I scooted to the very edge of the bed, afraid he might hit me accidentally.
“Giorgio!” He didn’t respond.
I said his name again louder. Still no response.
“Wake up. It’s okay.”
Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at me. At first, he didn’t seem to recognize me. He glanced around the room as if trying to get his bearings.
“Giorgio, it’s Lane. We’re at the cabin.” He looked at me, then down at the bed, then back at me.
“Right. Shit. I woke you. I’m sorry. I’ll go sleep in a chair.”
I moved closer to him and laid a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to do that. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I… I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay. Would you like some water or something?”
He shook his head and turned away from me, curling into the fetal position. I slipped from the bed, used the bathroom, then went to the kitchen and got myself a glass of water. When I’d finished it, I got one for him. I could tell he didn’t want me taking care of him, but if I set it on the nightstand, he could choose to drink it or not.
He didn’t move when I first came back into the room, and I wondered if he’d already fallen back asleep. I set the water on his nightstand and started to walk around to my side of the bed. The covers rustled, and I turned to see him sipping from the glass.
“Thanks,” he muttered, barely glancing at me.
Was he embarrassed that he’d had a nightmare? There was no reason for him to be, but he liked control, and I doubted he wanted to show anyone what some would perceive as a weakness.
I climbed back into bed and lay on my side facing him. I tried to ignore the rigid line of his back and his shallow breathing, but I couldn’t do it. I reached out and laid a hand against his spine.
“What are you doing?”
“Relax. Whenever I had a bad dream, my mom would come in and rub my back to help me get back to sleep. Close your eyes and take some slow breaths.” I thought he would protest, but he didn’t, so I began to caress his back, running my hand up and down the length of his spine.
The action was supposed to be about comfort, something I might do for a friend, but his skin was so warm, and I’d been teased by the smell of him for so long as I’d tried to fall asleep that the simple touch had me longing to bury my face against his neck and push my fingers into his hair. I slid my hand down his back again. When I reached the waistband of his briefs, I had to fight the urge to let my fingers slide underneath.
He grabbed my hand, and I thought I’d gone too far.
But he tugged until I laid my hand against his chest, then he placed his on top of it. I slid closer, pressing myself against his back. I had no doubt he could feel how hard I was. It was all I could do not to flex my hips to find the friction I craved.
“I can’t ever fall back asleep when I dream like that.”
He tugged on my hand again. This time he brought my fingers to his lips and slid his tongue up and down the length of my index finger before drawing it into his mouth and sucking. My cock jerked against his ass, and I couldn’t stop myself from rubbing against him.
He took another finger into his mouth and kept sucking hard. I began to wonder if I could come just from that. When he finally pulled off my fingers, he nipped the tips and the sharp pain sent pleasure zinging through my body.
“Just one time,” he said.
I held my breath. Did he mean what I thought he did? “Giorgio, do you—”
He turned toward me, and my words caught in my throat. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. It was rough and intense, his tongue pushing its way in as I opened to him. I knew he wasn’t thinking clearly, but I was caught up in the moment. I slid my hands up his chest and toyed with his nipple rings, making him groan.
I should push him away. I should stop this, but I didn’t want to.
“I need control,” he whispered against my mouth. “I need you to obey.”
“Anything.” I would do fucking anything to have him again. I’d never been able to let go with a man the way I had with him. My instincts told me I could trust him, that he would keep me safe even if I surrendered everything.
His eyes darkened. “You’d let me do anything to you?”
“I…” I swallowed hard. This was insane. I had limits. “There are some things I don’t want, but…”