Chapter 12 Matthew
MATTHEW
My phone woke me up with a text from one of my clients in Half Moon Bay. They were having some issues with their permits and wanted me onsite for the day to deal with the inspectors the city was sending.
That meant I needed my truck. It also meant extra time spent with Joshua while I drove him to work and picked him up.
The house was quiet, so I got up and started the coffee. Then I pulled out eggs and a loaf of bread and began making French toast. When I heard Joshua's door, I poured a second cup for him and had it waiting for him when he came around the corner.
His eyes were half closed, so as he headed to the counter, I stepped into his path and he walked right into my chest.
“Oof. Sorry.” He was groggy as he grunted against me.
“I’m not.” I put my arms around him and held him tightly. “Good morning.”
He was warm from sleep and slightly out of it, but after a second, his arms came around my waist and he dropped his head against my shoulder. "Mm." He held on for another moment before tilting his head back to look at me. "Good morning."
I kissed his forehead and handed him his coffee. "French toast?"
"Yeah. Thank you." He took the mug and watched me go back to the stove with a stare I felt on the back of my neck.
We ate breakfast at the counter, and I told him about the job site I needed to be at today.
“So I’ll drop you off and then pick you up this afternoon.”
Joshua chewed his bite and kept his eyes down. “I can ride my bike. I don’t want to make you go out of your way.”
“It’s not out of my way.” I reached over and grabbed his hand. “And I’m looking forward to spending more time with you today.”
He smiled and looked up at me. “Are you sure?”
“I’m very sure.”
As we got into the truck, Joshua blew out a heavy breath and turned to me. “So, we're good?"
"We're good, sweetheart." I tucked a stray hair down behind his ear. “I want you to have a great day and not worry about anything at all.”
He shook his head and scoffed. "Whatever you say."
He was finally getting it.
The codes had recently changed, and we needed to make some significant changes to the plans, so I spent the rest of the week onsite.
That meant Joshua and I commuted together and took the time to chat about random things like favorite songs and movies and books. A routine quickly settled in around us.
He’d moved his therapy calls to every other evening, but even that was feeling like more than he needed. He was doing great and thriving in his new job.
It was usually too late to run the trail, but on Thursday evening, we got home early enough to take a lap around the neighborhood. It wasn’t intense, but it felt good to sweat, and Joshua counted seven squirrels along the way.
By Friday morning, I'd figured out how I wanted to celebrate his first week at work. "I made reservations for dinner, so maybe pack a change of clothes so we can go straight after work.”
He looked up. "In the city? Like, is it fancy?"
"Not fancy, but you might be more comfortable in shoes rather than your work boots."
He considered this and then cocked his head. "Where are we going?"
I winked at him over my steaming coffee mug. "It’s a surprise."
Something warm moved through his expression before he swallowed. "Yeah, okay."
The restaurant was in the Ferry Building, right on the water. It was the kind of place that felt fancy even while you watched the sea lions playing right on the boardwalk below. And as the sun set and the bay went dark, it just felt even more intimate.
Joshua sat across from me and watched boats passing on the water with wonder in his eyes. “Have you been on a yacht before?”
I followed his gaze and saw a huge boat that was lit up with twinkling lights. “I’ve been on a few fishing boats out there, but the only time I was on a big yacht was for my senior prom. It was held on one of those dinner cruise yachts.”
He grinned. “You went to your prom?”
“Yeah.” I shook my head and chuckled. “Didn’t you?”
“Uh, no.” He tore off a piece of his roll and popped it into his mouth. “One of my friends had a gaming marathon weekend, so we just did that instead.”
A million questions came to mind, but I didn’t want to get serious. This night was about keeping things fun and light. “Well, that’s a shame because I bet you woulda looked hot in a tux.”
“I doubt it.” He chuckled. “Lemme guess, yours was powder blue with ruffles.”
“What!?!” I actually laughed at that. What did he know about blue ruffles, anyway? “That was about twenty years before my time.”
He shrugged and took a drink of his wine. “Did you take a cheerleader?”
Was I that predictable? “Technically yes, but we went as friends. A group of eight of us rented a limo.”
He nodded and bit his lip, like he wanted to say something else but was trying not to.
“Go ahead.” I smirked when his eyes went wide. “Say whatever you’re thinking.”
“It’s not my business.”
Oh, that’s what he was thinking. “Are you wondering if I was out back then?”
His chin dropped once in a slight nod. “Were you?”
“Kinda but not really.” I folded my napkin and set it on the table. “I could have been, but there weren’t a lot of ‘out’ guys at my school, so it didn’t really matter. My close friends knew, but it wasn’t a big thing.”
He looked out the window with his arms folded over his chest. “Same here. My friends knew, but I only hooked up with one guy in high school. He was a year older, so when he graduated, my sex life went dormant for a while.”
“Did you do any college?” I knew he didn’t graduate, but he was a smart guy who seemed like college material.
“A few semesters at the JC, but I needed to focus on working rather than studying.” He glanced at me and smiled. “And for the record, I did have a few more experiences after high school.”
I tried to play innocent, but I was curious. “A few more?”
"What?" He laughed, and his cheeks pinked up. “Not a lot. Just enough to know what I like.”
"And what’s that?"
His eyes locked with mine, and I could feel the heat radiating between us, even from across the table as I picked up my wine. "Maybe it’s more accurate to say I’ve tried enough other things to know what I’ve been missing."
Fuck me.
I looked down at his plate and it was empty. “You want dessert or are you ready to head home?”
“Home.” The glimmer in his eyes shifted from want to need, and I felt it straight in my gut.
I waved down the server for the check and unloaded enough cash from my wallet to cover a generous tip. “Let’s go.”
As we were driving, his hand slowly scooted to the center console, and I took the hint, grabbing it with mine and resting it on my thigh. My thumb rubbed small circles on his hand as he leaned slightly toward me.
When we got to a light, I pulled his hand up to my lips and gave him a kiss. “I’m really proud of you.”
His head tilted up, and he grinned. “For staying alive?”
“No, brat.” I dragged my teeth over the back of his hand, pretending to bite him. “For being brave.”
He sighed and looked down. “I’m not brave. I’m…pathetic.”
“You’re not pathetic, Joshua.” I squeezed his hand and held it to my chest. “You’re perfect.”
We didn’t say anything else on the drive, and as soon as we got home, we both went to shower and change. I wasn’t sure if he’d go straight to bed, but I wasn’t tired, so I parked my ass in the middle of the couch and put on a show I’d been watching on and off for a few years.
A little while later, Joshua came in wearing one of my t-shirts and boxers. Nothing else. “Whatcha watchin’?”
“Nothing.” I grabbed the remote and hit the guide button. “But Hunger Games is on. You interested?”
“Yeah.” He stepped on to the couch cushion right beside me and then dropped to his ass so he was sitting on his feet. “I haven’t seen that in forever.”
At first, he was fidgety as he sat beside me. Restless and unable to relax. I tried to soothe him by holding his hand and rubbing his back, but that didn’t do it. It wasn’t enough.
"You need something, sweetheart?" I kept my voice low and soft, not at all demanding. He could answer if he wanted. With whatever he wanted.
He looked up at me, and then his eyes dropped to my chest.
"You want milk?" My fingers carded through his damp hair, smoothing it out where it was sticking up in the back.
He nodded, and the tips of his ears went pink. “If it’s alright.”
After the night he drank from me, I'd been pumping in my room once he was asleep so I didn’t distract him or put any undue pressure on him. As much as I enjoyed it, and thought Joshua did too, I waited for him to come to me again. And now he was.
Thank god because pumping sucked balls.
I stood up and held out my hand. “Let’s go to my room.”
He let me guide him to my room, and he came in without hesitation.
I turned on the lamp and walked him to the bed. “This might be more comfortable."
He looked around the room for a second and then back at me. “Okay.
I pulled my shirt off and dropped it on the chair. Joshua’s eyes tracked down my chest and then back up. A full letdown was already starting, and drops of sticky milk streamed down the ridges of my stomach. This time, I didn't try to hide it from him.
I wanted him to see.
Joshua lay on the bed and waited for me to catch up with him.
I slipped off my sweats and scooted in beside him.
This time, he wasn’t as shy. Joshua palmed his erection against his shorts and immediately crawled over me, positioning his mouth over my left nipple so he was draped over most of my torso.
Fuck, this was gonna happen.
His fingers trailed down my side until they curled under my balls as he licked a drop from the tip of my nipple. "Matthew."
"Yeah." Even that one word was hard to get out with everything else that was happening to my body.
"Is this okay?" He spoke against my skin then circled my nipple with his tongue.
"Yes, take what you need, baby." I held the back of his head with one hand and reached over to the nightstand drawer. "I’m okay with anything you want."