The Boyfriend Experiment

by Sean Ashcroft

  That was fine. Reid couldn’t wait for him to start figuring out the rest.

  Reid locked his ankles behind Gabriel’s back, his heels digging into Gabriel’s ass, pushing him forward. This felt so good, the steady, perfect rhythm, the heat between them, the constant pressure on all of Reid’s most sensitive spots, his balls already aching with the urge to come.

  He meant to hold back for a while, but he was desperate by now. Sucking Gabriel’s cock had been amazing, the taste of him still lingering in Reid’s mouth, the memory of the soft, broken sounds he’d made still making his stomach twist in the best possible way.

  He’d have to suck Gabriel’s cock more often.

  “You feel amazing,” Reid murmured, resting a hand on his own thigh. Gabriel was still teasing him, still barely brushing against his cock in time with his thrusts, every one of them sending a new shockwave of pleasure coursing through Reid’s body, his desperation ramping up quickly, a snowball rolling down a hill.

  He wanted to touch himself, but he wasn’t sure Gabriel would let him.

  And as much as he wanted it, the thought of Gabriel being in charge was hot. He was so hot when he was confident, and Reid wanted to bask in that, enjoy his beautiful, perfect boyfriend and let him have this.

  On the other hand, if he didn’t come soon, he was pretty sure he was going to burst.

  “You too,” Gabriel gasped eventually, apparently lost in his own thoughts, too busy enjoying himself to respond.

  Reid slid his hand toward his cock, too desperate for touch to wait any longer.

  As expected, Gabriel batted his hand away.

  “Mine,” he growled, a low, rumbling sound that settled in Reid’s gut.

  Thankfully, Gabriel wrapped his fingers around Reid’s cock, running his thumb up the underside, spreading precome along the shaft as he went, back and forth, back and forth, the rhythm between them building, speeding up.

  Gabriel was close, too. Reid could feel it in the way he was holding himself, hear it in his breathing, the thrusts of his hips getting harder, sharper, snapping instead of rocking, all the signs of someone who wanted to come, and wanted to come soon.

  “Close,” Reid gasped, not wanting Gabriel to worry that he was about to come too soon. Reid was only seconds away himself, arousal welling up in the space above his balls, his thighs trembling as he rocked his hips, tension making his stomach tight.

  Gabriel’s fingers were so sure this time, so confident, gripping him tightly and jerking him off, all of Gabriel’s concentration on the task, the tip of his tongue poking out between his lips.

  Reid would never forget that. He wanted to reach up and pull Gabriel down, kiss the last of the breath out of him, feel him come deep inside his body.

  Some other time. There’d be more times like this, if Reid had any say in it. He wanted to do this as often as possible, with Gabriel, for as long as Gabriel would have him.

  Love was weird, but he was getting the hang of it.

  “Reid,” Gabriel gasped, leaning forward, putting more weight on Reid’s shoulder where he was still bracing himself. He squeezed Reid’s cock tightly one last time, and that was all it took.

  Reid felt a white-hot bolt of pleasure shoot down his spine, making his back arch high, forcing his cock into Gabriel’s hand as he started to come, making a mess of both of them. Gabriel rocked him through it, kept up the hard, deep thrusts he’d switched to, every one of them making Reid’s whole body shudder.

  Gabriel had gained a lot of strength, and Reid was really glad he got to benefit from that.

  He closed his eyes as he finished, gasping for air as wave after wave of pleasure wrung him out, groaning as the few muscles he was using to hold himself up gave out, collapsing onto the bed.

  Gabriel was gasping for air above him, riding out the last few thrusts before he was coming, too, soft whimpers punctuating every jerk of his hips as he came inside Reid for what felt like hours.

  It felt so good to make Gabriel come. Gabriel had seen the wonders of the universe, and he was still here, in Reid’s bed, moaning as though this was the best moment of his life.

  Besides that, he loved Gabriel. He loved Gabriel with all of his heart, like he’d never loved anyone before. It felt good to know he was happy, satisfied, enjoying this as much as Reid had.

  He was getting sentimental, but that was okay. Reid had something important to be sentimental about.

  Gabriel knelt back for a few moments, his chest heaving as he panted, and then turned to the side to fall face-first into the mattress.

  “I’m declaring the boyfriend experiment a success,” Gabriel mumbled into the sheets underneath him. “But I’d like to make it an ongoing study.”

  Reid chuckled. That sounded perfect. “I could stand to be your test subject for a while longer,” he said. “Until you get sick of me.”

  “I can’t imagine getting sick of you.” Gabriel sighed as he rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling.

  After a moment, he reached out and grabbed Reid’s hand.

  “It’s going to take me a while to get used to doing this in public,” he said, squeezing Reid’s fingers gently. “But I’ll do my best.”

  “Your best is pretty damned good,” Reid responded, his heart soaring at the simple touch. “I’ll take it.”

  He intended to give Gabriel his best, too.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Gabriel couldn’t help smiling the moment he spotted Reid coming through the door to the coffee shop. He’d gotten up long before Reid this morning, left before he’d been awake, and he’d missed him all day.

  They hadn’t quite moved in together yet, but they were getting close to that. More and more of Gabriel’s stuff had found its way into Reid’s apartment, and the place was starting to look like a home.

  It was nice. It was nice to feel, for once, like he really belonged somewhere.

  The grad student he was talking to—Matt—glanced over at Reid as he approached them, watching as he slid into the booth beside Gabriel, pressing their hips together.

  His joy at seeing Reid come in faded as soon as he saw the look on Matt’s face. He couldn’t decipher it, exactly, but there was definitely surprise in there.

  Gabriel’s stomach turned over.

  He’d never had to come out to a student before.

  He hadn’t thought about it in a while, since he’d largely had time to ease into it since Reid’s award night, but this was different.

  Gabriel cleared his throat. He wasn’t going to let this defeat him. Not now that he’d come so far.

  “This is Reid, my boyfriend. Reid, this is Matt, my prospective grad student.”

  Gabriel could refuse to supervise him if he reacted badly. It was within his power to do that. But if Matt took offense, he could also make a big deal out of it.

  It was a risk.

  But it was a risk worth taking. He wasn’t going to deny that he was in love with Reid. He wasn’t going to disown the man who’d changed his life, who was his first thought in the morning and his last before he fell asleep.

  Reid meant everything to him.

  More than enough to take this risk.

  “Oh.” Matt’s eyes widened. “It’s, uh, it’s great to meet you. Are you an engineer too?”

  Reid chuckled at that. “I’m a physical therapist, but I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “I just… figured nerds tend to stick together,” Matt said, blushing. “My boyfriend’s studying math.”

  Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief.

  Matt had been surprised, but in a good way.

  In fact, his whole posture had changed. His shoulders straightened up, and he looked less nervous, less small and unsure of himself.

  Because he knew he wasn’t alone.

  Gabriel knew that feeling. Every time he realized he wasn’t the only one of his kind in a room, he felt a sense of peace. Security.

  The knowledge that he wasn’t the only one meant a lot to him, so it
probably meant a lot to Matt, too.

  Maybe the whole coming out thing wasn’t so bad, after all. If Gabriel could give just one person the comfort of knowing that they weren’t alone… it was worth it.

  He’d hidden himself away for so many years because he hadn’t had anyone. Maybe it didn’t have to be that way for everyone if he was brave enough to live openly.

  Maybe he could do some real good in the world. He’d told Reid he wanted to give back, and he was starting to feel as though he might actually be able to.

  “Oh, he’s a huge nerd,” Gabriel assured Matt, grinning up at Reid.

  Reid didn’t argue. He wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on if he had, anyway.

  “He’d have to be to put up with me,” Gabriel continued. “We’ll have to host you both for dinner sometime. You and your boyfriend. You’re my first grad student, but I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to get to know you.”

  Matt’s eyes widened again. “So you’ll take me on?” he asked.

  Gabriel nodded.

  He’d already been ninety percent sure he was going to, but Matt’s reaction to Reid had sealed the deal.

  They had to stick together. No one else was going to look out for them.

  If that was all Gabriel managed to accomplish from now on, he was happy.

  “Thank you so much,” Matt gushed, holding out his hand for Gabriel.

  Gabriel chuckled as he shook it, the joy he’d felt when he saw Reid resurfacing at Matt’s enthusiasm. “You’re welcome. I’ll fill out the paperwork for you, and then we’ll get to work. It was great to meet you in person.”

  Matt nodded eagerly, standing and gathering his things. “I, uh… you don’t need anything else from me, right?”

  Gabriel laughed again. “No. Go tell your boyfriend,” he said, knowing that was exactly what he’d want to do in Matt’s place. Gabriel only had a year or two on him, so he understood where Matt was in his life.

  “Thank you so much,” Matt repeated. “You won’t regret this. I’m gonna work so hard.”

  Gabriel didn’t doubt that for a second. Matt reminded him of himself a lot.

  Hopefully, he’d get to do amazing things, too. And unlike Gabriel, he’d have someone to share it with.

  Well. Gabriel had someone now, and he was never, ever giving that up. Not for anything.

  “So you were serious about giving back, huh?” Reid asked once Matt was out of earshot.

  Gabriel nodded, sipping his coffee. “I have all this knowledge and all these connections. It’s time I started sharing that. He seems like a good starting point.”

  “You seem happy,” Reid said. “Which is really hot, by the way.”

  “I am happy,” Gabriel responded, snuggling closer to Reid.

  “Hey, uh… thanks for not disowning me,” Reid murmured. “I… I mean, I would’ve understood if you had, but it means a lot that you’re willing to be out for me.”

  “It’s not just for you,” Gabriel said automatically. “It’s for me, too. And for people like Matt. Did you see how his whole personality changed when he realized I was gay? That felt amazing.”

  “You’re amazing,” Reid said, leaning close to peck Gabriel’s cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “I’m proud of you, too,” Gabriel said. “Always.”

  Epilogue

  Three years later...

  Reid’s stomach was in knots as he waited for Gabriel to climb out of the shuttle, nervousness and excitement warring inside him. He was so damned proud of Gabriel for making a second trip, for putting himself through it all despite knowing what the consequences were.

  And he’d be there to help. Every step of the way.

  He’d promised Gabriel all the hot baths and shoulder massages he could handle, and he intended to make good on that promise.

  The fact that Gabriel had stuck by him for so long meant the world to Reid.

  His face broke into a grin as he saw Gabriel climbing down the ladder, his movements stiff, his steps careful, his grip tight.

  He took two steps on the ground before he lurched forward alarmingly, leaving Reid darting in so he could catch him, propping him up until he regained his balance.

  Gabriel panted against Reid’s chest, struggling to catch his breath.

  “I hate gravity,” he complained.

  Reid chuckled. “You’ll get used to it again,” he murmured, hugging Gabriel close and kissing the top of his head. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too.” Gabriel snuggled closer. “It’s good to be home. Minus the gravity.”

  “You’re gonna love gravity when we get back to the hotel. You’ve been gone three weeks. I’ve really missed you.”

  Reid grinned down at Gabriel, who was blushing all the way into his collar. “I don’t know if I can…”

  “We’ll figure it out,” Reid promised. “You think you can stand by yourself?”

  Gabriel blinked at him. “Uh, sure, I guess? I like hugging, though.”

  “I just need a second,” Reid said, his stomach bottoming out at what he was about to do.

  Gabriel straightened up, bracing himself on his own two feet.

  Before Reid could lose his nerve, he got down on one knee, looking up at Gabriel.

  “I didn’t get a ring ‘cause I figured you wouldn’t wear it, but… I was thinking… I’d really like you to marry me.”

  Gabriel stared down at him, swallowing visibly. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, his lips making shapes, but no sound coming out.

  Reid’s heart pounded in his chest while he waited for an answer.

  He wanted this more than he’d ever wanted anything. He wanted to be with Gabriel for the rest of his life, to be the person who waited for him when he got back from space, to be by his side, always. Forever.

  “Are you serious? Or is this, like, a weird post-space travel hallucination?” Gabriel asked.

  “I’m serious,” Reid said. “I want this. I want you.”

  Gabriel’s face broke into a smile, his eyes softening. “Well, I’m not getting any better offers,” he said. “Can’t improve on perfect.”

  Reid laughed, springing up to hug Gabriel again, holding him tight.

  “I love you,” he murmured into Gabriel’s hair. “And I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too,” Gabriel repeated. They probably weren’t going to get over that for a few days, but that was okay. Reid was looking forward to rediscovering Gabriel, inch by inch.

  Repeatedly. For the whole week they’d both agreed to take off after Gabriel got back.

  “You need to rest,” Reid said, bending his knees to lift Gabriel off the floor. He’d never been heavy, but three weeks in space had left him noticeably lighter.

  That was fine. There’d be a few weeks where he could pick him up and carry him around without too much effort and minimal complaints.

  Reid was looking forward to that.

  “Hey!” Gabriel objected, as if he’d read Reid’s mind. “I have reports and stuff to file.”

  “Later,” Reid said. “As your physical therapist, I’m ordering you to take a nap before you do anything else. Curled up next to someone warm.”

  Gabriel chuckled at that, wrapping his arms around Reid’s neck. “Know anyone like that?”

  Reid laughed. At least going back to space hadn’t changed Gabriel’s sense of humor.

  “You’re gonna pay for that when we get started on your therapy,” he said. “You’re lucky I love you.”

  Before anyone could object, Reid carried Gabriel away from the landing pad, grinning to himself the whole time.

  He was definitely ready to be with Gabriel for the rest of his life.

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  Enjoyed The Boyfriend Experiment? Try Spring Fling!

  Chapter One

&
nbsp; “Oh no, no no no,” Cassie said as Spencer came out of his bedroom. “We’re trying to get you laid, not taking you to a job interview.”

  Spencer looked down at his pressed pants and polished shoes. “Too formal?” he guessed. He didn’t really have going out clothes. He never went out. The comfy cardigans he preferred at work didn’t really seem like the ideal outfit to attract a man in, so he’d defaulted to being neat. Which, in his case, meant putting on the one suit he owned for occasions when he absolutely had to wear a suit.

  “Way too formal.” Cassie pushed herself away from the couch where she’d been leaning and walked over to him. “We’re trying to attract Mr. Right Now, not marry you off. I know you own jeans. I’ve seen you in them.”

  Spencer sighed. He was never going to get this on his own. “Can you just… dress me? Because I’m not gonna get this right.”

  Cassie’s whole face lit up. “I was hoping you’d say that,” she said as she whooshed past Spencer into his bedroom, throwing his closet doors open.

  The look on her face at first made Spencer wince, but the determined set of her brow a moment later gave him hope. His closet wasn’t particularly varied, but if anyone could make it work, it was Cassie. Problem-solving was kind of her thing.

  He hadn’t had sex with another person in so long that he might as well have been a virgin all over again. Apparently even his students had noticed last semester that he was wound up. Cassie had let him in on the fact that he was, among the student body, widely thought of as someone who desperately needed to get laid. It had come as a shock, because he didn’t think of himself as someone who snapped a lot. He’d been under a lot of stress lately, and not having an outlet—or any time to find one—hadn’t helped.

  Cassie insisted that he was getting laid before Spring semester started, and since she seemed determined to help, Spencer wasn’t about to say no. He was all for the idea, and he needed all the help he could get.

  “There’s a cute guy in there somewhere,” Cassie gestured at Spencer, and then at the clothes in his closet. “We’ve just gotta coax him out.”