Warmth. And a soft pillow. White sheets. Bright sunlight.
Liam took a sleepy inventory as he lay in the bed, barely letting the light filter through his lashes, not really wanting to be awake yet. Fuzzy happy thoughts were hovering at the edges of his brain, probably remnants of some wonderful dream.
He turned his face into the pillow and stifled a yawn. The scent of cucumber melon shampoo filled his nose. Shannon's bed then, definitely not his own. He opened his eyes again a fraction. That tanned leg was certainly not hers, judging by the sprinkling of light hair on the calves.
Memories of last night began to surface as his eyes slowly moved up the limbs arranged on the bed beside him.
"She had to run in to work for a few hours. I didn't know how you took your coffee - or if you even drink coffee - but she left a fresh pot for us." Something about the soft deep voice made Liam's skin tingle.
"I'll get some for myself in a little bit, thanks," Liam mumbled trying to sound sleepier than he was. He wanted to buy himself a little time for thought before he faced Adam in daylight. He was keenly aware of his nakedness beneath the sheets as he pulled them higher and turned away from the other man, pretending to doze.
"Suit yourself!" Liam felt the bed shift, and listened to Adam moving around the room. Adam obviously shared Shannon's annoying love of mornings Liam thought to himself.
Shannon had been Liam's best friend since the day he moved to this town seven years ago. She'd grown up here, and was one of the most honest, face-value sort of people he'd ever met. They were soul mates after a fashion, nearly inseparable, but had never gotten romantic. Physical yes, but not romantic. It was pretty much the perfect sort of friendship.
She knew things about Liam he'd never dared tell anyone else. Honestly there were things he'd never even told his fiance before she'd left. Funny how well Shannon put everyone at ease and she never even knew it. If it weren't for her last night would never happened.
...oh yeah, last night.
Liam blushed and pulled the sheets tighter. It was hard to know where to even begin processing the events of the night before. What had started off as a low-key celebration of Liam's script being picked up by a Hollywood studio had turned into something a lot less low-key, beginning with the unexpected arrival of Adam.
Adam, despite his decidedly Californian exterior, had grown up here as well. He'd actually been Shannon's first boyfriend before he moved west to try his own hand in the movie business. She thought it was funny the way the busybodies in town still talked about Adam. They spoke as if Hollywood had stolen him from her, perverted him, turned him gay, and whispered about how sad all of that was. He was such a handsome boy, they said, and the two of them had made such a cute couple.
He was certainly handsome, Liam admitted. He had tan skin, a muscular body, and blonde hair that always looked like he'd just rolled out of bed, but in that sort of perfectly mussed up way. But it was the startlingly brown eyes that stuck out to Liam, the brown eyes and the easy smile.
If Liam hadn't known better, he'd have thought his friend planned out last night ahead of time. Ever since the night he'd confided in her that he might be a little bi-curious she'd been fascinated by the idea of setting him up with a guy, even though Liam insisted that it was probably one of those fantasies best left untested. After all, Liam had told her, really what he wanted was a cock, not a man.
But when Adam showed up, that changed. And now there was digital video footage on Adam's computer to prove it, Liam remembered. Replaying details in his head made him a little flustered, but as his body reacted to the images playing through his mind, he couldn't help curling his fingers around his shaft just for a moment.
He heard quiet footsteps and froze, his heart pounding. He waited for any sort of indication that Adam might have seen him, but Adam continued without stopping into the bathroom. Liam listened and heard the zipper of a duffle bag, and the squeak of the shower faucet before the rush of water.
It was the opportunity Liam needed to modestly slide out of bed. He crept to the dresser where Shannon had set aside some space for a change of clothes and a few other things for him. A sound from the master bath drew his attention before he could begin getting dressed and he noticed that Adam hadn't closed the door.
From where Liam stood he could see Adam standing beneath the streaming water. His head was down, and his hair, darkened by the cascading shower, was hanging over his chiseled features. One of his hands was braced on the wall in front of him, and the other...
Liam was shocked to realize that he had moved to the doorway of the bathroom without even thinking about it. His hand mimicked Adam's, and his cock was already hard in his grasp.
"In or out."
Liam jumped, startled and a little horrified. He'd never seen Adam's eyes open and had no idea how the other man knew he was there. Adam stood motionless except for his large hand still sliding over his member, drops of water slipping down his fingers over each vein. His voice echoed again just above the noise of the shower.
"In. Or. Out."
This time Adam raised his head and those hypnotic brown eyes locked on Liam's. Several seconds passed, Liam's mouth worked soundlessly, unable even to stammer an excuse, his legs leaden and unwilling to retreat. He jumped yet again as a different sound rang out through the room. Adam's head fell back and he laughed.
"Christ, man. Still shy after..." Adam shook his head. "Alright then, I'm taking the choice away. Come here."
A multitude of thoughts and emotions tumbled through Liam's brain at that moment, sheepishness, embarrassment, confusion - but as those eyes watched him (damn those eyes) curiosity, excitement and lust won out. Besides, Adam's tone, though not unkind, brooked no argument. Liam moved slowly across the the space between them, every nerve suddenly alive. The moist heat of the steam from the shower, the cool floor beneath his feet, even the grouted lines between the tiles, every sensation was vivid and almost blindingly bright.
Adam reached out and grabbed Liam by the wrist, pulling him into the shower in front of him, facing the spray. Liam was more than a little uncomfortable at facing away from Adam, but was spared any further pause when a smooth plastic bottle was pressed into his hand. Adam's amused voice in his ear quipped, "Unless you'd prefer to smell like cucumber melon."
Liam opened Adam's shampoo bottle and poured it into his hand, automatically beginning to rub it into his wet hair, pushing the long strands out of his eyes and lathering up. He struggled to control his breathing when he felt strong slick hands begin to smooth soapy lather over his back and shoulders. Silently he tipped his head back and let the jet of water rinse the suds from his hair.
Adam took the opportunity to close the gap between them, pressing himself to Liam's back. He rested his temple against the dark wet curls of the man in front of him and slid his hands around to Liam's chest in the pretense of washing this new territory. Liam was certain that his heartbeat was loud enough to echo off of the tiles. He felt the long fingers begin to move down his body and closed his own hands around them, holding them still for a moment, preventing them from drifting any further down.
Adam's next movements were sharp and startling. He pulled a hand free and swung the knob on the shower, ending the steady stream of water and the cocooning white-noise of the spray. "I'm not in the business of converting straight guys, Liam," came a soft but stern murmur, "but, given the way you were watching me, and how hard your cock is right now, I don't think I have anything to worry about, do I?"
Liam swallowed hard. Adam's breath against his ear was making his head swim.
"You have about two seconds to tell me you don't want this or else you just need to accept it and stop being so goddamn coy, yes?"
It was the ultimatum that Liam needed. "I want you..." A strained groan spilled from his lips at the admission, but somehow he felt lighter having let the words free.
Adam's mouth traced the curve of his neck before making a trail down his back, licking the warm droplets of water from his skin like a man dying of thirst. In the time that it took for Adam to come to rest on his knees on the floor of the shower Liam finally let the fear he'd been wrestling with since the night before slip away. He turned around and looked down at the handsome man kneeling in front of him. He watched, entranced, while those tan hands slid up his legs, pausing on either side of Liam's nearly painful erection.
"For fuck's sake, Adam, I'm dying, please!"
Adam smiled up knowingly and finally wrapped his strong fingers around the base of Liam's cock. Liam thought his legs would give way in that first moment, but he leaned back against the cool ceramic tile and concentrated on taking deep breaths, concentrated on those huge doe-eyes that never broke his gaze even when he slipped the tip of Liam's cock between his lips. Liam flexed his fingers helplessly at his sides and his hips began to rock gently matching the pace of Adam's sucking and teasing.
