Adrift, page 5
“God, Eric. That is so, so good.”
He hummed softly, then took me deep in his mouth again. I swore, forcing my hips to stay still and fighting the urge to grab his hair; I hated when guys did that to me, but damn if I couldn’t understand the temptation.
He kept going until he had me spun up and almost shaking, and exactly like he had when we’d been giving each other handjobs, picked just that moment to stop.
Damn it, no. I was right there.
“What the—”
Eric laughed, meeting my gaze with that primal gleam in his eyes. “Don’t want to get you off yet.”
“No?” I licked my lips. “What’re you going to do with me instead?”
“I want to fuck.” He said it matter-of-factly as he stretched toward the bedside table. As he came back to the middle of the bed, he said, “Put this on.” He pushed the condom into my hand.
I did as I was told. I loved men who took charge in bed. Fucking loved it.
Once the rubber was in place, Eric stroked some lube onto it. Not as much as I’d usually use, but he knew how much he needed, so I didn’t question him.
He climbed on top. I was about to offer to help guide my dick to him, but with a roll of his hips, he took me. Every inch. All at once.
I gasped and my shoulders came up off the bed. “Holy shit.”
Eric grinned wickedly down at me, and playfully pushed me back down to the mattress. “What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing. Just wasn’t expecting…so quick…no prep…”
“Told you—don’t need prep.” He kissed me quickly before sitting up again. He started moving slowly, rising until my cock almost slid out, then easing back down. “Like that?”
“Uh-huh. Jesus.”
Eric laughed. “Remember how I said I like it rough?”
Oh God. Oh sweet mother of God.
“Yeah?”
He grinned.
And then he rode me. Hard. He planted his hands beside my shoulders, and he did…fuck, something with his hips that made my dick feel amazing, and I just stared at him. Nothing had ever been sexier than what I was seeing right then—Eric riding my cock, fast and deep, his eyes closed and his teeth digging into his lip.
I desperately wanted to grab onto him or at least touch him, but I didn’t want to screw up his rhythm, so I settled for clawing at the sheets beside his knees. Digging my heels into the mattress, I managed to thrust up into him, and he rewarded me with a long moan as we fell into sync. Christ, he was so tight and slick and perfect. This was…oh God, how had I not lost it already?
Then he leaned forward a little, angling his hips differently, and he gasped. His features were taut with intense concentration, deep crevices forming between his eyebrows and his lips pulling tight across his teeth, and his rhythm took on a whole new sense of urgency. I stilled my own hips, letting him take over, and just watched as much as my watering eyes allowed.
“Fuck…” he ground out. He moaned again. Shuddered. Gasped. His breaths started coming in short, sharp huffs, and then he cried out and threw his head back, clenching hard around my dick, and I damn near came too.
With a soft whimper, he stopped, and he slumped a little, holding himself up on his shaking arms.
I blinked. “That…is so hot.”
He laughed, sounding drunk.
I pulled him down for a kiss, then wrapped my arms around him and rolled him onto his back. I couldn’t quite stay in while we were shifting position, but once we’d stopped, it only took a second and a little guidance from him to bury my dick in him again. “All right. My turn.”
Eric grinned up at me, still flushed and sweaty. “Bring it.”
In my mind, I had it right from the start. I’d had sex in this position plenty of times, so why the hell not? This was a little different than I was used to, though. The angle was just different enough to throw me off, even if it was only for two or three strokes. Then I found my stride, and suddenly we were moving together again, his hips rocking just right to complement my clumsy-at-first thrusts. His hands ran all over me. Our mouths met, broke apart, met again. I didn’t know why we bothered kissing when we were both panting like this, but hell, I loved the way he kissed, so it was worth a try.
“Harder,” he pleaded, raking his nails up my back. “Fuck me harder, baby.”
Oh, that I could do. I sat up, pulling my knees up next to his hips, and gripped his ass as I fucked him violently, and he egged me on with soft moans and whimpers and slurred curses.
A shudder jarred me hard enough I nearly lost my balance. “Jesus.” I almost choked on my own breath.
He squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his head back into the pillow as he arched under me. “Oh fuck. Yeah. Fuck…”
“Oh shit…” I slammed in deep, shuddered again, and almost blacked out.
Eric relaxed. I relaxed. For a solid minute, the only sounds in the room were the two of us gulping in air. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had sex that left me out of breath like this, and I already couldn’t wait for the next time.
After a moment, I wiped a shaky hand over my face. “Holy shit, that was hot.”
Eric laughed, and I thought he sounded kind of uneasy. “You sound surprised.”
“No, it’s not that.” I licked my lips as I carefully pulled out. “Just…if you’d been there for what little sex I’ve had in the last few months…”
“That bad?”
“Not bad. Just kind of…meh.” I sat up, looking around the stateroom. “Bathroom is…”
He pointed at one of the many doors. “Over there.”
“Be right back.” I gave him a quick kiss, got up, and went into the tiny bathroom to get rid of the condom. When I came back, I paused, and I grinned as I raked my eyes over him. Though we’d already fucked, this was the first time I’d actually had a good look at him naked.
And God, he was hot. Lean and sculpted like he knew his way around a gym. That faint sunburn I’d noticed on the first day had faded to a light golden tan on his face and shoulders, though the rest of him was fair-skinned. Smooth muscles. Flat abs. Sprinkles of dark hair on his arms, legs, and chest. His leg was canted slightly to the side, revealing the small pink nub protruding from the thin thatch of hair.
My gaze only had a second to linger there before Eric shifted slightly, and I caught the subtlest hint of uneasiness in his expression. Shit, had I been staring at him enough to make him uncomfortable?
“Sorry.” I grinned as I joined him in bed. “Just gloating a little.”
His eyebrows jumped, his body still tense. “Gloating?”
“Fuck yeah.” I trailed a fingertip up the center of his chest. “I’ve been ogling you since the start of the cruise, and I just fucked you. Damn right I’m gloating.”
Eric laughed, some of that new tension starting to ease. He sidled closer to me, draping an arm over my waist. “Good thing we met this early in the cruise then, right?”
I cocked my head.
He lifted his chin to kiss me. “Means we still have the whole rest of the cruise to fuck each other senseless.”
I shivered, pulling him in tighter. “You’re serious? You want to do this again?”
“Are you kidding?” He brushed his lips across mine. “If you’re game, I want as much of what we just did as we can fit into however many days we have left.”
This is definitely a heatstroke hallucination. No way in hell that guy wants me for the next week and a half.
But as I ran my fingers through his short sweaty hair…no, it wasn’t a hallucination. I was in his bed. We’d just had the most amazing sex. He wanted more. So did I.
I traced my thumb along his lower lip. “Good thing the stores onboard sell condoms. Think we’re gonna need ‘em.”
Eric grinned. And then he kissed me.
And I hoped this cruise would never end.
Chapter 7
Eric
I woke up before Andrew did, but that wasn’t surprising. The first morning after with a new guy, I was always on edge.
Most guys who I hooked up with were fine. If someone had any issue with me being trans, we’d never get anywhere near the bedroom in the first place. So if I had sex with a guy, he was usually fine afterward.
Once in a while, though…
Some guys were game for anything in the moment, particularly after a drink or two, but they could get weird once they’d gotten off and didn’t need to think with their dick anymore. Suddenly the need for an orgasm was gone, and there was room for their hang-ups to come out and play. Andrew’d had what looked like a strong drink—the bar hadn’t exactly been watering them down last night—and I had no idea what his tolerance was like.
Except he hadn’t seemed drunk. No slurring except when he’d been about to come (Jesus, he’d sounded hot like that). No problem at all keeping an erection all three times. If he’d had any underlying hang-ups about my body, he sure as hell hadn’t let them show. He’d been a little hesitant now and then, but it had never felt like revulsion. Just someone getting used to the topography of someone new.
And when he’d come back to bed after that first round, he’d paused to look me up and down. The scrutiny had made me nervous—being naked in front of someone for the first time would never not be daunting—but he’d seemed to pick up on that quickly. Thinking back, nothing about the way he’d gazed at me had suggested he was put off by me. Just the opposite, in fact. Maybe a little curious, and maybe unaware that looking quite so intently at a naked trans person he’d just met could send messages he hadn’t intended to send, but in those seconds before realizing his faux pas, he’d also looked like he’d wanted to eat me alive. Which might not have been far off the mark, given the way he’d fucked me into the mattress two more times last night.
I shivered, grinning to myself. As he slept beside me now, the Mediterranean sun warming his soft features, I was pretty sure I had nothing to worry about. A handful of bad experiences in the past had left me gun shy, but was Andrew like that? I really didn’t think he was. There were no red flags waving. Not yet, anyway.
Am I just seeing you through rose-colored glasses? Please say no.
Especially since we’d been practically tripping over each other—in one case, literally—since we’d boarded the ship. This could make the rest of the cruise really fucking awkward.
Andrew shifted a bit, then rolled onto his back with a sigh. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, blinked a few times, and turned to me. As soon as our eyes met, a smile spread across his lips. He rolled closer, onto his side, and under the sheet he slid his palm up my waist. “Morning.”
“Morning.” Relief was already rushing through me, and I was tempted to kiss him, but…morning breath. Neither of us needed that. “Sleep all right?”
“Are you kidding?” He grinned. “After that last round, I was out.”
“You’re not the only one, believe me.”
Andrew’s grin broadened into a soft chuckle as he watched his hand slide up my arm. “Good thing you let me stay, too—I’m pretty sure I’d have dropped somewhere between here and my cabin.”
We both laughed, but as his humor faded, he seemed nervous, struggling to hold my gaze.
I chewed the inside of my cheek. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I…” He moistened his lips, still not looking at me.
Aw, shit. So much for—
“Is it too soon to suggest doing this again?”
I blinked. “What?”
Andrew studied me shyly. “I know we haven’t even gotten dressed yet, and I don’t want to sound like a clingy weirdo, but last night was fun. I’d…I know we brought it up last night, but that was kind of in the heat of the moment, and the thing is, I really would like to do it again.”
I laughed, both because I was relieved and because he was so damn adorable. “We’re on a cruise.” I curved a hand over his ass. “Not a lot of time to play games with waiting three days to call.”
“True.” He brightened a little, eyebrows rising. “So do you want to do this again?”
“Hell yeah.”
“Good. Me too.” His lips quirked. “After I’ve had a few gallons of coffee, though. I’ve got nothing left right now.”
I laughed. “I know the feeling. Want to go grab breakfast?”
“Definitely. But I…” He frowned, looking around the room. “Oh crap. What time is it, anyway?”
I craned my neck to see the clock beside the pile of condom wrappers. “Almost eight.”
“Shit. I’m supposed to meet up with my folks at nine. We’re going out for another excursion.” He watched his finger trailing down my upper arm. “But I could bail on it if…” He let his raised eyebrows finish the thought.
I grinned. “You’d rather spend the day with me than wandering around Valencia?”
Andrew chuckled. “Valencia sounds amazing, but I’m not gonna lie—I’m pretty intrigued by what might happen if I stay onboard.”
“Well…” I slid my palm up the middle of his chest. “Why don’t you stay onboard, and we’ll see what happens?”
“I like the sound of that.”
Once we’d finally dragged our aching carcasses out of bed, Andrew left to get a shower and a change of clothes and also to let his parents know he’d be bowing out of the day’s excursion. We’d agreed to meet in an hour at one of the restaurants on the seventh deck, so I took my time showering, shaving, getting dressed, and wandering in that general direction. As much as my hips hurt, taking my time was about the best I could do today; good thing I’d gone for a run yesterday morning, because my legs barely felt like they were attached to my body anymore.
Worth it, I thought with a grin on the way to the seventh deck.
In fact, the sore joints were barely noticeable over the sheer relief of having taken someone to bed. If there was one thing that soothed the sting of a breakup more than any other, it was amazing sex. When Chris and I had split up, part of me had been especially disappointed to see our sex life coming to an end. I could say a lot about the man, but he’d been incredible in the sack, and I’d convinced myself I’d never find someone who could turn me on and get me off like he had.
Sometimes it was good to be wrong.
As I stepped up to the podium in the restaurant, the hostess plucked a menu from the stack and chirped, “Just one this morning?”
I smiled. “Two. He’ll be along in a few minutes.”
“Perfect.” She picked up a second menu and gestured for me to follow her. She seated me at a table for two by a window with a panoramic view of the city Andrew and I would be ignoring today.
The ship was moored quite a ways out from the city proper, much like it had been in Barcelona. A vessel this big just couldn’t squeeze into anything closer, so we were at the far end of a long pier. Buses were lined up outside to take passengers into town, and people were disembarking by the dozen for a day of history, food, and scenery.
I hadn’t left the boat since I’d boarded. I knew I needed to—there was no point in visiting all these places if I wasn’t going to actually visit them—but I’d been too caught up in the “vacation” part of being on vacation. There were still several port calls left, though. And besides, I’d be spending two weeks in Rome after this, so I’d have plenty of time to wander ancient streets, try local food, and explore places I’d never been. Nothing wrong with chilling on the ship for a while in the meantime.
Gibraltar was also coming up soon, and I’d always wanted to visit there, so I’d make sure I left the ship for that one. Malta and Sicily were high on my list too. Since I’d already done Barcelona, I figured I could give myself a pass on some of the Spanish ports. Or maybe I was just lazy and enjoying being lazy. Whatever. I was on vacation.
“Sorry I took so long.” Andrew’s voice made me jump, and I looked up just as he was taking the seat across from me.
I smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Your parents didn’t object?”
“Eh.” He waved a hand. “My mom is kind of annoyed because she’s all excited about this paella restaurant in town, but considering the last time we had paella…” He shuddered.
“Not a fan?”
“Not when it’s got black squid ink in it, no.”
“Oh God.” I wrinkled my nose. “I like paella, but that doesn’t sound appealing at all.”
“It was awful. Trust me.”
“Well, hopefully this place won’t be quite as horrifying.”
Andrew laughed as he opened the menu. “So far, the food on the boat has been good, so I’ve got high hopes.”
We perused our menus, settled on a couple of basic breakfasts, and placed our orders.
After the waitress was gone, I stirred sugar into my coffee and looked across the table at Andrew. “So, what do you do in Des Moines?”
His face fell a bit, and he stared into his own coffee. Shit. Had I struck a nerve?
“We, uh, don’t have to talk about that,” I said quickly. “We’re on vacation and all. No shop talk, right?”
“Something like that.” He sighed and sat back, staring out at Valencia. “To tell you the truth, I’m not really doing anything right now. I left one miserable job for an even more miserable job, and then got laid off from that one a couple of weeks ago.”
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear it.”
“Eh.” Andrew shrugged, and he met my gaze with a weak smile. “Guess it’s not all bad. Being unemployed is why I got to come on this cruise with my folks.”
“Nice silver lining?”
“You could say that.” The smile brightened a little, but only for a second. “Anyway, before I got laid off, I was co-managing the production department at a textile manufacturer. They mostly did cotton-based thread and yarn that other companies used to make fabrics for clothing.” He waved his hand. “Not the most exciting field and not the greatest work environment, but it paid the bills.” He took a sip of coffee. “So what about you? What do you do?”
