Chapter 3
The Glaesflod was an ambling, wide body of water leading down to the Portage River.
Illustrations on the maps Durae had learned from had never demonstrated the slow tumble of its water or how pleasant walking along the banks hand in hand with someone was.
He could see it from his inn room, but being with Blaze near the water was altogether different.
But his nerves were jangling together like a purse of silvers in a running thief’s hands. Before they could claim the better of him, Blaze tugged him toward a house. From one of the upper windows, Durae thought he heard Greyun’s crabby voice.
Rather than lead Durae inside, Blaze continued around the building toward the water.
Ships of various sizes floated on the Glaesflod, but the house had a private, tiny dock meant more for a small craft like the boat currently tied to it.
It was flat and roughly forty feet long.
Durae had seen its type when his family had crossed Lake Steorra on their way south.
Blaze stepped on board and then held out his hand to help Durae.
Cautiously, Durae made his way onto the craft. It had a cabin at one end that looked smaller than the carriage he’d traveled in.
“Afraid it’s not much, but it’s mine,” Blaze said.
“You work on carts but have this?”
“Using it to build something.”
It had signs of fresh carvings and the scent of new varnish, but Durae couldn’t tell what was being built. It seemed like general upkeep. He turned toward Blaze. “Wha—”
But Blaze interrupted him with a kiss, and once again, Durae’s head emptied.
Kissing in the moonlight like this, with the boat gently swaying them, was a treasure from fate that no amount of staring at the stars could have shown him.
Durae leaned into Blaze’s gentle touch on his hips and pressed their lips together a second time.
Before he could do more, Blaze leaned back. “Sorry, I cut you off. What were you going to say?”
“I forgot,” Durae whispered. He clutched Blaze’s shirt. “Kiss me again.”
Blaze did. His lips tasted of ale, which was tangy and far better than the wine, and he licked his tongue at the seam of Durae’s lips.
When Durae parted them, Blaze teased him, pressing in just far enough to make Durae’s insides curl into a spring before withdrawing.
Durae caressed his shoulders and along his upper back.
His clothing was of a coarser weave than Durae’s, and the texture was an unwanted barrier between them. Durae pulled at it.
Blaze maneuvered him backward against a railing and left a slight gap.
Then he shed his shirt. The moonlight and town ambiance were bright enough that the fine planes of his chest and torso weren’t lost to shadow.
Durae reached out and traced his collarbone with a light touch.
One touch led to another until Durae explored down Blaze’s chest to his abdomen.
Blaze took the opportunity to reach up and undo Durae’s hair, causing the curtain of white to fall down to his mid-back.
As he leaned in for a kiss, Blaze gathered some of his hair into his hand and lightly tugged.
A jolt went through Durae, straight to his hardening cock, and he gasped into Blaze’s mouth. He ran his hands lower and cupped his groin, seeking to feel Blaze’s length before undressing him. And as his touch reached there, he felt Blaze’s cock firm under his hand.
With a guttural moan, Blaze brushed his hands along Durae.
He broke off a kiss and stared at Durae’s clothes.
Laughing softly, Durae took Blaze by the wrists and guided his hands to where his robes would unfasten, where his tunic was tied, and where his breeches were laced.
His own fingers weren’t as quick or sure in their motions, but he undid Blaze’s pants.
Their small clothes were all that remained in their way, but they didn’t take long in shedding them.
“May I?” Blazed asked and coasted his hand down Durae’s bare backside.
Durae only had a faint notion of what Blaze wanted, but having never tried anything, he longed for everything. He nodded.
Blaze kissed him, then spun him around to face the railing, nudging him to lean onto it.
Durae did and spread his legs as wide as he could manage.
Between planting kisses on Durae’s shoulders and on his spine, Blaze murmured an incantation.
When he pressed his fingers to Durae’s hole, his touch was slick with a warm, viscous liquid.
Being touched was more than the books had ever said and everything they’d promised. Durae moaned and clutched the railing.
“Gods, you’re so tight,” Blaze murmured.
“Is that bad?”
Blaze began to withdraw his fingers. “Durae, have you never—”
Embarrassment flooded through Durae. He pushed back toward Blaze and cast a pleading look over his shoulder. “I don’t want to stop. I want you. I want this.”
“All right,” Blaze whispered. Gently pushing his fingers back in, he kissed Durae, his tongue mimicking his hand. Durae had to list every constellation he could think of to keep himself from spending too quickly.
And he learned that fingers were nothing compared to Blaze’s cock filling him.
He moaned, uncaring if anyone was on the decks of the other ships a few dozen yards away or whether his voice would float through nearby open windows.
When Blaze moved in earnest, he rushed to meet him.
But no memorization could keep him from coming when Blaze took hold of his hair and tugged while continuing to strike at what seemed to be the very seam of his being.
Starlight burst behind Durae’s closed eyes, and Blaze licked the point of his ear before moaning.
Warmth coated Durae’s insides, and Blaze stuttered in his rhythm.
The summer winds were blessedly cool in the night. Durae shivered, and his knees grew weak. He leaned more on the railing.
“Wait here,” Blaze murmured. He hurried into the small cabin and came back with armfuls of blankets. He made a pile of them on the deck and helped Durae sit down.
His aid was too sweet to resist, and Durae wondered if his own smile was as soft as Blaze’s was. Combing his fingers through his hair, Durae used a spell to release any knots as he found them. Blaze gathered up their clothing and made neat stacks of them.
As Blaze was about to put on his small clothes, Durae held out his hand. “Come here.”
Smiling, Blaze joined him on the blankets. Durae coaxed him into a kiss. His lips were more sensitive, but he craved every brush of Blaze’s. Soon, he spread his legs and drew him between them. He wrapped them around Blaze. Their second joining was as soul-shattering and renewing as their first.
“Gods, you are a marvel.” Blaze lay down beside Durae and lightly ran his nails down Durae’s stomach before resting his hand on his lower abdomen. Tenderly, he kissed his temple. “Will you mind if I ask my question now?”
Durae linked his fingers with Blaze’s. “What question?”
“Have you shared yourself with someone before?”
“I haven’t.” Durae squeezed Blaze’s hand. “Could you tell?”
“Only because you asked me if being tight was bad. Most know that’s good.”
A smirk curved Durae’s lips, and he propped himself up so he could look at Blaze. “Should we see how tight I still am?”
“You’re insatiable.”
“I’ve been in a tower all my life.” And if my parents have their way, I’ll be dragging a spouse into it with me rather than escaping it. Durae straddled Blaze and slid his hands up his chest. “I have so much I want to explore, and you are a very good partner.”
Blaze rested his hands on Durae’s hips. “You don’t have the experience to make that judgment.”
“I can tell,” Durae said. “But if you’re not curious—”
Blaze sat up to catch Durae in another kiss. “Oh, I am.”