Princes of the Universe

by Serene Franklin

  “Okay,” I choked out.

  He smiled down at me then slowly pushed in, stopping halfway when I winced and my hands flew to his thighs, gripping him tight. His uneven voice urged me to breathe and relax. He sounded winded almost, and I realized that it probably took a lot of restraint for him to go this slow on my account. I studied his face and saw lines of concentration on his forehead and the muscles in his jaw flinch, telling me his teeth were clenched. I focused on him and his reactions as he pushed farther in until his body was pressed up against mine. His mouth grew slack and his lips trembled as he stared back at me, making me hot all over.

  My ass stung and burned, but it wasn’t anywhere near the pain I remembered from years ago. I was still hard, just from watching the enjoyment play out across his features. I reached for him, craving his warmth, and he leaned down over me, taking my mouth as he slowly ground his hips into me.

  I cried out into his mouth and wrapped my arms under his, latching onto his back. His muscles moved under my fingers with every controlled thrust, and I wondered how beautiful that would be to see. The thought of watching as Bryan and I did this made my skin prickle to attention.

  He snapped his hips a little harder and nailed that sensitive spot. The pain from the sudden movement was far outweighed by the almost overwhelming pleasure from his cock stimulating that spot. The burn persisted, but his thrusts kept hitting their target, and I stopped caring about the pain. We both panted and moaned, each giving and taking from each other all we could. Bryan slid a hand between us and stroked my cock in time with his quickening thrusts, tearing apart the last threads of my self-control.

  My orgasm started at the base of my spine and roared through me with more force than I ever thought possible. My body felt like it had been disassembled and reconfigured at the molecular level and now permanently had a part of Bryan within me. My voice came out strangled and hoarse from overuse as I dug my blunt nails into the smooth skin on his back. He kept moving, fucking me through my spasms until he stilled and his breaths stuttered out as his cock pulsed inside me.

  He collapsed on top of me, burrowing his face into the crook of my neck, nipping at my sensitive skin. His hand came up and brushed my sweat-dampened hair back from my forehead, and he trailed soft, sweet kisses all over my neck, like he couldn’t get enough of the taste. I was too exhausted to lift my head and kiss him back, so I lay there, chest heaving and ragged.

  When both of our breathing leveled out, Bryan pressed his forehead to mine and smiled, asking if I was okay. I simply returned his warm smile and nodded, not yet able to form coherent sentences. He sat up and slowly pulled out of me, and I winced at his absence in and around me. His fingers smeared the drying cum on his stomach, and he suggested we take another shower. A grunt was all I could muster. He snorted a laugh and rolled off the bed and left the room. I heard him scream when Prince must have attacked him and rolled on my side, snickering.

  We let Prince back into the bedroom after we showered again. She acted like she hadn’t seen us in weeks, and I felt mildly guilty for having locked her out. Bryan sat behind me with his arms around my waist, hiding his head against my back while she tried to get at his face. Although I really couldn’t blame her.

  In the shower, Bryan had told me again that he loved me while he cleaned me up. I was still unsteady on my feet and had relied on him to keep me upright, which he did without me needing to ask. When we got back to my room, I told him I wanted to show him something and led him over to the closet. I opened the door and let him look through the painted canvases and at the larger, unpainted one. I’d thanked him for inspiring me to paint again and asked if he’d model for the larger piece, to which he enthusiastically agreed.

  We’d moved to the bed, where Bryan had started kissing me and feeling me up again when Prince jumped up and attacked him. We moved to the head of the bed, where we sat now, and I laughed as he protested Prince’s relentless brand of love.

  “You might as well give in. She’ll never give up until she gets her way.”

  He held me tighter and giggled adorably against the back of my neck. “I can wait her out forever if I have to.”

  “You’ll starve to death before she stops,” I teased.

  “I’ve finally feasted on the best cake of all and can die happy. Bring it.”

  I turned my head back toward him and asked what he meant, and he shifted one hand down and squeezed my ass. “This cake right here,” he drawled into my ear.

  My eyes went wide as realization struck. “Oh my God, the bakery…”

  He broke out into laughter, spurring Prince on even more. “You really didn’t know what that meant?”

  “I’m so fucking clueless,” I mumbled.

  “Maybe, but I still love you.”

  I echoed the words back to him, and he kissed my cheek before he released his hold on me and let Prince have her way with him. I turned and looked on as the two things I valued most in the world were happy and healthy, and I considered myself lucky beyond measure. I was lucky to have found Bryan and lucky to have this chance at a new beginning. I intended to make the most of my good fortune every day going forward.

  Epilogue

  Bryan

  Six Months Later

  I couldn’t recall a time in my life when I was happier than I was now. Business held steady over the winter and significantly picked up with the onset of spring—I was even able to hire more staff and reduce my own hours so I could see Eli more. Speaking of, he and I were taking the next step and moving in together in a few days. Mac gave me hell about having called it back in November, but he was supportive of us and had been waiting for us to “pull our heads out of our asses.”

  The timing was pretty handy to help out a friend too. Eve’s younger brother got evicted from his apartment and had been crashing with her and Samir, causing some friction for the newlyweds. I talked to Mac first then offered my old room for Dubhlainn to rent at a reduced rate. I owned the apartment, so it wasn’t a big deal or adding any financial burden to Mac. As a thank-you to my best friend, I was spending my Sunday evening at the bakery with Eli making croissants, macarons, and a red velvet cake to bring over the next day.

  As great as everything had been going, a little something I’d been carrying around for three weeks made me feel anxiety like nothing else ever had. It was a smooth platinum band with a small brown topaz stone that matched Eli’s eyes; it was an engagement ring. I’d bought it while I was out looking for earrings for my mom for Mother’s Day and had kept it on my person ever since for fear of Eli finding it before I was ready.

  I knew without a doubt that I wanted to commit the rest of my life to him, but I wanted the proposal to be perfect. Finding that perfect moment where life didn’t get in the way was far more difficult than I thought it would be. I obsessed over how to propose some nights to the point where it kept me up for hours.

  A loud clang caught my attention, and I craned my neck to see that Eli had dropped an empty mixing bowl on the floor. He cursed under his breath and picked it up, setting it aside and grabbing a new one. He’d borrowed one of my aprons and looked more like a snack instead of a chef. Knowing and not caring that I’d have to start over, I abandoned the dough I’d been kneading at my station and crept up behind Eli. I placed a hand on his hip, startling him. He turned his head then relaxed into my hold when he saw me.

  “What are you up to?” he asked suspiciously.

  I hummed in response and slid my hands up under the hem of his shirt, leaving a trail of flour everywhere my hands touched. I skimmed over his ticklish ribs, his chest, and tight stomach. He sucked in a sharp breath when I roughly brushed a nipple with my thumb, so I did it again. I wasn’t planning on taking things further than some mild groping, but when he rested his head against my shoulder and moaned while grinding his ass into my crotch, my self-restraint frayed and snapped.

  I’d unbuttoned his pants and worked my hand into his underwear when I realized that this, in its own way, was a
perfect moment; every moment with Eli was new and exciting and perfect. Whether we were fighting, fucking, cooking, or watching a movie, it was all perfect because of him.

  I didn’t need to wait for the stars to align or for the sunset to be just right. All that mattered was us. No flair, no gimmicks, and no bullshit. It was just like I’d been telling him: there were no rules. I’d momentarily lost sight of that and wasted too much time fretting. Without a doubt, I knew he’d say yes, and I wanted to ask him as soon as possible—just not in the middle of sex. I doubted he’d ever forgive me for that, and I planned on being in his good graces forever.

  Also by Serene Franklin

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks are in order for a few people. First up are Cass and Jenny for alpha reading once again.

  To Katze for always listening, being supportive, and helping keep me focused.

  To Caitlyn for putting up with my rants, and for always indulging me when I go off on a tangent about my boys. Oh, and for “Fat Bottomed Girls”.

  To Steven for making Chicago feel like a second home.

  About the Author

  Serene Franklin lives in Halifax (Nova Scotia, not California), but has fallen in love with Chicago through research and writing. She has a political science degree, and—more importantly—an adorable and mildly irritating Goldendoodle named Tai.

  When not writing, she enjoys reading, cooking spicy food, thrashing to music, losing at crib, and watching movies. Serene is a proud otaku and collector of anime figures in addition to novels and yaoi manga.

  Serene currently writes contemporary MM romance, but has plans to branch out into other subgenres.

  Email: sfwrites801@gmail.com