Matt stared out of the window at the street lamps as they drove by. He was mad at Adam, but he was determined to contain it even if it killed him. That night, after his lunch with Ollie, had been a disaster. Adam had brushed aside his advances at every turn, and as a result the past several days had been very strained.

Not being able to ask the question that was constantly on the tip of his tongue required a Herculean effort. It was a non-stop mantra in his head: could it be his back? He knew it was stupid, but … maybe that was why Adam didn’t want to go all the way.

One thing was for certain; he was done trying to find out. There was only so much his newly established confidence could take. Adam had said no four times this past week. Matt could barely stand to think of those incidents. Having his boyfriend turn him down repeatedly wasn’t something he wanted to remember. Despite his fear, nervousness, anxiety and insecurity, Matt had tried to seduce Adam, only to be rebuffed. Four times.

And so there they were. Sitting in Adam’s car, on their way to have dinner with Ollie and Brick. Matt noticed that Adam’s hands were clenching and unclenching at the wheel, something he did when he was thinking.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked Matt.

"Yeah, I’m fine," Matt replied.

"You seem … tense," Adam said, "are you sure everything is alright?"

No! Matt wanted to yell. Everything wasn’t alright. Adam didn’t want to sleep with him, even though Matt was trying so hard. He couldn’t understand how their roles had come to be so reversed. It was only a month ago that Matt had been on the refusing end.

"I’m just worried that Ollie and Brick won’t get along tonight."

They both knew that Matt was lying. Adam was astute enough to realize that something else was bothering him, but if Matt wasn’t ready to talk about it then Adam wouldn’t rush him. Besides, he didn’t want to start a fight. He had a special surprise for Matt later and he wanted Matt to be in a good mood for it.

He was a little nervous about what he had planned for later, but he hoped that Matt would like it. He wanted everything to go perfectly. They would have a nice dinner with friends, and then go home and he would show Matt his surprise. He hoped dinner would help Matt relax and take his mind off whatever was bothering him.

When they arrived at the restaurant, The Polo Club, they were exactly on time. The restaurant was an exclusive trendy hotspot that was frequented by young, beautiful, affluent people looking for expensive entertainment. At the moment, it was the place to be in the social scene, but if it were up to Matt he much preferred the food at Fred’s.

As Matt and Adam entered the restaurant, they spotted a hostess station at the entrance and they headed over. The hostess, whose name read ‘Kathy’ was a short woman with tight lips and beady eyes. The moment she looked up and saw Adam, however, those eyes brightened and she plastered a smile on her face.

"Can I help you?" she asked once they reached the station.

"Yes," Adam replied, giving her the name of their party.

"Ah yes, one of your party has already arrived and has been seated," Kathy said.

After making a note in her guest book, she gathered up two menus, turned and led them to their table. Adam was dressed conservatively in dark slacks and a blazer, but as usual he looked good. Almost a little too good, if the look of interest the hostess was giving him was any indication. Matt gave Kathy a speculative glance and then stepped purposefully closer to Adam’s side.

Try as he might, Matt couldn’t seem to concentrate, his mind kept drifting off to the night of his failed seduction. Everything had been phenomenal, but once again Adam had halted things after just oral. Matt hadn’t even gotten a chance to tell him about that book that he had read at the bookstore.

It was as though Adam was putting up a barrier in their physical intimacy, and Matt’s inability to get around it was a source of constant frustration. The problem was that even though Adam was just as ardent as ever, Matt knew he was holding back. It was difficult to explain.

Earlier, when they had been getting ready to go out to dinner, Matt had been surprised and a little alarmed at all the tiny bruises that covered his body. He hadn’t even noticed them until he stepped out of the shower and looked in the mirror.

Adam had been very demanding the night before. Biting, sucking and groping. But despite this, their love play had been pretty tame. Matt had tried to instigate more, but Adam had refused to do anything other than oral. Matt had been a little tiffed. That was the fourth time that Matt had tried and had had his advances refused.

Adam had noticed some of the little love bites on Matt’s neck and had been immensely displeased. In his mind, it was one thing to get a little carried away when they were fooling around, but it was another thing entirely to leave marks all over his boyfriend’s body.

He was appalled at all the bruises. Even though Matt had assured him that it was fine, he was still upset and he had silently vowed to himself to be more careful and mindful of Matt’s delicate skin. He hoped he would remember; he had a way of always losing his head when he was touching Matt.

Adam was convinced that he needed more control, especially if he was going to carry out what he had planned for later that night. This time when he touched Matt, he didn’t want to leave any marks on his body. The only reminder he wanted Matt to have was complete satisfaction.

As they made their way to the table, Matt saw that Brick had already arrived. He wasn’t really surprised because he had figured that the hostess had meant Brick and not Ollie, when she mentioned that one in their party had already arrived, given Ollie’s perpetual lateness. As they approached, Brick looked up and saw them coming and smiled.

Matt had always had an affinity for Brick. As strange as it sounded, Matt felt Brick had a gentle soul. He couldn’t explain his reason because he could barely understand it, but it was just a feeling he got in the other man’s presence. Matt felt like they were kindred. He knew that Brick had a somewhat gruff exterior, but underneath it all he was as gentle as a puppy.

When they reached the table, Brick rose to clasp Adam’s hand and the two men shared a half-hug. They were as close as any two brothers; probably more so because the bond they shared was deeper than blood. As Matt watched the two men, he noted the similarities and differences between the two. Adam and Brick were built very similarly with large bodies and broad shoulders but they looked nothing alike.

Adam was very handsome, but Brick was gorgeous in a way that was inexplicable. He had dark red hair, almost brown, that he kept fairly short, and intense gray eyes. His eyes were the most captivating eyes that Matt had ever encountered. They were beautiful, deep and appeared wounded.

It was as though Brick contained a wealth of hurt behind those eyes. And if one believed that the eyes were the windows to the soul then that would be accurate. Brick was a quiet guy, but a total man’s man. He was passionate about family, believed in an honest days work and was one of the most intelligent people Matt knew.

The only thing less than perfect on Brick’s heavily muscled body were the burns on his right arm. Strangely enough, the imperfection only added to Brick’s appeal. Matt was unsure of the details, but he knew that Brick had been in a fire when he was young. The fire had taken his folks.

Adam had mentioned it once when Matt had inquired about the burns, but he had been vague, and Matt had the distinct impression that he was doing it to protect Brick. Brick was a very private guy and Matt didn’t want to pry. Also, he felt that if Brick wanted him to know, then he would tell him. Brick wasn’t one to volunteer information so Matt knew that he would have to ask.

Matt pulled himself out of his reverie when he heard his name being called. He smiled up at Brick before giving him a hug just as Adam had done.

"How have you been?" Brick asked.

"Great," Matt smiled, "and you?"

"I’m alright," Brick replied in his deep rich baritone.

It was hard not to stare at Brick when he was in the room - he was just so gorgeous. There was no other way to describe him. Everything about his face was perfect. The first time that Matt had seen him, his jaw had dropped. Even now he was still awed by that perfection. He couldn’t blame Ollie for having a thing for him.

In fact, he couldn’t wait to see Ollie’s face when he saw Brick. Matt wasn’t sure if Ollie had ever seen Brick all dressed up before. Since he was a construction worker, Brick was usually dressed in work clothes; almost always in jeans and a t-shirt. He usually had a very unkempt look to him.

But tonight he was all decked out in a dress shirt and slacks to celebrate his baby sister’s upcoming wedding. He was clean-shaven and it looked as though he had just had a hair cut. Someone with Brick’s face didn’t have to work very hard to look amazing. It was difficult to describe someone so good looking.

They were all just settling down into their seats when they noticed the hostess heading over to their table again and this time she was ushering Ollie. Matt happened to look over and catch the look that passed over Brick’s face, right before his features closed up and he started scowling.

Matt got the distinct impression that there was something going on between Ollie and Brick. He just didn’t know what it was. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He knew some of what it was, but he suspected there was something more. The two men had very little history, as far as Matt knew, although it was rather unpleasant.

As random and cheesy as it sounded, Ollie and Brick had met at the gym. Ollie had tried to hit on Brick, basically because he was a man-slut and Brick was gorgeous. Ollie wasn’t used to being turned down because he was relatively good looking himself. Unfortunately for him, Brick wasn’t impressed. Matt knew this because Ollie had confided in him later, albeit weeks after it had happened.

Matt could still remember the phone call he had gotten from Ollie afterward. Ollie had complained about how rude some guy at the gym had been. He had told Matt that he had gotten rejected and Matt had laughed while Ollie had ranted. When Matt finally got Ollie to calm down, he had reminded him that he would probably never have to see the guy again. Matt hadn’t really taken Ollie’s anger seriously because, back then, Ollie seemed to fall in and out of love every other day.

Ollie and Brick had definitely started off on the wrong foot, and things only got worse. According to Ollie, Brick’s exact words had been, "listen, I’m not interested". Ollie hadn’t really expounded beyond that, but Matt could only imagine the direction the conversation had taken after that.

All of this had taken place at the beginning of Matt and Adam’s relationship. They had decided to have a dinner at Adam’s place and invited Ollie and Brick so that Matt could meet Adam’s brother and Adam could meet Matt’s best friend. They also wanted Brick and Ollie to meet each other.

Imagine everyone’s surprise when, later that night, Ollie had arrived at Adam’s place only to find Brick seated on the couch; the rude guy from the gym. Things had been tense and uncomfortable to say the least. The two men hadn’t known how to act around one another and everyone - except Adam, who had been unaware at the time - had opted not to mention what had happened earlier that day at the gym.

That was the only time that Adam and Matt had ever attempted to bring Ollie and Brick together. After the disaster of that night, things had only seemed to get worse even though Matt could never figure out why since Ollie and Brick only saw each other at the gym and on rare social occasions. Ollie made it perfectly clear that they hardly ever spoke. Regardless of this, sparks always seemed to fly when they were within a hundred feet of each other.

As Matt watched, the hostess led Ollie over to the table. Their eyes connected and Ollie looked like he wanted to turn around and run in the other direction. But, Matt knew that he wouldn’t. Ollie was a fighter and as far as he was concerned, he and Brick were at war. He would stay and see this through.

Ollie’s stomach was coiled tight with discomfort. As he walked, his feet began to leaden and drag. He was seriously dreading having to face Brick. Upon entering the restaurant, he had spotted him from the hostess station and had almost gasped at how good the other man looked. But then, Brick always looked good.

Ollie had taken incredible care with his appearance, which was why, despite his resolve, he was ten minutes late. He had wanted to look his best because he had wanted to show Brick was he was missing. Brick may consider him a slut, but Ollie wanted Brick to know that he was a good-looking slut.

Ollie wished he didn’t always feel the need to prove to Brick that he was good enough. He often thought that Brick was stuck up, but that was mostly because he was still smarting from Brick’s rejection. A year and a half had passed and it still bothered him that Brick thought he was a whore.

He and Brick had developed a relationship where Ollie was constantly doing his best to tease and irritate Brick by being outrageously flirtatious, just to get a rise out of him. It was a defense mechanism and Ollie admitted to himself that he only did it because he was hurt that Brick had rejected him. Brick had a way of bringing out the worst in him, but he was going to behave himself tonight because he had promised Matt that he would.

As Brick watched Ollie’s approach, his cock began to stir. He was thankful that he was seated because the front of his pants was rapidly tenting. This was the first time he had ever gotten an erection just from watching someone walk. But he wasn’t surprised - he was always hard when he was around Ollie.

And that was the problem. He didn’t want to be attracted to Ollie, and the fact that his body wouldn’t listen to his mind made him angry. He knew it wasn’t Ollie’s fault, but that didn’t stop him from being brusque in the other man’s company. The closer Ollie came, the harder Brick’s dick became and the more he frowned because of it.

Ollie watched Brick’s face harden, and his step faltered. He quickly composed himself and continued moving until he reached the table. He put a big smile on his face and went straight into the lion’s den.

"Hi darling," Ollie said as he embraced Matt.

"Hi," Matt said as he hugged him back.

When they pulled apart, Ollie said, "boys."

He meant it as a form of greeting for Adam and Brick, but he only looked at Adam as he said it.

"Hi Ollie," Adam said with a smile.

Brick remained silent. Things were off to a great start. Matt and Adam were seated side-by-side across from Brick. The only empty chair remaining was the one next to Brick and Ollie had no choice but to sit in it. He was careful to move his seat as far away as possible, until it almost looked like he was sitting at the corner of the table.

Matt ignored the obvious discord while Adam looked back and forth between Ollie and Brick. The two men seemed to dislike each other, a lot, which was weird because Ollie generally liked everybody. Adam knew about the little incident involving how both of them met at the gym, but that didn’t warrant the blatant dislike the two men had for each other.

Ollie sat down and was pointedly ignoring Brick. The tension at the table increased tenfold. There was an awkward moment of silence before Adam said, "So the wedding is next weekend. I spoke to mom today and she wanted to make sure that we would all be there."
 

Matt looked over at Ollie and saw the other man’s eyes widen. At the same time, Brick’s body noticeably stiffened. And all of a sudden an idea popped into Matt’s head. He covertly nudged Adam’s foot under the table. Matt prayed Adam would understand his signal.

"So, Adam and I talked it over and we decided that we should all leave together next weekend, and make it like a road trip." Matt spoke slowly, watching closely for their reactions.

Brick’s face was a carefully blank mask, but Matt knew that he wanted to say something.

Adam jumped in, saying, "Mom really wants to meet you, Ollie. It would mean a lot to us if you came."

Ollie looked as though he wanted badly to refuse, and Matt beginning to think his plan wouldn’t work when Brick inadvertently came to his rescue.

"Mom wants to meet everybody," Brick grumbled.

It was the first words he had spoken since Ollie arrived. Matt almost smiled as he watched a change came over Ollie’s face. He could almost see Ollie’s thoughts turning from graciousness to irritation.

Ollie had been about to politely refuse the invitation, when Brick spoke up, implying that his mother didn’t really want to meet him. This made Ollie change his mind. Ollie knew Brick was only saying it because he didn’t want Ollie to be at his sister’s wedding. And just knowing that made Ollie want to go. Just so that he could piss Brick off.

He had previously been ready to refuse, but hearing Brick’s words filled him with defiance.

"That’s great. I’d love to go."

And before he knew what had happened, Ollie had committed himself to the wedding. Now he sat wondering what he had done. How was he supposed to spend an entire weekend in Brick’s company?

Matt grinned. He knew that it was sneaky of him, but he wanted this problem between Ollie and Brick to be resolved. He knew that spending five or six hours trapped in a car together with nowhere to go would do the trick.

Brick and Matt were pretty close, but their relationship was different from the one that Brick had with Adam. This was largely due to Brick’s past. Brick had been a foster kid in a difficult situation and had been taken in by Adam’s family and raised with Adam.

Matt could understand Brick’s troubled past because of his own upbringing and that was why they got along really well, although Brick was infinitely closer to Adam. Despite this, Matt and Brick were bonded through a sort of shared experience because of the abuse they had sustained when they were younger. That was, perhaps, the one aspect of their lives to which Adam could not relate.

Matt had done a little amateur psychoanalysis and decided that the reason Brick said no to Ollie was because he came from a broken home. He probably thought that Ollie was just looking for some ass and he wasn’t into that sort of thing. Stability, family and security were very important to him.

Matt figured Brick was looking for a significant relationship, something that he hadn’t really had in his life, but had seen between Adam’s parents who had been together thirty years and were still madly in love. That was something that his biological parents hadn’t had. That was the kind of commitment he wanted.

Unbeknownst to him, that was the kind of relationship that Ollie was looking for too. Few people knew, but Matt was aware that the reason that Ollie had gone so boy crazy after being released from the hospital, was because he was trying to make up for lost time. Ollie knew that he could never get back all the years that he had spent getting treatment.

In his mind, he had been given a second chance; he had survived cancer. On more than one occasion he had come so close to dying. Ollie felt that he had already wasted so much time being sick that he was just going to live life to the fullest.

Ollie had sex, he enjoyed it and he wanted to have as much of it as he could, regardless of what anyone thought. He was young, he was alive and healthy and he wanted to experience physical pleasure. It was something that he had always wanted. Lying in the hospital bed, watching his health deteriorate and his body waste away, he had imagined himself doing the things that other kids his age did.

It was that thought that had kept him sane during the long, painful years of treatment. But lately he was beginning to realize that what was really important in life was having someone to care about, rather than having a series of meaningless random encounters. Recently, Ollie had discovered that it was love - not sex - that was worth living for.

But he had made the discovery too late. He was in love with Brick, but Brick had nothing but contempt for him. Although he never admitted it, deep down Ollie felt that Brick was too good for him. Brick was an honest, good-looking, hardworking person with strong values. Next to him, Ollie just seemed like a flighty, fickle person incapable of commitment.

In Ollie’s mind, Brick was a quiet, gentle giant. He had turned out surprisingly well considering all the years he had been in the system, in foster care. And it was all thanks to the Fords. He ran his own construction company, and although it was very successful, he still enjoyed working with his hands and the physical labor kept his body in amazing condition.

In some ways, Brick reminded Ollie of Matt, so it was no wonder that he was attracted to him. The only difference was that Ollie regarded Matt like his brother, whereas his feelings towards Brick were anything but brotherly.

Ollie knew that it was silly, but his way of covering his insecurities after being turned down by Brick was being overly flirtatious, which only reinforced Brick’s opinion of him as being easy. Ollie always reverted back to flirting when he was uncomfortable. By making everything overtly sexual, he never had to deal with anything seriously.

Brick’s obvious dislike hurt him, but he always tried to play it off as light. Ollie always hated it when he had to see Brick. At the same time he also loved it because the occasions were so rare. Brick did his best to make sure their paths hardly crossed.

Maybe that was also why Ollie did the flirting thing. To prove that even though Brick might not find him attractive, plenty of others did. And even though Brick might not appreciate his attention, plenty of others were happy to get it.

Ollie’s personality always became muted in the other man’s company. He became so self-conscious that he couldn’t be himself and he reverted back to flirting as a second nature. He thought Brick was a judgmental, pompous ass who felt himself in some way morally superior to him. This irritated Ollie to no end, and that was why he tried to avoid the man as much as possible.

But, tonight he was here for Matt, because Matt had asked him, and he wouldn’t let the big jerk get in the way of their friendship. In his eagerness to prove a point, he had unwittingly committed himself to being with Brick for an entire weekend. He felt butterflies in his stomach at the thought.

"So when do we leave next weekend? I have to know so I can plan ahead," Ollie said.

Beside him, Brick stiffened even more. His profile made his gorgeous face look like it was carved out of granite. Everyone assumed it was because he didn’t like Ollie and he didn’t want him to come to the wedding.

Brick decided to let everyone think that. He didn’t want everyone to know the real reason behind his frown, but the look Adam was giving him suggested that he might have an inkling. As much as Brick disapproved of Ollie’s lifestyle, he was still attracted to him. In fact, sitting next to him at the table, smelling his clean and invigorating scent, made Brick want to get closer.

Brick wanted to be civil towards Ollie, but the strain of keeping his rioting libido in check always made his words seem harsher than he intended. That’s when he started keeping quiet altogether which made it seem like he had stopped talking to Ollie completely and that wasn’t his intention.

It was then that their server arrived. He was cute. He had blonde hair, blue eyes and a quick smile. Brick watched as he flashed that smile at Ollie and Ollie responded with smile of his own.

Brick took an instant dislike to him.

"Hello, my name is John and I’ll be your server tonight." As the young blonde spoke, he stared at Ollie.

"Are you ready to place your order?" he continued.

"Yes, I will have the frieze salad with toasted sesame seeds and the fresh steamed Shetland mussels with black bean sauce," Adam answered.

"Excellent choice," the server said.

"Oh, that sounds good," Matt chimed in, "I’ll have the same."

"And you, sir?" John asked Brick.

"I’ll have the sirloin beef with steamed rice," Brick said.

John wrote down the order on his note pad and then turned to Ollie. Flashing him another smile he asked, "And for you, sir?"

"I don’t know," Ollie replied, briefly glancing at his menu, "what would you recommend?"

"Well that depends on what you like," the waiter said slowly. "Would you like something hot or spicy?"

It wasn’t so much what he said, but the way he said the words that had Brick gritting his teeth.

"I like hot and spicy," Ollie replied.

"Ahh," John said. "Do you like meat?"

"I love meat," Ollie said.

Brick wasn’t sure they were still talking about food. Their body language obviously suggested a subtext to the conversation and for reasons he couldn’t explain, that infuriated him. Their little exchange pretty much set the tone for the rest of the evening.

Every time the waiter came by their table, he would smile or wink at Ollie, further inciting Brick’s anger. By the time they reached dessert, Brick had reached the limits of his tolerance. After a toast was made to Magda’s upcoming wedding, Adam asked Matt to dance, leaving Ollie and Brick at the table by themselves.

The moment they were alone, Brick muttered, "can’t you control yourself for one night?"

His voice came out gruff because he was so angry from watching their server hit on Ollie all night. He had remained silent throughout the entire exchange and now he couldn’t make up his mind if he wanted to kiss Ollie or shake him.

Brick had spoken so low that Ollie hadn’t been sure if he had heard him right. But one look at Brick’s face had confirmed that he was annoyed about something and he was getting ready to take it out on Ollie.

Ollie was a little shocked at the fury he heard in Brick’s voice. Brick was always so collected; his rich baritone voice hardly ever rose above a whisper. Ollie admitted to himself that he had intentionally encouraged John’s attention in an effort to annoy Brick, but now that Brick was actually annoyed, Ollie didn’t feel the sense of satisfaction he had expected to feel.

"I wish you wouldn’t snap at me," Ollie said.

"And I wish you wouldn’t throw yourself at every guy that crossed your path," Brick retorted.

"Since when did you care?" Ollie asked.

"I don’t," Brick replied.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. The air around the table was thick with unvoiced thoughts.

"What is your problem?" Ollie finally asked.

"My problem?? I’m not the one who constantly feels the need to flaunt himself," Brick retorted.

Another pause. More silence.

"You’re just jealous," Ollie said through gritted teeth.

"What could I possibly be jealous of?" Brick asked coldly. "You don’t have anything of value that I would want."

His words fell like a stone in water. Brick seriously wished he had kept his mouth shut. That hadn’t been what he had been planning to say, and he had no idea why he had said something so mean. It was out of character for him.

The look on Ollie face was one of pure devastation for a split second before everything shut down. He didn’t say anything more; he just sat back in his seat in silence. Brick had been itching for a fight, that’s why he had said what he did. He had been hard since the moment Ollie had shown up and it had irritated him to watch Ollie flirt and smile at their waiter.

That was why he had taken out his frustration on Ollie. The minute the words came out, Brick had wanted to apologize. He knew that Ollie didn’t deserve his insult and he felt guilty for having spoken so thoughtlessly.

"Look, I’m sorry," Brick said slowly, "that was uncalled for."

Ollie remained silent and refused to look at Brick. He wasn’t going to accept the other man’s half-assed apology. Ollie had always known what Brick thought of him, but hearing Brick basically say that he was a worthless piece of ass to his face was more than Ollie could bear.

Around them, the music faded as the song ended and then another one began. Adam and Matt emerged from the dance floor hand-in-hand and returned the table. As they approached, Matt immediately picked up on the changed mood of the table.

Ollie looked like he wanted to leave, badly, and Brick looked like he wanted to say something. Matt was slightly dismayed. He had been hoping that if he and Adam left and gave the guys a chance to speak alone, then they would be less hostile when he and Adam returned. It looked as though his plan had backfired.

The moment they sat down, Ollie said, "listen, I totally forgot that I had this thing to do tonight. I’m sorry you guys, but I have to go."

Everyone at the table could tell that he was lying, but he was already standing up and putting on his coat.

"Are you sure you can’t stay for a little coffee?" Matt asked.

"No, thank you. I think it’s best that I just leave," Ollie replied.

Matt frantically looked back and forth between Ollie’s averted face and Brick’s stony expression before saying, "Okay. Umm, I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Ollie responded before quickly giving both Adam and Matt a hug - pointedly ignoring Brick - and then heading out of the restaurant.

******

All in all, Matt was conflicted about the way the evening had turned out. He had initially been pleased with the way he successfully managed to get Ollie to agree to go to the wedding, but later on he had become a little worried that Ollie would cancel because of the hurried way he had left. The night had not ended well.

After Ollie’s departure, the rest of the dinner party had sat together in uncomfortable silence. The atmosphere had been rife with unasked questions. Matt couldn’t stop wondering what could have happened between Ollie and Brick in the five minutes that he and Adam had been gone to make Ollie leave like that.

Shortly after Ollie’s departure, Brick had made his own stilted excuses and left, leaving Adam and Matt to speculate on what had happened between the other pair while they had been dancing. Matt was worried that something awful had happened.

Matt sighed. There was nothing he could do about it tonight. His only viable option would be to wait until morning and then call Ollie and find out if everything was okay. He really hoped that the damage hadn’t been enough to make Ollie decide not to go to the wedding after all.

Adam was nervous. Now that dinner was over, it was time for him to put his own plan into action. He did his best to focus on the road while driving to help him take his mind off his plans and soothe his nerves. Unfortunately, the drive home was a short one and soon they were back at the apartment.

Once they got inside, Matt headed for the shower. He was a bit of a clean freak, and even though he had showered before they left for dinner, that had been several hours ago and in his mind that warranted another shower.

He went into the bathroom, leaving Adam to get ready for bed in the bedroom. It took Matt only fifteen minutes until he felt totally clean. He got out of the shower and toweled off quickly before rubbing on some lotion. He stepped out of the bathroom in pajama bottoms, pulling on a t-shirt.

"It’s warm," Adam said, "why don’t you try sleeping naked tonight?"

Matt paused in the process of pulling on his shirt and gave Adam a look so full of surprise that Adam almost laughed. Matt still had no idea how gorgeous he was. Adam had noticed that Matt was hardly ever undressed in front of him - probably because he was still insecure about his body - but he was hoping to change that by the time the night was over.

Adam got out of bed and started making his way over to where Matt stood. Matt shot him a wary glance. When Adam reached his side, he took Matt’s hand and led him back to the bed. Adam pushed Matt down onto the bed and followed. Matt’s body was a little stiff and Adam brought his hand up and laid it on Matt’s stomach.

He felt Matt’s belly rise when he inhaled. Adam leaned over and began kissing Matt’s neck. Matt didn’t move, and Adam took his time kissing along his neck. Matt felt some of the tension ease out of his body. After a few moments, he turned his head, seeking Adam’s lips with his own.

Adam slid his hand underneath Matt’s t-shirt and ran it up until he reached Matt’s nipple. He used his fingertip to brush back and forth over tiny pebble until Matt let out a whimper. The sound released something inside of Adam and he moved on top of Matt. He lips became more demanding, and his tongue pushed into Matt’s mouth.

Matt brought his hands up and they curled into Adam’s shoulders. Adam shifted, parting Matt’s legs until he was cradled between Matt’s thighs, their groins pressed together. Adam lifted his head, breathing hard.

"Let me take off your shirt," Adam said.

Matt swallowed and let Adam lift up his t-shirt and pull it over his head. Adam stared at Matt’s nipples.

"I love your nipples," Adam whispered, letting his fingers brush over the tiny jutting buds. Matt shivered at the touch.

"I always want to taste them," Adam said rubbing the back of his knuckles over the hard points.

Matt whimpered again as he watched Adam lower his head towards his nipples. Adam stuck out his tongue and slowly licked one of Matt’s straining nubs. After running his tongue over one nipple, Adam moved to the other. He fastened his mouth over it and began sucking strongly.

The air rushed out of Matt’s lungs and he arched his back, inadvertently forcing more of his nipple past Adam’s lips. Matt felt confused at the incredible sensations being produced by Adam’s insistent suction.

Suddenly, Adam got up, pulling Matt to his feet.

"What’s wrong?" Matt asked.

Adam smiled and said, "Nothing."

He pulled Matt up close and began kissing him again.

Adam’s fingers slipped into Matt’s pajamas, his hands molding the curve of Matt’s buttocks. Two of his fingers pressed into the crease between Matt’s cheeks, separating them and brushing lightly against his tight opening. Matt gasped before pushing back and rocking into Adam’s palms. Adam’s fingers wedged deeper, sliding back and forth over Matt’s hole

Matt was startled by the contact. The only other time someone had touched him there it had resulted in unimaginable pain.

"What are you doing?" Matt asked in a frightened voice.

"Shhhh," was Adam’s only reply.

Adam’s index finger centered on Matt’s butt hole and with steady pushes he wedged the tip into the small opening, making it wider. Then he started pushing. Matt didn’t know whether to grind down on the digit or pull away. His butt ached and clasped around Adam’s finger.

Without lubrication it hurt, but not enough to overcome the pleasure. Matt pushed back, straining for more. Adam paused for a minute and then thrust strongly. Matt pulled his mouth away and hissed at the penetration, clenching hard.

"Adam, please," he whispered, wincing a little at the rawness in his ass.

Adam forced himself to stop, his finger buried in Matt’s hot little ass. Adam kissed along Matt’s neck trying to soothe him. He kept making small strokes in Matt’s pinched hole until Matt arched his back and grunted. Adam knew that Matt was starting to like it. Adam was already rock hard and throbbing.

"Relax, baby," Adam instructed while adding more pressure to his strokes.

Matt couldn’t help himself and he let out a whimper. He was trying to relax, he really was, but he couldn’t relax himself down there when Adam was trying to shove one of his large fingers up his butt.

Matt took in a deep breath and willed all of his muscles to relax.

"Very, very good," Adam said with approval, just before he slid in his finger the rest of the way and curled it slightly to hit that super sensitive spot inside of Matt.

Matt jerked in reaction and his gaze flew to Adam’s. Adam just gave him one of those incredibly arrogant smiles that said he knew just how good he was making Matt feel at that moment. Then he kissed him again.

Adam built up the rhythm of his finger slowly, in time with the thrusts of his tongue. After a time of this, he added another finger to the one stuffed in Matt’s ass, stretching his hole. He gave Matt a moment to adjust before he pulling back and plunging forward again. Matt whimpered, but didn’t flinch again.

"Don’t move," Adam commanded.

He held his finger still and could see how badly Matt wanted him to rub that special spot again. Adam could see how much Matt wanted to move, to shift and force Adam’s hand to give him the sensations. Matt’s body shuddered with the effort it took to remain unmoving.

Adam slowly lowered himself to his knees in front of Matt, with his finger still embedded in Matt’s ass. He used one hand to lower the front of Matt’s sweatpants, allowing them to drop at his feet. Matt’s cock stood up right in front of his line of vision. He leaned forward, pressing his nose into the soft curls around Matt’s penis, inhaling the clean scent of soap that clung to the neatly trimmed hair.

Matt had a beautiful cock. It pulsed out a drop of pre-come that dripped over the top.

Adam wanted to suck it so badly his mouth watered. He had to bite his lip to stop himself from doing it. There would be time for that later. Right now, there was something else he had to do first. He slowly worked his fingers out of Matt’s hole. Matt let out a sound of frustration as Adam withdrew his hand.

Adam grasped onto Matt’s hips and swiveled him around until he was presented with Matt’s ass. Matt had an incredible ass. Adam leaned forward and pressed a wet kiss to Matt’s right cheek. Matt jumped a little at the contact, causing Adam to smile.

Adam moved over to the left and pressed a kiss on Matt’s left cheek, eliciting the same response. Next, he leaned in a pressed a kiss right along Matt’s crack, his tongue sneaking out to push between the two globes. Matt’s knees buckled. He had been totally surprised by that, but even if he had known, nothing could have prepared him for the unexpected feel of Adam’s tongue.

Adam placed his palms squarely on Matt’s butt, his rough hands parted the cheeks, exposing Matt’s hole. The next thing Matt felt were Adam’s lips planted over his tiny opening. Adam kissed him there, slowly. His lips covered the rim while his tongue swirled in and out, caressing Matt’s most secret cavity.

He pushed in past the restriction, teasing the hole. Matt squirmed, but Adam held onto him. Matt was beginning to lose himself in the exquisite pleasure of Adam’s mouth until he remembered that his back was totally exposed.

He twisted his torso around, trying to see what Adam was doing crouched behind him. He felt panic at how close Adam was to his scars, how clearly he could see the deep grooves in his skin caused by his stepfather’s belt. He wished the lights were off, or that he had kept his shirt on.

"Wait," Matt said.

Adam paused his licking at the desperation he heard in Matt’s voice.