Page 113 of Fire & Ice

Good dude,he thinks. They should hang out sometime, play poker.What was he doing? Oh, right.His ass is on fuckingfire.

Together, the three of them stumble over to the couch, and Lee kicks back immediately, positioning himself the long way against the arm and motioning for Tripp to lay across his chest. Gladly, Tripp goes, face finding its way straight into the crook of Leander’s neck. While it’s probably not the most ideal way to tend to injuries, Tripp digs it.

Cal is nice enough to bring Lee's bag over and to offer to wipe down the equipment, which Tripp gets the distinct feeling is a personal nicety, not something the club generally offers. ‘Take care of your own fluids,’ kind of seems like a given, anyway.

As Leander extends his warmest thanks, Tripp allows himself to relax in his Dom’s grip. He drifts again, but in a very different way. While he does, Lee smears cream from his bag onto Tripp’s burning ass and thighs before wrapping some gauze around his right leg only, securing it with tape. The cilices are already gone, and there’s not much blood that Tripp can see, but there must besomeor Leander wouldn’t bother with the bandage.

Awkward as it is to work from the angle they’re positioned, Lee makes it happen without asking Tripp to move or sit up. Once he’s finished, though, Trippismade to lift his head, take some ibuprofen, and drink his juice, Leander reminding him gently that they can’t stay here all night.

The haze of subspace has begun to burn off. It happens a hell of a lot quicker out here in public than inside their own playroom, a space where all Tripp has to do is roll over and let Lee cater to his every whim. By the time his bottle of OJ is gone, he’s ready to get moving, ready to be back in theirprivate cocoon where it’s just him and Lee. All of the people surrounding them are less interesting, more irritating than anything else, now that the scene has ended.

It occurs to Tripp that the way heneedsLee post-scene ismuchmore desperate and intense than he’s had cause to realize in quite some time. Being in public and unable tohavehim the way that Tripp wants—it almost brings back memories of their first week together, when Tripp was dropping and alone.

But that’s not what’s going on here. He’s not being denied anything he needs, only delayed, and only of his own making.

Still, Tripp’s thinking that if they’re going to come back and play here, maybe they’ll stick to lighter kink in the future. Just mess around and have some fun, rile each other up, and then head home to finish their scene the way theyreallywant to do in private and in peace.

Everyone else is just…superfluous. Not that Tripp has even contemplated the idea of wanting someone besides Leander in ages, but despite that, it shocks him to find out how completely disinterested he is inanyoneelse, in any way, shape, or form. He just wants Leander.

With that thought in mind, Tripp surfaces from the crook of Leander’s neck, raising his gaze to find Lee already looking his way, smiling warmly. “I’m quite ready to go home and have you all to myself,” Leander remarks, which has Tripp releasing an extremely relieved breath as he smiles back.

“Help me up?” Tripp asks, wincing when he shifts and his tender skin rubs against Lee's jeans. Ever the show-off, Lee scoops his way under Tripp’s armpits and around his back, hauling him unceremoniously to his feet while Tripp squeaks in protest. “I saidhelp,not manhandle, Jesus.”

Leander just smirks. “You enjoyed it,” he says, repositioning them both so that his arm is around Tripp’s waist, casually supporting him while they walk. Tripp doesn’t miss the way Lee eyes his left leg with suspicion, watching carefully for a limp or any sign that Tripp’s in some kind of pain he’s not supposed to be having. He’snot,for the record. His ass hurts like hell and he’s going to be feeling it for days, but it’s thegoodkind of hurt, the kind he’s been missing.

“Thank you,” he says quietly as they move from the mixed room into the socializing one and on to the lockers.

“Thankyou,” Leander replies easily, pulling the key from his pocket and opening the lock. He removes his coat and slides it over Tripp’s shoulder as he speaks. “You were stunning. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. I enjoyed myself immensely, and I hope you did, too.”

Tripp hesitates. “I did, but—” Leander’s eyes flash. He stops whatever he’s doing in the locker to put his full attention on Tripp, all up in his space with both hands threading into Tripp’s own and everything. “Whoa, hey, I’m cool, sweetheart,” Tripp reassures him and Leander relaxes, but only minutely. His face still looks like he wants to smite whatever might have mildly inconvenienced Tripp, just on principle.

“You can tell me if I went too far, Tripp. Or if you didn’t enjoy—”

“Pump the breaks.” Tripp steps in, cutting Leander off before he can go on a tear. “That’s not what I said, alright? It rocked, I had anawesometime. Hear me? I would tell you.” He’s careful to maintain eye contact, to touch Leander’s chin gently to convey that he’s sincere, that he’s being honest. “C’mon, Lee, kiss me and tell me if I’m lying.”

There’s a pause where Leander narrows his eyes, considering, before leaning forward to close the scant space between them. This kiss is ridiculously soft, sweet and careful but still thorough and with an edge of heat. It has Tripp following after Leander’s mouth for more when he pulls away.

“Alright,” Leander concedes. “I believe you.”

Tripp rolls his eyes. “What I wassaying,is that playing in public is one thing, but I’m pretty sure I’m a ‘private finish’ kind of guy, if you catch my drift.” His fingers wander down Leander’s exposed forearms, stupidly longing to be wrapped in them, which is the whole damn point. “This feels—wrong, I guess. I wanna be doing what we usually do.”

“Yelling at each other about who got cracker crumbs in the sheets?”

“Yes,” Tripp replies seriously, and Leander laughs as he closes up the trench coat, leaning in to kiss Tripp again when he runs out of buttons to fasten near the top.

“I agree,” he says simply. “Not to mention, I need to give your injuries quite a bit more attention before we go to sleep. If you only knew the anxiety I’m feeling over allowing you to walk around like this…” Lee's eyes go a little wide, so Tripp squeezes his hand reassuringly before grabbing and stepping into his boots, declining to lace them up before starting for the door.

“I’m okay,” Tripp reassures, lifting their joined hands to press lips to Lee's knuckles, inadvertently catching the edge of his new ring. “Love you,” he murmurs, and for whatever reason, that makes Leander flush.

“I love you very much,” he says in reply, scrubbing a hand across his pink-cheeked face. The bouncers at the front doors hold them open so that Tripp and Lee can exit, and while they murmur polite goodnights, their eyes never leave each other’s.

As the doors swing closed behind them, Tripp says, “Mushy shit aside, I’mdamnglad we brought my car. No way your piece of shit would let me lay on my stomach in the backseat. Lee, you’re rich, when the hell are you gonna upgrade that rust bucket?”

Leander just swats his ass in reply.

Epilogue

One Year Later

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