25. River

25

RIVER

M y belly clenched as a wave of pleasure struck me. For a moment, I was lost in the haze of sleep, disoriented, until I realized what was happening. I looked down to find Adam staring at me with those beautiful blue eyes, now dark with lust and determination.

His mouth was on my cock, warm and insistent. I tried to speak, but I was too sleep-drunk and consumed by lust.

“Adam,” I cried.

He didn’t stop, even as my hands fisted the sheet and my hips bucked involuntarily. It was too early for my mind to form coherent thoughts, too early to comprehend how this was the same Adam who’d been straight until a few weeks ago.

But, my god, he was good. There was a precision to his movements, a dedication that was all-consuming. A determination to make this good for me. I saw it in his eyes.

“So fucking good, baby. Fuck, Adam, I’m so close.”

Without stopping, he smiled and then moaned, applying more suction to the head of my cock. His hand wrapped around my shaft, gripping tight as he stroked and sucked like he’d been doing it forever. Heat spread all over my body. I was ready to combust.

“Adam,” I breathed again, his name both a plea and a declaration as I succumbed to the sensations. “I’m gonna—” That was all the warning I could give him as my pleasure crested, and I spilled into his mouth.

When it was over, and the last shudder wracked through my frame, he snaked up my body until we were face-to-face. He crashed his mouth onto mine in a hungry kiss.

“Good morning,” he murmured against my lips.

“My turn now.”

The morning light had just begun to filter through the sheer curtains, casting a golden hue across Adam’s bare skin as I flipped him over.

I ran my hands down his back, marveling at his beautiful curves. He shivered when I placed a kiss between his shoulder blades, his skin filling with tiny goosebumps. He smelled of my soap again, so he must have woken up before me and showered. I was going to take full advantage of that.

“You’re going to find out how it feels to be taken by surprise, baby.” The first time I used the term of endearment, I’d barely registered it in my lust fog, but when it slipped out again, it felt so right.

Adam moved under my touch, his back undulating as he sought friction from the mattress.

“River…” His voice was a low moan as I parted his cheeks, the sound sending ripples of satisfaction through me.

I lowered my mouth to his hole, and he arched beneath my touch, a gasp escaping him. The taste of him was heady, and I reveled in the way his body responded so viscerally to my touch.

“God, yes,” he groaned.

Feeling him unravel, hands fisting the sheet, hips pushing back against me, was the most powerful I’d ever felt. His cock leaked onto the sheet, and I took a moment to appreciate how effortlessly he was coming undone for me.

“River…I’m—” The words were cut off by a sharp intake of breath as his orgasm hit. He came in full-body shudders that seemed to rip through him like a storm. His body jerked until he released a blissful sigh.

I moved up his body, lying beside him and pulling him into my arms. “Now that’s how you start your morning,” I said, my words tinged with affection and a hint of triumph.

His laugh was breathless. “That was…wow. No wonder both my brothers are with men. I’ve read about it in romance novels, but why didn’t anyone tell me it was that good?”

I laughed and placed a kiss on his forehead. “There are certain things you can’t experience until you’re ready.” And I didn’t mean just sex but also the connection, the revealing parts of ourselves we hadn’t shared with anyone else, and the implicit trust we put in our partner.

“Hey, with the way you loved that, you’d probably enjoy bottoming,” I teased.

Adam’s laughter was rich and warm. Moments like these reminded me how natural this all felt—how something that could have been fraught with uncertainty instead felt like the most honest expression of who we were together.

Defying my expectations, he surged forward, his lips crashing against mine in a kiss that stole my breath away. “Can we try that…later?”

I blinked, processing the turn of events. “You…want to bottom?”

A tinge of pink colored his chest, neck, and face. “I’ve been doing some…um…research.” He hid his face in the crook of my neck. “I want to be everything you need.”

“Fuck, Adam. You already are. You don’t need to bottom for me or prove anything.” He’d already been everything I needed before I got to taste his lips again or find out how beautiful he looked when he gave himself over to an orgasm.

“I know I don’t have to, but as evidenced by the pool of cum under me, my body is more than willing to experiment.”

“Okay, we’ll try later, if you’re up for it,” I said.

“I’m already up for it.” He flipped his leg over mine, showing me how much he really was.

“He’s gonna have to wait because we’re taking a shower, and then while I make us breakfast, you’re going to change the bed sheets. Then we’re going out for the best date ever.”

“Why do I have to change the bed sheets?” he said with mock indignation.

“Because you made them dirty.”

I slapped his ass and jumped out of bed toward the bathroom.

The morning unfolded in a lazy breakfast of pancakes, syrup, and bacon drowned in a gallon of coffee.

“So, what are we doing today that will make it the best date ever?” he asked, scoffing the last of his breakfast.

“David Lima is in Cliffborough for his new cookbook tour,” I began, watching as recognition flickered across Adam’s features. “He’s known for doing couples experiences wherever he goes. I signed us up. Could be fun to learn a new recipe together. What do you think?”

Adam’s smile grew wide, his excitement palpable. “You mean the David Lima?”

I nodded.

“River, that’s…amazing.” He sat up, his hand finding mine and squeezing it tightly. “I can’t believe you planned this. Mom is going to be so jealous when I tell her.”

He got up to clear the plates as I sat dumbfounded. It was the first time he’d mentioned his family in connection to what was happening between us. Would he tell them we were dating?

Was that what we were doing? Fuck. Other than accepting our attraction and connection to each other, we hadn’t spoken at all about the outside world.

It wasn’t time to panic about something that hadn’t happened, so pushing those thoughts aside, I grabbed my plate and cup and took it to the sink where Adam was washing up.

Our afternoon class with David was at a test kitchen downtown. We knocked on the door and were greeted by David himself.

“Welcome,” he said. “I’m David. Come on in. I’m so excited for this experience with you guys.”

As we stepped into the fully-equipped room, I felt Adam’s hand brush against mine. Our eyes met, and we shared a smile. The space was infused with the rich aroma of cocoa and spices like someone had been cooking here since the morning.

“We’re really excited, too. I’m River, and this is Adam. Thank you for taking the time to do this with us.” I looked around. “Are we the only ones?”

“Yeah, sorry for the change of plans—” David started but was interrupted as a little girl came out of nowhere and crashed into his legs, demanding to be picked up. A tall blond guy followed her, shaking his head.

“Sílvia, sweetheart, what did we agree on?”

The little girl looked at her dad with the biggest blue eyes. “But, Dada. Sílvia cook.”

“Sorry, baby,” the tall guy said. “I tried, but you know how she is.”

David chuckled and then turned to us. “This is Joel, my husband. Our son had to stay home because of school, so she has no one to boss around. Anyway, let’s get set up. This little lady will eventually get bored.”

“No need to apologize. I’m sure your sous chef has a lot to teach us, right, baby?”

David smiled as I bit my tongue, hoping my slip of the tongue didn’t upset Adam. When I looked at him, his face was a cute shade of pink, and he smiled.

We gathered around a table in the middle of the room. There was a bunch of ingredients to one side with a few bowls and mixing spoons next to them.

Joel sat on a stool by the table with Sílvia on his lap.

“Today, we’re making Portuguese chocolate salami,” David said. His eyes crinkled with amusement as he glanced at Joel. “It’s a super easy recipe, but it can get a little messy.”

“We like messy,” Adam said, “I grew up fighting with my brothers to lick the spoon whenever my mom was baking.”

“Today, you don’t have to fight anyone to lick the spoon,” David said, glancing at his husband, whose face turned the same shade of pink as Adam’s.

The recipe was simple enough. We started by mixing sugar and eggs in a bowl. David said we wanted to dissolve the sugar as much as possible before adding the chocolate powder.

I didn’t miss the knowing smiles David and Joel shared as we followed the recipe

It was obvious how much they loved each other. Were Adam and I as obvious? Could people tell by the way Adam’s laughter seemed to caress me or that our gazes always lingered a beat too long?

“Okay, this is when it starts to get messy,” David instructed, guiding us through the steps to add the melted chocolate and butter.

“I have a confession to make,” Adam said. “My mom has made hundreds of these, but I’ve only ever engaged in the licking part.”

I snorted, and Adam elbowed me.

“How does this get to be a salami shape?” I asked.

“Do you have Portuguese or Italian heritage?” David asked Adam.

“Mom’s family is Portuguese. Dad’s is American.”

“Just like mine,” Joel said as he straightened the little ponytail on his daughter’s hair.

“Oh really? I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, in fact, we were going to check out a Portuguese restaurant for an early dinner. That is if we can get a table without booking. Have you heard of Lusitana? We’ve heard amazing things about their food. Would you like to join us?” Joel asked.

Adam and I exchanged a quick glance. He smiled, so I knew he’d be on board with what I was about to suggest.

“Actually, I’m the manager of Lusitana. Adam’s parents own it. I’m sure you can score a place at the chef’s table.” I winked and said, “I’ll just need to make a call as soon as my fingers aren’t covered in chocolate.”

Adam took my hand and brought it up to his mouth, licking off every bit of chocolate. My cock hardened as my mind took me to this morning’s events.

“Adam.” I tried to sound indignant, but it came out all croaky.

“Now you can make the call.” He shrugged.

My chin practically hit the floor. I couldn’t even look at David and Joel. All of a sudden, they started laughing.

“Score us that table, and over dinner, we’ll tell you how David went viral with his chocolate salami class on social media.” Joel bit his lip as David managed to visibly blush, even with his tan skin.

I took my phone out and called Fir to set a table for four in the kitchen. It was something we did for special guests on occasion.

“Okay, back to the class,” David said.

He taught us how to roll the cookie-and-chocolate mix into a sausage shape using two sheets of grease-proof paper.

“Looks perfect,” David proclaimed. “It needs to set in the fridge for a few hours, ideally overnight. We have a gift for you.” He presented us with a custom cool box, its sides adorned with intricate patterns reminiscent of Portuguese tiles. “For your chocolate salami, to enjoy later.”

“Thank you,” I said. “This is very generous.”

“The pleasure is all mine. There are a lot of things I don’t get to do anymore. Between book tours and cooking shows, I miss connecting with people. I started off in my mom’s café. She taught me everything I know. One of my favorite things is cooking for other people,” David said.

“River,” Adam said softly, once David and Joel were preoccupied with their daughter, who’d fallen asleep in her dad’s arms. “Thank you for this. It’s been so much fun.”

“And now I know how you learned to lick and suck so well,” I teased.

He grabbed my hand and whispered intently, “Remember what you promised earlier.”