Chapter 111
For once Darian didn’t fight him, didn’t pull away. Encouraged, Stacy licked into him, tasting him for the first time, delving deeper as if this were the air itself and Stacy needed it desperately to stay alive. One hand held onto Darian’s neck and the other hugged him tight, trying to pull him closer, further, deeper, in. Stacy wanted him, wanted this. He needed it.
Slowly Darian responded. His arms came up around Stacy’s waist to hold him. He gave into the kiss, his tongue exploring Stacy’s lips and cheeks and teeth with an eagerness of its own. Beneath the weight of that kiss, he leaned Stacy against the workbench, shoving aside wood and tools in his desire to lay Stacy down. Cupping his hands beneath Stacy’s ass, he lifted him onto the workbench, and Stacy’s legs wrapped around Darian’s waist to press their groins together with a sweet ache. Stacy moved against Darian, felt him harden between them, and lost himself in the kisses, the touches, the moment. When he finally managed to breathe, he sighed Darian’s name.
That broke the spell. Darian stood back, running a hand over his head and knocking his cap off in the process. “Woo,” he said, tugging at the front of his shirt to fan himself. “So does that mean it was a good visit?”
Stacy laughed. Tightening his legs around Darian’s waist, he refused to let his boss go. “It means thanks for trusting me.” He plucked at the buttons on the front of Darian’s shirt and laughed again when Darian swatted his hands away. “I think things are over now, with Ange.”
Darian caught Stacy’s hands in his and peered at him. “And you’re okay with that?”
Stacy thought a moment, then nodded. “I’m going to have to be.” 21
The remaining weeks passed in a flurry of practice tests and essays. More than once, Stacy wished he had paid attention all along—why couldn’t he have left Lamar monthsago? Buckled down, gotten serious about his schoolwork, kept his mind on the goal ahead and off distractions…off Darian, he admitted, if only to himself.
But he couldn’t complain too much—if it weren’t for Darian’s constant urging, Stacy would probably never bother much with the practice tests outside of school. As it was, he took them around the clock—in classes, sure, but also at the shop, or at Darian’s kitchen table, or stretched out on his bed in the guest room. He wasn’t entirely convinced that they would help him ace the GED or make him into a genius at this late stage of the game, but at least he wouldn’t choke up when he finally faced the real thing.
Before Stacy knew it, his alarm woke him on the morning of the test. Just his luck—students were placed into test sessions alphabetically, and with a last name like Evans, Stacy wound up scheduled for testing on the first day. He listened to his alarm rattle on about the time and wondered if he could possibly call in sick or skip school, anything to buy some more time.
To do what?If you don’t know it by now, another few days isn’t going to help you any. Just get your lazy ass out of bed and get this over with. Darian’s waiting—
As if on cue, there was a soft knock at his bedroom door, and then Darian asked, “Stacy? You up?”
The phrase made Stacy laugh. Silencing the alarm, he snuggled down into his bed sheets. “I am now. You gonna come in here or do I have to take care of it myself?”
The door opened a crack and Darian stuck his head in. “You better—” he started.
Whatever he planned to say dried up when he saw Stacy burrowed into the blankets, hair disheveled from sleep. As if coaxing a skittish pet, Stacy patted the bed beside him. “Come here.”
For a second he thought Darian would take him up on the offer. Languid morning sex, what a glorious way to start the day. Stacy could almost feel his friend above him, could imagine Darian easing in his thick length as Stacy straddled him, spreading his legs wide. Darian’s strong arms around him, hot kisses on his face and neck, riding him into the bed as he held on, each thrust like a wave breaking over him, leaving him breathless and hungry for more.
Classes officially ended last Friday and Stacy had held his breath, waiting for Darian to make the first move, but so far nothing had happened. All weekend long they worked at the shop, flirtatious as ever, but nothing more. Darian knew how Stacy felt but because he didn’t do anything, Stacy didn’t know where to begin. But this was the perfect opportunity, Stacy already in bed and the conflicted look on Darian’s face betrayed his own desire to join him. Were relationships really this hard to start? How the hell did anyone ever manage to hook up?
Just when he was about to say forget it, Darian stepped into the room and leaned back against the door jamb, his arms crossed. But Stacy’s smile disappeared as Darian reminded him, “You have to be at the school in two hours.”
Stacy stretched slowly, pulling the covers down to expose his bare chest then lower, until the sheets pooled in his lap. “You think it’ll take that long?” he asked, his tone innocent. “I’ve never gone more than an hour before but hey, as long as you can keep it up—”
With a playful kick at the bed, Darian warned, “Stace.” Stacy curled his toes, tugging the blanket down another inch or two. He watched Darian watch him, his friend’s gaze like a hand caressing his arms and chest. Darian stared, rapt, as the covers moved further down Stacy’s belly, showing a smooth expanse of pale skin. One knee came up and the blanket rode down dangerously close to Stacy’s crotch. The thin line of light hair that started just below Stacy’s navel thickened and Darian visibly shook himself to stop staring. “You’re evil.”
“You’re loving it,” Stacy teased. “How low do you want me to go?”
Darian started, “I want you to get out of bed—”
“As you wish.” Stacy kicked back the covers completely and gave Darian one long moment to stare at his naked body before he climbed out of bed. With his back to his friend, he reached for his boxers on the floor and tried not to smirk when he looked over his shoulder to see Darian, lust and restraint warring on his face. “Enjoying the show?”
As he stepped into the boxers, Darian grabbed a t-shirt from the nearby dresser and flicked it across the bed to snap Stacy in the ass. “Hey!” Stacy cried with a laugh, dancing out of reach. The boxers slid into place, covering his nakedness. “It’s yours if you want it, Darian. Don’t say I didn’t offer.”
In reply Darian lunged across the bed, grabbed Stacy by the waist, and wrestled him down to the covers. For a moment Stacy thought this was it, finally, finally, but then Darian’s fingers strummed across his belly. Darian dug into his abdomen, under his arms, behind his knees, merciless with his ticklish touch. “Stop!” Stacy laughed, trying unsuccessfully to slap Darian’s hands away. “Lemme go! Darian—”
Then, as suddenly as he had started, Darian stopped. Stacy found himself wrapped in the sheets again, in Darian’s embrace this time, his arms pinned between them. Giggles escaped him like carbonation from a slowly opened soda bottle, little bursts that made Darian smile. “Hey,” his friend said, his words soft between them, intimate.