Page 51 of Sebastian

“No, that’s not...” He stumbled back, bringing his briefcase with him like he was afraid I’d steal it. “I just don’t want to stress you out unnecessarily. This might turn out to be nothing.”

“Nothing?” I was practically yelling at this point. “Don’t feed me that excuse. We’ve already got so little to go on, anything is something. You’re just trying to keep me away from this case because you think I can’t handle it.”

Damien slipped between me and Agent Adder. “Sebastian. It’s not like that. We want your help with the case, but we also want you to focus on healing. If there’s something you can help with, we’ll let you know. But let us weed through the unnecessary stuff first. There’s no reason for you to get worked up over every dead end.”

Off in the corner, Frankie and Newt were whispering together. I didn’t think much about this until Newt inserted himself between me and the others.

“Okay. Everyone calm down. How about this, Sebastian? You and I will go upstairs while the others discuss whatever Agent Adder has found. We need to review the information the doctors gave you today and come up with a new recovery plan now that you’re on the mend. Afterward, the others can then tell you if Agent Adder’s new information has actually resulted in anything.”

That sounded exactly the same as not being involved in the case at all, but I couldn’t argue. Newt looked so hopeful. It would take a stronger will than mine to say “no” under the full weight of those pleading blue eyes.

As we left the office, I expected Frankie to come as well. After all, as my physical therapist, he was equally involved with my recovery. However, when I noticed he wasn’t following us and asked him about it, he just waved me off.

“Nah. I’m gonna stay down here. You guys can handle it on your own without me.”

That was a confusing response, but I was too angry to think about it for long.

At least the staircase was easier to navigate without the crutch. I didn’t even need Newt’s help getting up to the apartment. The boot on my foot required some getting used to in terms of balance, but each step came a little easier.

My irritation over the situation remained, but I didn’t feel so blindly angry by the time the apartment door closed behind me. “What do you need to know? The doctors didn’t say much, other than to keep doing what you’re doing.”

Newt giggled, and the light sound instantly lifted my mood. “Oh, I don’t actually need to go over anything. That’s just what I told the others.” He pressed up against me, slipping my coat open one button at a time. “I recognize the type of cast they gave you. It’s a pretty good one. Sturdy. Light. Even waterproof.”

He was obviously hinting at something, but my mind was still half occupied by the conversation happening directly below us right that moment.

Luckily, Newt was willing to spell things out for me.

“You’ve been complaining for weeks that you want to take a shower. Now you can, and there’s no one else here, so...”

Finally realizing what he meant, I glanced around the empty apartment. A stack of recently folded laundry sat in the corner of the room since there wasn’t enough closet space for everyone’s clothes. A spreadsheet had been taped to one wall, listing out the designated times for people to use the bathroom. The sofa was pulled out into a bed, and a line of pillows and blankets had been piled in the center to divide Frankie’s side from Gabe’s.

With five people living in an apartment meant for two, even with Damien spending most of his time with Max and Travis, there was never a moment of privacy. Newt and I hadn’t had sex in weeks. It shouldn’t have been that big of a deal. I’d gone the first thirty-three years of my life without him. A few weeks of celibacy shouldn’t matter, but now that I’d had him, I wanted more.

Maybe I could let the others work on the case without me, at least for a few hours.

After one brief but intense kiss, we ran for the bathroom as quickly as my cast would allow. Our clothes lay scattered over the floor like the trail of breadcrumbs that were supposed to lead Hansel and Gretel home, except I had no intention of going anywhere else. Getting lost in the woods sounded just fine so long as Newt was there with me.

I’d never been more grateful for the extra expense Damien and I had dedicated to refurbishing the bathroom than when I finally stepped under the hot spray of the shower after taking only baths for a month and a half. The wide rain-shower head and gray tile felt like a luxury spa, and the frosted glass created a private ambiance. There was just enough space for two people, with maybe a foot of air between us. I breathed a sigh of relief as I ran my hands through my hair and reveled in the water running over me.

“Finally.” I scrubbed shampoo firmly into my scalp and let the shower wash it away. “Not that your assisted bathing wasn’t pleasurable, but trying to wash while keeping my leg propped up out of the water was getting old. It’s great to be able to just take care of myself.”

Wiping the water from my eyes, I looked toward Newt to see him leaning against the wall and watching me with a hungry gaze.

His wet hair hung in his face. The water made it a shade darker than when it was dry so that it almost looked brown. His blue-eyed gaze traveled down my body, following the path of soapsuds as they dripped over my chest and stomach.

“I hope you don’t plan on taking care of everything yourself.” His fingers followed the path of the soapsuds down my body until he reached my half hard cock. “There are some things I’d still like to help with.”

He wrapped his hand around my shaft and slowly started stroking me. It felt good, but I didn’t let it go on for very long. We’d done this before. Now that I could stand on my own two feet, I had other ideas.

Grabbing his shoulders, I pressed his back against the wall of the shower and devoured him with a hungry kiss. I was significantly taller than him, but it had never mattered before since I was always sitting or lying down when we had sex. I could finally use my size to its full advantage. Taking control, I pinned Newt’s wrists to the wall as I loomed over him.

He gasped at the rougher handling and tipped his head up to give me easier access to his mouth.

The air filled with steam and left streaks of condensation on the glass. Newt rubbed a leg against me, urging me on without breaking the kiss.

I couldn’t take it. After so many weeks of playing it safe and sticking to only tame forms of intimacy, I needed to be more adventurous.

Not giving Newt a chance to protest, I let go of his wrists and instead grabbed under his thighs and lifted him up.

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