Chapter 6

Chapter Six

TY HAD WATCHED enough of those animated kids' movies as a child to understand the dreamy haze draped like gauze over the whole world when he woke. He half expected to find himself sleeping on a cushion of verdant meadow grass with deer grazing nearby and birds tittering in tree branches. But it was just the messy bedroom he'd been sharing with Jude throughout the competition, a lot messier this morning after the night he'd shared with Elijah.

A limp arm lay across Ty. Not only was Elijah still here, but he was still holding Ty, had held him all throughout the night. Ty sighed with quiet contentment, then his phone buzzed at him to remind him of why he'd awoken in the first place.

He reached for it on the dresser and squinted at a blurry message from Jude.

r u coming or should I cover for you?

Shit, he hadn't warned Jude last night that he wasn't going to make the climbing trip today. He typed out a message one handed, trying not to wake Elijah in the process.

sorry, man. still in bed. gonna sleep in

It wasn't like it was going to be a serious trip. A bunch of them had competed yesterday. They weren't going out there to crush right after a comp.

good night, huh? ;) no worries I gotchu

Ty smirked at his phone. "Good night" didn't even begin to describe how yesterday had gone. When Ty had spotted his lifelong climbing inspiration sitting in the audience, he'd never in a million years expected to get the guy into bed with him. Last night was beyond Ty's wildest dreams. Not only was Elijah every bit as hot as Ty had always assumed, but he was also a damn delicious lay, too.

Ty typed out a thanks and set his phone aside, but thinking about last night was getting him excited all over again. Elijah rustled beside him, muttering before settling down.

Maybe it was presumptuous for Ty to take that as an invitation, but his dick was the first part of his body fully awake this morning and it was diverting all the blood from his brain.

Ty twisted in Elijah's hold to face him on the bed. Elijah's eyes were still shut, but when Ty tilted forward to kiss him, Elijah smiled against his lips.

"Morning," Elijah said, voice rough and deep and even sexier than usual.

Fuck. Ty wasn't getting out of this bed at this point. He shuffled forward until his excitement pressed against Elijah's leg. That earned him a little sigh.

"Morning," Ty said, wishing his voice was as dark-sexy as Elijah's right after waking up.

He fell against Elijah's lips again, lingering this time, massaging them open until Elijah was kissing him back. Ty rolled his hips, grinding against Elijah, and Elijah moaned against his mouth.

"Fuck," Elijah groaned, but he was just as hard, from the feel of things.

Ty didn't waste another moment with hesitation. He rolled Elijah onto his back and kissed his way down Elijah's chest, flicking his tongue at his nipples. Elijah gasped and rolled up against Ty's mouth.

"You're gonna be the death of me," Elijah said again, the same threat as last night.

Ty simply huffed a laugh and continued to trail downward, shoving the sheets away as he went. He was gratified to find Elijah hard and ready when he reached his cock. Ty didn't tease; he angled that hot, hard dick right into his mouth and closed his lips around it, sinking down until he was wonderfully full .

"Shit," Elijah hissed, hips bucking upward.

"Mmm," Ty moaned around him.

He hollowed out his cheeks and dove downward, taking Elijah nearly to the back of his throat. The moan that filled the bedroom shivered through Ty's chest, encouraging him along. The hand that Elijah wound through Ty's hair encouraged him even more. Every time Ty flicked his tongue out, Elijah's fingers would spasm tighter in Ty's curls, a tangible tug of pleasure.

Ty lapped it up. Every shift of Elijah's hips, every salty burst in Ty's mouth, every yank of Elijah's hands — they set Ty ablaze. He reached for himself while he still had Elijah in his mouth, too impatient to wait. Besides, sucking Elijah dry was so hot that Ty really didn't need their roles to be reversed to get his own satisfaction out of this. The fullness and heat in his mouth was more than enough to shove him toward the edge.

He actually found it first, his body so hot and eager he couldn't wait for Elijah before he was spilling over his hand and onto the sheets. He moaned and shivered through it, trying to keep his lips tight around Elijah, but it was difficult when his whole body was shaking with pleasure.

"Shit," Elijah said above him, "did you actually come from this?"

"Mmm," Ty replied.

"Holy shit. You…"

Whatever Elijah may have intended to say, whether praise or disbelief, it trailed away into a groan. Elijah's hips pistoned upward. Even before he gritted out a warning, Ty knew what to expect. He fell as deep as he could manage the instant before a hot burst struck his throat. There was no question of doing anything but swallowing; Ty was way too deep for other options. Even if he wasn't, he doubted he'd do otherwise.

He dragged himself up off of Elijah with a sigh, his body humming like he was filled with tiny, batting hummingbirds trying to escape. Elijah was flushed under him, still trying to breathe. He gazed up at Ty with utter disbelief.

"Good morning," Ty said, flashing a grin.

"Jesus…" Elijah muttered. "You…"

Again, he didn't manage to finish. As his voice trailed off into stunned silence, Elijah reached for Ty, bundling him up in his arms until Ty was lying against his chest again.

They sprawled around each other, limbs a sweaty mess, sheets mostly discarded. Even when the blood coursing hot through Ty's body cooled, Elijah's arms around him kept him warm. He sighed and sank against Elijah's broad, strong chest.

Ty would have been content to stay that way all day, but Elijah spoke up eventually.

"We really need to shower," Elijah said. "And we ruined your sheets, I think."

"Nnn," Ty complained, but Elijah was already rolling out from under him. He stood completely naked beside the bed. Ty allowed himself a moment to enjoy the sight to the fullest, all that muscle, all that strength, all that sexy climber body on display just for him. God damn, what a morning.

Elijah started sorting through discarded clothing on the floor. Was this normal for Elijah after a night together and a morning blowie on top of it? Or was he looking for an excuse to run away already?

Ty sat up in bed, doing his best to ignore his already re-interested dick as he wiped his hand clean with a tissue. Elijah was not making the dick situation any easier. Every time he bent down to pluck a piece of clothing off the floor, something delicious flexed. Every time he stood back up his whole body was on display again.

"The shower is down the hall," Ty said, "but are you seriously going there like that?"

Elijah looked down at himself as though reassessing his nudity. "Your roommates…"

As though on cue, laughter bubbled out in the hall. Voices followed, a quick, noisy back and forth. Elijah cringed back as doors opened and closed.

"They're going out climbing," Ty said.

"Shouldn't you be with them then?" Elijah said, as though they hadn't already had this discussion last night.

"Nah, I competed yesterday. And won, by the way."

"Yeah, I saw. "

"Well, it means no one really expects me to climb today," Ty said. "Jude probably won't either. They're just gonna dick around a little."

Elijah didn't push back more, but he watched the bedroom door warily, covering himself with a shirt that had ended up inside out somehow. Ty flopped back in the bed and seriously considered taking care of himself if Elijah was just going to pace and mutter. But soon the downstairs door opened and closed several times and the voices vanished. The bubble of conversation moved outside, swiftly fading away. Finally, Elijah's tense shoulders relaxed.

"I think they left," Elijah said.

"Yup."

"So, uh, about that shower…"

Ty pushed himself back up to sitting. God, this half-chub was getting annoying. But he thought there might finally be a way to take care of that.

"It's down the hall," he said. "I'll show you — if I can join you."

Elijah eyed him warily, a flicker of guilt tightening his face when his gaze drifted downward. "Shit, I'm sorry. I left you hanging."

He hadn't, actually, but Ty had recovered at lightning speed and definitely wasn't going to correct Elijah on that point. Ty leapt out of bed, silencing Elijah with a kiss before he could keep apologizing. "I'll forgive you in the shower," he said, pulling Elijah along as he backed out of the room.

They bumbled awkwardly toward the bathroom down the hall, Ty walking backward so he could tow Elijah along. There were towels in the bathroom, at least Ty hoped so. He wasn't inclined to check once he shut Elijah in the bathroom with him and yanked for the knob that would turn on the shower. Water emerged from old pipes with a screech. The squealing subsided as the water warmed, but Ty was too busy stealing Elijah's mouth to care about rusty pipes.

The seclusion of the shower, the heat of the water, Ty's greedy hands pulling Elijah against him — Ty was using all of it to ease the last of Elijah's lingering anxiety. Ty kissed him as the cramped space forced their bodies close together, the water cascading over both of them. It was both too hot and too cold, as awkward shower make-outs tended to be, but Ty couldn't bring himself to care. Being taller, he got even less of the hot water than Elijah, but that hardly made a difference when Elijah dropped to his knees in the plastic basin and returned Ty's morning greeting at long last. Ty sighed with relief when Elijah granted him a second release that morning, forgetting all about the shower until a cold prickle danced over his wet skin where he was no longer standing in the spray.

Elijah was rising with a smirk and wiping at his mouth, and damn, if that wasn't a sight to behold in and of itself. " We really should clean up and do something other than, uh, that," he said.

Ty's legs were still jelly beneath him, but he forced himself to nod. Still, he had no plans to stop bracing against the wall of the shower any time soon. He therefore didn't react when Elijah began using the shower for its intended purpose. Ty tried to focus when Elijah asked which of the scattered products along the rim of the tub he could use. Ty pointed out his own body wash, some cheap stuff that did little more than get the job done. He intended to go back to drifting dreamily in the warm darkness behind his eyes, but then Elijah was working the body wash into a lather and rubbing it all over his body, his naked, wet, insanely hot body.

This was a sight worth burning permanently into his memory.

Elijah was a little stockier than Ty, a little more powerful in places where Ty was lean. And though pale, it was clear his arms were darker than his chest, likely from climbing outside. He even had a smattering of freckles dancing along his arms and torso, though none reached his face. When he turned around to face the nozzle, his ass was so perfectly firm Ty almost knelt down and prayed to it. Then he forced his gaze upward and found the tattoo on Elijah's shoulder blade.

"I didn't know you had ink," Ty said.

"Huh? Oh." Elijah twisted as though attempting to peer over his own shoulder. "I usually kept it covered while I was competing. The sponsors didn't love it, once I actually had sponsors."

"What is it?" Ty said. He ran his fingers over jagged peaks sketched in black ink. Trees stippled the foreground, while a bit of fading white suggested snow on those distant heights.

Elijah turned, hiding the tattoo. He hugged his arms around himself. "It's really silly," he said.

Ty stepped closer, placing himself more in the spray splashing around them. He was downright shivering now, but he didn't care. "Just tell me. I like it."

Elijah turned the shower off and threw aside the curtain. Goosebumps rippled up Ty's arms and he scrambled for a towel, throwing one at Elijah as well.

"Dude, come on," Ty said. "It's just a tattoo."

Elijah sighed as he toweled off. "It's Villars."

"What?"

"Villars," Elijah said. "Switzerland."

"Like where the climbing comp is?"

"Yeah," Elijah said, eyes dropping to study the bathroom tiles. "It was … my first international comp. That was a bigger deal back then. I actually got into finals."

"I know," Ty said. "It was a huge deal. An American making the finals? It was awesome, man."

A hint of a smile crossed Elijah's lips.

"So the mountains are Villars?" Ty said .

Elijah nodded. "I wanted something to remember it by. I always thought I'd add on to it, other mountain ranges from other places, ya know? But…" He shrugged. "Just never did it. Now it's too late."

"It's not too late," Ty said. "There's a ton of climbing areas out there. Just go."

"What's the point?"

"To … climb?"

"Yeah," Elijah said, "but I meant, like, the bigger point. I'd just be traveling for my own vanity. Am I really going to get a tattoo of that?"

"Why not?"

"Because it's depressing, for one thing," Elijah said, wrapping the towel around his waist. "For another, I'm starving. I can't just hang out in your bathroom all day. I'd prefer to get out of here well before your teammates get back."

"They'll be gone all day," Ty said, but Elijah was already on his way back to the bedroom, and all Ty could do was follow.

Ty sighed. He nearly sighed again when he found Elijah rushing to get dressed. A body like that should be enjoyed to the fullest at all times, in Ty's not-at-all humble opinion. Maybe that was just the star-struck part of his brain talking, though. He'd not only met his idol yesterday, he'd fucked him. He should probably just be thankful and tick off the win, but some part of him wasn't ready to let this go so easily. He didn't just like Elijah because he was a good climber; the more they'd chatted during dinner, the more Ty had felt like he'd known this man his whole life. It was so easy talking to Elijah. They understood each other on a level not many could contemplate. Who knew the life of a pro climber better than another pro climber?

But beyond that, Elijah was still passionate about the sport. Ty could see it in his eyes whenever he talked about climbing, no matter how humble he tried to sound. They shared that passion, and other passions as well. The way they'd so effortlessly gotten each other off so many times since last night — it didn't always happen that easily. Ty knew that from experience. Being around Elijah was just that easy, that effortless. And Ty wanted more of it.

"Hey," Ty said, "let's go climbing."

"Now?" Elijah was tugging up his jeans. They hugged his hips, the fly still open. He hadn't gotten to his shirt yet.

Damn, what a sight.

"Yes, now," Ty said, forcing himself to focus above the waist. "Or tomorrow. While we're both still in town. I'm going back to Salt Lake City to train after this. You live around here, right?"

"Not super far away, yeah," Elijah said.

"Well, let's climb then," Ty said. "How many chances are we going to get to boulder on real rock together? It's the middle of the competition season, so I'm going to be traveling constantly. This might be our best shot. "

Elijah hesitated, seemingly heedless of his partial-nudity. Ty struggled to drag his eyes up from the deep V disappearing into the open waistband of his jeans. He himself had nothing on but the towel from the shower still wrapped around his waist.

"Ty," Elijah finally said, "I'm not sure this is a great idea."

"Why not?"

"I… Look, I probably shouldn't have even come back here with you. I'm way older than you, and—"

Ty interrupted him with a burst of laughter. "You're not seriously going to pull the ‘I'm old' card right now, are you?"

He strode forward while Elijah dithered, taking him by the shoulders.

"I had a really awesome time last night," Ty said. "And I get the impression from the fact that you're still here that you did too. I don't just mean the sex, either, though that was definitely awesome and definitely worth doing again."

Heat fanned across Elijah's cheekbones, but Ty didn't let himself enjoy the sight overly long.

"It was really cool just talking to you," Ty said. "I mean it. It was so … easy. So natural. If you're freaked out by my age, then we'll only climb. I'll never touch you again. But don't run out of here and pretend you didn't feel what I did."

It was a desperate bid. Ty wasn't truly confident he could hold himself to never touching this man again, never consuming him with his eyes, never wanting him. But if it made Elijah that uncomfortable, Ty would do his best.

The silence stretched. Ty slid his hands off Elijah's shoulders to give him breathing space.

"This isn't some weird parasocial thing," Ty said. "I mean, of course I know who you are. I've read about your career and everything. But if all I wanted was an autograph, I wouldn't have asked you out to dinner."

"Then why did you ask me?" Elijah said, finally meeting Ty's eyes again.

"Because you were cool to talk to," Ty said. "Because you get it. Because I don't have to explain what this life is like to you. You understand."

"There are other climbers. Your teammates."

Ty rolled his eyes. "I don't just mean climbing. The sport has gotten a lot better, but there still aren't many of us who are out. Straight white people are still, like, most of the climbers you'll meet."

Elijah couldn't deny that, and apparently he didn't plan to. He merely held his silence and let Ty continue.

"I just really enjoyed hanging out with you," Ty said. "It was like … like I could let go of all of it and just be myself, as corny and cliché as that is. It was just nice, you know?"

Elijah heaved a sigh. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I do know. There were even less when I was competing. I pretty much kept to myself. I'm … I'm glad you don't have to, that things are getting a little better."

Ty dared to scoop up Elijah's hand in his. "They are. But it's still really cool when you meet someone you can just instantly put your guard down around. So please, can we just freaking go climbing one time before I leave? I won't even kiss you, no matter how badly I want to."

Elijah's lips twisted. "You can kiss me too. If you want."

Ty flashed a grin the instant before he stepped in and accepted Elijah's offer. "Good," he said. "Because I really, really want to. Like, all the time."

"Maybe you shouldn't all the time," Elijah said. "I do mean to actually climb, as well."

"So we're going?"

"Yeah, fine, we can go. Tomorrow, OK? I'm an old man. I'm not used to being out all night. Plus, I don't know how long I can stay parked here before I get towed. God, I hope my car is still in the lot."

They made plans to meet up at eight a.m. the next day (a horrifically early time, Ty thought, but apparently Elijah would be getting up at an even more painful five a.m. in order to drive back up here from his house just outside Denver). Ty walked Elijah to the door, distracting him along the way with as many kisses as he could steal before they reached the exit. Ty made a last-ditch effort to offer to let Elijah crash here in the team's rented house, but Elijah insisted he wanted fresh clothes and a shower and his own bed. Ty had to concede and let him leave, but not without one last, lingering taste of those lips.

Elijah eased Ty away with a soft chuckle. "Tomorrow," he said.

"Tomorrow," Ty said.

Ty leaned against the door with a dreamy sigh after he closed it behind Elijah. Even as a smile picked at the corners of his lips, a pang of loss already pinged in his chest like over-tightened guitar wire. One afternoon of climbing. That was probably all the time he had left with Elijah. It was a whirlwind, a fantasy come true … but also more than that. Unfortunately, Elijah already wasn't just some elusive fantasy. He was a whole person, a whole person Ty wanted to know every single thing about. They had so much more to share than one fun night and a day of climbing — if Elijah would actually give them a chance.