“Always. But you can ignore…that.”
“This?” Ilya asked, and dropped a hand to squeeze Shane’s dick through his jeans.
Shane closed his eyes and grunted softly. “Yeah. You need sleep. We both do.”
“Sex helps me sleep,” Ilya argued.
Shane laughed and batted his hand away, then resumed unbuttoning Ilya’s shirt. He continued removing clothing until Ilya was down to his boxer briefs and socks.
“I’ll let you take the socks off,” Shane said.
“And you will help with the underwear?” Ilya asked with a crooked, sexy smile.
“Maybe.”
Shane got himself undressed, and Ilya crawled into bed. Shane went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, and when he came back, Ilya was already asleep.
Shane smiled and got into bed beside him, stretching an arm across Ilya’s chest and snuggling close. “Good night, sex machine,” Shane said quietly.
Ilya didn’t reply. He just turned his head so his nose was buried in Shane’s hair, and breathed.
Chapter Twenty
“Found you.”
Shane nearly toppled off the stability ball he was balancing on at the sound of Ilya’s voice. “Jesus.”
He steadied himself and managed to hold his position, standing with his knees slightly bent on top of the large blue ball. It would have been easier—and would have made more sense—to simply hop off the ball, but he felt like showing off a bit.
“Impressive,” Ilya drawled. In the mirrors that lined one wall, Shane watched him saunter across the floor of the spacious home gym that took up most of Ilya’s basement. “How long have you been on there? Two hours?”
He leaned against the weight rack next to Shane, and their eyes met in the mirror. Like Shane, Ilya was wearing only workout shorts, his feet bare.
“I don’t know,” Shane said tersely. “You made me lose count.”
“Aw.”
“Good morning, by the way.”
“Yes.”
“Seems like you slept well.” Shane had been awake for over an hour, but had left Ilya to sleep.
“Very well. Full of energy now.” Ilya’s gaze raked over Shane as he said it, and Shane wobbled on the ball.
“Are you hungry?” Shane asked.
“Always.” Ilya pushed off the weight rack and parked himself in front of Shane. His lips were twisted into that damn half smile that always meant trouble.
“Go away.”
“You are the perfect height for kissing now. Taller than me, even.”
“Don’t.”
Ilya leaned in. “Can you do it? Kiss me without falling?”
Probably not, but that didn’t mean Shane wouldn’t try. “Bring it.”
Ilya tilted his head and brought his lips close. When it became apparent that he was going to make Shane come to him, Shane huffed and closed the distance. For one magical second, they were kissing. Then Shane fell forward, and Ilya, the asshole, stepped backward.
“Thanks, shithead,” Shane grumbled as he pulled himself off the floor.
Ilya was laughing, one hand planted on the mirror.
“That’s going to leave a handprint,” Shane said, which, yes. Even he could hear how insufferable he sounded.
“Oh no,” Ilya teased, but he removed his hand.
“Did you come down here to work out?”
Ilya walked over to the weight rack and sat on the bench tucked inside. He spread his legs wide, showing off his muscular thighs and the bulge that pressed against the front of his shorts. He stretched his arms over his head, grinning lazily at Shane. “No.”
Shane’s gaze embarked on a journey, starting with the long fingers brushing the barbell that rested near the top of the rack, then down Ilya’s sculpted biceps and forearms. Then it traveled to his broad, lightly furred chest and the chain that glinted next to his bear tattoo, and finally down to his impressive abs and the trail of hair that disappeared into the waistband of his shorts.
Jesus. His boyfriend was fucking stunning.
Shane stepped into the wide V of Ilya’s legs. Their thighs brushed together, and Ilya placed firm hands on Shane’s waist, guiding him closer.
“I don’t understand your fitness regimen,” Shane said as he combed his fingers through Ilya’s rumpled curls.
“Why?” Ilya leaned forward and kissed Shane’s stomach. Then did it again, and again. Gentle caresses of his lips against Shane’s bare skin that sent sparks shooting down to Shane’s toes.
“Because you don’t have one,” Shane said, though his voice sounded less admonishing than he wanted and a whole lot more trembly.
“I have one. Is just normal, not like yours.” He kissed the jut of Shane’s pelvic bone, where it stuck out above his shorts. “More running and weights. Not…” He waved a hand in the direction the ball had rolled off to. “Standing on balls.”
“Stability and balance,” Shane argued through quickening breaths, “are just as important as mass and endurance.”
“Mm.” Ilya slid his hands around to Shane’s inner thighs, then pushed up under his shorts. His thumbs glided over the length of Shane’s new and unsurprising erection, and Shane let out an equally unsurprising gasp.
“I like mass,” Ilya purred. “And endurance.”
“Ugh,” Shane said, but it was followed by a sharp inhale when Ilya curled his fingers to cup Shane’s balls.
“Maybe I should have more balls in my workout,” Ilya mused.
“You are the absolute worst.”
Ilya only replied with a wicked grin, then he tugged Shane’s shorts and underwear down until they pooled around his ankles.
“Fuck,” Shane said.
“Yes.” He took Shane’s cock in his hand and stroked him with loose, gentle fingers. It made Shane feel like his bones were melting.
Ilya kept his gaze turned up, locked on Shane’s. His eyes were dancing with amusement and possibly simple, unchecked joy, which made Shane realize it had been a long time since he’d seen Ilya looking so happy. Shane smiled back at him, heart fluttering, as he allowed himself to let go of everything that wasn’t this. Wasn’t him.
“I love you so fucking much,” Shane said. He smoothed a thumb over one of Ilya’s thick eyebrows. “I was counting the minutes all week. Couldn’t wait to see you again.”
“I could tell. By how you drove here in the middle of the night.”
“Don’t try to make me feel weird about that. You love it when I’m eager.”
Ilya rubbed his thumb lightly over the head of Shane’s cock. “I sleep better with you,” he admitted.
Shane was struggling to focus on the conversation, but he forced himself to. It was important. “I wish we could sleep together every night.”
“I know. Now turn around.”
“Turn around? Why?”
Ilya grinned and rotated one finger in the air. Shane still didn’t understand, but he turned his back to Ilya as instructed and…then he understood.
“Oh god,” he whispered, staring at himself in the wall of mirrors, naked except for the shorts pooled at his feet. His rock-hard cock was pointing directly at its own reflection.