Page 9 of Battered & Broken
He told me about Mitch and his history with guys who treated him like shit. And after being vulnerable with me, maybe it was time for me to be vulnerable and honest with him too.
I let myself into his apartment with the spare key he insisted I keep, and Cedric was on the couch with his knees pulled up, staring at the door. “You’re back.”
“Of course I am.” I put the bag on the coffee table and sat down beside him. “You okay?”
He nodded but didn’t take his eyes off the bag. "What's that?"
There wasn't really a way to ease into this, so I didn't try. "It's a chest pump. For my milk."
He turned his head slightly and furrowed his brow. "Your milk?"
"Yeah. I, um, lactate. It started in college." I kept my voice even, like I'd practiced explaining it to myself in the mirror. "I have to pump every day or I’ll leak through my shirt, and it's been a little more active lately."
Cedric looked down at my chest for a minute while he processed that information. He didn't recoil in disgust or confusion. If anything, he leaned in slightly and looked over at the bag. "Why's it been more active?" He tilted his head to look me in the eye. "Is that a stress response?"
"It can be." I felt my face heat as I considered how to proceed with the confession that could change everything. "I don't think that's it right now, though."
He seemed to stop breathing right around the same time I did. "Then what is it?"
I forced myself to inhale and meet his gaze. "I think, this time, it's more of an arousal thing."
5
CEDRIC
Arousal? He was aroused? He’d been spending all his free time with me…
I sat with that for a second and tried to figure out where to go next.
Ozzie was closely watching my face, probably nervous about how I was gonna react to what he’d just admitted.
As much as I wanted to skip the awkward and jump right to something fun, I had to ask. I couldn’t let it slip by without explanation. "What has you so aroused lately?" I smirked and tried to keep it light, even though my own arousal had notched up about a million degrees. "I mean, all you’ve done is take care of me…"
He held my gaze, and I could feel waves of heat rolling off him. "I’m sorry to lay this on you right now, but I want to be honest with you since you’ve been so honest with me. Tonight is definitely not the night to pursue anything, but if you're ever ready, I just?—"
"I'm ready." I didn’t even let him finish his sentence. I was more than ready.
Ozzie’s breath caught, and he looked right at me. The corner of his mouth wiggled, and then we were both sitting there with goofy expressions. "Yeah?" His low voice vibrated through me and went straight to my balls.
"Yeah." I tucked my knee up on the couch so I was facing him but keeping my thickening dick in check. "I know our timing is shit, and it’s a terrible idea for me to screw up one of the best friendships I’ve ever had with…something more. But I've been watching you all week, and I'm not gonna pretend I’m not dealing with the aftermath of my own excessive arousal issues."
He chuckled and brushed a piece of hair away from my forehead. "You sure? There’s no rush…"
"Ozzie." I put my hand over his and held it against my skin. "I'm sure."
We just stared at each other for a few long moments until I couldn’t stand the space between us. I leaned forward and closed my eyes, silently begging him to take the hint and kiss me.
Ozzie’s warm breath hit my mouth before his lips gently brushed across them. He tried to pull away, but I didn’t let him. My heart was pounding and my face was warm as I pushed forward until I was lying on his chest, kissing him with my whole body.
Time stopped ticking as I felt his strong muscles under my fingers and his warm mouth covering mine. My dick hardened against his thigh, and instead of pulling away, I pushed into him and groaned. “Fuck, Ozzie. I’ve wanted this for a long time.”
He smiled against me. “A week?”
I shook my head as I licked along his jawline and up to his ear. “A year. Since you moved in.”
A deep rumble escaped his throat, and he gently lifted me up. “As much as I hate to say it, I think we should slow down.”
“Slow?” My brows furrowed, and I was fairly certain my lower lip popped out. “Why?”
