Chapter Eleven #3
They battled with sand for a few more seconds, their laughter filling the night.
With a huff and toss of his thick hair that was getting shaggy over his ears, Brian leaned back on his elbow again, giving Troy’s hip a final poke with his toe.
“You have to sing now that you’ve hurt my feelings so cruelly. ”
“I guess I do.” Troy still sat cross-legged on his blanket, and he wriggled his butt into the sand, lifting up straighter from his waist and clearing his throat. It was totally dumb, but his chest tightened and he tapped his fingers against his knees nervously. “Um, which song?”
“I dunno. Anything.”
He ran through Next Up’s catalog in his head.
Would Brian like any of those? They were kind of generic, but what the hell.
Troy took a sip of water from his battered bottle and closed his eyes.
“Angels Everyday” was an up-tempo piece.
He launched into the first verse, and God, his voice was out of practice.
The song was basically about nice people doing nice things, and man, it was super lame now that he sang it acoustically and paid more attention to the words he’d heard a zillion times, wondering what Brian would think of them.
He kept his eyes closed, feeling the heat of Brian’s gaze on his face, and really, really wanting to stop.
But he plowed on through the lilting chorus and second verse, doing the bridge and then cutting the final chorus short.
The last note faded away, and he swallowed hard, waiting for the derision surely coming.
“That was lovely.”
Troy peeked over, but Brian wasn’t smirking. He was still stretched out, regarding Troy seriously. “Really?” Troy asked. “I’m super pitchy.”
“I don’t think so. Not that I’m an expert, but you sound terrific. You really do have a great voice.”
“Eh, it’s okay. Serviceable. Ty’s voice is way better.”
Brian glared. “Would you stop putting yourself down? Sing another one. Please?”
Troy nodded, the tightness in his chest loosening with each verse.
By the third song, he’d opened his eyes.
He watched the fire, and could see Brian from the corner of his eye, listening intently.
Troy’s voice was warming up and smoothing out, and joy bubbled through him.
He hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed it.
Brian applauded at the end of each song and told him how good he was. Even if Brian was only being polite, Troy flushed warm all over. It wasn’t thousands of screaming fans, but in a weird way, it was so much better.
He cast about for another song, thinking back to the charity album Next Up had performed on a couple years before. “My Mom loves this one. It’s really old, but it’s a classic.”
“I’m all ears.” Brian smiled softly.
The older versions of “Beyond the Sea” were pretty swingy, but Next Up had gone against type and done a slower, pared-down version with only a few instruments.
It was romantic and bittersweet, and Troy had loved recording it.
He took another swig of water before starting in, keeping his voice low and wistful, a change of pace from the peppier songs.
Flames danced before him as he sang of golden sands and kissing a lost lover past the moon and stars. He spotted movement as Brian sat up, but kept his focus on the lyrics. When he finished the final words, fading out on the last notes, he waited. But there was no applause this time.
Shit. That must have sucked.
With a dismissive laugh, he turned to Brian. “I know, that was totally lame. I should stick with our pop stuff and leave the classics alone, right?”
Sitting on his blanket, Brian stared at him, the firelight painting his face yellow and orange in the darkness. His lips were parted, and his chest rose and fell faster than usual. Troy frowned. “You okay?”
Brian didn’t answer. He shifted closer and went up on his knees, and Troy watched as he reached out a hand.
That hand slid against Troy’s cheek, Brian’s palm hot against his skin.
Blood thundered in Troy’s ears as Brian’s gaze flicked down to his mouth and back to his eyes.
Pulse galloping, Troy didn’t move—didn’t breathe.
Not even as Brian lowered his head and touched their lips together.
As Brian kissed him.
Their mouths met, and Brian touched Troy’s ear where he held his face. Troy’s lungs screamed, his heart beating too hard. They were both frozen, shmushed together, lips pressing. Kissing. They were kissing.
Troy’s nostrils flared and he pulled back, opening his mouth to suck in a breath. He tingled all over, birds flapping at his ribcage as he met Brian’s wide eyes. Brian still held Troy’s cheek, gently stroking with his thumb.
“I don’t… I’m sorry,” Brian croaked. But he didn’t let go.
What are we doing? We can’t do this!
Another voice rose from a whisper to a shout that filled Troy’s mind: Why not? I want this.
Breathing shallowly, he closed the few inches between their mouths to lick across Brian’s lower lip.
If they had been frozen into timid stone before, now they shattered and broke free, tongues meeting.
In a frantic haze, they clutched at each other, kissing and groaning.
Troy’s head whirled, desire burning through him as blood rushed to his dick.
He tugged, and Brian pushed him back onto the blanket, sand flying.
A moan tore from Troy’s throat, and this time he didn’t try to muffle it. Brian was heavy on top of him, his chest hair rubbing roughly against Troy’s nipples, and it was so fucking good.
He gripped Brian to him, torn between the feel of Brian’s chest against his own and wanting to explore it with his hands and mouth. Troy spread his legs, and the way their hips fit felt completely natural.
Completely right.
Rutting together, their teeth bashed as they tried to kiss, licking into each other’s mouths desperately, stubble rasping.
They tore at their shorts, but couldn’t seem to stop touching long enough to get them off.
Troy was so turned on he knew he’d blow his load soon, and he didn’t care as long as he could kiss and taste and run his hands over Brian’s skin.
Jerking his hips up, he shoved his hands under Brian’s boxers and gripped his ass, urging him on. Grunting, Brian fucked against him, his hot breath on Troy’s face as their kisses got even messier.
Their cocks were out of their shorts, straining and leaking, and the sensation of Brian’s dick rubbing against his was the hottest thing Troy had ever experienced.
He’d never needed to come so badly in his life. There was a seashell jammed into his back beneath the blanket, but all that mattered was Brian kissing him and covering him with his weight.
“Brian,” he mumbled, digging his fingers into Brian’s ass and thrusting up harder.
Gasping, Brian’s head shot back, the long line of his neck exposed as he came hot and sticky on Troy’s belly. Troy watched, and as he thought about what it would be like to come on Brian’s chest, he shuddered with his orgasm, a fiery rush that left him panting and shivery, limbs like jelly.
Brian opened his eyes, and they stared, sticky and slick, glued together from hips to rising and falling chests.
Oh fuck. What did we just do?
Troy knew he should have been horrified. He was supposed to be…wasn’t he? His throat was like sandpaper, and he swallowed thickly, trying to think of a single thing to say other than stay and please.
His mouth open, breath coming hard, Brian pushed up to his knees, and Troy whimpered at the loss of contact. He snatched his hands off Brian’s ass, waiting for Brian to leap up and leave.
But a moment later, Brian stretched over him again, pulling the other sandy blanket high around them. It blocked the fire’s glow, and in the secret shadows, their lips met once more.