Chapter 31 #3
"I take all commitments seriously," Ryland said, watching Stephen's face for any sign of discomfort. "Especially commitments involving your pleasure."
He took his time opening Stephen up, far more than the cursory preparation in Geneva.
Three fingers worked with careful precision, finding and maintaining the angle that had Stephen gasping and rocking back for more.
By the time he judged Stephen ready, they were both flushed and breathing hard, need thrumming between them like an electrical current.
"How do you want to do this?" Ryland asked, slicking himself with hands that trembled only slightly. "You should control the position, the pace."
"Want to see you," Stephen said immediately. "Want to watch your face when you lose that perfect control."
"Statistically likely outcome," Ryland agreed, helping Stephen arrange himself on his back. "My control mechanisms are notably impaired in your presence."
He lined himself up carefully, the head of his cock pressing against Stephen's entrance without pushing forward. Waiting. Letting Stephen set the moment.
"Please," Stephen breathed, hands coming up to frame Ryland's face. "Show me how it should be."
Ryland pressed forward slowly, incrementally, watching Stephen's face.
The initial breach drew a gasp from both of them, but Stephen's expression showed wonder rather than pain.
Inch by careful inch, Ryland worked himself inside, pausing whenever Stephen tensed, murmuring praise and reassurance until they were fully joined.
"Okay?" Ryland asked, holding himself still through sheer force of will.
"Perfect," Stephen gasped. "Full but not... it doesn't hurt. Why doesn't it hurt?"
"Proper preparation," Ryland explained, fighting to keep his voice steady as Stephen clenched around him. "Adequate lubrication. Optimal positioning. And most importantly, you're relaxed. Trusting. Your body knows I won't hurt you."
"My body's an optimist," Stephen said, experimentally rocking his hips. "Oh. Oh, that's..."
"Good?"
"Stop asking if things are good." Stephen laughed breathlessly. "Everything's good. You're good. This is good."
Ryland began to move, slow and deep, finding the rhythm that made Stephen arch beneath him.
Nothing like the desperate rutting in Geneva.
This was deliberate, measured, designed for Stephen's pleasure rather than his own release.
Though his own pleasure was considerable, evident in the way his careful control began to fracture.
"You feel incredible," he admitted, words coming faster as his hips found their rhythm. "Perfect fit. Statistically improbable but empirically verified. Like you were designed for me. Or I for you. Possibly both."
"Romance thy name is Ryland," Stephen gasped, but his hands were clutching at Ryland's shoulders, pulling him closer. "Don't stop. Whatever you do, don't stop talking."
"Talking helps?" Ryland asked, genuinely curious even as he maintained the angle that had Stephen gasping on every thrust. "Most partners have requested I talk less during intimate moments."
"Most partners are idiots," Stephen declared. "I love your voice. Love your ridiculous brain. Love..." He cut himself off, eyes widening.
"What?" Ryland prompted, though his heart was hammering far beyond what physical exertion alone would cause. "What do you love?"
"You," Stephen admitted, the word dropping between them like a stone into still water.
"Probably. Definitely. Which is terrifying and inappropriate given our history but apparently my emotional regulation is as fucked as the rest of me, so there you have it.
I love you. Do with that data what you will. "
Ryland stilled, staring down at Stephen. "You love me?"
"Are you really surprised?" Stephen asked. "I let you bring annotated sex research to my flat. I find your spreadsheets charming. I've accidentally trained myself to find scientific terminology arousing. Of course I love you."
"Oh," Ryland breathed, the simple syllable containing multitudes. "I... the feeling is mutual. Has been for some time, though I lacked appropriate terminology. Love seems accurate if insufficient. The English language needs more specificity for emotional states."
"Are you critiquing linguistics while inside me?"
"I can multitask," Ryland said, then kissed Stephen to prevent further commentary.
The kiss changed something between them, urgency replacing careful control.
Ryland's hips moved faster, harder, chasing Stephen's pleasure with single-minded determination.
He wrapped a hand around Stephen's cock, stroking in counterpoint to his thrusts, applying exactly the pressure and speed his research had indicated as optimal.
"Close," Stephen gasped against his mouth. "Ryland, I'm..."
"Yes," Ryland encouraged. "Want to see you. Want to feel you come around me, Stephen."
Stephen came with a cry that Ryland immediately decided was his new favourite sound, body clenching around him as he spilled between them. The sensation triggered Ryland's own release, control finally shattering as he buried himself deep and let biology take over.
But not the knot. He'd been careful, so careful, withdrawing before it could fully form. That was a conversation for later, when Stephen wasn't vulnerable and shaking in his arms.