Chapter Fifteen -- All the Signs
It was so light, that touch, barely a skimming of fingers over his heated skin. Otis wished he had all the words in the dictionary to express what he was feeling, but, at the same time he had a hunch that it wouldn't be possible, not even with all of the knowledge from all of the books he could ever get. This was real life, and his grandma had so often insisted that he should learn by experience and by experience alone.
And real life was beautiful now, so exciting and making his skin prickle in the most pleasant way possible, as Hudson's hand moved slowly, as if they were both caught in a trance from which they didn't want to wake up.
"Don't hold your breath," Hudson whispered, and his low, husky voice filled the room.
Otis exhaled. He hadn't realized that was what he had been doing for the last minute or so, and the intake of air he took was sweet and brought with it relief.
"Now, I'm going to do things to you, beautiful, and know, all the time, that you can tell me to stop."
Otis nodded and then remembered that Hudson couldn't see him in the dark. "Yes, please, do so."
The chuckle that followed tickled him, or was it just the way Hudson blew hot air over the side of his face? He couldn't tell for sure. A rough hand cupped his cheek, his sexy underwear abandoned for a moment. Otis opened his mouth before being told to. At this point, he was knowledgeable enough to realize when he was about to be kissed.
A lot of things were happening all at once. Hudson caressed the inside of his mouth with his tongue, making him feel hotness spread from there through his entire body. Then, his underwear got pushed away, and there were fingers caressing his cock, maddeningly slow. According to all the information he had read so far, men could easily make fools of themselves by reaching their sexual release too fast, and that meant that he needed to resist that sensual assault. He clenched his fists by his sides and curled his toes in an effort to prevent such a shameful episode from happening to him.
Hudson wasn't making his job any easier. While he was gentle in his prodding and probing, it appeared that his fingers were bent on making Otis come undone. They snuck slowly past his balls and lower, insisting until Otis understood that he would have to spread his legs to allow them to do what they wanted.
He squirmed and gasped into the kiss as the fingers pushed against his asshole. This was the butt stuff! Or something very close to it, and Otis felt his cheeks burning as he understood what was going to happen. Although his tolerance to watching adult-oriented videos was very low, he had a good idea of what followed. Just to make sure, he pushed Hudson slightly away, although he didn't want to interrupt their kiss. "Are you going to finger me?" he asked, unsure of whether it was done to ask such things beforehand.
Hudson laughed and rubbed his nose against his. "You need a bit of easing into things. Or do you have a different opinion?"
With a courage he didn't recall possessing, Otis let his right hand wander over Hudson's body until he reached the bulge hiding beneath his jeans. He cupped it and fondled it. "Will you put this in me?"
"Ah, damn, you're tempting me so much," Hudson growled. "I'm the good guy here. I really am. Just don't make it so hard for me, Otis."
"I think it's already hard," Otis said as his fingers squeezed the stiffness between them with every intention of feeling it grow even stiffer.
"Okay. We'll fool around, but I'm not going to put it in just yet," Hudson warned him. "Things like this, with guys like you, they take time."
Guys like him. Inexperienced. Awkward in bed. Who knew what else his neighbor thought of him. "Why?"
"Because it hurts at first. And I'll be damned if I'm the guy who's going to hurt you, beautiful."
Otis wanted to laugh, more like squeal in pleasure, because Hudson called him that. And he seemed to be doing it off the cuff, like he didn't even have to think to establish whether the person he was talking to was, indeed, beautiful, or he just wanted to make the other believe that. It was a sign of honesty, and Otis took it and put it into a little mental drawer to examine later.
"You're silent. If you are reconsidering what we're about to do right now, just say it."
"No, I was just... thinking. I do that all of the time."
"Yes, I recall very well how you told me you are a thinking person. What were you thinking about?"
Maybe he was about to ruin it by saying things that were too true. "No one has ever called me beautiful the way you do. It's like... you really mean it."
"Ah, damn. It means that I'm not doing it enough or the right way."
There seemed to be real regret in Hudson's voice, so Otis hurried to reply, "That's not true. You're doing it very well."
"Nah, it looks like I have to do a better job." Hudson leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Beautiful." He moved his lips and placed them on Otis's ear next. "Beautiful." The side of his neck followed. "Beautiful."
"Stop," Otis begged. His skin was all goose bumps. He was trembling and his heart was so full that he didn't know what to do about it.
"Okay," Hudson breathed out the word against his skin. "You're lucky I promised I would stop the moment you said it."
"Or else?" He was brave tonight, so brave that he couldn't even recognize himself in that sort of behavior.
"Or else I'd say it to you until tomorrow. I'd only stop so that I could catch some sleep."
Otis laughed and caught Hudson's face between his palms. "You're weird," he said and tipped his head back, prey to new fits of giggles.
"Oh, really? As if I'm the guy roaming the hallways at night, shaking my bare ass, and tempting men to take me."
That was a jab at him, and Otis felt proud for understanding it for what it was. If Hudson allowed it, he would use him to understand all that he needed to learn about human interaction, all that he didn't know and was desperate to discover. "I barely took a few steps out of my apartment. My ass wasn't bare. And I wasn't tempting men."
"Okay, not men, but me. Fair enough? Don't tell me you had absolutely no idea what seeing you like this would do to me."
"I didn't. It was a test. And, at first, I thought I failed it."
"You didn't fail a thing. Will you let me play with your lovely ass?"
Otis took one deep breath. Talking for a bit had made the sensations he had been experiencing earlier a bit more manageable, and he had Hudson to thank for it. "Thank you. And yes."
"Always so polite," Hudson said and moved his lips slowly along Otis's jawline. "Then how about I teach you a new trick?"
"Yes, please, teach me."
"On all fours, butt to me. And I'm going to turn on the light if you don't mind."
He minded a little. Being naked with Hudson like that felt a bit better in the dark, something he hadn't expected. But, because Hudson was his teacher, and he needed to show his willingness to learn, he would obey every word. He reached for the bedside light, but Hudson stopped him.