Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

They made it to the bedroom quickly, though not without pausing so Piper could suck on Juno's pulse and rub his newly found erection into the side of his hip. It sent sparks flying through him, and he couldn't help but wonder if it had been this intense before.

He used to enjoy sex. He rarely had trouble finding partners who were interested, and there had been a sort of forbidden thrill when he was younger. He'd always come hard and sometimes fast. It had always been good.

But it had never been like this.

Piper was fighting off his orgasm by the time they got to the side of the bed. He had to hold his dick by the base and squeeze as he watched Juno peel out of his clothes. Everything the man did in that moment was erotic. From the way he rubbed his hand under his nose, to the curls falling over his forehead, to the way he wriggled his toes as he situated himself on the bed.

Piper swallowed heavily as he pulled his travel bag close and pulled out the lube. Juno's eyes widened, pupils dilated. The left one wasn't tracking him, but the right one was. Piper felt so fucking seen. He dropped the little bottle on the comforter, then pulled his shirt off.

Juno sucked in a breath.

It had been years since Piper felt wanted. He'd always been a fairly good-looking guy, and he'd aged well, but he hadn't paid attention to whether or not he was still attractive. This feeling was new. It was different.

He wanted more of it.

"Pants," Juno demanded after a beat.

Piper smiled and pulled his sweats down to his knees. They were still faintly damp from Juno's bath, and thinking of that made his stomach twist painfully. Something had gone wrong—something bad enough to send Juno into a panic. But he hadn't wanted to ask.

He didn't want to ruin this.

He studied Juno to make sure he was still with him—present and needy—and when he was satisfied, he kicked his sweats away, then pressed his knee to the comforter. His dick hung there, fat and throbbing, dribbling precome at the tip. He watched Juno watch him.

"You can touch me," he said, "but I might shoot off early."

Juno's fingers curled into the comforter instead. "I want you to come inside me."

Piper's breath left his lungs in a rush. He bowed his head forward and controlled his breathing. He knew the medication would help him if he came early. He'd be able to get hard again for the next couple of hours. It didn't need to end if he let go now.

But he wanted what Juno did. He wanted to feel himself spill deep inside this man because Juno felt like home, and Piper wasn't sure he'd ever had that before. He crawled toward him carefully, gasping when he met Juno's warm skin, and he pressed a palm to Juno's sternum, easing him back.

"Like this," Piper said, half a request, half a command.

Juno nodded. He spread his legs, making room for Piper between them, and he arched into the kiss Piper laid on his lips.

Feeling around for the little bottle, Piper found it without pulling away, and he popped the lid open. It was cool on his fingers—slick and heavy—so he rubbed it until it warmed. He pulled back, watching Juno's face as his hand slipped down between them. He brushed a touch over Juno's cock and balls, then circled his hole, which twitched at the slightest pressure.

"Start with two," Juno begged. "I like it that way. I like to feel it."

Piper did as he was asked. Juno was tight, but not impossibly so. He relaxed with each breath, taking Piper's fingers in deeper and deeper. His legs spread a little wider, and the second Piper touched his prostate, Juno's thighs clamped around him.

"Ohhh fuck ."

Piper closed his eyes and willed himself not to come. He was shaking with the effort, harder than he'd ever been in his life. His head was spinning from lack of blood, all of it pooling in his cock, and he knew he had to be inside him now, or it would all be over.

"Please," he murmured.

Juno's eyes opened. "Don't ask. Just take."

That went against Piper's nature, but he saw the raw, naked want on Juno's face, and he didn't hesitate for another second. He removed his fingers, pushing Juno's knee up toward his chest, and he pressed himself against Juno's hole. It was looser now and slick. He rubbed his cock with the rest of the lube, trying not to think about how good it felt, and then he gave a single thrust.

There was only a moment of resistance, and then he was inside. His hips fell against Juno's, pushing him as deep as he could go, and Juno's ass took him like it was made for it. Piper shuddered and groaned, unable to move. His orgasm was sitting at the base of his spine. He wasn't going to be able to hold off.

"I c-can't," he managed. His whole body was shaking now. "I need…"

"Yes," Juno whispered. "Do it. Please, baby." He arched into him, pressing their chests together, squeezing his ass around Piper's dick.

He was losing it. Fuck. Fuck .

His hips shifted forward, and he felt heat under his skin begin to rise. It started in his groin, racing through his limbs, pooling in his cheeks. He was actually dizzy now, and his breath felt a little tight. It was ecstasy, and it was panic.

He was afraid. And he needed to come.

"Let go," Juno whispered. While Piper sat frozen, Juno took over. He moved his hips, sliding Piper's cock in and out, squeezing him and releasing. "Come for me, baby. Come inside me."

Piper had absolutely no choice. Something snapped inside him. He began to fuck Juno in earnest, deep, heavy thrusts, sending the bed crashing against the wall. He only lasted a handful of moments, and then everything went dark. Sparks had alighted behind his eyelids. He could see them like fractals dancing through the haze.

The feeling was powerful—more powerful than he'd ever experienced before. He couldn't catch his breath, but he couldn't stop going. He was shaking hard, unable to hold himself up, and he collapsed to the side, taking Juno with him.

He caught a glimpse of his lover's terrified face, but before he could say anything, the world went dark.

It felt like a day had passed when Piper came to, but he could tell it had only been moments. Juno was still hovering over him like he had no idea what to do, and Piper felt something pressing against his neck.

Juno's fingers.

He was taking Piper's pulse.

"I'm not having a heart attack," Piper told him.

Juno pulled back with a scowl, then smacked him on the arm. "I thought you were fucking dying!"

In spite of the fact that he was still trembling, Piper burst into laughter and grabbed Juno, spinning him until he was pinned beneath him. He felt both weak and invigorated—the strangest juxtaposition. He pressed all his weight onto his elbows and looked down at Juno's face.

"I'm not dying. For the first time in a long time, I think I'm living."

"Cheesy asshole," Juno said. His voice was trembling. He really had been afraid. "What happened?"

"It was a lot for me," Piper told him. He closed his eyes in a long, slow blink as he felt the last tendrils of his orgasm leaving his body. "I spent so long being afraid of exerting myself at all. I think my brain shut down for a second. But I promise I'm okay."

Juno hummed, then reached up and palmed the side of Piper's jaw. He was pink in the cheeks, making his faint freckles stand out. His eyes were wide, a little glassy, his full lips parted with his breath.

And he was still hard—his cock rubbing against Piper's stomach.

"Let me take care of this," Piper said, rocking his hips gently.

Juno swallowed heavily, then shook his head. "No."

That rejection felt like a physical blow, and he forced his ego to stay in check. "I promise I'm okay. It's just been well over two years since I've had an orgasm, sugar. I don't think my body knew what to do with how good you made me feel."

"It's not that." Juno went even more pink. His arms came around Piper, holding him tight. "I want to wait."

"Until?"

"You can get hard again, right?" Juno murmured. "When I come again, I want to come with you."

"I don't know if I can promise that," Piper told him softly. "I might be able to get hard, but I'm still older. I don't know if I have another one in me."

"I know. But I want to try. Please."

As though Piper could deny him anything. The thought almost made him laugh as he leaned in and kissed the plea from his lips. His tongue was sweet and soft and warm. He rubbed his own tongue over it, a mimic of a fuck, making Juno's hips writhe.

Piper thought about teasing him until he gave up and started begging for it, but he also knew that what Juno was asking for was important. He didn't want to destroy his trust. He shifted his hips away and gentled the kisses until they were both doing no more than sharing breath.

"I might need some actual sleep," Piper admitted.

"That's fine. We can try again in the morning," Juno pointed out. "Or tomorrow night."

They had time, he was saying. It didn't need to be right now. The ticking clock wasn't for them, and Piper could breathe a little easier when he realized it. He held Juno's face and kissed him softly as fatigue stole over his limbs.

"Wake me if you change your mind," Piper muttered as he began to drop off.

The last thing he remembered was the sound of Juno's soft laughter, a kiss to his temple, and a soft voice saying, "Not a chance. This is enough."

Juno didn't wake him. Not for sex, and not when he woke up for the day because when Piper's eyes finally opened, it was morning, and he was alone in the bed. He stretched, noting the absence of panic when he realized Juno wasn't there. He wasn't foolish enough to think that Juno couldn't run out on him just because he was the driver. He just trusted the man hadn't.

It was a new and strange feeling, but he loved it.

Rolling onto his stomach, he pressed his soft, spent cock into the sheets. There was still a small hum of pleasure there, but he wasn't hard. Losing consciousness, even for a second, had scared him, but not enough to hit pause.

It was far too late to take a pill, though. His phone told him he had an hour before they had to be on the road for the hike, and considering all it had taken was the thought of Juno to get him all hot and bothered, he'd wait.

If the hike wasn't too strenuous, they could enjoy each other after.

Climbing to his feet, Piper grabbed his suitcase and found his hiking clothes, then slipped into the bathroom for a quick wipe-down. He was still sticky from the night before and satiated in ways he hadn't been in so long. He looked at himself in the mirror and couldn't help a small smile when he noticed a tiny bruise on his collarbone.

He pressed his finger into it. When had Juno done that? All of their touching, all their kisses, blurred together into a single moment of sheer pleasure. He could still feel the echo of what it was like to be inside his lover, and his dick gave a feeble twitch. He rubbed his hand over it, then positioned himself over the toilet to take care of his bladder.

By the time he was washed up and dressed, he could smell coffee brewing. He made his way into the small kitchen and found Juno leaning over the sink, staring out the large window at the yard. It was fenced in, with thick strands of ivy covering the wood and shaded by several massive trees. It was the sort of yard Piper had dreamed of having when he was younger.

And maybe he still could. If he had someone to share it with.

Walking up, he wrapped his arms around Juno and dipped his head low to kiss the side of his neck. Juno hummed softly and leaned into his embrace.

"Sleep okay?"

Piper laughed. "Better than I have in years. Thank you."

Juno grinned and turned his head to give him an awkward, sideways kiss. "Good. I did too. Even with the snoring."

Piper's face blazed hot. "I didn't know I snored."

Juno burst into laughter and turned, setting his coffee down to kiss Piper for real. "Don't be embarrassed. It's cute. You make this little ahh-mimimi sound."

"There's no chance in hell I do that," Piper argued, reaching for him.

Juno laughed harder as he danced away from Piper's grasp. "I'll take a video tonight."

With a growl, Piper caught him and pressed him against the counter, dipping his head low to speak almost directly against his lips. "Not if I fuck you unconscious, you won't."

Juno shuddered, all the laughter gone from his voice. "Promises, promises."

"Now that I know I can…I will." Piper kissed him a little more fiercely, then stepped back with a grin. "You can show me the night after that."

Juno blinked, then burst into a fit of giggles. "You're so weird. I love that."

It wasn't an I love you, but it was something. Piper hoarded the words behind the beat of his heart as he went for the fridge and pulled out a protein shake and shoved it into his backpack. He grabbed coffee after that, then added a few snacks and snagged a banana from the fruit bowl as Juno watched him.

"You ate something, right?"

"Yes, Daddy," Juno said, then wrinkled his nose. "No. That doesn't sound right."

Piper chuckled as he peeled the bottom half of his banana, broke it in half, then ate a piece. "Is that something you'd be interested in?"

Juno shook his head. "Miles—my best friend—he's got a thing like that going with one of his boyfriends. Emmett," Juno clarified. "They were trying to keep it quiet while I was there, but I heard him a couple of times. It was kind of sweet."

"It's not something I've ever considered, but I get it." Piper finished his banana, then tossed the peel and beckoned Juno close. When he had him in his arms, he tipped his chin up. "You can call me whatever you want."

"Schnookems?"

Piper rolled his eyes.

"Sweetie-pie. Peach pit? Blowfish?"

Piper choked on his laugh. "Blowfish?" Juno made a fish face with his lips, and Piper heated up. "God, please tell me that's not what I look like when I'm sucking you off."

Juno blinked owlishly, but before Piper could panic, he burst into laughter. "No, honey. That's not what you look like. You look so fucking hot it's almost torture not to nut the second your mouth is on me."

Fuck, Piper loved the way he talked dirty. He pressed his thumb to Juno's lower lip, forcing his lips to part, and then he laid a wet, messy kiss to his mouth. "We can continue this discussion after the hike."

Juno was on board. He left Piper to finish his breakfast while he got ready, and just as Piper was tossing the last of the unfinished oatmeal into the trash, Juno appeared. He was wearing skintight hiking pants, boots, and a long-sleeve Lycra shirt, and his hair was tied in a loose bun at the nape of his neck.

He looked like he ran an aesthetic adventure Instagram, and Piper was wildly turned on. And more than glad he hadn't taken his Viagra. Turning away to compose himself, he grabbed their travel waters, slipping the strap of his own around his shoulder. He had salt pills with him, emergency stuff for his heart in his bag, and a first aid kid.

"This isn't actually mountain climbing, is it?" Juno asked, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

Piper shook his head. "My brother always gave me shit for being such a Boy Scout, but he never complained when I always had something to patch him up with." He hooked the strap of his backpack in the crook of his elbow. "I've never done this hike, but it's pretty short. We'll have to deal with a little water and a few hills, but that's about it. I just like to be careful after everything."

Juno nodded. He rubbed at his left eye—a habit Piper was starting to notice—and then he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Okay. Let's do this. Eternal Flame."

Piper nodded, then pulled him for a kiss before they headed out the door.