Single Player (17 page)

Matthew snapped his fingers as an idea struck him. “You should totally come to DiceCon with me next week.” Matthew grinned at him. The idea was ridiculous, and it had spilled out without planning, but he could see the appeal.

Silas blinked at him. “DiceCon? That sounds like a gaming thing.”

“Yep. A big one, too. It's up in Boston. PI Games goes every year. We have a booth, but when we aren't each working, we can go around and see the convention. There are gaming companies of all sizes from across the country. There's other stuff, too, besides games. All the hallmarks of geek culture. Panels, workshops, swag, the works.”

Silas was still staring at him in disbelief. “You want me to just spontaneously buy a plane ticket to go to Boston?”

“Sure, why not?” Matthew shrugged.

Silas looked flabbergasted. “Lots of reasons. It's expensive. I don't game. It doesn't give me enough time to plan a trip. I'm not the type of person to just spontaneously take a vacation.”

“Well, maybe you should spontaneously take a vacation.” Now that he'd mentioned it, he couldn't stop picturing them at DiceCon together. Touring the floor, trying out different games, maybe even sharing a hotel room . . . It would be amazing. From the look on Silas's face, though, Matthew knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with this topic right now. Maybe he'd bring it up again when Silas was a bit calmer. “But fine. If you're not going to do that, then what you really want to do is take up loafing.”

Silas made a face. “That is most certainly what I do not want to do.”

“No, listen! It'll be great.” He shifted on the couch to face Silas directly. “I'll be your mentor. I'll teach you how to do frivolous things and have fun.”

Silas threw up his hands, liquid sloshing in his glass. “Ugh. No. I have no interest in this. I have to find something useful to do with my time. I can't waste four whole weeks!” He downed a large gulp of his drink, swallowed, and coughed. “I'm never going to make it.”

“Anyone can learn to loaf.” Matthew stretched his arms, folded them behind his head, and kicked his feet up onto the coffee table. “Look how easy I make this look. See? You can barely even tell I'm alive.” He closed his eyes and let his head loll back.

When Matthew peeked open an eye to check on Silas he saw him smiling, and if all Matthew accomplished was making Silas smile, he figured it was worth it. Silas set the mostly empty glass down on the coffee table. “So like this? Is this what I do?” He folded his arms behind his head like Matthew was doing and put his feet up onto the coffee table. “Do I look like a pro loafer now?”

Matthew shifted to examine Silas's posture, and by extension, Silas. “Not quite. You've got too much tension in your shoulders. Relax your arms.” He leaned over and shook Silas's shoulders. Silas let his arms flop down and allowed Matthew to shake him like a rag doll.

“Oh yes, much better.” Silas's expression had become serious, but a grin still tweaked the corners of his mouth. “You want to teach me to lounge around and so you shake me into unconsciousness.”

“You're too serious. Loosen up. You do everything seriously.” They were both grinning, and Matthew pushed him over on the couch affectionately. “I swear, you even fuck seriously.”

“That's because sex is very serious business.” Silas was laughing, and maybe it was mania, maybe it was genuine relaxation, but he didn't look ready to jump off a bridge like he had when he'd arrived at the apartment. “You're not supposed to be halfhearted about it.”

“You can have great sex and not be so serious. Relaxed sex. You suck at relaxing.” Matthew looked at Silas's mouth again, and it would be wrong to make a move right now, he was sure. Even though they were talking about sex. Even though Matthew's dick was becoming increasingly hard despite his best efforts to stay neutral.

“I can relax. No one's ever made me before. I was deprived! You have to trust me.” Silas was now giggly with the alcohol running through his system, loosening him. His giggliness was hot, and adorable, and Matthew had the urge to kiss all the tension out of him. Silas looked up through his lashes at Matthew. “Do you want to make me relax? I could use some relaxing.” He grabbed the front of Matthew's shirt and pulled him down so Matthew was on top of him on the sofa, framing Silas's body with his arms, and kept pulling until their lips met. His kiss was soft, pliant, tasting like alcohol and sweet cannoli, and Matthew forgot that Silas was upset and needed comforting in the desire to comfort him like this, right now. Tongue and lips and teeth and
yes
.

Silas broke the kiss, still smiling. “Oh, so you're going to teach me to relax like this?”

“Yep. I sure am.” Matthew nibbled Silas's bottom lip, sparking another long kiss. “You're too intense. We're going to have some nice, relaxed fucking, right here on the couch. Too lazy even to get into bed.” Maybe that wasn't the best option, but damn it, it certainly felt like the way to go in the moment.

Silas didn't seem to mind, teasing him right back. “I don't know if I'll do it right. You seem to think I get all worked up.” Silas started tugging on Matthew's shirt, pulling it up his body toward his head.

“See, that right there? You're already working too hard.” Matthew pulled his shirt back down. “We're not at clothes yet. You're wanting to rush right into taking clothes off.”

Silas raised an eyebrow. “I've found sex is better with clothes off.” His pupils were dilated, his smile starting to turn lazy and relaxed, and Matthew wanted to keep kissing him forever.

“I don't know. You didn't mind it when we were at the club.” Matthew got up off the couch.

“Where are you going?” Silas asked, leaning up to watch him.

“I need something,” Matthew called back, going into the bedroom to fetch his lube. When he returned, Silas spotted what was in his hand and grinned broadly.

“Oh that's where you went off to? At least we're headed in the right direction, even if you want to take forever to get there.” He settled back against the sofa.

“You hush.” Matthew climbed on top of Silas again, leaning down and propping himself up on his elbows to rub his groin against Silas's. There were too many layers of fabric in the way for any real effect, but the pressure against his erection was nice. “See, we can warm up here.”

Silas matched Matthew's rhythm with a nice, easy hip lift of his own. “I suppose.”

Matthew leaned down to kiss him again, aligning their bodies in one warm press, and lingered on the kiss. If he was going to teach Silas about “relaxing” sex, he was going to take his sweet time along the way. He moved to Silas's neck and took nips of the skin, little bites down toward his collarbone, and then back up again. Silas squirmed, a small sigh escaping him. He drew Matthew's mouth to his for more kisses, using his hand on Matthew's jaw for leverage, and no way was Matthew going to turn down those hot lips against his. This was decadent, making out like teenagers, writhing against each other fully clothed on the living room couch.

“What?” Silas drew back, smiling in return at Matthew's grin. “What made you smile?”

“I was just thinking how much this was like being a teenager again, making out on my parents' couch in the living room and hoping I didn't get caught.” He moved his legs so that one was between Silas's instead of framing them, his thigh pressing deliberately into the other man's groin to see Silas's eyelids flutter.

“Oh! I . . . never did that.” Silas sighed and closed his eyes, rocking up into the pressure. “Not until . . . mmm, not until college.”

“I'll bet you were a hot little blushing virgin, weren't you?” Now Matthew began moving down Silas's body, lifting the hem of the other man's T-shirt to press openmouthed kisses to his flat stomach. “All desperate to give it away?” He found Silas's nipples with his tongue and fingers, working them into taut peaks the way he knew Silas liked it.

Silas twisted and panted, too worked up to answer, so Matthew pulled back with a teasing kiss to his sternum. “You aren't being relaxed. You're getting all worked up again. Guess we'd better ease off.”

“I'm perfectly relaxed.” Silas opened his eyes and tried to glare, but his kiss-swollen lips countered the fierce image he was attempting. They made him look wanton. Matthew liked seeing that look on his partners.

“Good, good. Just thinking of you.” He pushed Silas's shirt the rest of the way up his chest, and Silas took the hint to lift it off. His thumbs went back to Silas's nipples and he rubbed the pads across them. “Still relaxed?”

“Of course.” Silas kept his face neutral.

Matthew began pinching. “How about now?”

“Still relaxed. Even a little . . . oh, bored.” His sudden gasp at a particularly hard pinch made Matthew smile.

“Mmm. Bored. That's nice. It's good to be bored sometimes.” He pulled off his own shirt and tossed it on the floor, then sat back to unbutton Silas's jeans. “Now, I generally like to take off my jeans, but only if it won't get you all worked up.”

“I'm supposed to stay relaxed through all this?” Silas went along with the charade despite his token protests, lifting his hips so Matthew could drag his pants down. Matthew left Silas's underwear in place, a plain pair of green boxers clearly tented with his straining cock. For good measure, he took his own pants off as well, his erection notable in the snug boxer briefs.

“Yes, you're supposed to stay relaxed. I'm teaching you to have relaxing sex instead of intense sex. So lie here and pay attention.”

“Mmm, the correct use of lie and lay. Do you know it turns me on when you use good grammar?” Silas smiled up at him, his smile indolent in a way that Matthew hoped to see more of. “I might've been an English major if my parents weren't so set on the sciences. I really like books.”

Matthew smiled back. “Well, if you think that's good, I also know how to use a semicolon, so you'd better hold on.”

Silas laughed, but that laugh turned into a moan when Matthew settled between Silas's legs and slotted their cocks together through the fabric. “Oh god,” he moaned, just a breath, his words barely audible. His eyes slammed shut. “That's incredible.”

“I know.” Matthew was pretty caught up in the moment himself, and he shifted his hips in a rub that brought even more friction. “Mmm.” He lay flat, forcing Silas's legs apart, one of those legs trailing off the couch and onto the floor, and they began to rock slowly together. Silas's eyes were still closed, his mouth agape, and Matthew took the opportunity to kiss him, keeping the kiss slow and deep. Silas's moan reverberated all through him, a desperate noise. Matthew broke the kiss so he could hear more of that.

“I like taking our time like this.” Matthew bit Silas's earlobe, pinching the flesh between his teeth a bit harder than he normally would because he knew it made Silas lose it. The reserved engineer liked biting, who would have thought? He wanted to strip off the rest of their clothes and race to the conclusion, his erection a steady throb of pleasure and impatience, but he could wait. He was more patient than his dick, especially if that patience let him reduce Silas to a mindless, quivering pile of desperation. “Isn't it nice?”

Silas rutted against him, looking for more contact. “Nice would be faster,” he muttered through clenched teeth, making Matthew chuckle.

“Now, now, that's no way to relax.” Matthew stilled his hips, even though it was killing him to do so, and returned to Silas's nipples. “Look how tense you are. Go ahead and relax for me.”

Silas arched up, just as Matthew had hoped he would, his body bending into a bow. “Just keep going, please.”

“I'm going to keep going.” Matthew kissed his partner again. “But if you don't relax, I'm going to have to tie you down.”

Silas went rigid, and then boneless, shuddering with a groan. Immediately, his eyes flashed open and he colored red right up to the tops of his ears. Matthew started laughing.

“Is that a hot button for you?” Eyebrows raised in disbelief, he shifted down onto his forearms to hold Silas in place.

Silas averted his eyes, still pink, looking embarrassed, and didn't answer.

“Look at me.” Matthew turned Silas's face forward and met his eyes. He hoped the smile he was giving would convey everything Silas needed to know. “That's fucking hot. I'm happy to tie you down so you can't get away. Maybe we can try that next time.”

“Next time, huh?” Silas smiled, the smile a tiny bit forced but the rest of him relaxing. “We'll see.” The tension eased from his frame, which Matthew could feel beneath him, and he began moving his hips again. Silas groaned something that didn't sound like a word and pressed his palms flat against the cushions. When he began to thrust up, Matthew sat back, loving the teasing. He began to draw Silas's boxers down over his hips. “Yes, thank God,” Silas breathed.

“Yeah, you like that?” Matthew watched Silas's cock bounce back against his belly as he tossed the boxers aside. He did the same for his own, wanting to feel the skin-to-skin contact, but wanting more for Silas to give in. He reached down to stroke the other man's dick, his grip loose, just enough friction that Silas could feel it. Silas made another strangled noise and arched up.

“Now, now, take it easy. You're rushing things again. We have as long as we need.” Sitting as he was, between Silas's thighs, he had a perfect view of the delicate skin between his legs. He traced one finger lightly behind Silas's sac, not sure how the man would react to the contact but interested in finding out. When he brushed Silas's hole, Silas moaned, his cock pulsing once in Matthew's grip. Matthew kept this gentle, steady pace, not giving Silas enough stimulation to tip him over, just enough to keep him worked up, his other hand dancing featherlight caresses across Silas's ass.