Page 154 of Fall Into Me

He dropped a light kiss on top of her head and then carefully lowered her back into the crib, settled Ollie next to her, and covered her with her blanket. He stood there watching her sleep for a few seconds, his heart stuttering in his chest.

He loved her, too. He loved her, and he loved Ash. And he loved being here with them.

And for some reason, that thought, which should have been a perfectly joyful thought, brought another wave of anxiety with it.

From behind him, he heard a light knock, and when he turned around, Ash was standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe, watching Cass with a soft expression. Cass smiled weakly, glanced back at Bri to make sure she was still sleeping, and then slowly made his way across the room. Ash pushed himself away from the doorframe to meet him, and his hands slipped up Cass’s chest.

With a smile and a small shake of his head, Ash leaned in and brushed his lips against Cass’s. “How are you so perfect?” he whispered, and he kissed Cass again. It was warm and soft and seemed to ease Cass’s anxiety, soothing the ache in his heart.

So he leaned into that feeling more, slipping his arms around his boyfriend and pulling him close for another deep kiss. It helped, maybe, and with a little more effort, he managed to push away all of his uncertainty and all of his worry, letting his boyfriend’s kisses comfort him.

Shaina (Tuesday, June 6, 2023 – 9:44 p.m.): Soooooooo proud of you! Wish I could have been there. Love you so much <3

Chapter Forty-Nine

Ash

Warmth had filled Ash’s chest the moment he’d seen Cass cradling Bri so gently, humming softly to lull her back to sleep. It was some deep, deep warmth that tugged at his heart and seemed to reinforce every joyful thought he’d had about the direction their relationship was going.

He was so in love. He wanted to tell Cass that, to show him. And he wanted to talk about the future—their future, together.

He knew things were difficult now. They lived so far apart and were busy all the time with school and other responsibilities. Cass’s parents needed him, and Bri often required all of Ash’s attention. Also, although Ash had come far, he still fought constantly against the heavy despair that could sometimes blanket his thoughts. He missed his sister; he knew he always would. And at times, it still seemed wrong that he could “move on” and be happy—really, truly happy—even though she was gone. But he couldn’t stop himself from jumping into the future—sometime, maybe years from now, when they could be living together, sharing their whole lives with each other, rather than relying on stolen moments between the long stretches of separation.

There was nothing he wanted more, and he wanted to make sure Cass knew that.

He knocked lightly on the door, and Cass turned around, his eyes as soft and gentle as his voice had been when he’d been humming to Bri. That warmth in Ash’s chest deepened into a heat that spread all the way down into his toes. Cass glanced back at Bri one more time, as though checking to see if she were still asleep, then he made his way silently across the room. Ash’s hands slipped up to tease at the back of Cass’s neck, and he couldn’t wait. He shook his head, stretched up, and kissed his boyfriend.

“How are you so perfect?” he whispered, his lips still close to Cass’s.

Cass didn’t say anything, but he smiled against Ash’s mouth, and that sent another rush of heat through him. Cass’s arms wrapped around Ash’s waist, bringing them closer together. Then they kissed again, slowly and deeply, as Ash backed them up out of the bedroom, down the hallway, and into the living room.

As soon as they reached the corner at the end of the hallway, Cass’s arms tightened around him, and Cass groaned, turning them to push Ash back against the closet door in the apartment’s small entryway. One of Cass’s hands settled on the middle of Ash’s chest, pressing into him as their kiss momentarily deepened, Cass’s tongue sweeping into his mouth. A low whimper rumbled in Ash’s throat, and he joyfully reciprocated. Cass tasted faintly of chocolate and wine, a combination Ash found intoxicating and arousing as hell. With a low groan, Ash let his hands slip down Cass’s chest and then around to his lower back, and just as he was about to press their hips together—to show his boyfriend what this was doing to him—Cass broke their kiss and dropped down to his knees, hooking his fingers into the waistband of Ash’s sweats.

“Can I—”

Ash nodded eagerly, and Cass wasted no time at all, tugging Ash’s sweats and briefs down to his knees in one quick motion. Wet heat enveloped Ash’s hardening cock, and a rough moan escaped his lips. He screwed his eyes shut and pressed his head back against the closet door, letting his fingers thread into Cass’s hair. His boyfriend seemed to like the encouragement. He took Ash’s erection all the way to the back of his throat, doing things with his tongue that sent jolts of heat and pleasure shooting through Ash. Then he slid back up the length of Ash’s cock and did it again and again, the pace intense, without any hesitation at all.

Words slipped out, quiet curses mixed with half-formed moans of Cass’s name, as he seemed to be rushing toward that wonderful edge he’d only started to get to know. Vaguely, as his body began to tingle with his impending climax, he remembered that he’d had other plans for the night—a continuation of some exploration they’d had on their recent video calls. He groaned at the thought and willed his body to hold off.

“Cass,” he mumbled. “Cass, ahh, I—god, fuck.”

Cass did something different this time as he came up, Ash wasn’t even sure what. Something with his tongue playing along the underside of Ash’s cock and then swirling it around the tip. It was almost too much. After another slew of weak curses, his knees nearly giving out, Ash groaned again, lowered his hands to Cass’s shoulders, and gently pushed him back.

“Wait,” he managed, his voice trembling and hoarse. “Wait, I wanted to—” He sucked in a breath as his dick slipped out of Cass’s mouth, and when he glanced down, he saw Cass looking up at him while planting slow kisses along his upper thigh. His heart stuttered, and he forced a deep breath.

Cass’s hand caressed up his leg and then wrapped around his shaft and stroked him lazily. “What did you want to do?” Cass asked between kisses, still holding Ash’s gaze.

Ash groaned and tilted his head back against the closet door again. Part of him just wanted to shake his head and forget about it, let Cass finish what he’d started. But then he had a flash of a memory from their video call on his birthday a few weeks ago, the intense neediness in Cass’s groans as Ash had given him a show, teasing him as he pleasured himself with a sex toy—a toy that was hiding up in a box on the top shelf of the closet just behind him. And one that Cass had specifically said he couldn’t wait to help Ash use in person.

Although he’d referred to the toy as a birthday gift, he’d had it for several years now—a simple, light-blue silicone dildo, not too long or too thick. Before Bri had come into his life, he’d only used the toy a handful of times, barely enough to begin to explore that part of his sexuality, and as soon as Bri had started crawling, he’d had the sense to move it from the drawer in his nightstand to the top of the closet, far, far out of her reach. For his birthday last month, he’d taken it out for the first time since hiding it away, and he hadn’t been disappointed.

Neither had Cass.

“I wanted to—” He grunted something that was probably quite incoherent as Cass shifted to kiss the base of his shaft. A throb of want shuddered through him, and he squeezed Cass’s shoulder and tried to continue with a clearer voice. “I wanted to show you more of what we can do with that birthday gift.”

Predictably, that got Cass’s attention. Still stroking Ash’s dick slowly, Cass pushed himself back up to stand, his free hand settling on Ash’s hip. With a teasing smile, Ash tipped his head back, motioning to the closet.

“You interested?” he asked, letting both hands smooth under Cass’s shirt and up his chest. He already knew Cass was interested—he could see the intense curiosity and arousal in Cass’s eyes—but he teased him again anyway, letting his fingertips graze lightly over Cass’s nipples before flattening his palms and rubbing back down. Cass sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, and Ash grinned. He wet his lips with his tongue, then leaned in and kissed that one sensitive spot on Cass’s neck that he knew would get him even more of a reaction.