11. Ridge
CHAPTER ELEVEN
RIDGE
A small part of him knew this was probably a mistake. Not because it was Oz—but also because it was Oz. It wasn’t like Ridge was going to pass up an opportunity to get his hands all over the guy he’d been lusting after since he’d met him, but he also knew that giving up Oz after getting to taste him was going to be damn near impossible.
But he had to take what he was given because he had no idea how long Oz would be willing to extend this offer. And the fact that Ridge got to be his first was doing something to him. He felt warm all over, tingly and powerful. There was a rushing sensation in his chest as he ordered Oz to the bed and then got to watch him obey.
He licked his lips with a too-wet tongue and swiped the back of his hand over his mouth before walking over and pressing one knee to the mattress. Oz was in formfitting sweats that hugged every curve just right and a long-sleeved shirt that did the same. Ridge wanted to peel the fabric away with his teeth and taste every inch of skin he exposed.
But that was probably too much for his first time. He had to be careful without being patronizing. He had to be attentive and pay attention to make sure he wasn’t pushing Oz past his limits.
He had a feeling Oz struggled to tell people no. It was likely why he’d let his family get away with so much bullshit for so long. But while Ridge did like being in charge, he liked knowing that his partner had the control.
Leaning in, he pressed one hand to the bed beside Oz’s shoulder and held his gaze. ‘Safe word.’
Oz flushed hard. “I’m not interested in kink,” he said aloud.
Ridge laughed and shook his head. ‘Not that. But this is your first time with a man. If I do something that you’re not sure about, I want to have a sign so I know to stop immediately.’
Oz looked startled and bit his lip, brow furrowed in thought. After a beat, he shrugged and signed, ‘Stop?’
Ridge grinned at him. ‘Okay.’ He leaned in lower, then hesitated. ‘Kissing?’
Oz looked a little confused.
‘Can I kiss you as much as I want?’
Oz’s blush darkened, but he nodded, then lifted his shoulders off the bed to meet Ridge more than halfway. Their lips collided, a little sloppy and uncoordinated at first, but then Ridge leaned his weight on Oz, took the man by his chin, and directed him. It was better after that.
No, it wasn’t better . It was perfect .
Oz’s lips parted on a gasp, and Ridge took advantage, sliding his tongue between his lips. Oz’s own met his, dancing almost frantically, like he was trying to taste every atom in Ridge’s mouth. He used his tongue to slow Oz down a little, and after a moment, Oz began to relax.
His head moved with the rhythm of their kiss, his body joining, writhing against the sheets as Ridge took his other hand and slid it up and down his side. Oz groaned loudly, and Ridge caught the sound in his mouth, swallowing it down with his next breath. He was hard enough to carve steel, and he rocked his hips against Oz’s thigh to show him.
“More,” Oz groaned aloud.
Ridge pulled back and looked down at his flushed, kiss-drunk face. ‘What do you want tonight?’
‘Everything,’ Oz signed with stiff hands.
Ridge let out a small laugh. ‘We don’t have time for everything. But we can do this again. As many times as you want until you’re satisfied.’
Oz’s face went on a complicated journey, but it ended with something like determination and maybe even a little happiness. He nodded, then pushed up on his elbows and curled his fingers into the sheets. “Make me come with your mouth?”
Ridge nodded, his mouth immediately watering. He wanted to taste Oz so fucking badly. ‘Is it okay if I come too?’
Oz looked adorably perplexed. “Who would say no to that?”
‘Anyone can say no to anything,’ Ridge told him carefully. ‘If you want tonight to be all about you, we can do that.’
Oz looked intrigued, and Ridge actually kind of liked that idea. He liked the thought of spending an entire evening showing Oz all the ways he could feel good and treasured, adored and spoiled. He liked the idea of holding himself back and waiting until he was behind a closed door to let out all his pent-up lust and need.
But he also liked the idea of working Oz up, coming on his chest, and then giving him the best orgasm of his life.
Oz freed his hands from the sheets and fell back down. ‘I want to watch you come.’
Ridge groaned softly and rocked his hips against Oz’s thigh for a beat, just to take the edge off. Eventually, he nodded. ‘This is going to be over fast, I think.’
Oz laughed and looked away. ‘Yeah. Too fast.’
Tapping him, Ridge waited until Oz looked back at him. ‘It’s never too fast. It’ll always be just right. Don’t hold back, okay? Take what feels good and come when you’re ready. We can do this again.’
‘Is that what you want?’ Oz asked.
There was no point in lying. At least, not about that. He nodded and leaned in, smudging a kiss over Oz’s jaw. ‘I like you,’ he told him when he pulled back. ‘You’re sweet and beautiful and fun. I’d like to do this as many times as you do.’
Oz looked like he didn’t know what to say or think. He glanced away and then returned his gaze back to Ridge before he finally answered him. ‘I like you too.’
It was something. It certainly wasn’t the love confession Ridge secretly wanted, but it was better than telling him he was nothing more than a warm, willing body. Oz seemed to read something like that on his face because he lifted his hand and cupped Ridge’s jaw, running his thumb over his stubble.
‘You’re the hottest man I have ever seen.’
It took Ridge a little too long to process the meaning of Oz’s signs, but when he did, he felt his ears burn so hot it felt like they were going to catch fire. “ Oh ,” he said aloud.
Oz burst into laughter, then sat up halfway and wrapped his hands around Ridge’s neck. “Kiss me.”
Ridge did, and this time, he didn’t stop. He pushed Oz back against the pillows, the kiss lush, wet, and hot. He broke it off gently, nipping at Oz’s lips before going for his neck. He scraped teeth along his beating pulse, and his hands began to ruck his shirt up.
Oz’s moan was loud, rumbling out of his chest and burrowing under Ridge’s skin. He offered one of his own, hoping Oz could feel it as he nosed along his exposed chest. His pecs were well-defined, nipples small, pink, and a little puffy. Ridge took one between his teeth, biting gently until it pebbled, and Oz began to thrust his hips upward.
Ridge felt his cock—hard and ready to burst through his sweats—throbbing against his lower stomach. He pulled back and looked down with a grin.
“Don’t mock me,” Oz whispered.
Ridge frowned and shook his head, tracing a touch over Oz’s kiss-swollen lips. ‘Never. You are gorgeous. I’m smiling because you make me happy.’ Oz’s entire body gave a single, almost violent tremble, but Ridge didn’t want to push his luck, so he kissed him again and asked, ‘Show me the sign for COCK.’
Oz did, a simple sign—intuitive and easy. It made Ridge smile. He repeated it, then reached down and grabbed Oz through his sweats. He was bigger than Ridge expected and very close to coming if the way he throbbed and gasped was anything to go by.
He wanted Oz to come, but not this fast. Not in his pants. He let go and pinched his right nipple while he sucked on the left. Oz went boneless against the pillows again, hands flopping like he wanted to grab Ridge, but also like maybe he wasn’t sure what to do with them.
Ridge grabbed him by the wrists and lifted his hands above his head. ‘Hold them there unless you need to tell me to stop.’
Oz sucked in a breath, bit his lip, then nodded.
Oh. He liked that.
‘Good,’ Ridge signed with purpose. Oz’s dick twitched harder. Yes, this could be very, very fun. ‘Perfect.’
Oz’s lips parted on a gasp, and he started to thrust his hips again, but Ridge pinned him hard and shook his head. When Oz settled, Ridge kissed him.
‘Perfect,’ he signed again.
Oz was shaking with need, and Ridge wasn’t going to torment the gorgeous bastard. He left his shirt where it was, but he went for his sweats, and with a single tug, he had them off and in a pile at the edge of the bed. He stared down at Oz’s naked dick—very pink, flushed, leaking at the tip. It was big. His ass ached to be stretched by it, even though he knew that wasn’t on the table tonight.
Leaning down, he traced a single touch from root to tip, watching as it twitched, pulsed, and let out a stream of precome that pooled on his pale pubes.
‘Can I take my clothes off?’ Ridge asked.
Oz brought one hand down long enough to rub a flat palm on his chest. ‘Please.’
Ridge only took a second to peel away the fabric, which felt almost like a vise, and for a moment, he simply breathed as he watched the flush crawl from Oz’s chest to his cheeks. He was so pretty like that—so flushed and needy and wanton. He could see him fighting the urge to move, to seek stimulation.
A small part of him wanted to torment him a little—to make him wait until he was ready to beg. But that couldn’t be his first time. No, that would be later, when all Oz could think about was everything Ridge was capable of doing to him.
‘You’re so good,’ he told him.
Oz’s pupils blew wide, and his lips parted on an inhale. ‘Am I?’
Ridge bowed over him, letting his dick rest right alongside Oz’s. He gave a single thrust, drinking in Oz’s moan as he put his lips over Oz’s and murmured, “Yes,” before kissing him. He signed the word after pulling back to make sure Oz understood. ‘I’m going to suck you now. Come when you want.’
‘In your mouth?’ Oz asked.
Ridge held his gaze firmly and nodded. ‘Yes. Please.’
Oz didn’t argue with that. His arms lifted and dropped back above his head, and he spread his thighs a little. Ridge smiled and hooked one arm under Oz’s left knee, pushing it all the way to his chest as he settled between his legs, and then he wasted no time.
Dipping his head forward, he ran his tongue over Oz’s heavy balls. They were rough, full, and hot. He let them roll over his lips until Oz’s thighs began to tremble, and then he lifted his head a little higher and fitted his mouth around the head. With a single suck, he got the taste of him—salty, rich, heady.
He breathed in through his nose deeply, then relaxed his jaw as best he could and sank down as far as he was able. It had been a long time since he’d sucked a dick, and he hadn’t sucked one this big in…shit, maybe ever? He couldn’t remember, but the strain in his jaw was both amazing and unfamiliar.
He groaned softly, letting Oz feel it, and Oz’s hips began to shift before he stopped himself. Ridge felt his lips trying to stretch into a grin, and he reached up, squeezing Oz’s hips in praise. Oz moaned again, and Ridge quickly began to suck as he pulled up. He braced himself on one hand, and with the other, he closed his fingers around the base of Oz’s cock and began to stroke as he bobbed his head.
Looking up, he could see Oz staring at him, wide-eyed and stunned. His entire face was red, making his soft freckles stand out like constellations of stars. Fuck, he was so, so beautiful.
Ridge hummed again, louder, sucking harder, and he watched in real time as Oz began to succumb to his pleasure. His hands moved from above his head to Ridge’s hair, holding tight, pushing him down harder. Ridge groaned, thrusting his erection against the sheets as Oz chased his orgasm.
It didn’t take long. Oz began to grunt hard, and then as his cock thickened, he trailed off in a heavy moan as he pulsed and began to come. It filled Ridge’s mouth, spilling out at the corners, and he quickly pulled off to swallow before diving back down to suck the rest of him clean.
Oz was trembling by the time Ridge was done, his hands grappling at Ridge to pull him off. Instead of letting him go, Oz held tight and yanked him against his chest. “Come,” he said, his voice ragged and thick.
Ridge leaned back and looked at him, and Oz met his gaze. His eyes were a little red and feverish, but his face was determined.
“I want to feel you come on me. Please.”
Ridge wasted no time lifting his hips and grabbing himself. He squeezed hard and began to jerk off, jumping a little when Oz shoved his hand between them and put it over Ridge’s.
“Show me. Show me what you like.”
Ridge was lost to him. There was no turning back. He grabbed Oz by the wrist, then lifted his hand and licked his palm with messy stripes, then closed his fingers around his cock tightly and showed him exactly how hard and how fast he liked it.
Oz was a quick learner. He fit around Ridge’s cock like he was built to hold him that way, and it only took a few seconds before Ridge felt his orgasm rushing through him. His head bowed, and he cried out loudly as his balls tightened, then released.
He shot ropes of come all over Oz’s dick and stomach, and when it was over, he collapsed into the mess, thrusting his hips through it as the last vestiges of pleasure raced through him. Instead of pushing him away, Oz wrapped around him tightly and let Ridge work himself into total exhaustion.
‘Wow,’ he signed once he’d regained some of his cognizance. He lifted his head and offered a sheepish smile. ‘I’ve never come that hard from a handjob.’
Oz burst into laughter and covered his face with both hands, rolling onto his side. Ridge was knocked over, and he chuckled as he settled onto his back, waiting for Oz to look at him again.
‘I’m not lying.’
‘I know,’ Oz told him, still grinning. ‘That was…different.’
‘Good or bad?’
Tilting his head to the side, his brow furrowed, and then he looked down at his stomach. ‘Messy. But good.’
Ridge reached out, hooking a knuckle under Oz’s chin, and tilted his head up until their gazes met again. ‘Yes. You were so good.’
Oz flushed again, and his eyes darted to the side. ‘That makes me feel…nice. When you say that.’
‘Can I kiss you again?’
‘You don’t have to ask,’ Oz told him. ‘I like kissing you. It’s nice. It’s better than my exes ever were.’
Ridge had a feeling it wasn’t because he was a man but because Oz had dated shit people who never let him feel like himself. And that was the tragedy of this whole thing. But he wasn’t going to get into that now. He leaned in and took the gift Oz offered him, this time with less tongue and far more gently than he had been before.
Oz sighed into it, giving as much as he was taking, and he broke the kiss off right before Ridge needed air. ‘Clean up?’
‘Let me.’ Ridge swung his legs over the bed, then shuffled to the bathroom and rummaged around for washcloths. He eventually found them in a messy pile in the bottom drawer of the vanity, and he ran the water until it was warm.
He washed himself up first, then wet the cloth, added a single pump of the fragrant hand soap from the glass jar, and walked back to find Oz sitting up against the headboard. He was picking at dried globs of come in his pubes, which made Ridge laugh.
‘Shower later,’ he said after he had Oz’s attention. ‘But this will help for now.’ He used a careful hand to spread Oz’s legs apart, then began to wipe him down. He paid special attention to the streaks in his hair, then on his stomach.
Finally, he met Oz’s gaze and held it as he rubbed the cloth over his dick. Oz sucked in a breath. He was clearly very sensitive after. It could be something fun to play with, if Oz wanted to try.
But that was for another night.
‘Feel okay?’ he asked after he tossed the cloth toward Oz’s laundry basket.
Oz grabbed the edge of the sheet and covered himself before nodding. ‘Feels…weird.’
Ridge wanted to be insulted, but he couldn’t be. He felt the same way, because what was supposed to happen now? They weren’t even really friends before all this mess. Oz had always held strict boundaries, so when the family barbeque turned everything upside down, Ridge had no idea where he was supposed to stand.
‘Bad weird?’
Oz shook his head. He shifted to the side, and Ridge realized he was making room for him. They were both still naked, and he was feeling very vulnerable, but the one place he wanted to be was back in Oz’s arms. He settled himself close, then laughed when Oz pulled him in for a snuggle.
‘Does it always feel this nice after?’ Oz asked.
Ridge shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I’ve never really dated long term, and none of the guys I slept with wanted me to hang around after.’
Oz was silent for a good, long while. ‘I like this.’
Ridge shifted sideways and let his temple rest on the top of Oz’s head. He lifted his Y hand between them and gently shook it back and forth. ‘Me too.’