Chapter 22
Tristan
The feeling of being watched cascaded through me. I cracked an eye open, trying to avoid the winter sun streaming through the window and lighting up the bedroom.
A lazy grin lifted my lips when I found Ben propped up on his elbow, staring at me.
“I know I’m handsome, but you watching me sleep is kinda creepy, dude.”
His lips pursed as he rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t watching you sleep. I was assessing your injuries.”
“Sure. Whatever makes you feel better.” I stretched my arms above my head as I yawned, regretting it when my body screamed in pain.
But it was instantly forgotten when Ben’s heated gaze trailed down my naked torso to where my morning wood tented the sheets.
The two of us had gone to bed naked, but thanks to the bruises on my ribs, nothing had happened between us.
It looked like my cock was staging a protest now, though. “What time is it?”
Ben checked his watch. “Nearly 10.”
“You didn’t set the alarm for your 5 am workout?”
“No. I didn’t want to disturb you. Thought you needed to rest,” he replied softly, worry pooling in his eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been hit by an eighteen-wheeler.”
His frown deepened. “You still going to report the assault?”
“Yeah.” I stretched again, arching my back and causing the sheets to slip further down my waist. “But I can’t go anywhere with this.”
I wrapped my hand around my shaft, knocking the covers off completely. His eyes fixed on where I was slowly stroking myself, his tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip as his pupils dilated.
“Looks pretty uncomfortable to me,” he said, his voice husky.
“It is. But you know what might make me feel better?”
He knocked my hand away, replacing it with his. “I think I have an idea,” he growled, moving to straddle my thighs, but not putting his full weight on me. His own erect cock brushed against mine as he positioned himself. “Put your hands behind your head, Bug. Let me take care of you.”
Doing as he instructed, pride flowed through me at how far he’d come with his confidence in deciding what he wanted. His hand glided down my shaft, and as he brought it back up, he twisted his hand slightly, making me gasp. “Yep, starting to feel better already.”
He chuckled before shifting forward until his cock was pressed against mine, and he wrapped his hand around both of us.
“Fuck me,” I groaned as my hips rolled in time with his stroke, the feel of his cock against mine so damn good.
Shivers traveled down my spine, ending in my balls as Ben began moving his hand at a steady pace, his grip tight. Unable to control myself, my hips thrust up at the same time Ben’s hips thrust forward, pushing our sensitive tips together.
The two of us moaned in unison as we found a rhythm; Ben’s hand stroking up and down, our hips grinding together. Every time his hand reached our tips, he mixed our pre-cum together before smearing it around our shafts.
My eyes closed as ecstasy rolled through me. Needing more friction, I moved my hand to join Ben’s, but my eyes shot open when he stopped his movements.
“Uh-uh, Bug. Hand behind your head. I’m taking care of you,” he rumbled, his voice heady with lust.
A salacious smirk spread over my mouth. I’d always been a sucker for a guy who took control. With my hand back under my head, he started stroking again, my cock pulsing in his hand. Finding his rhythm again, his movements became more determined as we both chased our release.
“Christ, I’m so fucking close,” he wheezed, his muscular chest heaving.
My balls tightened. “Me too, baby. Keep going.”
At my encouragement, he wrapped his other hand around our lengths, using both hands to hold our cocks tighter as he rubbed faster. My orgasm plowed into me like a tidal wave, my back arching.
Hot come burst from my tip, splattering Ben’s cock and my stomach. With a guttural moan, Ben’s head fell back as he followed me off the ledge, thick white ropes coating our cocks and adding to the mess I’d already made on my abs.
When the two of us had emptied ourselves, Ben released our cocks, his body slumping as we attempted to regain our breath.
My hands moved from under my head, falling onto Ben’s strong thighs, where I rubbed small circles across his smooth skin. For several long seconds, we stared at each other, neither of us speaking, lost in the moment.
His gaze eventually flickered down to our combined release. Sucking his lower lip into his mouth, he lowered himself to my torso. My brows jumped to my hairline when his tongue came out, and he lapped up a blob of our combined come.
“Shit, that’s hot,” I growled. No one had ever done that to me before, and the thought of him tasting what we both made had my cock pulsing again. “What do we taste like?”
“Fucking delicious,” he replied, his eyes hooded.
“I want a taste,” I whispered, moving my hand only for Ben to capture it in his.
Keeping his gaze on me, he dipped his tongue into my belly button and scooped up another glob. He held it in his mouth as he crawled up my body, bringing his lips to mine and shoving his tongue inside.
I sucked on his tongue, the tang of us exploding on my taste buds and making my mouth water. I grabbed the back of his neck, holding him to me so I could devour his mouth, needing to taste as much of our combined release as possible.
Ben shifted, his hips nestled between my spread legs, but he held himself up to avoid crushing my bruised ribs. Our kiss continued, turning from frantic to slow, passionate kisses. My hands moved, my fingertips lightly caressing his back, our spent cocks pressed together.
My heart rate accelerated, a foreign feeling of butterflies dancing in my stomach, and for the first time, I acknowledged what that feeling meant. I wasn’t falling for Ben.
I’d fallen.
Hard.
Ben broke our kiss, resting his forehead against mine as we gazed at each other. From deep inside, a voice began screaming, telling me to tell him how I felt. That I didn’t want this to be casual anymore.
I wanted him.
I wanted us.
I wanted the world to know we belonged to each other.
Just as I was about to spill the truth, Ben spoke first. “Tristan…” he whispered.
His eyes darted between mine, and for a second, I thought he was going to say exactly what I wanted to hear.
That he felt it too. That he wanted what I wanted.
But he cleared his throat and lifted his head.
The spell that had captured us was instantly broken.
“We…um…we should get ready and head to the precinct. It’ll probably take a while to make the report. ”
Disappointment seared me, but I forced a small grin on my face as Ben moved off me. “Come on then, let’s get this shit done.”
As predicted, it took hours with the cops. They didn’t just take my report about the assault, but they documented the attack on my van last year, and the prank calls I’d received in the past, where any time I answered, someone would shout some sort of vile, homophobic abuse before hanging up.
The officer who dealt with me detailed every single injury and spent time talking through the stages of the investigation. Ben stayed by my side the whole time; I didn’t think I would have made it through the whole process without his support.
By the time we left, I was exhausted, but it felt like a weight had been lifted. All my concerns that I wouldn’t be taken seriously were no longer valid, and I was no longer fearful of further repercussions from Bill and his cronies.
As I didn’t have my van with me, Ben drove me home, parking around the corner after I’d insisted he didn’t need to stop directly outside my house.
I’d received a text from my mom earlier to say she was taking the girls out, but my dad was home, and I was certain Ben didn’t want my dad seeing him bringing me home.
An awkwardness had grown between us on the journey home, but I didn’t know if that was from the intimacy of this morning or because neither of us wanted to say goodbye.
“You did well today, Bug. I know that couldn’t have been easy for you,” Ben said as we sat in his car.
“Thanks, man. And thanks for giving me the push I needed. You were right, sometimes you need to make a stand.” He bobbed his head, and when he didn’t say anything, I sighed. “I just hate that the twins are going to see me looking like this. I know it’ll upset them.”
The bruising to my face wasn’t as bad as I first thought it would be. Still, I didn’t want Ivy and Holly seeing any injuries, nor did I want to explain why I had them.
“Why don’t you stay at mine for a few days?” Ben replied as if it had just rolled off his tongue.
I gaped at him, unsure if I’d heard him correctly. “Really?”
“Yeah. I mean, the bruises won’t fade in a couple of days, but it might give the swelling a chance to go down.”
My heart soared, but internally, I told myself not to get excited. He was simply offering me a place to lay low for a few days. “I dunno, dude. I’m almost done with the work, and I don’t want to outstay my welcome-”
“Just say if you don’t want to, Bug. It’s not a big deal.” He glanced away to look out the windshield, rejection clear in his tone.
“No, I want to,” I insisted, resting my hand on his knee. “But only if you’re sure.”
When he returned his gaze to me, the relief in his dark eyes was evident. A small grin curled his lips. “I’m sure, Bug,” he paused, taking a breath. “I kinda like having you there.”
It took every effort not to launch across the seat and claim his mouth. Somehow, I held back. “Thanks. I appreciate that. Let me go pack some clothes, and I’ll meet you at yours. I’ll drive my van over as it has the tools I need to finish the work.”
“Okay.” His eyes flickered to my mouth, and I wondered if he was as desperate as I was to press his lips to mine. But he tore his gaze away. “I’ll see you in a bit then. You good for pizza for dinner?”
I grinned broadly. “I’ll never say no to pizza.”
Saying goodbye, I leaped out of his car and strolled to my house, waving as he drove past me. So much for not getting too excited; exhilaration was pounding through my veins at knowing I would be spending the next few days with Ben.
I planned on making a beeline for my room and avoiding my dad, but of course, fate had other plans. The second the front door closed, he stepped out of the living room, empty coffee cup in hand.
Taking one look at my face, he froze. “Tristan, what the hell happened?”
Panic laced his tone, so I quickly crossed to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I’m okay, Dad. It looks worse than it is.”
A flash of anger washed over his face. “It was those boys again, wasn’t it?”
“They’re hardly boys-”
“Christ sake, Tristan,” he snapped. “You can’t keep letting them do this. I-”
“Dad, chill. I’ve been at the precinct this morning. The police took my report and are going to investigate it.”
His body deflated. “Oh. Well…good. Maybe they’ll learn this time.” I hummed my agreement before Dad sighed. “Your mom’s gonna have a meltdown when she sees you, though.”
I followed him into the kitchen, where he started making himself another coffee, waving a cup in my direction and silently asking if I wanted one.
“No, thanks. I only popped in to grab some stuff. I’m going to stay with a friend for a few days until some of the swelling goes down.
I don’t want the girls seeing me like this. ”
“Hmm, that might be for the best. Holly, in particular, will get very upset if she knows you were hurt. Who are you staying with?” I didn’t reply. I never lied to my dad, and I didn’t want to start now. Noting my silence, he spun to face me. “Tris?”
I swallowed. “I’m going to stay with Ben.”
His eyes almost popped out of his head. “Ben as in Ben McScroodge? As in my boss?”
“Yeah.”
He stuttered before finding his words. “Oh. Well. I wasn’t expecting that.” He paused, and I could see the cogs turning in his head as he shuffled from foot to foot. “Is…uh…is something going on with you two?”
“We’re just friends, Dad.”
It wasn’t a lie; we were friends. Just with added benefits.
“Friends, huh? I’ve known Ben for over ten years, and aside from Jake Morley, who I don’t think was ever a friend, I’ve never known him to want to spend time with anyone, let alone invite them to stay at his house for a few days.”
He raised his brow in suspicion, staring at me as he awaited a response. It was my turn to shift awkwardly. I didn’t want to lie to him, but no way in hell was I going to break Ben’s confidence.
Trying to play cool, I shrugged. “Yeah well, you know how people can’t resist my charm. Besides, he’s not all bad when you get to know him.”
The look on his face told me he wasn’t convinced by my answer, but he didn’t push the subject. He returned to making his coffee, looking over his shoulder as he said, “Can I assume Ben’s recent good mood is down to your budding…friendship?”
I couldn’t help the wave of smugness that rolled through me. “He’s been in a good mood?”
Dad chuckled. “Yeah. In all the years I’ve known him, he’s never once said good morning to either Alice or me, but every day for the last week, he’s arrived at the office smiling and wishing us a good day.
He even asked if Holly and Ivy were looking forward to Christmas. I didn’t think he knew their names.”
I held back the enormous grin threatening to take over my face. Ben was slowly letting people see the man hidden underneath his cold exterior. Maybe I did stand to get hurt at the end of this, but it would be worth it if the world got to see Ben McScroodge the way I did.