Chapter 10

Brandon

“ I dare you...”

I swallowed, staring at the shot glass in my hand. This had been a stupid idea. Who played games like this when it was just the two of you? Andrew wouldn’t do the unthinkable, would he?

He’d been pushing so dang hard lately and it was getting harder to tell him no.

“Don’t do it.” The words were so quiet, hanging in the air between us as Andrew’s eyebrows furrowed. He stared me down a full minute longer before he filled my glass with more tequila. Not that I wasn’t already feeling the buzz.

“It’s not the end of the world, Brandon.”

My throat closed off as my back grew slick with sweat. I struggled to hold on to the drink in my hands. If only he knew.

“It sure feels that way.”

Andrew chuckled, setting the bottle on the counter next to us. He tossed back his shot of tequila before forcing me to make eye contact with him. “I won’t force you. That’s never what I wanted. Brandon...” He sighed as he looked off into the room. “I just don’t understand why. It’s obvious that we both feel it. I’m tired of being afraid. Aren’t you?”

Of course, I was tired of running from him. I’d wanted Andrew since I’d made the realization that I was gay, but I didn’t want to ruin everything. He was my everything.

He was also right.

We couldn’t keep fighting the pull, but at least he was giving me an out by saying he wouldn’t force me with a dare.

I swallowed my shot, the burn of the alcohol warming my blood on its way to my stomach. It was now or never, and I wanted Andrew. There was no one here to judge or tease us.

My shot glass thudded a little too loudly onto the counter before I oh-so-gently framed Andrew’s face with my hands. My fingers scraped along the stubble I’d always craved to feel against my skin. His breath caught as I leaned in closer. This was it. My stomach clenched in anticipation. This was when everything changed between us, because this was acknowledging the attraction. Giving in.

The first press of lips against warm, somewhat chapped lips sent a zap down my spine. My fingers threaded back into Andrew’s hair as he groaned against my mouth. And when he opened for me, my tongue swept inside for that taste.

Like magic, all bets were off. The stool clanged to the floor behind me as I stood too quickly and crawled into his lap to chase the taste of the tequila. Then there was him. Andrew was sweet, and mine, and everything I’d become addicted to three years ago when I’d given in to this the first time. His hands landed on my hips, pushing up the material of my shirt, and I mewled at the contact of his hands against my skin.

Then, just as suddenly as it all started... it was done. We broke apart, both of us panting, as I paced around the kitchen island and stared wide-eyed at my best friend. Andrew wiped his mouth of saliva, then his fingers pressed there, feeling his lips. Did they tingle like mine did?

“You stopped?” He turned to watch me as I rested my hands on the counter and studied him.

“It’s too much.”

He laughed. “Is it?”

Why didn’t he seem to understand that this wasn’t as easy as giving in? There was too much on the line. This had the potential to throw everything between us into a tailspin. It could ruin everything.

“You don’t—”

“You’re overthinking it. What makes you think we’ll fail? We’ve been together since we were babies. Are we really foolish enough to think adding a relationship would change things?”

But didn’t relationships change things? This wasn’t just dating. This was kissing, and sex, and…

Shit. Sex. My dick throbbed in my jeans, angry that I had denied it some action .

I swallowed a few times, trying to calm down my heart. He had a point that I was probably overthinking it.

Andrew got up from his stool and moved to the other side of the counter. He encircled his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. A shudder raced through me as I sighed when his erection lined up with the crease of my ass. His reaction was impossible to ignore, and it made me even more aware of the intense attraction between us. When his lips landed on the shell of my ear, I sank into him.

“We can take this slow. There’s no reason to rush anything.”

And I knew that he’d never pressure me. I was more worried about my desire to rush things. I’d been fighting this for too long.

When Andrew released me, he walked back around the counter and grabbed the bottle of tequila again. He held it up to show me and I shook my head. It wasn’t a good idea to have any more tonight, or I’d do something stupid—like give in to doing more than kissing him.

Andrew grinned and put the bottle on top of the fridge. I stared at it before I glanced back at him and threaded my fingers with his. It wasn’t weird to hold his hand. I’d done it thousands of times. But now it felt different because it meant so much more now.

Andrew said nothing would change because we’d always been close. But he was wrong. Everything changed.

W atching the early sunlight spill across his tanned skin made him seem ethereal. No one should be that beautiful. His dark waves spilled across his forehead, and I itched to brush them away. We’d slept like this a million times, but for the first time, I was seeing Andrew as something more.

His chest rose and fell as he breathed in his sleep. I felt like such a creeper, lying here and watching him, but I didn’t want to disturb him either. Nothing else had happened last night. Despite agreeing to take it slow, the longer I lay here in bed with him, I couldn’t help but feel tempted to do so much more. Would it be weird to kiss him awake? To touch him?

“What are you thinking about?”

I jumped at Andrew’s words, assuming he’d been fast asleep still. His dark, depthless eyes blinked at me as I stared at him. I drew my bottom lip between my teeth and gnawed at it as I thought of how I wanted to answer him. I didn’t miss the way his eyes trailed to the motion.

Andrew let out a soft chuckle before his warm fingers trailed down my side. I closed my eyes at the sensation. His hands on me felt amazing. I’ve had his hands on me often over the years, but now my body thrummed with heat and electricity. I wanted to know what they would feel like when they gave pleasure.

The next thing I knew, Andrew covered my mouth with his and kissed me softly. I let out the most pathetic sounding mewl before I wrapped my arms around him and returned his kisses more than a little enthusiastically.

My fingers tangled in his dark hair, and I held on for dear life as I tasted him. Our tongues wrapped around each other, and it didn’t matter that we had morning breath, because Andrew was the best thing I’d ever tasted.

It was easy to get caught up in the moment, to forget that this was supposed to be us taking it easy, slow, simple... I wanted him. The realization wasn’t new. I’d wanted Andrew for so dang long and now the opportunity was here.

My leg hooked over his thigh, drawing him closer. Andrew’s warm hands trailed across my back as our kisses deepened and became sloppy. Warning bells tried to clang in the back of my head, telling me that this was too much, too fast, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. This was everything I’d craved.

My hips rocked, and a zing ripped through my entire body at the feel of Andrew’s erection against me. He was hard for me. It was all for me. I couldn’t stop kissing him as my body took over, rocking against him again and again. It sought friction the only way I could get it. There was nothing between us but the thin cotton of our underwear and I wanted it gone. I wanted to feel more skin. To feel all of him.

Andrew’s hand gripped my ass and helped the motion of my needy hips as I continued to grind against him. He momentarily broke apart from my mouth to puff against my swollen lips. “So damn sexy, Brandon. Take what you need.”

I whined as I continued to thrust against him. This was worse than being a needy teenager. I just wanted to get off. And it almost felt wrong that I was using my best friend to get what I needed, but it also felt so perfectly right. Like this was all inevitable, anyway.

Just as suddenly as our morning started, my whole body shook as that familiar tingle raced up my spine. With a mild sense of horror, I came in my boxers. Heat and humiliation flooded me. There was no way that the first time I got to do this with Andrew, I’d gone off like I’d never had sex before in my life.

My eyes widened as I stared at Andrew, who seemed unfazed by what I’d just done, or he hadn’t noticed.

“Did you just...?”

My face heated. I nodded and a soft, “Uh huh,” escaped my lips.

Before I could register what was happening and embrace my shame, Andrew’s hand delved into the front of my boxer briefs, his fingers brushing along my oversensitized flesh. A low strangled sound worked its way from deep in my chest at the contact as he scooped my cum from my underwear and held it up in front of his face .

“So damn hot,” he mused before he shoved down the front of his briefs.

My eyes glued themselves to the sight of my best friend, hard and glistening in front of me. He wrapped his hand around his length and pumped. My brain short-circuited when he used my jizz as lube. This had all gone sideways so flipping fast, but I couldn’t bring myself to slow it down. I wanted more. So much more.

“Andrew...” His name was a whisper as I scooted down the bed. I wanted a better view of what he was doing, and I didn’t want to put my glasses on in order to see it.

My head rested on his thigh as his fist worked fast and efficiently. He’d stop on every other upstroke to play with the head and drag his thumb through the slit. I wanted to taste him, but maybe that was a line too far. Maybe this was all a little too far for two people who were supposed to be going slow. It didn’t stop my tongue from peeking out and running along his balls or the hiss that passed between his lips at the sensation.

Andrew’s hand worked faster as his thighs tensed under my head. I was putty, completely limp and helpless but to watch my best friend jack himself off. How did this feel so wrong, yet so perfect? Was that even possible? Then he unleashed, cum rolling down his fingers and spattering against my cheek. My cock tried to stir to life again, knowing that he’d marked me. He collapsed against my mattress, throwing his hands over his head.