Page 45 of Delay of Game

Nate’s face flushed an even deeper red, and he swallowed again. “Um, actually...at least this time I thought maybe you could fuck me. Because, I, uh. I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

There wasn’t anything to say in response to that, because Zach didn’t want to riskare you sure?orbut we have a game tomorrow and I’m pretty sure you’ve never, because Nate’s entire body was tense and folded into itself, nervous, like he was expecting Zach to—what? As if he could have ever said no.

“Hey, look at me.”

Nate did. His eyes were huge and dark, and his face was still that brilliant red, and Zach wanted to kiss him right then. Okay, maybe he wasn’t doing such a great job at being chill about it. Whatever. It was fine. It wasn’t like this was going to screw anything up.

Nate was still watching him, though, so Zach said, “Whatever you want, baby,” and pressed his fingers against Nate’s lower lip.

“I want this,” Nate said into his hand. His voice was rough, but there wasn’t a hesitation or a stammer there. His breath was hot on Zach’s fingers. “I want you.”

Zach put his hand on Nate’s chest and pushed him down into the rumpled covers, leaned over him and just looked for a minute, partially to rein himself in, partially because he really did love looking at Nate. Nate didn’t seem to like that much, squirming a little underneath him, and Zach was maybe a bit mad with power, but he said, “C’mon, chill out,” and Nate stilled under his hands.

The first part of it, he knew really well at this point. It might have only been a month and change of whatever they were doing, but you didn’t play on the same line with a guy for two years andnotpick up on his cues. He thought about all of the interviews where someone had asked him about chemistry and wanted to laugh, because chemistry was the way that he could almost seem to read Nate’s mind sometimes, particularly when they were in the process of getting naked.

He knew the places Nate liked to be touched and the places Nate didn’t even know he liked to be touched. Zach used to think of it like a game. Press button A, get reaction B, move on to outcome C. And it was like the way he’d fucked evolved to maximize the efficiency of orgasms. But with Nate he just wanted to slow everything down and listen to every single noise and memorize every drop of sweat and half-pained twist of his mouth.

So he did.

And then for a little longer.

And a little longer.

By that time, Nate was a mess underneath him, straining up against the weight of Zach’s body pinning him down, and Zach was achingly hard already. “Are you sure you wanna...?”

“Zach, please,yes.”

Sometimes he thought about what it would sound like if Nate called him anything except his own name, but the way he saidZachlike that, like Zach had ripped the word right out of his throat, almost made up for the fact that Nate was just as awkward with terms of affection as he was with everything else.

“Hang on, I gotta get the stuff.” Zach pulled away and stumbled out of the bed toward his bags, and behind him, Nate propped himself up on his elbows to watch.

He’d only been sleeping with Nate recently but also, he just, you know, liked to be prepared. You got caught in one or two unfortunate situations as a kid and you learned your lesson pretty quick. He fumbled for the condoms and lube and found them quickly enough.

He fell right back into bed, his hand resting on Nate’s hip. “It’s gonna be good, okay?”

Nate half smiled, lopsided and uncertain, and said, “I know it will. I trust you.”

Thefuckescaped before Zach could stop it, but it made Nate laugh, so that was fine.

Nate wasn’t laughing when Zach took him in hand, fingers tightening around his dick in a long, slow tease. And he wasn’t laughing when Zach leaned down to press his mouth against Nate’s hip, the muscle of his abdomen, his inner thigh. Zach lived for those sounds, the harsh pant of Nate’s breath, the way he held himself back so carefully, still so self-conscious even when he wanted Zachsobadly.

He wanted to do everything at once, everythingnow, but he had to slow this down. He wanted this to be—he didn’t know what he wanted it to be. He only knew it had to bespecial.

“What are you looking at?”

“You,” Zach said, quite honestly. “I’m just thinking about all the things I wanna do to you.”

“I...” Nate swallowed off whatever he was going to say. “I can’t stand waiting, Zach, I’m gonna fucking, I don’t even know.”

Zach knew his grin was broad and stupid but he couldn’t stop himself. It was really fucking weird, the immense, swelling affection in his chest jostling for place with the fact that he was so turned on he could barely think. And while he was a dude whose strong point was definitely not thinking, that wasn’t a great situation to be in. So he stopped thinking and went on instinct.

“Do you want me to tell you all the things I’m gonna do?”

Nate made a choked-off noise in his throat, and Zach, mouth pressed against his hip, looked up at him. Nate kept opening and closing his eyes, like he couldn’t bear to look away, but also, he couldn’t bear to see it, or hear it.

But he didn’t say no, so Zach took that as a cue to continue narrating as he went, although sometimes it was hard to get the words out because he kept getting distracted by the sudden need to tease him, by the way Nate didn’t seem to know whether to twist with discomfort when Zach was like,I’m going to make you feel so good when I finger you openor gasp when Zach slid his lips around Nate’s dick.

“God,” Nate was saying, “are you trying to—what are you—” Zach contemplated answering him immediately, but pressed his tongue down instead, and Nate said,“Please.”

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