A Breath of Innocence

by K. A. Merikan

  Mark shuddered, almost afraid to touch his lovely boy again. “Because you’re perfect and no one should have ever broken your heart. You’re everything I ever imagined wanting.”

  Griffith’s lashes fluttered, and he lowered his gaze as he rested his forehead against Mark’s shoulder. He smelled of rain, of the mud that stained his clothes, yet so fresh Mark itched to bury his nose in the damp skin.

  “You can mend it if you promise to never do this again.”

  Mark pulled Griff into a tight embrace. It didn’t matter that it would inevitably get him even muddier and colder. Griffith needed him, and he needed Griff in his arms.

  “Never.” He left a soft kiss on the flesh behind Griff’s ear and nuzzled the cute, elf-like point, wishing to somehow express the depth of tenderness growing in his chest. He was lost as to what would happen now, how they would proceed, how he would unravel the issue of Allen, but Griffith needed him too. All his messages and voicemails told Mark a story that had him feeling as if he’d ground glass into Griff’s skin. And that perfect pale surface deserved only kisses.

  Griffith sucked in a shuddery breath, suddenly grabbing Mark hard, digging fingers into flesh until it hurt, but Mark didn’t care as long as their closeness was keeping Griffith warm. He didn’t even know how, but they moved at the same time, their cold lips meeting halfway. When Mark dove his tongue into Griff’s mouth, his mind was sucked into a tornado, and he wasn’t even sure if it was Griffith who was holding him up or the other way around.

  He wished for this moment to never pass. With this lovely, talented man in his arms, he could safely close his eye and at least try to shut down his buzzing mind. Griffith was a normal person, a sweet guy with dreams that hurt no one, and with Griff at his side, he could learn to live again. Mark had been an unwanted child, a burden, a person to exploit, but to Griffith Mark was important and worthy of intense kisses that felt like an ongoing love confession.

  No one had ever professed their love to Mark. But Griff did.

  “I’ll never be like your friends or family,” he whispered into Griff’s lips, still wary of all the implications their relationship might carry. They came from such different worlds, but if Griffith chose him, then maybe there was a chance for a happy future?

  Griff nodded, cupping Mark’s face with long fingers that now felt slightly less cold. “I know. That’s one of the things I love about you.”

  Mark didn’t have words to express how much this declaration meant to him. So he settled for another kiss, gently pushing Griff at the lockers so that he could squeeze him tighter without losing balance. Locked in an embrace he never wanted to part from, he didn’t care about the wet clothes, the aching ankle, or the padlock pressing against his arm.

  He wanted to enjoy what was his and freely given.

  Griffith gasped, looking up at him with eyes that were wonderfully hazy, as if he were already dreaming of their future together. But his hands slid lower, pulling on Mark’s belt hard. “I want you. Now.”

  The heat exploding within Mark would soon dry his clothes. No more needed to be said for him to act. Fueled by a surge of dopamine, he let his kiss become more aggressive until their teeth clashed and tongues got pulled into a battle that Griffith was evidently letting Mark win. The drenched clothes cooled their bodies, the locker room faintly smelled of horse sweat, but Griffith was here, and there was nowhere else Mark would rather be.

  Griffith’s earlier command came back to the forefront of his brain like a boomerang. He wasted no more time and forced his stiffened fingers into motion, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his jeans without ever breaking the kiss. Beneath the layers of cool fabric, his cock was already rock hard and throbbing to once again slide into the tight heat of Griff’s perfect ass.

  Mark grabbed Griff’s elbow and spun him around so he faced the lockers. The force behind the push shoved Griffith against the metal with enough force to make the entire cabinet rattle, but before Mark could apologize, Griffith rocked his hips back against the front of Mark’s jeans.

  “You sure?” Mark asked breathlessly, but it was merely a courtesy, since he already knew the answer.

  Griffith arched against Mark with a breathless moan, as if just the sensation of being trapped like this, between Mark’s body and the cool steel of the lockers, was enough to push him over the edge of arousal. His ass pushed back, rubbing against Mark’s groin while Griff frantically unzipped his riding breeches. Those pants made his backside look so fucking good Mark had sometimes invited Griff for a ride in the forest just to watch that ass go up and down in the saddle. But now he was allowed to see so much more.

  In a breathless moment, Griffith looked at him over his shoulder, his exhale hot on Mark’s cheek. “Come on, warm me up.”

  Seeing Griff act with so much confidence, no longer shy or frightened, was like watching a flower bloom right in front of Mark’s eye. Just hotter. So much hotter.

  Mark pulled Griff’s pants down abruptly along with the underwear, unwilling to wait any longer. The need to connect was desperate, and so much more visceral than just having an itch to fuck. His dick was arching up and begging to plunge between the white globes of Griff’s muscled ass, but he craved to be with Griff, to get to know him until they could communicate without words.

  He looked down, overwhelmed by the beauty of the pale skin on show. The flesh of Griffith’s ass and thighs was juicy under the slight flush and goose bumps that made his body hair stand to attention. Mark pressed soft, gentle kisses to Griffith’s neck and let his hands roam in circles until Griffith voiced his impatience with a groan and reached back to blindly rub his hand down Mark’s stomach.

  For all the misguided advice Domenico had given Mark, there were some truly golden nuggets, and one of those was: ‘always have lube on you’. He squirted some out on his fingers, curling his toes when Griffith squeezed his dick through his underwear.

  Their eyes met when Mark looked up, and the instant connection it created was like fire spreading all over Mark’s body that no longer felt cold. Griffith rose to his toes, and the flush on his cheeks was so sweet Mark wanted to lap it up along with the creaminess of Griffith’s complexion.

  “Please, now,” Griffith whimpered and touched Mark’s hip, pulling him closer.

  Arousal clouded Mark's brain. Has there ever been anything more beautiful than this boy begging for cock? Impossible.

  He nodded, leaning over Griffith and pressing his nose to that soft spot below his ear where his scent was particularly lovely. The rush of blood thudding in his ears was like a stopwatch, counting seconds until Mark would satisfy Griffith’s need. Frantic with desire, he rubbed some of the lube over the outside of Griff’s anus and then slicked his own cock in quick strokes. At this point, it would be a miracle if he lasted more than three minutes.

  He slid one hand under Griff’s shirt, all the way up his chest, and hugged him so tightly he could sense the frantic beat of Griffith’s heart with his palm. Smoke was about to come out of his ears by the time he he aligned his cock with the perfectly presented ass and pressed on, shuddering when the tightness of Griffith’s hole knocked air right out of his lungs.

  With his T-shirt clinging to Griffith’s back, riding breeches pulled only low enough to allow penetration, still wearing his tight, sexy riding boots, Griff was a picture of wantonness. Mark would give him anything he wanted, and a hundred thousand orgasms to top it off.

  Griffith’s cheek flattened against the locker, breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps that left steam on the metal door. He stiffened against Mark and raised one foot, which he pressed against Mark’s shin. “Wait,” he eventually whispered, grabbing Mark’s hand through his own damp shirt.

  Mark stilled, making himself slowly inhale Griffith’s warm scent as the grip of the sphincter around his dick became so hard it made him want to thrust into that lovely, warm body until he came. But he knew that Griff might have bitten more than he could chew, so he held him gently, waiting until he was wel
come to do more.

  Gradually, the pressure around his cock became more bearable, and he teased one of Griff’s nipples with his little finger to distract him from the discomfort he was likely feeling. He didn’t know how yet, but he would make it work. He would smother his Griffith with love and make sure he never wanted to leave.

  “You don’t want me to wait though, do you? You want me to press you against this locker and fuck your brains out,” he whispered, pulling his teeth over Griff’s earlobe before caressing it with his tongue.

  Griffith let out a broken sound and rolled his head back, greedily capturing Mark’s lips. He was no longer cold, and the heat streaming from within battled for supremacy with Mark’s own. Gradually, the tightened muscles of Griffith’s ass gave up, and with a breath of relief, he started moving his hips, milking the upper part of Mark’s throbbing cock with his hole.

  “Yes. I want you to have me.”

  Mark groaned into the parted lips and with one long push, slid all of his cock into that gorgeous ass, until Griffith’s buttocks were flattened by Mark’s groin, and his body pressed tightly against the lockers. The many doors gave a loud rattle when the combined weight of Mark and Griffith pushed the cabinet against the wall, but all Mark could think about was the beautiful boy arching against him, eager for his dick, loving his kisses, his cock, and loving him.

  “Like this? You feel mine now?” Mark rasped, rolling his hips against the soft ass.

  Griffith was trembling so hard Mark could feel it. Pushing even closer to Mark, he angled his hips, creating space between his groin and the locker. Never once looking away from Mark, he reached down, and when his lashes fluttered in pleasure, Mark didn’t have to ask to know what his lover was doing.

  “Not yet,” Griffith said with a silly grin.

  He was waving a red cloth in front of a bull. The top he was wearing should have been crimson, because he was temptation on two legs.

  Mark pulled his hips away only to slam back into the waiting body hard. “No? Dirty boy. You want me to mark you? Want to drip with my cum?” Excitement skyrocketed inside Mark when he saw that glint of arousal reflected at him in the blue eyes.

  Griffith gave a breathless laugh, pushing back against the thrusts and working his hand over his own cock at the same time. The light of the lamp above made his gaze glint when he let his head fall back on Mark’s arm, constantly looking back at him. He smelled like rain in heaven.

  “Mark me. I need you to come inside me.”

  Mark grabbed Griff’s hip and started a fast rhythm, slapping his groin against Griff’s ass time and time again, fighting the urge to just let go as pleasure simmered in his body. The heat they exuded could easily not only dry up their clothes, but the warm the whole room. Mark captured Griff’s lips for a kiss, but as tension rose in his body, he thrust into him even faster.

  He wanted to cream Griffith’s greedy little hole and know he left cum inside his beautiful boy.

  Griffith held on to Mark’s hand, somehow entwining their fingers through the damp shirt as they moved together at a rapid pace. The clatter of metal was in tune with the sound of Mark’s balls slapping against Griffith’s ass, their breaths echoing off the walls. Griffith’s heart was the drum rhythmically tapping against Mark’s palm, but once arousal reached its peak, they both went out of tune, hunched over in the empty room and focused only on the friction burning where they connected.

  A deep shudder went through Griffith, and Mark knew in that moment that his boy was done. The sweet, warm ass squeezed tightly around him, sucking on his dick as if Griffith never wanted Mark’s cock out of his hole.

  Mark would gladly feed it every single day. He moaned against Griff’s nape, slamming his cock in those few last times as the hot muscles throbbed around it, caressing it with ever more sensation. He never wanted to face reality. Couldn’t they just stay like this? With Mark’s still-hard dick deep in Griff’s ass, pumping cum into the waiting body.

  “Feel that?” Mark whispered. “I’m making you all mine.”

  “Oh, God, yes. Your cum is so hot inside me,” hissed Griffith, blindly reaching back. His fingers were damp with spunk when he touched them to Mark’s neck, and the scent of it had Mark’s balls tingling one more time.

  He was quick to turn his head and grab those sticky fingers between his lips. He sucked the saltiness off them, still riding the afterglow of orgasm. He was only tasting Griffith’s cum the second time now, but it had the loveliest aftertaste that was almost sweet. How did they get here? How did Mark become so infatuated he couldn’t think clear?

  When he opened his eye, Griff was watching him, his gaze dreamy under heavy eyelids. “Don’t go this time.”

  Mark kissed his hand. “I won’t. You wanna spend the night at mine?”

  Griffith stilled, and the joyful relaxation on his face was replaced by unease. “You haven’t been in your bedroom yet, have you?”

  Mark rested his chin on Griff’s shoulder, lazily pressing him close. “What did you do?”

  Griffith exhaled, shifting his hips when Mark’s softening cock slipped out of him. “Nisha poured wine over your bed.”

  Mark groaned and counted to ten in his mind. “Okay, I deserve that.”

  Griffith rested his forehead against the locker, going silent for a few seconds. “I won’t forgive you again. I felt so... humiliated.”

  “I freaked out. I’m so, so sorry.” Though in truth, Mark was still freaked out. He had a kid. And no idea what to do about it and Charlotte’s conditions, because he was definitely keeping Griffith.

  Griff nodded and finally turned around to face Mark. His cheeks still had that lovely pink shade when he looked up. “I believe that you didn’t want to hurt Charlotte, but you should have told me earlier what was going on between you two.”

  Mark sighed and gave Griff a kiss that was too chaste for their state of undoing. “I didn’t want to look like some creeper. And you told me yourself that she had no kind things to say about ‘the guy from Colombia’.” Mark had to look away, because bile rose in his throat again.

  Griffith cupped Mark’s face and massaged his cheeks with his thumbs. “No. But you’re nothing like the man she told me about, so maybe she’s just painting you the wrong color because she didn’t want to be reminded of the whole thing?”

  “What else did she say about me?” Mark couldn’t help himself, even if knowing the truth might be torture. He slipped his hand between Griff’s asscheeks, just to feel how hot and slippery they still were, and Griffith pushed closer against him at the touch.

  “Why do you need to know? Do you care about her opinion?”

  “No… but there’s things in my past that I’m not proud of.”

  “Like what?” Griffith asked, his blue eyes so full of expectation and understanding alike.

  Mark hesitated. There were things he could never tell Griff about, but would he be understanding if he knew where Mark truly came from? “I told you my family… the real one, they weren’t great people. We didn’t have a lot of money.” Mark licked his lips, already getting nervous about what he was about to say. Would Griff even make the effort to understand, or would he be disgusted if he heard the rest of that story?

  He pulled Griffith close and led him to the bathroom next door, not even bothering to pull up his pants for those few steps. Griffith gave him a faint smile and switched on both the faucets before grabbing some paper towels and getting them wet. “You’ve come a long way then.”

  “I did. When I met my adoptive dads, I was homeless and hitchhiking. I didn’t have the kind of life you and Charlotte had.” He quickly cleaned up and gave Griff a kiss, already regretting that they weren’t embracing each other tightly anymore.

  Griffith gestured for Mark to turn away and took his time cleaning himself as well. It was all a bit awkward, but that was the price to pay for fucking in a public place. He was silent for a few moments, but then, after the excruciating period of neither of them saying a thing, Griffith e
mbraced Mark from behind.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through something like that.”

  Mark took a deep breath, for once happy he wasn’t looking into Griff’s eyes, even though he could see their reflection from the corner of his eye. “I don’t want to bore you with my sob story. It just really hit me when Charlotte said I was nothing, and that I didn’t fit into your world.”

  Griffith let go and circled Mark, squeezing his hands on his shoulders, a determined expression on the handsome face that still held some of that childlike innocence that Mark lost so early in his life. “She has no right to say that. You can tell me anything.”

  Mark licked his lips and took a deep breath. “My father was a very violent man. Especially when drinking, but even worse when he had nothing to drink, so I lived in a never-ending circle. I just had to go. I couldn’t stay. I was only thirteen, but he was angry if I couldn’t get any extra cash for helping out neighbors or whatever, so when one of the neighbors offered much more cash for more than washing his windows, I just… I wanted to save up so I could leave.”

  Griffith frowned, so very clearly not understanding what Mark meant. “More than washing windows?”

  Mark shrugged, even though in truth the perspective of telling this to the sweet boy who he cared so deeply for paralyzed him on the inside. “I sucked him off. Time and time again. And then he introduced me to a friend who let me stay at his. When everyone else was working out things like their first crush, I was busy making sure my new host didn’t kick me out.”

  Griffith’s gaze briefly darted to the mirror, as if he no longer knew how to face Mark. His fingers twitched on Mark’s shoulders, and even though he didn’t take his hands away, his shoulders were so tense it seemed like they could break at any second.

  “That is... horrible. Was there no one at all to help you?” Griffith asked in the end, meeting Mark’s gaze once more.