The Boyfriend Experiment

by Sean Ashcroft

  “That’s it?” Gabriel asked, wishing as soon as the words had escaped him that he hadn’t said anything. He was lucky to be here. He didn’t need to question Reid’s methods.

  Reid shrugged. “You’re recovering well. There’s nothing weird going on. But it’d be irresponsible not to keep an eye on you.”

  “Oh.” Gabriel looked down at his feet as he got off the table. “Well… thank you for agreeing to see me again.”

  “No problem. At least you didn’t punch me in the face,” Reid said.

  Gabriel’s eyes widened. “Does that… happen a lot?”

  “More than I’d like.” Reid wet his lips. “Sometimes I have to hurt people to help them, and some of them react badly to that. I get it, so I can never bring myself to be too mad at them. You’re not my most difficult patient.”

  “Not your least difficult either, I bet,” Gabriel said.

  Reid smiled at that. “Not quite,” he admitted. “Definitely one of the most interesting, though.”

  Gabriel’s insides fluttered at the compliment, his heart swelling a he realized some of Reid’s warmth was coming back.

  That was more than he deserved. He’d made a serious mistake, and Reid didn’t have to be nice about it. The fact that he was being nice about it was something to be grateful for.

  “I’ll come back in two weeks,” Gabriel promised, feeling just a tiny bit better about the whole situation.

  Even if he had screwed up, maybe not all was lost.

  Chapter Twelve

  “You look pretty much back to normal,” Reid said, lifting Gabriel’s arm high over his head to watch the muscles shift.

  He looked good. He’d been cute since day one, but the first time Reid had seen him, he’d been weak and frail. Now, he was all lean muscle except for a slightly soft belly, which Reid suspected had been there before he’d left, too.

  His body was gorgeous, which wasn’t helping with Reid’s conviction that he wasn’t going to let things stay awkward between them.

  He felt awkward around Gabriel. Even after weeks of not seeing him.

  When he wasn’t around, Reid thought about him. When he was around, Reid couldn’t help wanting to be near him.

  He’d even considered heading over to the UW campus in the hopes of running into him again, wanting to see him outside of his office. That had been a nice moment. Gabriel had seemed so much more relaxed when he was in his comfort zone, so much happier.

  “I feel that way, too,” Gabriel said. “Thank you for all your help,” he added.

  Reid smiled at that. “Hey, that’s what I’m here for.”

  Reid backed away, hearing Gabriel jump down from the table. That sounded a lot better than it had before, too. If Gabriel left his office fitter and healthier than he came in, Reid was happy.

  “So, uh… you don’t really need to see me anymore, do you?” Gabriel asked.

  Reid turned to look at him, his heart sinking. Gabriel was right. There wasn’t really anything else he could do.

  “I mean, you could keep coming in for checkups, but you really don’t need them…” Reid admitted, as much as he wanted to lie and get Gabriel to come in just a few more times.

  Gabriel nodded, wetting his lips. “So I’m not your patient anymore, right?”

  Reid blinked at him. He sounded excited about that, and Reid wasn’t entirely sure why.

  “I guess you’re not,” he said, his stomach turning over at the thought. Some small part of him had still hoped that he’d have the slightest of chances to get to know Gabriel better, even as a friend.

  Clearly, that wasn’t happening.

  Gabriel took a step toward him, moving to within six inches of Reid’s chest, the heat of his body seeping into Reid’s skin through his shirt.

  Gabriel cleared his throat. “In that case… if I begged you to kiss me, you could either accept or reject without worrying about me being your patient, right?”

  Reid’s eyes widened. He hadn’t been expecting this at all.

  “I…” he said, his voice breaking. He swallowed, looking Gabriel in the eyes, his mind racing.

  Gabriel wanted to kiss him. Again. And this time he was asking, and making sure he wasn’t putting Reid in an even more awkward situation.

  “I’m sorry about last time,” Gabriel said. “I just reacted to how close you were and how good being around you makes me feel and I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t wrong, but-”

  “Would you beg?” Reid asked, interrupting Gabriel’s nervous rambling.

  This was a terrible idea, but he was going along with it anyway.

  He’d barely stopped thinking about Gabriel since the moment they met. Chances like this didn’t come along all that often.

  Besides, like Gabriel said, he wasn’t Reid’s patient anymore. They were just two consenting adults with one minor awkward incident behind them that Reid had forgiven by the time it was over, because it wasn’t as though he didn’t want it.

  It wasn’t as though he hadn’t been barely stopping himself from doing the same.

  There was just something between them. Something more than a spark of attraction. Something that Reid was sure ran deep, that he wanted to explore.

  Gabriel blinked at him. “What?”

  “Would you beg me to kiss you?” Reid asked, a thrill of arousal curling in his stomach at the thought. Not that he wanted Gabriel on his knees or anything, but it felt good to be wanted.

  Gabriel swallowed, then wet his lips. “Please,” he said, barely above a whisper.

  Reid surged forward, sealing his lips over Gabriel’s, backing them both up against the wall and pressing their bodies together, pinning him in place.

  Gabriel tasted like stale coffee and breath mints, and that was adorable. He still felt small under Reid’s hands, but not fragile anymore. Not like Reid was at risk of breaking him.

  He moved his hands to Gabriel’s hips, holding him still, closing his eyes as he heard Gabriel moan under him, his stomach clenching at the sound. Gabriel was gorgeous, perfect in every way Reid could think of, and surprisingly eager.

  What he lacked in technique he more than made up for in enthusiasm, parting his lips and making soft, needy sounds that went straight to Reid’s cock.

  All Reid could imagine wanting out of life right now was more of this. He’d held back, and told himself it was just a stupid crush, a fleeting interest, but this felt good. He’d waited so long for it, and now it was worth every second.

  “You don’t need to beg,” he murmured. “I’ve been dying to do that.”

  “Me too,” Gabriel said, his lips kiss-swollen and his eyes dark. Their bodies were close enough together that Reid could feel Gabriel half-hard against him, and he couldn’t really pretend that his own cock hadn’t stirred as well.

  Gabriel glanced at the examination table, hope in his eyes.

  Reid chuckled. He could get behind the eagerness, but he didn’t have time right now. Not if he didn’t want to get busted screwing an ex-patient during work hours, in his office.

  Having a crush on Gabriel had been a little unprofessional, but that would have been a whole lot worse.

  “I have other patients.”

  Gabriel sighed, his shoulders slumping with disappointment.

  “Hey, I’m not saying no,” Reid said. “I thought you were supposed to be straight.”

  Gabriel glanced over Reid’s shoulder, staring off into the middle distance, and then blinked a few times and met his eyes again. “I think supposed to be is the key word, there. I don’t… I don’t know, okay? I’m happy to admit that in this case, I just don’t know, but… look, I’m a scientist. I’m all about experimenting.”

  “Experimenting?” Reid raised an eyebrow.

  “With you,” Gabriel clarified. “In, uh. Bed? If that’s something…”

  “Definitely,” Reid said, his stomach fluttering. If Gabriel had been his last appointment for the day, he would already have been tearing his clothes off.

 
; Gabriel looked at him expectantly.

  “I’ll text you my address,” Reid said, figuring that was the best option for both of them. “Come over around seven, I’ll be home by then.”

  Gabriel nodded eagerly, his eyes still wide and dark.

  Reid stared at him for a few moments, still processing what was happening. Belatedly, he pushed away from the wall, giving Gabriel room to escape.

  “Seven,” Gabriel repeated, grabbing his coat and throwing it over his shoulders. His face was flushed and his hair was more of a mess than usual, which was a great look for him.

  Hopefully, people outside would assume it was because Reid had been treating him, not making out with him.

  “I’ll be there,” Gabriel said, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. “Umm. Thank you. For everything.”

  “Thank me after,” Reid responded with a wink.

  Gabriel smiled at that, heading for the door, a definite bounce in his step. Reid understood. His heart was pounding in his chest, excitement and anticipation welling up in his stomach. This was easily the best day of his week so far.

  He flopped down at his desk, grinning ear-to-ear at the thought that Gabriel wanted him, and he’d understood why Reid couldn’t respond the first time, and he’d come back for more.

  Reid pulled up Gabriel’s patient file so he could permanently close it, still grinning to himself. He could hardly wait for seven o’clock to come.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Gabriel chewed on his lip as he looked at the buzzer for Reid’s apartment, his stomach tied up in knots. He was ten floors away from getting something he really, really wanted, but the thought of it was terrifying.

  It didn’t feel like a mistake. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Reid since he’d kissed him, thoughts of what might have happened if it had been an end-of-day appointment filling his head, leaving him useless as he tried to get some work done.

  He was moments away from finding out what might have happened.

  He needed to push the buzzer.

  Gabriel braced himself, took a deep breath, and then pressed his thumb against the button, his heart racing in his chest. This was as exciting as it was terrifying.

  “Gabe?” Reid’s voice crackled through the speaker.

  “Yeah,” Gabriel answered, glad that Reid was still expecting him. The affection in Reid’s tone wasn’t lost through the intercom, and neither was the tiny leap Gabriel’s heart made at the nickname Reid had just bestowed on him.

  Reid had been big on nicknames from the beginning, but this felt different. More personal.

  “Come on up,” Reid said. At the same moment, Gabriel heard the front door unlocking.

  He pushed it open, heading for the elevator at the end of the hall, past a desk which he assumed was staffed during the day.

  This was a nice apartment building. It wasn’t exactly in the center of town, but that meant it was quieter out here. Obviously, physiotherapy paid well.

  Not that Gabriel had ever cared about money. As long as he was comfortable, he was happy. Private consulting work and research grants were enough to keep him in real food and nerdy t-shirts, and he didn’t want anything more than that.

  The elevator ride was agonizingly long, the buttons lighting up one by one as he passed each floor. Thankfully, no one else got in. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to explain his presence right now. Reid probably didn’t want people knowing that he was prone to inviting strange men over.

  Gabriel was definitely strange. He felt out of place here in his worn-out jacket and Incredible Hulk t-shirt.

  He just happened to like this jacket. And this t-shirt.

  And it didn’t seem to have hurt his chances of getting laid. Not yet, anyway. He’d been dressed more or less like this every time he’d seen Reid.

  Gabriel knocked on Reid’s door once he got to it, chewing on his lip again. At least he had a cute nervous tick.

  Nervous barely seemed to cover it. This moment felt life-changing, and his whole body was tense.

  The door swung open before Gabriel was ready for it, his heart jumping into his throat.

  Reid stood on the other side, a towel hanging low around his hips and his hair damp. Gabriel’s eyes went straight to the trail of dark hair leading down from his belly button and disappearing into the towel.

  He licked his lips, nervousness temporarily forgotten as a pang of need hit him. How long had it been since he’d felt this way about anyone? Had he ever felt this way about anyone?

  Gabriel realized he was staring at Reid’s crotch a moment too late, blushing darkly as he looked up.

  “You’re early,” Reid said.

  Gabriel licked his lips. “Five minutes.”

  He hadn’t meant to be early, but his feet had carried him faster than he’d expected. Despite the nervousness, despite the sense that this was a huge moment, Gabriel was eager. Eager to be touched again. Eager to confirm his hypothesis that he wasn’t nearly as straight as he’d tried to pretend he was.

  “It’s not a bad thing,” Reid responded, opening the door wide and stepping back to give Gabriel room to move past him. “I would have been dressed in five minutes, though.”

  Gabriel nodded, stepping into Reid’s apartment and closing the door behind him.

  He was sure it was a nice apartment, but he couldn’t stop staring at Reid long enough to find out. Without his clothes on, Reid was beautiful. Muscular, but not in an off-putting body builder kind of way. Toned, and much bigger than Gabriel was, or ever would be. His skin looked soft and smooth, and Gabriel’s fingers itched to touch it.

  “Can I offer you coffee? Herbal tea? Wine? Beer? Water?” Reid asked. “I think I also have orange juice.”

  Gabriel shook his head, his eyes still following the lines of Reid’s body, his mouth getting dry as he took everything in. The tiniest spark of arousal flared inside him, making his belly feel warm.

  He never felt like this just from looking at someone.

  He’d never let himself look at a mostly-naked man this long before, though.

  “You want me to put some pants on?” Reid asked.

  Gabriel looked up, meeting his eyes. With all the courage he could gather, he shook his head again. “No,” he said, his dry throat making the word catch. He swallowed to try again. “No. I want you to take the towel off.”

  Reid raised an eyebrow, but then smirked, moving his hands to where the towel was tucked at his hip. He unhitched it, moving his hands away and letting it fall to the ground, standing completely naked in front of Gabriel.

  Gabriel swallowed, his throat dry all over again. His stomach bottomed out, arousal making him feel heavy and too warm, the urge to touch Reid surging back again. Not yet. They had plenty of time. They could take this slow.

  Without much to compare to, all Gabriel knew was that looking at Reid’s cock was doing all kinds of things for him. His cheeks were flushed, his heart was pounding in his ears.

  He was staring at another man, naked, and he was really, really enjoying it.

  “I… you…” Gabriel said, unsure how to pay Reid all the compliments that were racing through his mind at once.

  Reid smiled a much kinder smile this time, taking a step toward Gabriel, closing the gap between them. “You’re wearing too many clothes,” he said, reaching out and pushing his hands under the shoulders of Gabriel’s jacket.

  Gabriel moved his arms away from his body so Reid could shove it off, letting it fall to the ground behind him. He closed his eyes as Reid squeezed his shoulders, drawing deep breaths as the touch of the other man’s hands woke up every nerve ending Gabriel had, Reid’s thumbs brushing against the sensitive skin of his neck.

  “Can I keep going?” Reid asked, hesitating.

  Gabriel nodded again, not trusting himself to speak. He wanted this so badly, no matter how nervous he was. He wanted whatever Reid would give him.

  “I like your shirt,” Reid said as he lifted the hem, tugging it up, encouraging Gabri
el to lift his arms so Reid could pull it over his head.

  Some of the tension in Gabriel’s stomach melted away. Reid liked his shirt. Reid wasn’t about to call him a nerd—or at least, if he was, it’d be affectionate. Reid liked nerds.

  He liked Gabriel. For whatever reason, he obviously liked Gabriel.

  That was one more thing that felt impossible to process right now. No one liked him. Not like this.

  Or maybe he’d just been trying with the wrong people.

  “Thanks,” Gabriel said belatedly, looking down as Reid’s hands went to his belt, unfastening the buckle with confident fingers. The jeans that had been at least a size too big when he came back fit him comfortably now, better than they ever had before.

  It was nice to feel good in his own skin for once. He hadn’t, before he’d left. Not ever. But now…

  Reid made him feel good about his body. Reid made him feel good about himself.

  There was nothing sexier than that.

  “You look good,” Reid said, almost as though he’d been reading Gabriel’s mind. “You’ve got some nice definition going on here,” added, tracing the line of Gabriel’s hip.

  He really didn’t hate that. Not enough to join a gym, but maybe enough to keep up the strength exercises Reid had given him.

  Especially if he was going to be naked in front of people more often.

  “You too,” Gabriel responded. “But I guess you know that.”

  Reid grinned at him. “Still nice to hear. You sure you’re up for this?”

  “I’m terrified,” Gabriel admitted. “But… I want… this. Whatever we’re doing.”

  “We’ll take it slow,” Reid promised. “But you’ve seen me naked, so…”

  He ran his fingertips back down Gabriel’s stomach, flicking open the button at the top of his fly.

  Gabriel took a deep breath, hoping he was what Reid wanted. He had no idea what a gay man would look for, what he might see in him.

  In all fairness, he also had no idea what women looked for.

  “Boxer briefs,” Reid commented, a smile in his voice as he slid the zipper of Gabriel’s jeans down. “Solid choice.”