“Are you done with your schoolwork?” Thorne sounded surprised.
“No, but… Come here.” When Riley reached out, Thorne took his hand, and Riley pulled him down to the couch. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For being distant, for not unpacking, for freezing up on you.”
Thorne smiled. “The blowjob you gave me this morning was hardly frigid.”
Riley smiled. “No, but it wasn’t much of a substitute for our usual extensive endeavors.”
Thorne laughed. “Maybe not, but don’t think I’m unaware how lucky I am just to have you in my bed.”
Riley frowned. “Thorne, if you think for one second that I’m humoring you, or that you couldn’t have—”
Thorne laid a finger on Riley’s lips. “What I think is that I love you.”
Riley smiled. “I love you too. Let’s watch one of your silly British shows, and then I’m going to unpack.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“I’d started to wonder if…”
Riley shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere. I do want to be here even if I’m nervous about it.”
Thorne gave him a soft smile and ran a hand up his thigh. “Are you sure you want to watch something?”
He laid his hand over Thorne’s and captured his gaze. “Yes. Anticipation makes things better. Remember? Now put in the DVD and come cuddle with me.”
Thorne grinned. “British comedy as foreplay is odd, but I can get into it. Unpacking as foreplay might be going too far.”
“I might not make you wait that long. Let’s just see.”
Thorne narrowed his eyes. “I’ll see that you don’t.”
After selecting an episode of Jeeves and Wooster, Thorne stretched out next to Riley on the generously-sized couch.
Riley gestured toward the TV. “Is this the one with the cats?”
“Yes. The one where Jeeves first comes.”
“I think that’s my favorite.” Just as Riley had introduced Thorne to some of his favorite movies and shows, Thorne was slowly doing the same. Riley was still skeptical about the absurdness of some of the humor, but he was giving it a solid try. He enjoyed sharing something Thorne liked.
THORNE RESTED HIS head on Riley’s chest. Riley stroked his hair, and it was all he could do to keep his eyes open. No way in hell was he going to be the old man who fell asleep on the couch. Fortunately, he knew a good way to stay awake.
Thorne slipped his hand under Riley’s shirt and caressed his abdomen with gentle, circular strokes. Riley sighed and settled deeper into the couch. Thorne circled his navel and then moved higher, skimming just under his nipples. Riley stayed still, but Thorne could feel his muscles tensing.
“Anticipation,” Thorne whispered.
“Teasing.”
“Isn’t it the same thing?”
Riley scowled at him. “Watch the damn show. We’re going to wait.”
“Mmmhmm.” Not if Thorne could help it.
Thorne kept stroking him, not doing anything particularly erotic. Riley’s skin felt so good under his fingers, and Riley was obviously distracted. The first time he brushed over one of Riley’s nipples, Riley sucked in his breath and tried to scoot away. Encouraged, Thorne kept it up, lightly pinching and toying with the now-tight buds.
“Stop it, Thorne.”
“I’m just making sure you’ll really appreciate what’s going to happen after the show.”
Riley tried to push his shirt back down. “This is the funniest part; just watch it.”
Thorne raised a brow. “I didn’t think you really liked this show.”
“I said it was ridiculous, but that doesn’t mean I—”
Thorne brushed his palm over Riley’s cock, which was as hard as Thorne’s now. The thin fabric of his sleep pants couldn’t be doing much to mask the sensation of Thorne touching him.
He looked up and saw Riley watching him, a combination of annoyance and lust in his eyes. Thorne loved making him squirm because it so rarely happened. Most of the time Thorne was the one suffering from Riley’s teasing.
“I’m trying to spend time with you that’s not—”
Thorne grasped Riley’s hard shaft through his pants and squeezed.
Riley batted at his hand. “Just watch the damn show.”
Thorne continued to ignore Riley’s feeble protests. He pulled down the waistband of Riley’s sleep pants—and the fuck-me-now purple jock strap he wore underneath—and tucked them under his balls. Then he glanced up at Riley. “You were saying?”
Riley blew out a long breath. “You’re evil.”
“I thought you already knew that.”
“I…”
“Watch the show, and don’t come.”
“Fuck, I’m never going to be able to watch this show again without getting hard.”
Thorne liked that a lot. “Good.”
Riley huffed.
“I can’t watch any of your ‘old’ movies without wanting you to throw me over the back of the couch and fuck my brains out.”
Riley laughed, the sound a relief to Thorne. He hadn’t laughed much since he’d moved in, and Thorne had started to worry they wouldn’t be able to have fun anymore, that the thick tension in the air would send Riley running.
“Watch,” Thorne admonished, gesturing toward the television as he bent to swipe his tongue along Riley’s length.
Riley groaned and pushed his hips up.