Chapter 4: The Long Way Home
Diego slid his card across the counter and didn't wait for the receipt. He caught Stefan's eye and nodded toward the door. The morning light hit them both as they stepped outside, and Diego's hand found the small of Stefan's back, guiding him toward the truck parked at the curb.
Diego started the engine and pulled out slowly, but instead of heading toward the main street, he turned east, down a quiet side street that ran parallel to the river. He kept his left hand on the wheel but let his right hand rest on Stefan's thigh. Stefan again covered it with his own hand. A few minutes later, he held Diego's hand in his own.
"You know my first time with a guy was terrible," Diego said, glancing over. "I was nineteen. He was older, experienced. I had no idea what I was doing, and I was so nervous I couldn't even look at his face."
Stefan looked out the window. As much as his stomach had enjoyed breakfast, now it was doing... something. Something that felt really good. And below that, he was getting excited. "What happened? How'd you get through it?"
"Laughing, mostly." Diego's thumb traced a slow circle against the denim. "He was patient. Kept telling me there was no wrong way to do it. That all we had to be was together. in the moment, with him." He paused. "I think that's what I'm trying to do with you. Just be here."
Stefan's stomach relaxed a little, but his cock just got a little harder. It was almost painful by now.
The truck slowed in front of Stefan's building. Diego cut the engine and turned toward him. His right hand moved from knee to bicep. His left hand gently cupped Stefan's jaw.
Stefan's breath caught. Their eyes met, and then Diego leaned in, ready to kiss him.
Stefan leaned back, away from Diego.
Then the blare of a car horn ripped through the quiet , sharp and unforgiving. Stefan flinched. The spell shattered.
Diego pulled back, then didn't move for a beat. Then he laughed, low and warm, shaking his head at the windshield. "Not exactly the soundtrack I was going for."
"Sorry," Stefan said, the word coming out rougher than he meant. "I just... That was... I don't know. Too fast?"
"Hey." Diego's hand found his knee again, squeezing once. "You don't have to apologize for leaning back. No means no. Hesitation means pause. That's fine."
Stefan swallowed. The horn still echoed somewhere behind them, someone's impatience fading down the block. He could feel his pulse in his throat. "It's not that I don't want to."
"I know." Diego's thumb stroked the seam of his jeans. "I can feel how much you want to, trust me. But I'd rather wait until your body isn't trying to escape through the door."
Diego's thumb kept stroking the seam of his jeans, patient, unhurried. Stefan's heart was still slamming, but something else had taken over, something that had been itching at him since Diego's hand first landed on his thigh.
He looked down at Diego's gym shorts. The fabric was thin, and there was no mistaking the shape pressed against it.
Before his brain could catch up, Stefan's hand moved. He reached across and gently grasped the outline of Diego's cock through the cotton, a light tug, a deliberate tweak of the bulge that had been distracting him for the past ten minutes.
Diego made a sound low in his throat. His hand jumped on Stefan's knee, then settled, heavier.
"Okay," Diego said, voice rough with surprise. "That's bold."
Stefan's face burned, but he didn't take his hand back. "You said you could feel how much I wanted to."
"I did say that." Diego's eyes were dark, fixed on Stefan's mouth. "I just didn't think you'd grab it in my truck."
"You'd rather I waited until we got inside?"
Diego laughed out loud. "So, you're inviting me in? if so the answer to both questions is 'yes'!"
Stefan blushed, but it wasn't embarrassment this time.
"I... I want to suck you... your... cock." He shook his head. "That 's the hard part, right? Now it's all..."
"...practice," Diego finished. "Yes. So, are you ready for some... practice?