EXCERPT: NC17

Doug shifted to avoid a stray toilet brush digging into his thigh, and the movement pushed him even closer to Simon. “Hell, I know how that is!” he said, without stopping to think where he was going with this. “You’re so damned good at things, and never seem rattled, and cool as shit; well, not that shit is cold, except after a few hours, if you know what I mean….” He drew a breath. He wondered why his whole body felt flushed. “There I go, babbling on. I do that when I’m nervous, one of my many talents; like being contrary for the hell of it; picking fault with things that I really like; picking fights with people that I really like…” His voice trailed off.

They stared at each other, eyes bright in the darkness.

“Excuse the presumption…” Simon began, slowly, hesitantly. “I mean, you may still be being contrary, for all I know…”

“No,” said Doug quickly. “No way am I. Not after all this.” Simon looked shaken, but the glint in his eyes could have been described as…hungry. Cool, sexy, and definitely hungry. And not for his missed lunch. Nah, thought Doug, the excitement suddenly spiking in his belly. He wouldn’t be. Interested. In me. Whatever. Would he?

Then Simon pushed the bubble wrap away from him with rather more force than was needed, and Doug kicked the toilet brush into a corner as if it had personally offended him and most of his antecedents.

They leant in even further against each other.

And kissed.

And again. And a few more times. There was silence in the closet apart from a soft, wet, kissing soundtrack. Simon slid a hand around the back of Doug’s neck to get better purchase. Doug knelt up, resting on his heels, and tipped his head to fit against Simon’s shoulder.

They broke for a second, panting, their eyes like glittering fireflies in the dim light. Neither released their grip. They grinned.

“If that’s being contrary,” Simon sighed, “you’re welcome in any seminar of mine.”

“If that’s peering,” Doug whispered, “Short-sightedness works for me.”

They kissed again. The room was getting a bit too hot. They started wriggling to get more comfortable.

“All this time we’ve wasted,” growled Simon. “Fighting. Annoying each other. Undermining each other.” Doug’s shirt had eased out of the pants’ waistband. Simon slid his hand up underneath it, stroking the ripples of muscle under his fingers. “We could have been doing this instead.”

Doug sucked in a breath and nodded. His heart was beating very, very fast. He slid his hand slowly down from Simon’s waist and cupped his right buttock. He sighed happily. “We could cut any more crap and dispense with the courting, then, couldn’t we? I mean, since we know all this about each other already…” He paused. Had he gone too far? Too fast?

But Simon nipped at his lower lip and Simon’s tongue thrust into his mouth; Simon seemed very keen to go just as fast.

“Fuck,” sighed Doug, totally happily.

“Yes,” hissed Simon. He didn’t wait for Doug’s startled response. “Please,” he sighed into Doug’s open mouth.

They laughed together.