Chapter 26

Nolan

I wokeup to the sound of birds singing, like some damn Hallmark movie. Warmth surrounded me, and I burrowed into it like a rabbit hunkering down for winter, not wanting to open my eyes.

I wanted to hold onto the perfect, pre-awakening haze that held Dawson and I together like glue for the moment. His leg threaded through mine, his fingers cascading along my back slowly as he fought his own consciousness, no doubt.

I curled a little closer to his warm chest, the coarse, sparse hair there tickling my cheek. Pressed so close, I could hear his heartbeat, slow and steady.

I could also feel his semi-erect cock twitching against mine, and the memory of the previous night came flooding back to me, causing my own cock to wake up.

"Good Morning, beautiful." Dawson's half-asleep voice shouldn't have sounded that sexy, but damn if it didn't wake up every nerve ending in my body.

Instinctively, I ground my cock against him as I buried my head in his shoulder, the taut skin on his neck teasing my lips, baiting me to kiss and suck his flesh until I'd marked him like some teenage vampire.

Mine, mine, mine.

I opened my eyes, my vision blurry until Dawson's gorgeous face came into focus. I hadn't remembered taking my glasses off, but I was aware from the semi-blur of shapes behind Dawson that I didn't have them.

Which made me feel entirely more vulnerable.

That first time you spend the night with someone, where you let them see you underneath all that you present to the world is always nerve-wracking, but when you're letting the man of your literal dreams see you and your bedhead and your terrible vision first thing in the morning, it's something else completely.

"Morning," I said, letting out a yawn, looking up at Dawson from my spot beneath him.

"You don't have to get up," he purred, his fingertips tracing lines up and down my spine, hovering just above my bare ass.

The amount of desire that flooded me, the innate need to feel his fingers stretching me, was almost enough to make me come on the spot. Almost.

But I knew that despite our sexual compatibility, that if I wanted Dawson—and I did want him—for myself, as something more than a fulfilled fantasy, I needed to rein in my horny beast. Maybe just a little.

Not to mention there were other pressing matters I needed to attend to, that would have to be dealt with sooner rather than later. Like the claim on my apartment, getting clean clothes that fit me, and of course, calling work and Allie to let them know the details and that I was okay.

Dawson moved just slightly, hooking his knuckle underneath my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

"I meant what I said. You can stay here as long as you need to. As long as you want... with me." His voice was still tinged with the remnants of sleep, but his words were bright and full of life.

I'd known Dawson for two years. In that time, I'd only known him to be a charismatic ass, someone who didn't seem to take things or himself seriously. But in the last several days, I'd come to see the man beneath the fireproof suit, and though he was still charismatic and a bit of an ass, he was so much more.

He was commanding, relentless, and caring.

And as I looked into his beautiful eyes, I realized that I was falling in love with him.

The absolute look of wonder in his eyes made my breath catch, rendering me speechless. No man had ever looked at me like he was looking at me at that moment. And when he leaned down, bringing his soft, warm lips to mine, I knew I was absolutely doomed.

How could I not fall in love with him?

Dawson kissed me, and it was better than I'd ever imagined it could be.

He tasted like fire and love, like sweet sugar with an undercut of hot spice.

Why would I want to be anywhere else?

He broke away, too soon for my liking as he pushed away, throwing the blanket off of him.

"I however, need to get ready to head the firehouse and deal with this shit."

He grumbled as I watched his naked form saunter across the room, the sunlight casting an ethereal glow on his tanned skin. He absentmindedly tugged his sizeable cock, grunting as he did so and a part of me wanted to pull him back down into the sheets and never let him out of my sight.

He caught my stare, winking at me sexily, a lazy smile gracing his luscious lips.

"Be a good boy and do as you're told and maybe I'll reward you," he teased.

I sighed as I watched his bare ass leave the room, heading down the hall toward the shower. When he was gone, I fell back in the sheets, running my hand over my face.

If anyone had told me the week prior that I'd be laying naked with Dawson's dried cum all over my stomach, I would never have believed them. But there I was in his bed, naked, hard, and ready for fucking round two.

I wanted to blame the fact I hadn't been with anyone in a couple years, and the fact that I had a real live human to touch and to touch me was the root of my sudden influx of desire, but I knew that wasn't entirely the case.

Sex for me had always been a way to communicate how I felt, when I found the words too difficult to say. And telling the guy you've been dreaming about for two years you are falling in love with him after one night in his bed screamed psycho clinger. But it was the truth.

The sound of the running shower pulled me from my thoughts. I knew I could lay there, in Dawson's bed, forever trying to work up the courage to tell him I wanted to stay, not just now but... I wanted to stay as long as he wanted me to. I wanted to be with him as long as he wanted to be with me. But laying there spinning myself into circles, trying to work up the nerve would only make me second-guess myself, and I wasn't about to let my self-doubt ruin this.

So instead, I threw my legs over the side of the mattress and climbed out of bed, padding down the hall to the bathroom. I gently pushed open the door, the steam in there budding like an impatient flower.

I took my time, relieving myself and washing my hands in the sink, if only to give myself the briefest moment to chicken out completely.

I knew what I wanted, but going after anyone was new to me. Normally, I preferred to be the one being chased, being pursued, because I'd never been a bold, confident man in any sense of the word. But something about Dawson sparked the side of me that wanted to be those things, that felt like maybe I could be that man with the right person.

I took one step and a deep breath as I moved toward an unsuspecting Dawson, who was humming to himself in the shower, his back to me.

Two steps, and another deep breath, and then...

I opened the curtain and quietly stepped in. Dawson turned around in surprise, his amber eyes looking me up and down with excitement and hunger. His lips turned up in a smirk.

"Nolan, what—"

"Conserve water, shower with a friend," I said, flashing him with a smirk of my own.

Dawson ran his hands through his hair, slicking the locks back as the water sluiced in rivulets down his neck.

"Of course. Think of the turtles," he said in a husky voice as I stepped closer, letting some of the water run over me.

"But if you're uncomfortable, I'll leave," I said, and I meant it. Maybe part of me was concerned I was being too forward, after all this was all new to me. Not the sex, I mean... I'd had shower sex before. But the coming onto a man like this... that was something I'd never done before and I had no idea what the fuck I was doing.

Dawson slid his hand over my stomach, his fingers brushing the remains of his release off of me with gentle scrubbing, before literally smacking my awakened cock. The motion made me jump as my cock bounced, twitching with desire from the rush of his rough touch.

Fuuuuck.

"You are such a fucking brat. You think you are gonna lay there in my bed and grind this—" He squeezed my swollen cock tightly, causing my hips to involuntarily thrust into his grasp, eliciting a groan from my mouth.

"Grind this pretty little cock all over me and then leave me hanging? Think you can crawl into this shower and tease me?" he said as he ran his thumb over my leaking hole, using his other hand to push me back against the tile. The motion angled him over top of me, and he slowly started to stroke me. My breath hitched as I relished the feel and the words of this man who held me at my wit's end.

I wanted more.

I wanted to give him everything I couldn't find the words to say.

"I'm not a fucking tease, Dawson, and I'm not a brat."

"Oh really? Then what are you? A good little boy? Because good boys do what they're told, and I told you to stay in bed."

Dawson let go of my cock, if only to palm his own. My gaze dipped to his thick, pink, swollen head, and I didn't think twice about dropping to my knees, staring up at him through my lashes as water rained down on me like a cleansing rain.

"If I'm so bad, why don't you teach me a lesson?" I purred, licking my lips.

Dawson smirked as he closed his position over top of me, using his hand to hold his cock as he teased my lips with the tip. Salty liquid graced my lips, and my own desire flared as I waited for him to take the bait.

I hoped by the sheer grace of God he understood that this... this wasn't about sex. It was, but it was more than that. I hoped somehow he knew that.

"Is that what you want, Nolan? You want Daddy to teach you a lesson?"

"Yes," I said, my throat going dry as my eyes fixated on his thick, engorged dick in front of me.

"Then open that pretty mouth of yours so I can wash it out with my cum," he growled, his dark eyes sparkling like hot coals, stoking the fire within me once more.