“It can’t be that late,” Erik scoffed as he glanced over at the clock. “It’s only ... ten o’clock? Holy shit. How did I sleep that late?” He threw back the covers.
Seth grinned. “Good sex will wear you out.”
“Good sex?” Erik made a disparaging sound. “That was far more than good sex. That was great sex. Life-changing sex.”
He strode toward the bathroom, but when he didn’t hear Seth following, he stopped in the doorway of the bathroom and turned. “Are you coming?”
Seth was sitting on the bed with a smile on his face. “Life-changing, huh?”
Erik shrugged, feeling oddly bashful. “It was for me.”
Seth’s smile widened as he stood, then walked toward Erik. “It was pretty fucking great for me too.”
They made it downstairs with less than ten minutes before breakfast was supposed to end. The waffle batter was gone, and there were barely enough eggs for two, but they managed to cobble together enough for breakfast to fill their empty stomachs and give them some fuel for the day.
“Now that we’ve eaten, what should we do next?” Erik asked, pushing away his plate. He reached for the mug of Seth’s cocoa and coffee mixture.
“Might not be a bad idea to check the weather report,” Seth said with a little sigh. “See if the storm is finally letting up.”
Erik felt a jolt go through him. He didn’t like the thought of the storm letting up. As long as it kept snowing, they’d be holed up here. It didn’t sound like the worst thing to him. More nights sharing a bed with Seth. More showering together. More blowjobs. More sex. There were a lot of things they hadn’t tried yet ... Erik shifted in his chair. Probably not the best thing to think about in a public space, but as he watched Seth sip his coffee as he pulled up the weather report on his phone, he realized he didn’t actually care. So what if the few people around him realized he and Seth were intimately involved? Their ankles were tangled together under the small table, Seth’s knees bracketing Erik’s left leg, and if that didn’t give them away, surely the way Erik looked at him did.
Now that he’d discovered this part about himself, he didn’t want to pretend like it was something horrible or something to be ashamed of. The past few days with Seth had made him happier than decades with Robin.
He reached out and touched Seth’s wrist. “Thank you for this.”
Seth looked up at him in surprise. “For what?”
“For all of this.” Erik struggled to put it into words. “For ... helping me figure out this part of myself. I’ve been happier lately than I have been in a long time.”
Seth smiled and flipped his hand over in invitation. “I’m glad.”
Erik grasped the offered hand and squeezed. “I mean it. I’m not going to go back to Philly the same man I was when I left it.”
“It was a real pleasure to help you.” Seth squeezed back but didn’t let go.
If Seth would have said those words with a different expression on his face, Erik might have thought he was referring to the sex, but there was a warmth and kindness in his eyes that told Erik he meant it on a far deeper level. Seth was the kind of person who liked helping people. He was kind and generous in a way Erik had never been, and he felt like he had a lot of soul searching to do once he was back home.
“Hmm. Looks like you’ll be heading back to Philly sooner than anticipated,” Seth said.
“What?”
“Storm’s clearing up. We should be able to fly out tonight or tomorrow at the very latest.”’
“Oh.” Erik swallowed hard. “Okay.”
“Guess we better book our flights and figure out what to do with the remaining time we have here.”
“Guess so.”
Everything felt strange and echoey, like Erik had been hollowed out. He should be happy about no longer being trapped in this hotel. But it was hard to get excited about the thought of flying home to an empty apartment.
And leaving Seth behind.
Chapter Nine
Erik glanced between the two flights he was considering. Should he leave tonight or tomorrow?
He didn’t actually want to leave at all, but he knew he had to. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life holed up in this hotel room with Seth. Though it sounded far more pleasant than it had just a few short days ago.
“When were you thinking of flying out?” Seth asked.
Erik glanced up from his laptop. They’d come straight up after breakfast, and now he and Seth sat on beds opposite each other with their computers. It felt like miles. So much for spending the whole day in bed together, he thought bleakly. “I don’t know yet,” he said aloud.
“I was thinking if we got flights at somewhat similar times, we could share a ride to the airport.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Maybe if Erik picked a slightly later flight tomorrow, they’d have a little more time together. He wasn’t ready for this to end. It had been too good. “I was thinking maybe tomorrow?” he said tentatively. “I know you want to get to Pittsburgh to visit your family, but the flight times are better.”
“Yeah, no, that works,” Seth said. “We should probably give them a little more time to clear the roads anyway.”
“Good idea.” The snow had stopped completely now. Why couldn’t it have gone on another day or two? “Tomorrow there’s a flight around noon to Philly.”
“I see one to Pittsburgh about half an hour before that.”
“Perfect.” It felt like a lie.
“Cool.” Seth’s smile seemed a little less free than usual, or was that just Erik’s wishful thinking?
“I guess I’ll book my flight then.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
For a while, there was only the sound of fingers tapping away at keyboards, but when Erik could delay it no longer, he hit the confirm button and the deed was done. A minute later there was a confirmation email in Erik’s inbox and a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt suddenly unmoored, like a boat that had lost its anchor. Which was stupid. He’d been ... doing whatever this was with Seth for a couple days. That was all. So why did he feel such a sense of loss at the idea of walking away from him? It was utterly ridiculous, and yet ...
“Well, I’m all set,” Seth said. “Want me to set up a ride for tomorrow? I was thinking we’d leave around nine. That should give us enough time to get to the airport, go through security, and grab a bite to eat before our flights.”
“Sounds good. Although it shouldn’t take me too long at security,” Erik said. “I do TSA precheck.”
“Yeah, me too.” Seth shrugged. “We can relax for a bit before we go to our gates. What airline are you flying?”
“Delta. I get decent miles with my business credit card.”
“American for me.” Seth shot him a fleeting smile. “We can hang out together over coffee or something before we go to our gates though.”
“Bet the coffee won’t be as good as yours,” Erik joked. Would he ever drink coffee without thinking of Seth? Maybe it would fade eventually but right now the idea felt sharp and acutely painful.
“How could it be?” Seth set his laptop aside. “Okay, our ride is all scheduled. They’ll be here at nine.”
“Thanks.”
Seth’s phone buzzed on the nightstand. He picked it up and read the message, a smile lightening the serious look he’d had on his face. “My mom is so excited that I’ll be home tomorrow.” He chuckled. “I think she’d been debating if it was worth hunting down a dog sled to bring me home herself.”
“That’s, uh, that’s good.” Erik managed a weak smile.
Seth glanced up and gave him a quizzical look. “Why don’t you sound totally convinced of that?”
Erik shrugged. “I guess I’ve gotten used to spending time with you. My apartment is going to feel a little empty.” He tried to smile as he said it, but his heart wasn’t it in.
“Oh, that’s right. You don’t have any plans at all this week then?”
Erik shook his
head. Just the trip to Tahiti he’d planned to take, and it no longer held the appeal it once had.
“Would you like to come to Pittsburgh instead? You’d be welcome to join my family celebration. Everyone lives in the area, so my mom is talking about doing something to get everyone together tomorrow night.”
“That’s kind of you, but no, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
Seth scoffed. “Anyone is welcome. I used to bring home friends from college all the time if they lived too far away to fly home for the holidays. And my mom’s always bringing home strays.”
“No, I’ll be fine. But thank you. Besides, I have tons of work to do when I get home. Bertram needs my assessment of the property so we can make a decision before the end of the year.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” he lied. “Besides, I still need to plan my trip to Tahiti, remember?”
“Okay. Well, the offer stands if you change your mind.”
“Thanks.” Erik managed a smile, but it wobbled the moment Seth looked away. Damn it. Why was he having such a hard time with this? It had never been intended as more than a couple of days. Seth had offered to show him what sex with a man was like. He’d never offered to make Erik a part of his life.
He needed to do what he’d planned from the very beginning. Go home. Pack. And fly to a tropical island. Now he was open to the idea of drinks coming from hot men or women, but nothing else had changed.
After texting for a few minutes, Seth rose and walked over to Erik’s bed. “So, I hope you don’t think I forgot about the promise I made you yesterday.”
“What’s that?”
“Spending the day in bed together. I really should have gone down and brought you breakfast in bed for the full experience.”
“It’s okay.” Erik’s grin was half-hearted.
Seth put one knee on the bed. “Well, how about we start the day over? Third time’s the charm? We do still have the rest of today and tomorrow morning.”
“Yeah,” Erik said, a shade too over-eager, but Seth didn’t even blink. “I’d be okay with that.”
By mid-afternoon, Erik had fucked Seth again. They’d napped for a little while, eaten Chinese, kissed more, and snuck in several good conversations.
“Where do you see yourself in ten years?” Erik asked Seth as they lay in bed, drowsy and content from their most recent orgasms. The room was still warm, and the sheets were tangled low around Seth’s hips. It was a good look on him.
“Hmm. I don’t know. Hopefully, still traveling. Reviewing for the magazine. I’ve thought about writing a book too.” He bit his lip, looking uncharacteristically bashful. “I’ve never told anyone that. Actually, I have maybe a few chapters of it written. I’m not sure if I’ll keep them or scrap them but ... we’ll see.”
“What’s it about?”
“It’s sort of the gay equivalent of Eat, Pray, Love, I guess. A guy traveling the world and finding himself. I’m sure it’s been done before, but ...”
“No, it sounds interesting. Would you let me read what you have?”
“Ugh.” Seth flipped over, burying his face against Erik’s shoulder. “If you really want to.” His voice was muffled.
“Only if you want me to.” Erik played with Seth’s hair.
After a minute, Seth lifted his head. His face was a little red, and his nose was wrinkled up in what looked like disgust. “I suppose.”
“If it’s too personal ...”
“No. I mean, kind of. I don’t know. I’ve just never admitted I was even writing it to anyone or thought about sharing it. It feels a little weird.” Seth reached across him, fumbling on the nightstand for his phone. He toyed with it a minute before he handed it to Erik. “There.”
“You want me to read it now?”
“You probably should before I chicken out.” Seth flopped onto his back with a sigh and stared at the ceiling. “And before I die of mortification.”
“I’m sure I’ll love it.” Erik ignored Seth’s scoff. He nudged Seth’s thigh with his knee. “At least, let me read it before you tell me I’ll hate it.”
“Fine. Read. I’ll shut up now.”
The story didn’t seem to have a title yet, and it was clearly rough. There were chunks missing, and it looked like at one point Seth changed the name of the main character mid-paragraph. But it was good. Despite the roughness, Erik got lost in the words anyway, sinking into the pictures Seth painted with them, and he was disappointed when it ended abruptly.
“What you have so far is really good.” He set the phone on Seth’s chest.
Seth twisted to look at him. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”
“No. You clearly have a lot more to do, but you’re off to a good start. I wanted to read more.” He gave Seth a serious look. “Don’t give up. You’re onto something.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” Seth tossed the phone aside. “But not right now. Right now, I have a gorgeous, naked man in bed with me, and we still have a lot of territory to cover.”
“Yeah?” Erik said, echoing Seth’s earlier question with a smile.
“Oh, yeah.” Seth draped himself across Erik’s chest as he leaned in for a heated kiss. “So much more.”
“Like what?” Erik asked a little breathlessly. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what Seth was talking about, and the idea of it sent eager anticipation skittering through his veins.
“Like me inside of you. If that’s something you want to explore.”
Erik nodded. His chest felt too tight to say the words aloud but Seth stared into his eyes a minute before he nodded too.
“Guess I better get the toy from the bathroom.”
They’d left it on the counter beside the sink after they’d cleaned up this morning. Thank goodness they’d hung a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door handle or Doreen would have been in for a surprise.
“Guess you better.”
Half an hour later, with his hips propped up on pillows and the small end of the toy buried inside of him, Erik’s head swam. Sounds poured from his lips that he’d never imagined he’d make, and his thighs quivered as he fought to hold back an orgasm. “No more,” he said hoarsely. “I need you in me, Seth.” He didn’t care how desperate he sounded. He was desperate.
“Hold the toy inside you while I get a condom on.”
Erik nodded, reaching down between his legs to press the toy up inside of him as Seth let go. It nudged it against the sensitive bundle of nerves Seth had been so expertly tormenting, and Erik let out another ragged moan. “Hurry.”
Seth moved fast as he tore open the wrapper with shaking fingers and coated himself with the slick gel. “Hang on.”
Erik closed his eyes, trying to breathe slowly and deeply, even as he felt Seth settle between his thighs again.
“Look at me, Erik,” he prompted.
Erik’s vision swam as he stared down the length of his body and saw Seth kneeling there. And then the toy was gone, and Seth was nudging at his entrance, and all Erik could do was let out a low, long groan as Seth pushed inside. He felt far better than the toy. Softer, more yielding, yet hard enough to go deep. Seth gently pushed Erik’s legs up and back. He felt the stretch in his muscles, but it was nothing compared to the feel of Seth stretching him open as he seated himself fully.
“I’m not going to last,” Erik said with a gasp.
“Neither am I.” Seth’s gaze was dark, and his eyes heavy-lidded as he stared down at him. “You feel so good.”
“Just move. Please.” There was a raw, ragged edge to Erik’s voice, and he’d never in his life imaged he’d be begging another man to fuck him, but in that instant, there was nothing he wanted more. “Please, Seth.”
Seth shifted his hips, drawing back and dragging a rough moan from both their lips. There was another drawn-out moan as he thrust forward slowly, and then he was moving. It was better than Erik had ever imagined, lighting every nerve-ending in his body on fir
e, and he’d never felt closer to another human being before. They shifted somehow so Erik had one leg wrapped around Seth’s hip, and he was able to flatten his palm against Seth’s back. They couldn’t quite kiss in this position, but it still allowed him to see Seth’s face. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes were dazed, and his hair grew damp along the hairline as sweat gathered there.
The head of Erik’s cock dragged along Seth’s abdomen, and enough moisture had leaked from the tip that it slipped with just enough friction to be pleasurable rather than painful.
“God, Erik ...” Seth closed his eyes. “I’m getting close.”
“Me too,” Erik panted. “Just a little longer.”
The muscles in Seth’s jaws flexed as he kept going—deeper, harder—as Erik urged him on. Every muscle in Erik’s body tightened. When Seth leaned in and hit just the right spot inside him and the pressure on Erik’s cock where it was pressed between their bodies increased, Erik came with a startled shout of pleasure.
His toes curled and his muscles clenched, and the orgasm seemed to rip itself from his bones. He lost himself in the white-hot pleasure, and it wasn’t until Seth collapsed on his chest with a tortured groan that Erik felt his brain come back together.
Seth buried his head against Erik’s neck, and Erik wrapped his arms tight around Seth, as if it could somehow stop time and freeze them in this moment. He wanted this. Needed it. And the thought of it ending made something in his chest feel tight.
Seth lifted his head, and Erik tightened his grip, but Seth didn’t try to squirm loose, he merely stretched up to kiss Erik. He returned it greedily, memorizing the soft whisper of Seth’s beard against his lips and the feel of his hands buried in Seth’s hair.
The kiss seemed to go on and on, and if it never ended, it would be too soon for Erik.
Eventually, they had to separate though, and Erik winced as Seth gently slipped his cock from inside him.
“You okay?” Seth’s dark eyes looked concerned.
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