Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Foster
Lian looks peaceful in sleep, his cheek pressed lightly to his pillow and his hand resting below his chin.
We stayed up late last night kissing and talking. We talked about Lian’s job as a graphic designer. About what it’s like to run a business with my brother. We talked about our families, places we like in Seattle, even mundane things like our favorite season.
Unsurprisingly, I found out Lian’s is winter.
And the kissing. There was so much kissing.
Lian’s lips aren’t as red as they were when we fell asleep, but his mop of hair is still a mess. I’m not sure it’s ever not.
I brush some of the strands off Lian’s forehead, unable to resist the urge, and the man’s eyes fly open. In the same breath, his hand wraps around the front of my throat.
“Oh my God!” he says, releasing me as soon as his eyes focus. “What’s going on? Is it the cruise killer?”
“No,” I croak as Lian’s head whips around, like he’s looking for danger. “Nothing’s wrong. I didn’t, uh…realize you’d startle awake so easily.”
He lets out a big breath, falling back against his pillow. “Sorry. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“I’m fine,” I assure him. Just taken aback by Lian’s surprisingly sharp reflexes while borderline asleep. “Um… Morning.”
His expression softens, an almost shy smile stealing over his face. “Good morning. I didn’t hallucinate last night, did I? We kissed, and my best friend might be shacking up with a professional hockey player? Which—go Bailey. Do you know how flexible goalies are?”
Before I can answer, Lian’s expression does a 180.
“Wait, I didn’t dream all that, right?”
“No,” I tell him, a smile curling my lips. “You didn’t.”
“Oh thank goodness,” he rushes out. “That would have been really embarrassing. Not to mention sad for me. You’re a great kisser. Oh heavens! Hold up. What time is it?”
Rolling over, I grab my phone, lighting the screen. “Eleven.”
“Our workshop!” Lian cries, proceeding to fall out of bed in his haste to step to the floor. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Foster, breathe. It’s fine!”
I can’t hold back my laugh as I peek over the side of the bed, finding Lian ruffled but no worse for wear. “What time does it start?”
“Twelve-thirty.”
“Then yes, we’re fine. Let’s get dressed, have a quick brunch, and then we can head over to…what are we scheduled for?”
“Tantric breathing,” Lian declares, finally getting to his feet. He brushes the wrinkles from his clothes as my own breath peters out.
Yeah. That’s…fine.
The lights are set low when we walk inside the location for our workshop. There are only a few other couples here, an individual I immediately peg as our instructor standing beside the door to greet us.
“Welcome,” she says, her graying hair pulled into a bun atop her head. “Thank you for joining us today. I assume one of you is Lian and the other is Kevin?”
“Oh,” Lian pipes up, chuckling nervously. “I’m Lian. But this is actually Foster. Kevin is…gone. Not gone like—” He slashes a finger across his throat before his eyes get impossibly wide. “Just not here! Oh good grief. Foster, please say something charming now.”
“I promise neither of us are the cruise killer,” I say softly.
Lian looks at me, betrayed.
“I panicked!” I whisper his way.
He scrubs a hand through his hair, making himself look like a dandelion puff. I bite my lip as the instructor glances between us, a knowing glint in her eyes.
“Young love,” she says happily, waving for us to join her. “I’m Yoana. Since we’re all here, we’ll get started. If everyone could please choose a mat.”
Lian and I head to the one nearest, the mat plenty big enough to fit two. It’s soft, providing cushioning as we sit down, the other couples doing the same.
“By the time you all leave this room, you’ll feel a deeper connection to your partner,” Yoana says, her voice melodious and soothing. “I encourage you to practice this at home, as well, as it’s a great way to rekindle flames and reconnect to your sexual core.”
“Oh my,” Lian says beside me.
“To start off, the partner who wishes to receive energy will sit atop the lap of the partner who wishes to give it.”
Lian and I exchange a brief look before he scrambles over my lap. I catch his weight easily, huffing a laugh as the rest of the couples situate themselves. The low lights in here make it easy to feel as if we’re on our own, not about to do…whatever this is with an audience.
“Good,” Yoana says. “Receiving participants, wrap your legs around the back of your partner. Yes, there we are. Giving participants, help your partner with a guiding hand or two on their lower back. Now, is everyone comfortable?”
I raise a brow, and Lian nods, a grin on his face.
“It’s a good thing we’re already well acquainted,” he says under his breath. “Otherwise this could get awkward real fast considering I still don’t have any underwear.”
I choke around my inhale, leading into a series of coughs as Lian looks at me in concern. “Fine,” I manage, eyes darting down to the thin sweats he chose to wear. I groan, fairly certain I can see the outline of his cock, even in the dark.
“Is this okay?” Lian asks, his eyes creased with worry. “We don’t have to do this if—”
“No,” I say, cutting him off as gently as I can. “I’m not afraid to…get close to you, Lian.”
To punctuate my point, I slip one of my hands down to the top of Lian’s ass, pulling him flush against me. His breathing hitches.
Keeping my voice low, I add, “But I have a feeling I’ll be embarrassing myself no matter what with you in my lap.”
He looks mighty pleased by that, even as his cheeks redden.
“All right,” Yoana says, her voice carrying through the room.
“Now comes the easy part. I want each of you to look into your partner’s eyes until your breathing syncs.
You’ll know once you’re there. I’ll be walking around in case anyone needs assistance, but otherwise, we’ll remain quiet for this next part. Ready? Begin.”
Lian’s eyes are wide as saucers as he stares at me, his bewilderment making me chuckle.
I let the laughter roll through me and then away before taking in a breath, focusing on Lian in front of me and nothing else, despite how incredibly intimate it feels with him right in my lap.
Lian’s expression eases, too, even though I can tell he has a harder time with it.
It takes a while, but finally neither of us is laughing or making goofy faces as we look into one another’s eyes.
My pulse picks up, the urge to glance away, even for a moment, strong.
I resist it, Lian’s chocolate-brown irises appearing nearly black in the dim light.
His lashes are short but dark, tapering into a pointed edge that looks almost sharp beneath thick, gently curved eyebrows.
There’s a tiny freckle below his left eye that I didn’t notice before.
Neither of us breaks eye contact, Lian’s hands resting over my shoulders, mine at the base of his spine. I wonder what he’s seeing. What he’s discovering about me. What I’m broadcasting.
When Yoana stops beside us, muttering a quiet, “Good. Keep going,” I realize Lian and I are breathing as one. His eyes flare a little, as if he only just noticed, too. Our rhythm falters for a couple breaths, but then we’re back at it, chests rising and falling the same.
Yoana, back at the front of the room, says, “You’re all doing wonderful.
We’re going to move together now, you and your partner.
You can sway side to side, back and forth, whatever feels comfortable.
Giving participants, focus your energy on your partner.
Receiving participants, I think you’ll be surprised by what you feel.
Carry on now. Keep eye contact. We’ll continue this for the majority of our session. ”
Lian’s mouth quirks the tiniest bit, as if to say well, go on then.
Steeling myself, I rock my hips until I find a sort of circular side to side motion I feel like I can maintain on the ground.
Lian shifts with me the moment I’m settled into it, making the motion easier, as if he’s aiding the momentum.
I suck in a breath when his cock brushes against my stomach through his sweats, but neither of us stops moving.
Heat settles low in my pelvis, making me think of Yoana’s mention of sexual cores.
There’s no stopping me from getting hard, but Lian doesn’t seem to be faring any better. I’m grateful for the low light in the room and the modicum of privacy it affords as Lian’s hands anchor at the back of my neck, the both of us rocking together. Breathing together.
When he presses deliberately down onto my lap, I can’t hold back my low groan.
Lian doesn’t look away, the expression on his face so open and unguarded it takes my breath away.
I tighten my grip on his lower back, using the leverage to shift myself against his ass.
Lian’s eyes slip shut for only a moment, his mouth popping open and a flush rising on his skin.
I want so badly to kiss him, but I don’t.
When our time is up and Yoana calls our session to a close, I nearly weep with relief.
Yoana bids everyone a warm goodbye, her eyes far too knowing.
Lian’s grip on my hand is strong, the man walking with an instructional pamphlet on tantric breathing held over his crotch.
I’d laugh if I wasn’t so turned on myself.
The moment our door closes behind us, Lian is on me.
He drags my head down, his mouth on mine, both of us stumbling back toward the bed.
Lian trips on a phone charger cord on the way, nearly losing his footing, but then we’re scrambling onto the mattress, Lian in my lap like before.
There’s no holding back this time as he grinds down against me, my hand on his ass encouraging his movements.
He kisses down to my neck, panting breaths leaving his mouth between presses of his lips to my skin.
He comes up for air long enough to ask, “This okay?”
“Yeah. Yep. Carry on.”
That seems to be enough for Lian because his mouth is back on mine, his hand in my hair tugging my head back enough for him to kiss me as if his life depends on it.
I’m not sure that isn’t the case. His cock is hard as he rocks against me, my own leaving a trail of precum against the inside of my boxer briefs.
When Lian grabs my waistband with a singular goal, I help him along.
We get my pants down my hips, Lian’s mouth breaking from mine long enough to see what he’s doing as he maneuvers my dick from my underwear. His breath leaves him in a puff, his hand moving up and down in an exploratory stroke as I reach for his waistband.
I pause, but Lian nods fervently. “Yes. Very hard yes.”
Chuckling, I tug his sweats down, the bob of Lian’s cock seeming as eager as its owner. He lets out a garbled moan when I wrap my hand around his shaft.
His eyes meet mine, and I can’t look away. I don’t know if it was the tantric breathing exercise or if we would have found our way to precisely this moment regardless, but I hold Lian’s eye, letting him see exactly how he makes me feel.
Which is light. And happy. Confused, at times, but not in a bad way.
I haven’t known this man long, but I can honestly say this week has been one of the best of my life. So unexpected, beyond the terrifying prospect of conquering my fear.
I never could have prepared myself for Lian even if I’d tried.
He shifts in close, and I steady him with a hand on his lower back.
Wrapping our cocks together, I give an encouraging squeeze, and Lian rocks in my lap as our eyes remain locked.
It feels so similar to the workshop, except this time there’s no clothing in the way.
No attempting to sync our breathing. It happens anyways, Lian’s hand curling around the back of my neck to center himself, his lithe body dancing over mine as I stroke our cocks in tandem with his movements.
I can tell the moment he’s about to come. He doesn’t say a word, but his breathing picks up, my own following. I tug him down into a kiss, trying to convey with my lips what I’ve found here with him.
He cries out into my mouth as his cock jerks, the feel of it and the sound of his moans catapulting me over the edge. I hold him tight, my hand wringing us both, neither of us caring about the mess spreading between our bodies.
He doesn’t move for a long time, his mouth tangling with mine lazily, his hand running through my hair and my own soothing a path over his back.
Finally, Lian lets out the softest of sighs, leaning back an inch. Warm chocolate looks back at me, kiss-red lips and flushed cheeks a vision I won’t forget for a long time to come.
“I think,” Lian says slowly, a sly lilt to his words, “I did good planning this trip.”
“Lian… You did the best.”
He beams at that, looking so happy my chest inflates. As he sets his head on my shoulder, I think I hear the word, “Transcendent.”