Page 37 of Shock & Awe

Nick laughed and pushed his face against Kelly’s neck. “We both need to get off at least once before I get at you, or I’ll tear you apart.”

“No, you won’t! I’ve been practicing!” Kelly began popping the buttons on Nick’s shirt, fingers fluttering against Nick’s skin as they moved.

Nick’s breath caught. His knees went weak, and he let Kelly slide back down the wall to his feet. He placed both hands on either side of Kelly’s head and pushed away so he could meet Kelly’s eyes. “Practicing?”

Kelly hummed, biting his lip against a grin.

“How’ve you been doing that, exactly?” The hoarse rumble in his voice could have been misconstrued as threatening, but Kelly just grinned wider. He knew Nick too well to misconstrue anything he did.

“Jesus, I love it when you do that,” Kelly muttered, his changeable eyes boldly meeting Nick’s. He undid the button of Nick’s jeans with nimble fingers.

“Do what?” Nick asked, his voice gone even rougher. He looked down at Kelly’s hands. Kelly pressed his forehead to Nick’s, both of them watching as he shoved Nick’s jeans down his hips.

“I had a lot of nights alone,” Kelly said. Nick raised his head, and their noses brushed. Kelly’s breath was warm against his lips. “I called your name every damn time.”

“Kels,” Nick whispered.

“Try me, babe. I can take it.”

Nick’s chest tightened, making his breath stutter. His fingers curled against the wall. Kelly’s palms slid along his hips, just under the band of his boxers. Then Kelly put his head against the wall and peered up at Nick, smirking as he wrapped his fingers around Nick’s cock.

“Just how much self-control do you have left after three months in the desert?”

Nick gripped the back of Kelly’s neck and forced him flat against the wall. “Not enough,” he snarled before they shared a violent kiss. His other hand tugged haphazardly at Kelly’s clothing.

“Fuck me, Nick.”

“Shut up, Kels. Just stop talking.”

Kelly laughed. “I can’t shut up, I talk when I’m nervous!”

Nick snorted and shoved away from the wall. He met Kelly’s eyes, running his knuckles down his cheek. Months of thoughts swirled in his head, months of thinking that he could love Kelly, that they could really work. He wanted to tell Kelly just that, but now wasn’t the time. He wasn’t the type of man who hid his emotions, though, so he knew Kelly was seeing hints of it in his eyes.

“Babe,” Kelly murmured.

When they kissed again, neither of them closed their eyes.

Kelly’s fingers were gentle against Nick’s skin. Nick cupped his face and kissed him again, humming as Kelly’s body relaxed further. Nick didn’t want him nervous, not for any reason.

“Does this feel right?” he asked, his lips moving against the corner of Kelly’s mouth.

Kelly sighed shakily, then took a deep breath. “Yes,” he whispered. “It feels like home.”

Nick pushed his nose against Kelly’s, kissing him gently as warmth spread through his entire body.

“You feel like home,” Kelly said as he wrapped his arms around Nick’s neck.

Nick couldn’t find his breath, and everything else seemed to fade away except for the feeling of Kelly in his arms. He slowed everything down, kissing Kelly languidly. They had to separate for air, and Nick pushed away from the wall. They met each other’s eyes, not saying anything, not feeling the need to.

Kelly reached to lift Nick’s T-shirt up, but Nick took his hand instead.

Kelly’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

Nick tried to verbalize what he was feeling, but he didn’t even know what it was. It was so much more than just sex. “Kels,” he finally managed.

“No, don’t do that! We only have two nights and we’re supposed to be having hot monkey sex! You can’t back out on me now!”

Nick burst out laughing, covering his face with one hand. “‘You feel like home’! You can’t have hot monkey sex after that!”