he’d offered earlier.

  Everything else could wait.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Connor’s stomach felt like one big knot as he pushed open the door to the bookstore, the bell above suddenly deafening.

  He’d woken up this morning to find that Max had slipped away without a goodbye, and he’d been waiting anxiously for ten o’clock to roll around so he could go and see him.

  Then he’d stood pacing in front of his door for twenty minutes, worrying that he’d screwed everything up and Max wouldn’t be happy to see him.

  What if Max regretted last night? What if he wanted to pretend nothing had happened?

  What if he hated Connor now, or felt like he’d been taken advantage of?

  Thankfully, the store was empty except for Max behind the coffee counter. Ash and Declan had taken to letting him open up while they had lazy mornings, which Connor thought was about what he’d do if he owned a bookstore and had someone as reliable as Max to run it.

  Taking a deep breath, Connor approached the counter, where Max was wiping down the coffee machine. The morning rush had clearly subsided, so in hindsight, Connor’s twenty minutes of pacing had probably been a good thing.

  “Hey,” Max said, glancing up at him.

  He normally asked if Connor wanted a coffee, so he obviously wasn’t going to pretend that absolutely nothing had changed.

  Connor wasn’t sure whether or not that was a relief.

  “Hey,” Connor responded, barely above a whisper. The word had caught in his throat, nerves getting the better of him.

  He wasn’t normally a nervous person, but he liked Max. Really liked Max.

  The thought of losing him over this was… a lot. Too much.

  “I said goodbye, but I think you were asleep,” Max said softly. “I had to get back and check on mom and Zoe. I… I mean, I don’t know, but I don’t think I’m normally the kind of guy who just… disappears after. I’m sorry.”

  That was definitely a relief. Max wasn’t mad, and he hadn’t left because he regretted last night.

  Connor couldn’t be mad at him for that. He understood that Zoe came first in all this, and he really didn’t mind being further down Max’s list of priorities than his own sister.

  Now that Connor wasn’t worried that he’d lost Max forever over this, he could see that Max looked… happy. Or happier, at least, than he normally did. More relaxed.

  Getting laid had been good for him. Connor wished now that he’d taken the time to do a lot more for him, but there was the tiniest spark of hope in his heart that he’d get the chance to try again.

  “It’s okay,” he said after a slightly too-long pause. “I, uh… I just… missed you. A little. When I woke up. But I knew where you’d be.”

  Max smiled the tiniest, softest smile at that.

  “So… coffee?”

  “Please,” Connor said, his stomach finally settling as he realized that not much had changed between them. Max was still warm and kind, and he still had a ridiculous crush on him.

  Well, he wasn’t sure if it was still a crush after they’d gotten into each other’s pants. It definitely still felt like it, though.

  “Hey, uh…” Max began, prepping the coffee machine. “Listen, don’t take this the wrong way, but… can we keep this between us? Just… just for now.”

  Connor looked up, seeing genuine worry in Max’s eyes.

  He understood. Both why Max was worried, and why he didn’t want the whole town to know.

  Hope Springs was probably the most gay-friendly place in the country outside of San Francisco, but it was a small town. News travelled fast, and if Max wasn’t sure how he felt…

  Everyone in town knowing wouldn’t give him a whole lot of room to explore.

  Even Connor was aware that there were rumors and speculation going around about them. None of it negative, not at all, but still. Connor could see why Max didn’t want the whole town knowing the details of his sex life.

  Especially if he wasn’t entirely sure what they were yet.

  He got that, too. Max had thought of himself as straight up until recently. Possibly as recently as yesterday, though looking back, Connor was starting to think he’d been curious before now.

  “I won’t tell a soul,” Connor said. “I’ll even keep admiring you from a distance, like usual.”

  Max blushed darkly, flicking the machine on and pouring milk into the steaming jug. “Thank you,” he said. “I know it’s a cliché, but… it’s really not you. It’s me. And I just… need some time and space.”

  “Consider yourself the proud owner of as much time and space as you need,” Connor said.

  He’d wait for Max. Max was worth waiting for.

  “Oh, uh,” Max spoke up as he started steaming the milk for Connor’s latte. “I forgot to mention, I got us a venue. I mean… I asked about a venue, you get the final say, obviously, but… a friend of mine has this big old barn that he said we ca
n use. Do you know Riley?”

  “I think I’ve had him pointed out to me,” Connor said. “A barn sounds… perfect. I wanted one to begin with, but I couldn’t find one to hire.”

  “Well, this is free as long as I help him paint it,” Max responded. “Riley’s a good guy. I mean, it’s not really his barn, it’s his husband’s, but Brent’s a good guy, too. Ask anyone.”

  “I trust your judgement,” Connor responded.

  “I thought the barn would be nice. You were talking about casual, and I saw a picture in one of your magazines when you were showing me stuff you wanted to do.”

  Connor chuckled. “You know, you’d make a good wedding planner yourself,” he said.

  Max had a surprisingly good eye once he had enough confidence to say what he did and didn’t like. He’d steered Connor away from some ideas and toward others, and every suggestion had been a good one.

  “I wanted to be a teacher, actually,” Max said, sliding Connor’s coffee over to him.

  Connor wasn’t inclined to sit down just yet. Not if Max was about to open up.

  “A teacher?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I was thinking elementary school. I just… I’d kinda like to be surrounded by kids all day, show ‘em all the cool stuff about the world. I was starting on a bachelor of education, but then Zoe got really sick, and… I couldn’t afford college if I wanted to help her, so… I quit.”

  Connor’s heart clenched in his chest. He could almost feel it tearing in two.

  Max had given up his dream to help his sister. That was so like him in every possible way, but Connor hated that he’d had to. That he’d been put in that position in the first place.

  “You’ll make a wonderful teacher,” Connor said. “When we win this, I want you to spend the leftover money on college, okay?”

  “There’s not gonna be much change out of fifty thousand,” Max responded, looking down at the counter.

  “A hundred thousand,” Connor corrected. “I don’t want or need the money. Just the career boost. And I’ve already heard from a few people, so… I’ve got what I need. I’m winning this for you.”

  Max opened and closed his mouth a few times. “You can’t,” he said eventually. “You can’t just… give me your half.”