21. Twenty-One

A quick review of the CCTV footage revealed it had been Oscar after all, but there was still no telling what he'd been searching for. I felt like hot garbage. Not only did I ruin one of Church's favorite activities, but now we had to spend the first part of our last evening together cleaning up the mess Oscar had left behind. I needed to make it up to him.

It felt good to work side by side with Church, our shoulders occasionally brushing as we picked up scattered papers and righted overturned furniture. There was an easy rhythm between us, a closeness and intimacy even in the mundane tasks. It was easy to see us doing this forever.

Well, maybe not picking up a room that'd been tossed by my stalker. That I didn't want to do ever again. Doing boring, domestic stuff like picking up and cleaning house? Hell yeah, I was there for it. Weird, considering I'd never enjoyed doing anything domestic my entire life. But for Church, I'd even wash the dishes. By hand. If that wasn't love, I didn't know what was.

As night fell, we finished straightening the last room. I collapsed onto the couch with a sigh, pulling Church down beside me. He wrapped a strong arm around my shoulders and I leaned into his solid warmth, savoring his scent, shaving cream, warm, earthy tea, and man .

I buried my nose against his chest. "I don't want this to end. I wish we could stay here forever, just the two of us."

Church pressed a tender kiss to the top of my head. "I know, love. But your safety has to come first."

I looked up at him, something swelling in my chest. "Say that again."

He frowned. "Your safety has to come first?"

"No, the other thing. The part where you called me love ."

His cheeks turned pink. "Did I? I honestly didn't even realize…"

I leaned in close, my lips brushing his ear. "Say it again, kitten. Please?"

Church turned his head and captured my lips in a deep, languid kiss that stole my breath and set my body alight with need. "I know, love," he whispered against my lips.

I smiled and cupped Church's face in my hands, pulling him down for a deep, sensual kiss. Church groaned low in his throat and wrapped his arms tighter around me, pulling me flush against his muscular body. His tongue slid along my bottom lip and I parted for him eagerly, our tongues tangling. Kissing Church was pure bliss, and he was always so eager to do it. I'd never met anyone who loved kissing as much as Church seemed to.

When we finally parted, both of us were panting. Church rested his forehead against mine, his blue eyes dark with desire. "I want you, Dante," he whispered.

My heart thudded violently in my chest. I'd been waiting so long to hear those words. I took Church's hand and stood, pulling him up with me. I figured he'd be more comfortable in his room, so I tugged him in that direction. We made it maybe two feet before he was pulling back, but not to stop me. He kissed me again, like he couldn't breathe without me. I certainly felt like I was drowning in him.

We stumbled together to Church's bedroom, pausing every few steps to kiss each other with more urgency, pulling at buttons and zippers. By the time we reached the bed, my shirt was hanging open and Church's belt was undone, his pants sliding low on his hips. My mouth watered at the defined vee of muscle disappearing below the waistband of his pants, and I gave him a push. Church fell back onto the mattress. I crawled on top of him, settling between his muscular thighs as he claimed my lips in another searing kiss. His fingers tangled in my hair and I moaned into his mouth, sliding my hands under his shirt. My thumbs brushed over his nipples and his back arched up into the touch.

"You're so fucking hot," I murmured reverently, trailing kisses down his neck to his collarbone. "I want to worship every inch of you."

Church's hips lifted against mine, the thick outline of his trapped cock rubbing against mine. "Please," he whimpered and fuck if it wasn't the single sexiest thing anyone had ever said to me.

"Relax. Let me take care of you, kitten."

I unbuttoned his shirt the rest of the way and pushed it off his shoulders, devouring his naked torso first with my eyes, and then my mouth. Slowly, I kissed my way down his chest to circle my tongue around a nipple before sucking it between my teeth. Church cried out and his fingers tightened their grasp on my hair, pulling it just enough to sting. Moaning, I lavished the same attention on the other before moving lower.

I trailed my tongue along the defined lines of Church's abs, relishing the salty-sweet taste of his skin and the way his muscles quivered beneath me. When I reached the waistband of his pants, I looked up at him through my lashes, smirking at the wrecked expression on his handsome face. His cheeks were flushed, eyes dark with lust, lips parted and shiny. He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

I hummed in satisfaction and finally tugged Church's pants and underwear down, freeing his thick, uncut cock. It jutted up proudly, the swollen head peeking out from the foreskin, glistening with pre-cum. I wrapped my fingers around the base, giving a few slow pumps and relishing the velvety smooth glide as the foreskin moved with my hand. Church let out a choked moan, his hips lifting off the bed.

I took my time, kissing and licking along his inner thighs, sucking little red claiming marks into the sensitive skin as Church writhed beneath me. His breathy moans and whimpers spurring me on. When I couldn't resist any longer, I pressed a soft kiss to the base of his shaft, inhaling his scent. Church gasped and his hips twitched upward, seeking more.

"Please, Dante," he pleaded, voice rough with need. "Don't tease me."

"But you're so sexy when you beg." I smirked and leaned down to flick my tongue over the weeping slit, savoring the salty tang.

Church whimpered and fisted his hands in the sheets. Slowly, I took him into my mouth, my tongue swirling around the throbbing shaft. When I had taken him as deep as I could, I hollowed my cheeks and sucked hard, making Church cry out. For the first time, I was glad we were in a cabin in the middle of nowhere because my shy little church mouse was not a quiet man in bed.

Thank fucking God.

I bobbed my head up and down Church's thick length, relishing the heavy weight on my tongue. My lips stretched around him as I swallowed him into the back of my throat. Church's hips bucked up involuntarily and he let out a choked moan, his fingers tightening in my hair.

"Fuck, Dante, your mouth…" he panted, voice wrecked. "It feels…So good..."

I hummed around him in response, and he shuddered, thighs trembling on either side of my head. Pulling off with an obscene pop, I licked a long stripe from base to tip before swirling my tongue around the swollen, weeping head. Church whimpered, back arching beautifully off the bed.

"Please, I need..." He trailed off into a gasp as I sucked just the tip into my mouth, tonguing at his slit.

"What do you need, kitten?" I asked, letting his cock slip from my lips to mouth at his heavy balls. "Tell me."

He let out a frustrated little whine. "I need to come."

I smirked up at Church, loving how needy and desperate he sounded. "Don't worry, kitten, I'll get you there."

Sliding further down the bed, I pushed Church's muscular thighs up and apart, exposing his perfect pink hole. I blew a stream of cool air over the entrance and Church shivered.

Unable to resist, I leaned in and gave his hole a slow, messy lick. Church let out a choked cry, hands flying down to grip my hair. I repeated the motion, smirking at his reaction. He was so responsive. How was I ever supposed to resist? Pointing my tongue, I traced around his entrance, teasing gently before pressing inside.

Church moaned loudly, thighs clenching around my head as I tongue-fucked him. He was coming undone so beautifully beneath me. Saliva dribbled down my chin as I worked my tongue in and out, stretching and teasing and taking Church apart with pleasure.

When he was shaking and whimpering incoherently, I pulled back, replacing my tongue with a spit-slick finger.

Church gasped, his tight heat clenching around the intrusion. I paused, giving him a moment to adjust before slowly pumping my finger in and out. Church's brow furrowed, and he shifted restlessly on the bed, hands fisting the sheets. "Dante, wait."

I stopped moving, looking up at him with concern. "What is it, kitten? Am I hurting you?"

Church shook his head, cheeks flushed a deep pink. "No, it's not that. It feels good, really good, I just..." He bit his lip, averting his gaze shyly. "I don't know if I'm ready for this yet. The penetration, I mean."

My heart melted. Slowly, I withdrew my finger and crawled back up Church's body to cup his face tenderly, making him meet my eyes. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to explain anything to me. We won't do anything you're not one hundred percent on board with. I'm sorry. I just got carried away. I didn't mean to push you."

Church smiled softly and turned his head to press a kiss to my palm. "You didn't. I want this, want you. I'm just not quite there yet, but that doesn't mean we have to stop altogether."

"Good point." I kissed his nose and hopped off the bed. Smirking, I made my way over to the top drawer of his dresser and took out the big wand vibrator, waving it teasingly back and forth. "How do you feel about a little edging session?"

Church's tongue darted out, wetting his bottom lip. "Yes," he whispered.

I grinned and sauntered back to the bed, twirling the wand in my hand. Church watched me plug it in with hooded eyes, his chest rising and falling quickly. I settled between his splayed thighs and turned on the vibrator to its lowest setting. A deep, rumbling hum filled the air like a purr.

"Ready?" I asked, trailing the vibrating head along Church's inner thigh .

He nodded eagerly, hands fisting in the sheets. "Please, Dante..."

I circled the wand around his balls and perineum, teasing, before slowly dragging it up his shaft. When I pressed it to the sensitive vee at the back of his crown, Church let out a guttural moan that left my cock twitching with need. I ignored it in favor of teasing him harder, moving the wand in slow circles around his cockhead, giving it just enough pressure to feel good without ever giving him as much as he craved.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck," Church chanted, head thrashing on the pillow, a sheen of sweat glistening on his skin. His neglected cock wept against his stomach, red and swollen and desperate for attention. "I'm close!"

I pulled the vibrator away and he let out the most miserable whine. "Aw, my poor kitten. You need it so badly, don't you?"

He nodded. The poor man looked so desperate, I almost took pity on him. But he'd agreed to an edging session, and we were just getting started.

I leaned down and licked a slow line up his shaft before taking him into my mouth again. Church cried out, fingers tangling in my hair as I bobbed my head until he warned me again that he was close. Then I let him go with a wet pop, watching as his unsatisfied and swollen cock twitched against his abdomen.

"So close," I murmured and traced a finger down his length.

"You're a monster," he breathed.

"You love it." I gave his cock a gentle slap, smirking when his eyes rolled back and he bit his bottom lip. "Ready for another round?"

Church nodded, but he had no idea what he was in for. I switched the vibrator back on, but this time I didn't press it against his cock. I turned it up and pressed it hard against his hole.

Church let out a keening wail. His back bowed off the bed, hands scrabbling at the sheets for purchase as wave after wave of intense pleasure crashed over him. I watched in awe as his neglected cock twitched, leaking a steady stream of pre-cum onto his quivering abs. He was so beautiful, so perfect, so utterly wrecked. So mine at that moment. I never wanted it to end.

"Oh god, oh fuck, Dante!" he sobbed, head thrashing on the pillow. "It's too much, I can't…"

"Shh, you're doing so good for me, kitten," I soothed, pressing a tender kiss to his hip. "You can take it. Just a little longer. Show me how strong you are."

He whimpered and gritted his teeth, but he nodded and whispered, "Don't stop."

I alternated between lightly running the vibrator up his shaft and pressing it firmly against his hole, keeping him on the razor's edge without letting him fall. Church was a writhing, babbling mess, completely lost to pleasure. His whole body trembled and shook, sheened with sweat, his cock an angry purple and leaking so much.

But he didn't break. He didn't beg for mercy, didn't plead for anything except for me not to stop.

I was the one who broke first. How was I supposed to hold out when he was being so damn irresistible?

I took mercy on him and wrapped my lips around the weeping head of his cock, swirling my tongue through the slit to lap up the freely flowing pre-cum. Church let out a broken sob, hands flying to my hair as his hips bucked up involuntarily. I took him deep, relaxing my throat, and hummed around his thick length.

"Fuck, Dante, I'm gonna come."

I redoubled my efforts, stroking my tongue over his cock as it swelled. Church let out a strangled cry, and he spilled onto my tongue, hands fisted almost painfully in my hair. I swallowed around him eagerly, determined not to let a single drop escape as I worked him through the aftershocks until he was whimpering and pushing at my shoulders from the overstimulation.

I released him with a wet pop and licked my lips, savoring the salty-bitter taste of his release. Church collapsed back against the pillows, chest heaving, looking thoroughly debauched with his hair a wild, sweaty mess and his softening cock lying spent against his hip.

"That was…intense," he panted, throwing an arm over his eyes.

I grinned and crawled up his body to press a tender kiss to his slack mouth. "Mmm, you're welcome."

Church wrapped his arms around me, pulling me down against his broad chest. We traded soft, lazy kisses as he caught his breath, until I felt him smile against my lips.

"Your turn," he murmured, and before I could react, he flipped us over so I was on my back with Church looming over me, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.

I was a little surprised, but I'd be crazy to turn him down. I kissed him again and reached to undo my belt. Church helped me out of my pants and underwear, slowly kissing his way down my body. His touches were reverent, like I was something precious. My chest tightened. When was the last time someone had treated me like that? Like I was worth something? I couldn't remember. All my recent encounters had been one-night stands, and I'd left every one feeling like garbage. But nothing about this was the same. Church didn't just treat me like I had value. He treated me like I was priceless, and I didn't know what to do with that.

When he reached my straining erection, he paused, glancing up at me from under his lashes. "It's been a while since I've done this," he admitted, cheeks flushing an adorable pink. "I might be a bit rusty."

I reached down to run my fingers through his tousled hair. "There's nothing you can do that I won't like. "

Church nodded and tentatively wrapped his fingers around my shaft, giving a few experimental pumps. I inhaled sharply at the contact, my neglected cock throbbing eagerly in his grasp. Finding his courage, Church leaned in and licked up the underside of my length, base to tip. When he reached the head, he swirled his tongue around it, lapping at the pre-cum beading from the slit.

"Fuck, kitten, your tongue feels so good," I groaned, fighting the urge to buck up into the wet heat of his mouth.

Church hummed, pleased, and slowly took the head between his plush lips, giving a gentle suck. My hands fisted in the sheets as pleasure sang through my body. He was a bit clumsy and unsure at first, but what he lacked in technique he more than made up for in enthusiasm. He slowly took more of my length into his mouth, inch by inch, until his nose was nestled in the wiry curls at the base. He paused, breathing heavily through his nose as he adjusted to the intrusion.

"Oh fuck, Christian," I panted, tangling my fingers in his hair. "So perfect, kitten, you're doing so good."

He preened at the praise, blue eyes shining up at me as he started to bob his head. He found a rhythm, taking me deep on every downstroke until his nose brushed my pelvis. Wet sounds filled the room as he worked me over with his talented mouth, and it was the hottest thing I'd ever heard.

Church pulled off to catch his breath, a string of saliva connecting his bottom lip to the tip of my cock. The picture was obscene, and completely filthy, but I wanted to take a snapshot of him like that and hold on to it forever. He licked his reddened, spit-slick lips and dove back in, sucking me down to the root. My eyes rolled back, and I fought the urge to fuck up into his willing throat. He was just too good, too perfect, and I was completely at his mercy.

"Fuck, just like that," I panted. "God, you're so good at this."

He hummed around me in response, the vibrations shooting sparks of pleasure up my spine. Drool dribbled down his chin, making the glide of his lips even slicker, filthier. I watched in awe as he bobbed up and down my length, cheeks hollowed and eyes watering from the strain. But still, he didn't let up, sucking me down like he was starving for it.

Pleasure coiled tighter and tighter in my core, my thighs trembling with the effort of holding still. "Christian, I'm close," I warned, my voice ragged. "If you keep that up I'm gonna…"

Church just hummed around me and doubled his efforts, bobbing faster, sucking harder. He looked up at me through his lashes, eyes dark with lust, and that was it. My back arched off the bed as my orgasm slammed into me, wave after wave of intense, mind-numbing pleasure crashing over me. I cried out Church's name like a prayer as I spilled down his throat, fingers clenching in his hair.

He worked me through it, swallowing everything I gave him until I was boneless and spent. Dazed, I watched him release my softening cock and lick his reddened lips, looking pleased with himself. He crawled up my body to claim my mouth in a deep, filthy kiss, and I could taste myself on his tongue.

"Was that okay?" he asked shyly when we parted, searching my face. As if he had anything to be insecure about after wrecking me so thoroughly.

I smiled softly and cupped Church's face in my hands, stroking my thumbs over his flushed cheeks. "Oh kitten, that was more than okay. That was incredible. You're incredible."

A pleased little grin spread across his kiss-swollen lips. "Really?"

"Really." I pulled him down for another tender kiss. When we parted, I wrapped my arms around him and rolled us onto our sides so we were facing each other. Church tucked his head under my chin with a contented sigh, tangling our legs together.

For a long moment we just laid there basking in the afterglow, our sweat-slicked skin cooling under the steady whirr of the fan above his bed. Church traced idle patterns on my chest with his fingertips while I trailed my fingers through his damp hair and down his back. Our breathing slowly evened out and synchronized, chests rising and falling in tandem.

"I wish we could stay like this forever," Church murmured, echoing my earlier sentiment. "Just you and me, here in this perfect little bubble where the rest of the world can't touch us."

"Me too." I sighed and pressed a kiss to Church's forehead, savoring the salty-sweet taste of his skin and breathing in his intoxicating scent, an alluring mix of sweat, sex, and something uniquely him. In that moment, wrapped up in each other's arms, the rest of the world felt a million miles away. No stalkers, no threats, no responsibilities waiting for us beyond the walls of this cozy little cabin. Just me and Church, the way it was supposed to be.

Tomorrow, we'd have to deal with all of that. I didn't want to go hide in the bunker, but Church was right. This was getting too dangerous. Until they found Oscar and got him behind bars, the bunker sounded like the safest place, even if it meant this was our last night alone together.

"Dante?" Church lifted his head and held my gaze. Somehow, I knew exactly what he was going to say before he said it, and it was the right damn thing at the wrong damn moment. "I lo—"

I captured his mouth in a searing kiss before he could finish, swallowing down the words. If he uttered them now, I wouldn't be able to walk away, and I had to walk away. It was what was best for both of us. Maybe that made me a coward, but I couldn' t bear the thought of hurting him, of letting him down again. He deserved so much better than me.

When he pulled away, I slithered out of bed before he could try to speak again and gave a languid stretch. "How about a shower? And then you can make me breakfast before you call Boone. It's almost morning."

Church's expression fell. He was obviously disappointed, but it was better this way. Kinder to end things there before either of us got hurt any worse.