Wanting a College Boy

Colin took another healthy swallow of his drink, not because he was thirsty or needed the rush of alcohol, but because he hoped the concoction could somehow blunt the bone-rattling beat of the club's sound system. He felt the heavy bass vibrating through to his very bones. He thought, perhaps, he was going deaf. How did anyone manage to hold a conversation in here, anyhow? As if to illustrate the point, Danny tugged on his sleeve and yelled something at him.

"What did you say?" Colin shouted back, holding a cupped hand to his ear.

Danny smiled and leaned forward. Though he shouted mere inches from Colin's ear, Colin barely heard him. "I said, isn't this great?"

Colin just nodded and smiled. He hated to think maybe he was getting too old for this scene, but maybe he was. He was thirty-four, after all. While he'd experienced his share of clubbing, he was no longer like his friends, all of whom were still in college and eager to tear up dance floors while simultaneously drinking themselves into nasty hangovers. Mike and Billy were sitting on the other side of Danny in the booth they all shared and both men seemed to be having a good time. Danny was flush with alcohol, so of course he was having fun. And as for Ashley --

Colin tried to identify his friend amidst the dozens of bodies gyrating in the darkness periodically pierced by blue lasers. Ash was somewhere on the dance floor, no doubt having the time of his life. Colin had never met anyone who could so consistently find a way to enjoy himself no matter where he was. Ash did whatever he wanted and didn't give a shit what others thought of him. Colin wondered what that was like.

He'd met Ash at the car wash. Colin remembered the moment very clearly: a young man with the kind of brown curls you only ever saw in Raphaelite paintings was pressed up against the glass that allowed you to watch the cars going through the soapy gauntlet of spinners and brushes. Colin had noticed the young man's hair first, his tight butt next, and then the reflection of Ashley's eyes in the window. They were wide and brown and so fascinated with what was happening to his car that Colin had been able to overcome his reticence in picking up strangers by quipping, "Makes you wish you could run through there, too, doesn't it?"

It had been a lame comment, but Ash had turned around and grinned at him. Colin had been hooked. Ashley later introduced Colin to his roommates Mike and Billy -- equally handsome studs -- but it had always been Ash who'd held his interest. Ashley, who had no idea Colin was interested in him.

Colin dumped what was left of his drink down his throat and tugged at the collar that was beginning to feel a bit restraining. He should have relented and worn the silk shirt Ash had tried to press on him earlier. But black silk was more Ashley's style, not his. Ash was the bold, wild one. Let Ashley call him an old man all he wanted. Colin had limits.

The wall of dancers parted and Ashley burst through, his white shirt glowing fluorescent under the black lighting. He fell upon the edge of their table, laughing breathlessly. Colin picked up his glass, though it now held only ice, and looked over its rim as he studied his friend. Ash's dark hair, somehow always a tousled mess, clung to his forehead and the sides of his cheeks in wet curls. The young man's wide brown eyes were crinkled with laughter as he impatiently shoved his sleeves up his forearms and fished in his front shirt pocket for a pack of cigarettes.

"This is fucking great, yeah?" Ashley shouted, managing to insert a cigarette in his mouth at the same time. Colin knew he was staring as the younger man flicked his lighter, golden light dramatically highlighting the angled cheekbones. A second before the flame went out, Ash glanced at him, catching the perusal. The corner of his mouth twitched. Colin looked away, pushing his glass across the table.

"Having a good time, old man?" Ash yelled at him. He took a deep drag and blew the smoke straight up. "You look about as excited as Billy when it's his turn to clean the bathroom!"

"I think I've permanently lost my hearing," Colin shouted back, feeling his vocal chords strain with the effort to be heard.

"What'd you say?"

Ash laughed at the other man's scowl. "Well it's no wonder you're such a sour puss -- you're all out of drink. Can't expect to have any fun when you're sober. Hang on, I'll be right back."

Before Colin could protest he'd had enough, Ashley darted between the bodies and was lost from sight. Colin sighed. He should have known this wasn't for him. He'd take a dark pub over this place anytime. If it weren't for the fact that it was Ashley who'd prodded and cajoled him to come along...

Colin ran a hand through his hair, irritated. He was acting stupid. Ash wanted everyone to come along on his and his roommates' escapades. Ash liked to include people. He liked to make them feel like part of the gang. Just because Colin had thought he'd detected an extra note of interest in Ash's voice when he'd been invited didn't mean that there'd been one. Just like on the day they'd met, Ash was simply looking for a way to have a good time with as many people as possible.

Colin had it in his mind to get up and leave, drink or no drink, when Ash stumbled back to their table, a cocktail in each hand, cigarette dangling precariously from the corner of his mouth. Just as he reached the table, someone bumped into him from behind, causing him to spill half the contents of Colin's drink down the front of his white shirt.

"Shit!" Ashley cried out, ashes flying as his cigarette bobbed in his mouth. He looked down at his sodden shirt in disgust. "Well, Colin, looks like if you want the rest of your drink you'll have to lick it off me!"

Colin glared at him as Danny and the others laughed, but he really wasn't upset. Well, maybe he was upset, but in a different way entirely. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off the way Ash's shirt, sheer with moisture now, clung to the younger man's chest. He'd seen Ashley shirtless before, of course. But there was something utterly erotic in the way the fabric concealed and revealed. Colin could even see the dusky circle of a nipple through the cloth.

"Naughty, naughty, Colin!"

Ash had caught him staring again and was laughing at him. Colin felt his face heat. Damn the younger man for making him feel like an old, leering man. He grabbed the half-empty glass from Ash and dashed its contents down his throat. Ash smiled but said nothing. Grinding out his cigarette on the tabletop, he took a quick sip of his own drink before setting it down and sliding backwards into the crowd.

Colin expected him to disappear again, but Ashley stayed on the fringes of the dance floor. You asshole, Colin thought to himself. Then he asked himself why this should bother him. There was no way Ash was flirting with him. No way. Just because Ashley was swiveling his hips in an undeniably provocative manner, all the while keeping his eyes locked with Colin's...didn't mean anything at all.

The alcohol was getting to Colin. Had they turned the music down? The beat didn't seem quite so barbaric anymore. It had taken on a sultry throb that Colin felt deep in his lower body. He allowed himself to relax, leaning back into the overly-cushioned booth. Beside him, Danny was deep in conversation with Billy and Mike. They seemed to have forgotten Colin was with them. He didn't mind. It took too much effort to be heard. He would rather sit back and watch. Watch Ashley.

The abandon Ash exhibited in life translated well on the dance floor. He moved without conscious effort, his body twisting and gyrating as though the music pulled him by invisible strings. Long, lean limbs swayed with fluid grace. The wet fabric of his shirt clung and lifted teasingly from his skin with every motion. Ash moved almost seductively, if Colin dared allow himself the thought. He was the embodiment of temptation.

Dancers moved around Ash, some pausing to try to entice him into matching their movements. All eventually peeled away when it became apparent that Ash's attention lay elsewhere. His eyes never left Colin's. The older man was surprised at how badly he wanted to believe what he thought he saw in the brown eyes.

There had been nothing between them before this. Ash had always seemed oblivious of Colin's awkward, tentative overtures. Colin was sure the other man was gay, but he sometimes wondered if Ashley was aware that he was, too. Colin was pretty straight acting and never picked up one-night stands. But he'd also never mentioned a girlfriend to Ash. Colin knew he wasn't ugly -- his short black hair was wavy but cut well; he had large bluish-gray eyes and a face that had eased his way through many a job interview. He worked out when he could and thought he had a decent body . . . so why hadn't Ash shown an interest? Their friendship had been so clean, one of them may as well have been a woman.

Ash smiled slightly, as if he sensed the other man's uncertainty. His slim hands drew up the length of his body, hovering over the wet shirt. Colin held his breath as the pale hands brushed deliberately across the hint of peaked nipples. Colin imagined his own hands upon the slender body, pinching the brown nubs until Ashley cried out --

"Looks like you're getting the best show in the house!" Danny yelled suddenly in his ear.

Colin tore his gaze away with pained reluctance. "What's that?"

Danny smiled knowingly. "Ash likes you," he teased. Behind him in the booth, Mike and Billy were watching Ash with matching smirks on their faces.

Colin scowled. "Whatever," he grumbled. "He dances that way no matter who's watching." But Danny didn't hear him or else pretended not to.

"Ash was really excited that you'd finally agreed to come with us," Danny continued. "Now I know why." Or at least, that's what Colin thought he said. As loud as it was, he couldn't be sure of anything. Danny turned back to the other two and began a drinking game. Colin shook his head. Nothing like a good game of quarters to remind him how very long ago he had played it.

He looked back to the dance floor. Ashley was still there. And this time, the invitation in his eyes was unmistakable. Colin forgot all about the other men beside him. He swallowed around a throat gone suddenly dry.

Ash laughed at the expression on his face. He extended his hands, coaxing. Some of Colin's excitement withered. Damn, but he could never go out there. He was athletic, sure, yet he lacked the coordiation to dance. He was also a chicken. He didn't possess the self-assuredness of Ashley. He couldn't make a fool out of himself and laugh it off. Not in front of him.

Ash tilted his head, unwilling to be denied. Come on, he mouthed. Colin shook his head, dreading the next few moments. Now was when Ash would discover how impossibly different they really were. Quiet and contemplative -- the monikers Colin was usually saddled with -- didn't play very well at a dance club.

Ashley took a step towards him, refusing to be put off, when masculine hands slid suddenly around his waist from behind. Bemused, Ash turned his head as he was pulled back into a loose embrace. Colin sat straighter in the booth as a blond-haired man about Ashley's age slid up alongside his friend. Ash's face was turned toward him when the stranger began speaking into his ear. Colin tried to remain disinterested as he watched Ash's eyes lower in response to what the blond stranger said to him.

Don't be jealous, Colin told himself sternly, you have no right to be. But he couldn't help the pang of bitterness as the hands upon Ash's waist tightened ever so slightly. The stranger was still speaking. Ash's mouth had parted, his expression hidden beneath lowered lashes.

Tell him to fuck off, Colin thought. But Ashley did no such thing. Colin watched, silently fuming, as the blond-haired man began to move against Ash, urging him to dance. Ash resisted, his eyes flicking to the booth. Colin knew he should stand and go to him. He knew in his heart that this was an important moment, that now was an opportunity he'd be a fool to pass up. But as it had always been in his life, fear of letting go and simply being cemented his shoes to the floor. He wasn't like Ashley, free in his physicality. Spontaneity in his fantasies counted for nothing here. He was a coward.

What might have been disappointment shadowed Ash's face. After a moment's hesitation, he laid his hands atop the ones that encircled his waist. Slanting his eyes away from Colin, he leaned back into the stranger, and allowed his body to sway in synchrony.

Colin felt sick. He reached for his cocktail and cursed when he remembered he'd already drained it. He really should be leaving. Instead, he hooked Ash's discarded glass and drank what it contained in one swallow. He gasped, eyes watering. He felt the alcohol go straight to his head.

What kind of game was Ash playing anyhow? First he convinces Colin to go to a club he had no desire to attend. Then he flirts shamelessly, forcing Colin to shift around an increasingly uncomfortable arousal. And now this, a bald play to make him jealous -- or at least Colin preferred to think so.

"Whoa, Colin." Danny whistled beside him. "What's with the look?" His bright blue gaze followed Colin's to the dance floor. "Oh, I see."

"Forget it, Danny."

"Hey, come on. That's just Ash. He doesn't mean anything by it."

Yes, that was just Ashley. Lost in the moment, outrageously alive, refusing to be held back by anyone else's handicaps. Just as he was always Colin, he thought in disgust -- polite, thoughtful . . . master of restraint. Something in him snapped. He slid out from the booth, aware that Danny and the others stared after him in shock. "Colin, wait!"

But once committed, he would not turn back. The music seemed much louder on the dance floor. Energy radiated in waves from the large crowd of dancers. Colin fed off it. This felt right. He was tired of sitting on the sidelines. It was time he became a player.

The blond stranger was all over Ash. He may as well have just pulled Ashley's jeans down and fucked him right there. Colin tapped the guy on the shoulder a bit harder than he needed to. Ashley and the stranger both froze in surprise.

Colin leaned close to the man's ear. "You've had your fun, now get lost. It's my turn."
The surprise turned to contempt as the blond man gave him the once-over and sneered. It was as if he could tell, just from a look, that Colin was playing a role he never had before. "Honey, go back to the corner and nurse your beer. This little hottie's mine."

Colin's face flamed with humiliation and anger, but one look at his friend's face made him relax.

A wide grin was on Ash's face as he looked intently at Colin. "And that hottie is mine." He unwrapped the blond's arms from his waist. "Thanks for the dance, but I've been waiting for my friend to join me all night."

Banished from the sphere of Ash's attention, the blond stranger melted away into the crowd. Colin stepped into the space vacated against Ash's back. Ash's body was hot against his chest. When he grabbed the younger man about the waist and pulled him back, Ashley stiffened in surprise.

"Hey, Colin, you're not drunk, are you?" Ash asked with a nervous laugh. "I don't want you hating me in the morning."

Colin pressed his face to the damp hair, his mouth grazing Ash's ear. "I won't hate you if you let me do what I want to you." He felt the shudder that passed through Ash. He smiled, thrilled that he had been able to affect the other man. Feeling bolder, his tilted his hips forward, letting Ashley feel the unmistakable bulge of his erection.

"Colin," Ash sighed, rubbing his buttocks against the straining fly of the other man's jeans, "it's about fucking time."

Colin was stunned, but he couldn't afford to think about it. Ash was practically purring in his arms. And the way he was rubbing himself up against Colin was slowly driving him insane.

"Kiss me," Ashley demanded. Colin didn't like public displays of affection, but he was eager to make an exception. He bent his head over Ash's shoulder and covered the soft mouth with his own.

Kissing Ash was heaven. Maybe because it was something he'd secretly dreamt of but never imagined actually happening. Or maybe simply because it was Ash. Ashley, who was always laughing, always passionate about something. Ashley, who was wickedly sexy yet somehow sweetly boyish at the same time.

The mouth beneath his tasted of smoke and sweet rum. Colin plunged his tongue deep, wanting to taste as much of Ash as he could in case this was as much as he would get. Ash didn't shy from his aggressiveness; he whipped his tongue around Colin's with equal vigor. Colin pumped his cock against the curve of tight buttocks, feeling the vibration against his lips as Ashley moaned.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Colin reminded himself that he was in a dance club and that Danny, Mike and Billy were no doubt watching them and either laughing or memorizing the scene for jerk-off sessions later. But then Ash reached behind him to grab his buttocks and pull him closer and Colin no longer cared about who was watching. He wanted to be like Ashley -- he didn't want to think, he wanted to feel.

He slid his hands down the front of Ash's jeans until his thumbs caught in the worn pockets. He let his fingers splay wide, framing the fly and the hard lump straining against it. He pressed his fingers into Ash's hips, outlining his cock through the fabric. With his forefingers, he teasingly rubbed the sides of the stiff ridge.

"Ah, Colin!" Ash gasped, tearing his mouth away. "You fucking tease!" He swiveled his hips, trying to force Colin's hands into greater contact.

Colin just laughed, intoxicated by rare power. "You forget, Ash. An old man like me needs lots of foreplay."

"Old man, my ass" Ash burst out, his protest dissolving into a groan as Colin's mouth fastened onto the back of his neck and began sucking. "You'll have me on my knees in another second, here."

"Mmmm. Maybe that's where I want you."

Ashley caught one of Colin's hands and dragged it over the bulge in his jeans. He pushed his hips back as the other man squeezed him through the fabric. "Sorry to disappoint," Ash panted, holding Colin tight over him, "but if you're going to be inside me, I'd prefer a different entrance."

Despite his new-found daring, Colin was momentarily shocked by Ashley's bluntness. Sensing the change, Ash looked back over his shoulder, worry making him look far too young. "I'm sorry. That was blunt. I've got a big mouth. I'm going to scare you off, aren't I?"

Even if Ash's comment had turned him off -- which it hadn't -- the unexpected vulnerability on the younger man's face made Colin a willing prisoner. He was in love with Ash's passion for experience, true. But he was hooked by the boy Ashley hadn't quite yet shed.

He pulled his hand free and turned Ash around. Wordless, he cupped the other man's face and pressed their lips together. He kissed Ash deeply, proving with his lips and his tongue and the breath that passed between them that Colin wanted him more than anything else in the world. When he finally pulled away, Ashley's face was rosy, his brown eyes dark and glazed. His pink tongue darted out to lick the lingering traces of Colin from his swollen lips.

Colin slid his had behind Ash's neck in a purely possessive grip. Anticipation was an aphrodisiac. "Let's get out of here, shall we?"

Ashley nodded.

~~~~~

Stepping from the dance club was like stepping out of a dream. It had been so long since Colin had last visited a club that he'd forgotten what it was like when the heavy door shut behind you and the noise that had become part of your body was suddenly amputated from your senses. He stood for a moment in the chill of night, street lights blazing in his face, and tried to adjust to his rude return to the outside world. His ears were ringing and his throat was scratchy from shouting. Great, he thought dryly. Now I'm deaf and mute.

But he might as well have been struck dumb, too, for all the difficulty he had in accepting the young body pressed intimately against his side. Colin glanced beside him at Ashley and still couldn't believe what was happening. Is this when the dream began? Or was this when he awoke? The seduction upon the dance floor seemed as if it had happened a thousand years ago. And yet, against all odds, it continued. Out here. Into the cold reality.

He shivered, looking about him. Just as there had been a line to enter the club, there was an equally long line to leave it via taxi. He and Ash could have taken the car had they really wanted to. All five had driven there in Mike's beat-up Civic. But facing Ash's roommates after what had occurred in the club was not something Colin wanted to do anytime soon. He could imagine the teasing Ash would get for hooking up with an old guy.

No thanks. An escape without goodbyes, while rude, was infinitely more appealing.

Colin placed a hand on the small of Ash's back and guided him to the end of the taxi line, smiling inwardly that the show of possessiveness had not been disputed. For a moment, he and Ash stood awkwardly side by side, listening to the sound of drunken conversation all about them. Horns honked from the street. Cars whizzed by, windows rolled down to allow their occupants to hang out haphazardly and shout at the people on the sidewalk. Colin felt suddenly that he was an old man chaperoning his son to his first nightclub. He didn't belong here.

But Ash, being Ash, didn't allow Colin to feel uncomfortable for long. After shifting from foot to foot restlessly, the younger man finally gave a muttered, "Fuck it", and stepped in front of Colin, wrapping Colin's arms around him from behind. Ashley leaned back into the solid chest and sighed.

Colin stood completely still. He vaguely registered that Ashley's hair smelled of smoke and some flowery shampoo. He tried very hard not to feel the stares that pressed into his back. Such contact in the murky ambiguity of a club was one thing. It was still somewhat anonymous. Such openness in the harsh light of reality...well, that was something else.

"Relax," Ashley said quietly, spreading Colin's hand upon his chest. "No one cares about either one of us."

Colin didn't believe him, casting a wary eye about him. However, he discovered that Ash was right. Though initial glances fell upon Ashley's indulgent sprawl against Colin, interest seemed to lay more in the young man's attractiveness than in what he and Colin were actually doing. They're jealous, Colin realized with surprise. No one had ever been jealous of him before. The thought was awe-inspiring and humbling at the same time.

Relaxing, Colin allowed himself to appreciate the position he and Ashley shared. Ash in his arms was alternately hellish and wonderful. It was impossible not to enjoy the lithe body that pressed into every curve and hollow of Colin's body as though it was a puzzle piece that demanded to be mated. But such contact, particulary in public, was also torture. Colin felt his cock grow heavier with need. He knew Ash could feel it pressed into the curve of his buttocks. Colin wanted badly to strip off Ashley's jeans and slide himself along the crease there.

He bent his head and whispered, "I want you, Ashley."

The body within his arms shivered, the sweat dampened head falling back against Colin's shoulder. "I'll let you have me," Ash replied softly. His submissiveness nearly brought Colin's mouth down upon him.

As the taxi line moved forward, Colin settled with stroking the muscles of Ash's chest. Through the shirt he found Ash's nipples, tightened into pebbles against the cold. He rolled the tight peaks between his fingers, making Ash shift restlessly against him. Colin experienced a strange thrill. So many people were watching them, and yet no one knew what he was doing to Ash.

Wickedness streaked through him. He sharply pinched the hard nipples. Ash squirmed against him, a muffled gasp squeezing past his lips. Colin tightened his arms against escape. He pressed his hips forward just so, dragging his erection meaningfully up the back of Ash's jeans. He told himself he must be becoming an exhibitionist to be doing this in front of all these people. But the need to feel and hear Ash respond to his touch drove all caution from Colin's mind. He dipped his head and ran his tongue up the side of the other man's neck. Ash finally lost it and moaned aloud.

A week ago, hell--an hour ago--Colin would have been mortified by the snickers he heard behind him. Now, however, with Ash a bright, burning promise in his arms, Colin felt only triumph. He--the old stick in the mud, the reserved, quiet loner--had the power to undo a sexy young thing like Ashley Raines. The idea was electrifying.

"Next up!"

Colin raised his head at the shout. It was their turn for a taxi. Damn, but letting go of Ash was like setting down his spoon after the first bite of a sundae. He didn't want to do it.

"Come on! Do you want a taxi or not?"

When Colin still didn't release him, Ash turned his head, regarding him with eyes that were black with desire. "Colin, let's go. The sooner we leave here, the sooner we can be at your place."

Colin couldn't move. It was up to Ash to lead them into the taxi and give directions to the driver. The sooner we can be at your place. Colin stared at the headrest of the seat in front of him as Ash's words rang in his head. Of course he had known this whole thing would culminate in he and Ash together. But to actually hear it--and from Ashley's lips, at that--was another thing altogether. He and Ash together. At his place. Doing everything.

Colin turned slightly on the seat, studying the man beside him. Passing street lamps flashed through the taxi's windows like a strobe light, illuminating the curves and angles of Ash's face. The radio was tuned to some country music station, the volume low enough that the steady hum of the car's engine filled the small interior. The vinyl seat was old and patched with duct tape. It squeaked as Ash shifted his back against the door, his body facing Colin.

The sooner we can be at your place.

Colin didn't think it was possible. Ash flirted with everyone. This was a game somehow. Ash would change his mind. Or worse, he would burst out laughing when he discovered Colin's intentions. Just having fun on the dance floor, Colin. I do it with everyone. Didn't think you'd take it seriously.

No. Before he would let that happen, Colin had to know for sure.

In the darkness, he bridged the short space between them, taking Ash's hand in his own. As the taxi turned onto a street where the lamps were less frequent, he waited, considering.

"Colin?"

The question spurred him to move. Not bothering to answer, Colin placed Ash's hand over the fly of the younger man's jeans. Deliberately, he covered Ash's hand with his own. When he pressed down slightly, Colin could feel the curve of the erection that rose beneath. Lifting his eyes to Ash's, Colin began to move their hands.

The lights came once every few blocks now. Ashley's face was hidden in shadow. But Colin didn't need to see the younger man's face to know how he was affected. As Colin guided Ash's hand back and forth over the bulging fabric of his jeans, Colin just listened. Over the music on the radio and the mesmerizing hum of the car's engine, Colin could hear the gradual changes in Ashley's breathing. The older man listened, rapt, as the cadence of breath accelerated.

He applied more pressure and felt the fine tremor that passed through the slender fingers. Back and forth, he guided Ash in stroking himself, feeling the younger man's flesh harden and lengthen while his thighs fell apart on the seat.

The quickened breath hitched. A tongue came out to lick dry lips. Ash's eyes glimmered through the darkness as he tried to remain silent in the presence of the taxi driver. Colin just watched him. Watched, fascinated, as the color broke out across those high cheekbones. Listened, hungry, as the moist lips parted and Ash's voice called softly to him across the darkness, "Colin. God, Colin..."

When the hand beneath his tried to pull away, Colin tightened his grip and pushed down harder. He squeezed until Ash could no longer stifle the short whimpers that broke from his mouth. He stroked until the eyes of the taxi driver flicked to the rearview mirror, watching them in the darkness.

"Yes," Ash whispered. "God, yes..."

And then Colin did something he never thought he would do. He brought Ash to the brink of climax, the hard young body quivering on the edge of release -- and then backed off. Ash's moan of dismay echoed forlornly within the interior of the taxi. Colin was too violently aroused to care that the driver snorted disapprovingly from the front seat. The vision of Ashley, trembling in his passion, clawing at the vinyl seat, seared itself onto Colin's brain. And when he pulled Ash's hand away, denying the younger man the option of completing the deed alone, well...that was a stranger doing that. For Colin had never considered himself to be that cruel.

Ignoring his own raging arousal, Colin studied the way Ash tried to relax into the seat and calm his breathing. Tried, even as his hips lifted after a contact he would not receive. The wide brown eyes pleaded with Colin for...what? For Colin to release his hand, to finish the job? In the end, it didn't matter; Colin wasn't about to do either one.

Instead, he gathered Ash in his arms, holding him close as tremor after tremor passed through the slender body. He tenderly kissed the damp hair, murmuring words of comfort. Ashley was wound tightly. Colin was surprised at how quickly and how deeply Ash had experienced his arousal. It took several minutes before the younger man was able to relax fully into Colin's embrace. Even then, Colin could sense the vehement energy that pulsed beneath the surface.

"I was right," Ashley muttered shakily, staring out the window. "You are a fucking tease. You still won't give me what I want."

No, not a tease, Colin wanted to tell him. I'm simply a boring guy who's scared that it's you who is doing the teasing. Though his method had been merciless, Colin had learned what he wanted to know. Ashley wasn't faking his interest. Unimaginably, and against all reason, the young man wanted him.

The time for games was over.

~~~~~

He felt a bit slimy as he unlocked the door to his studio apartment and let Ash pass before him. This was like coaxing a young innocent into his lair. Yet the moment he thought it, Colin took it back. Ash may be younger than him, but he was no innocent. And Colin's home was in no way sexy enough to be called a lair.

It was clean. Meticulously so. It was also pretty boring except for his photography hung with careful exactness on the walls. They were some of his favorites, ranging from his earliest works to the very latest. Photographs of people, mainly. People whom he'd wanted to meet, but been too shy to approach, so he'd stolen their likenesses instead. Every photo was a friendship he'd never managed to make. Every face was a personality he'd never gotten to know. He was proud of the pictures.

Until now, that is. Colin thought himself inured to criticism. He thought wrong. When Ash strode to the first framed print and quietly regarded it, Colin's insides cringed with that familiar dread.

"This is incredible," Ashley murmured, his fingertips hovering just above the glass. "It's like you've seen into these peoples' souls. So sensitive... I'm impressed, Colin."
Colin released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. Ash's approval meant more than any art critic's could.

Ashley then moved through the room as if it were his own, unashamedly rifling through the items of Colin's personal life. Colin kicked off his shoes, watching Ash as he picked up a paperback Colin had just started reading. He fanned through the pages idly before dropping it. Ash then moved to the dresser and boldly opened the drawers. He reached inside and fingered the fabric of a shirt. With a mischievous grin, he lifted a pair of boxers. He held one of Colin's sweaters to his nose and inhaled.

Intrigued by this strange creature, Colin dropped onto the edge of his bed to watch. He had never encountered someone like Ash, someone so eager to experience sensation. Ash wandered to the nightstand. There, he picked up Colin's hairbrush and ran his thumb absently across the bristles. His eyes fell upon the small table by the room's sole window. Colin's spine stiffened as Ash walked to it and picked up the opened sketchbook lying there. Curious, Ash began peeling back the pages. From his position on the bed, Colin could only see the younger man's profile. He wished he could see more.

Ash paused at a sketch, his head bowed. "Is this how you see me?"

Colin didn't know which sketch he was looking at, but it really didn't matter. Though his skill lay in photography, he'd begun dabbling in sketchwork thanks to recent inspiration. Each page of the book was filled with art, all versions of the same subject: Ashley as Colin saw him--beautiful, young, alive. Whether drawn from a memory of Ash laughing or sketched in situ as Ash cooked dinner for his roommates, every page was damning. On every page lay Colin's heart for all to see.

"You make me out to be someone I'm not," Ashley said quietly. One finger traced the lines on the paper. He raised his head, looking at Colin with banked panic in his eyes. "I'm not this fucking perfect, Colin. I'm just a kid who parties too hard and takes everything for granted." He waved the sketchbook. "I don't deserve this from you. Hell, I don't deserve you. You're so much more --"

"Shut up, Ashley." Colin sighed, leaning back on his hands. "You're the most amazing guy I've ever laid eyes upon. What I've drawn there is what I see. That's all that should matter."

"But this--" Ash shook the pad again "--this is someone beautiful. I'm just some idiot who drinks too much and smokes too much and acts like he's got it all under control when the truth is he's got no idea where he's heading. He pretends he can handle you but he's scared shitless he'll make a fool out of himself with the most decent guy he's ever met --"

Colin's eyes widened. "The only thing I see wrong with you is that you talk too much," he blurted. The younger man's mouth shut with an audible click. "Other than that, if - if you're worried about not being able to handle me, consider the fear to be a mutual one." Colin's voice wavered. "I want you, too, Ashley. But you're fast and you're bright and I feel like a rock in comparison...I admit that you frighten me, just a little."

"Do I?"

Like a light switch, Ash's tone became instantly seductive. It left Colin blinking somewhat dazedly. Yes, he was definitely a little frightened of this one.

"Why do I scare you?" Ash asked with an intensity in his voice which Colin found unnerving and exciting at the same time.

He decided to be honest. "Because you're everything I missed. You're everything I didn't do. You're so damned alive that I can practically feel your heart beating from all the way over here." Colin swallowed. "I fear you because I don't think you fully realize the power you have over me."

Ash smiled, like a deliciously feral cat. "Oh, but I do realize, Colin." He took a step towards the bed. Colin's body tightened in anticipation. But true to form, Ash twisted on his heel and moved instead to the dresser. He stopped in front of the large mirror that sat atop the surface. He met Colin's eyes in the reflection. "Would you like me to show you how very much I realize?"

Colin struggled for nonchalance. "Go right ahead."

An alarming confidence in his eyes, Ashley lifted his hands to the front of his shirt. He began pushing the buttons through their holes, one by one. "You watched me in the club," Ash began, his eyes searing Colin's in the mirror. "I'm not a fool. I saw how you looked at me. I remember the expression on your face when I touched myself." He released the last button and the white shirt fluttered open, revealing the smooth sculpture of his chest. "Do you remember how you felt when I did this?"

Heat pooled low in Colin's body as Ash brushed his fingers lightly across the dusky points of his nipples. Yes, Colin thought, he remembered very well. He'd been hard just as he was now, envious of fingers that were not his own. He watched Ash stroke and tease himself and felt his mouth go dry. He found himself having to spread his legs to accommodate the growing weight between his thighs. Youth and beauty was standing right before him and he thought he would go blind from the vision.

With a graceful shrug of his shoulders, Ash let the shirt slide down his arms and fall to the floor at his feet. Ash's chest was smooth, lightly muscled and supple. His flesh was sleek, the twin discs of his nipples standing out against the olive skin. Without his shirt, Ashley looked both sexy and vulnerable. He looked like a man Colin shouldn't be able to get. But Colin no longer cared if he wasn't supposed to have this. He longed to run his tongue along the length of Ash's bared collarbones and taste what was his.

"You've seen me shirtless before," Ash commented, idly stroking the sides of his ribs. "But it's not the same this time, is it, Colin?"

Damn you, Colin thought, glaring at him in the mirror. Damn you for being right. Ash knew his sex appeal, whatever he might say to the contrary. He used it well. Colin watched, transfixed, as Ash shut his eyes and trailed his hands slowly up his chest. His fingers met at the base of his throat, then fanned out across the collarbones that Colin wanted so badly to taste.

Ashley opened his eyes. "Do you have a fantasy about me?"

Colin flushed. Of course he did. Several, in fact. All of which involved Ash in various stages of illegal activities. But, "Yes", was all he said.

A spark of naughtiness glinted in Ash's eyes. "I'll wager it went a bit farther than this, yes? Maybe, something like this?" One hand fumbled with the button on his jeans. It released with a soft pop. Colin's harsh breathing competed with the rasp of the zipper as it lowered.

Ash sighed a little, as though relieved to ease himself of the confines of his jeans. Holding Colin's gaze, Ashley slid his palm down the plane of his stomach until his fingers disappeared into the opened V of his jeans. His hand dipped just a little lower. The wide eyes closed. "This is what you want, isn't it?" he breathed, his hand moving rhythmically beneath the denim. "To feel this. To feel me."

Barely a beat passed before Colin was standing behind Ashley, his hand moving to grab the other man's wrist. Ash stiffened in surprise, his eyes shooting open when he discovered Colin so near. But when Colin removed Ash's hand from his jeans and replaced it with his own, the thick lashes lowered once more.

Ash was heat and hardness beneath the denim. Watching over Ash's shoulder, Colin ran his fingers down the curve of the younger man's erection. He skimmed the light bed of curls before delving beneath to the soft sacs below. Ash shuddered, his hips jerking forward.

"This is how my fantasy begins," Colin whispered against the shell of Ashley's ear, "but it's not how it ends." He drew his hand from between the firm thighs and tugged meaningfully at the jeans. "First, we need to get rid of these."

Wordlessly, Ashley hooked his fingers in the waistband of the jeans and pulled them down. Instead of bending at the knees, he simply bent at the waist, providing Colin with a tantalizing view of his firm, pale buttocks. Tempted with such an opportunity, Colin could not resist. He grasped the narrow hips and pulled them back so that his cloth covered erection pressed intimately between the curve of muscled flesh. Ash let his head and arms hang down loosely as Colin rubbed against him.

It was good, but it wasn't enough. Cursing his button fly, Colin struggled to undo his jeans with one hand while the other held the curve of Ash's waist. It seemed an eternity before he released the last button and impatiently shoved the material down his hips. He worried that each passing second was another opportunity for Ash to come to his senses and realize he could have another hot college stud in here -- not Colin.

But by the time Colin had stripped, Ash hadn't changed his mind. Colin was weak with secret relief. The first brush of his cock against the soft skin of Ashley's buttocks was heaven. Letting his eyes fall to half-mast, Colin savored the sensation of his rock-hard erection sliding up and down the smooth crease of Ash's buttocks. He pumped slowly, the friction driving him mad.

For Ashley, it must have been pure torture. He had raised up a little, so that his hands rested on the top of the dresser, his hips pressed out. But however much he pushed back, he couldn't coax the steely flesh to pierce him. His back arched in supplication as Colin rubbed against him. "Give me something, please..." he rasped.

Colin opened his eyes to find Ashley staring plaintively at him in the mirror. Pain and desire made his features rosy and endearingly young. You're so beautiful, Colin thought to himself. But it was the look in Ash's eyes that made him tremble. Ash was looking at him as if he were beautiful, too.

He stretched a hand along the younger man's back and traced the ridge of his spine. The skin was moist and taut. Colin imagined he could feel thevibration of Ash's heart through it. His hand slid around the front of Ashley's hips. He found the hot erection pressed tightly to Ash's stomach. The younger man shivered and gasped as Colin took him into his hand. With his eyes glued to the mirror, Colin began to stroke.

Ash straightened and reached above to lock his hands behind Colin's neck. The position was breathtaking. It opened Ash up entirely to Colin's greedy gaze. Ash's body was a young man's, so different in texture and build from Colin's own. His eyes hungrily followed the lines and hollows of the slender body, settling upon Ash's face. The fine features were desperate, tortured.

Ashley grew restless in his grip. As Colin continued to stroke him, the first beads of moisture leaked from the tip of Ash's cock. The hands around Colin's neck tightened, drawing his head down. Against his lips, Ash whispered, "Put it in me, Colin. You know you want to." To emphasize the point, Ash pushed back with his hips. The tip of Colin's cock prodded the tight opening there.

"You're a manipulative little bastard," Colin murmured back, then wondered why he was stalling. This was what he'd wanted since they were back in the club -- to be encased in Ashley, to feel the young body pulse around him. To be a part of the vibrant whirlwind that was Ashley, and in doing so, to somehow become alive himself. Ah, yes. He did want it.

Colin pumped his fist up the length of Ash's straining flesh, encouraging more silvery liquid to seep from its tip. Ash was breathing rapidly now, a thin film of sweat glistening on his skin. Colin bent his head and licked a path along the younger man's temple as his fingers gathered up the slippery fluid of Ash's desire. He leaned away from Ash, adding saliva to the moisture in his hand and liberally slicked the head of his own erection.
Ash was tight when Colin pushed against him. Bracing the slim hips with his hands, Colin tried to move as slowly as possible as the swollen head of his cock pierced the ring of puckered flesh. Colin watched Ashley's face in the mirror as he gradually pushed himself inside.

"Fuck," Ash gasped, pain lacing his words. "You're fucking big, Colin."

Colin continued his relentless slide, sweat breaking upon his brow at the effort to move slowly. "You can take it, Ashley," he muttered roughly. "Just relax."

Ash groaned, shutting his eyes. He bit his lip and pushed back, fully sheathing the cock that impaled him. For a long moment, they both stood there, unmoving. Colin could feel every beat of Ash's pulse around his cock. The young man's heart was racing.

Colin didn't want to move. He didn't want to hurt Ash. But Ash had other plans. Taking a deep breath as if to steel himself, Ash pulled away slightly, letting Colin's cock slide from his body. Then, quite suddenly, he thrust backwards, driving Colin deep.

Light exploded behind Colin's eyes. The move unleashed his control. Digging his fingers into the jutting hipbones, he thrust hard into the waiting heat. The pursuit of pleasure consumed him. Feeling like the worst sort of animal, Colin pounded into the slender body as wave after wave of ecstasy washed through him. Sweat rolled off his forehead, stinging his eyes as he watched the action in the mirror.

Ash held onto him as if for dear life. His wide eyes were shut, the lashes a dark smudge against his cheeks. He whimpered like a wounded animal with every plunge into his body. A predatory smile curved Colin's lips. Ash wouldn't be a victim for long--With a tilt of his hips, Colin's cock stroked over the source of Ash's pleasure. The brown eyes shot open, meeting Colin's in the mirror. Grinning openly, Colin began to stroke the younger man's cock to stony hardness. Ashley's broken cry was the beginning of the end.

Ashley was a screamer. Colin should have guessed that. Listening to Ash's keening cries was unbearably exciting. It goaded Colin to thrust harder, faster, until Ash released his hold and fell forward, arms braced atop the dresser. Colin's driving thrusts banged his friend's dark head against the mirror, the dull thuds a counterpoint to the cries issuing from Ash's throat.

The blood hummed in Colin's veins. He had never felt so acutely alive. If he could have extended his release to make this moment last forever, he would have. But when Ash's breath fogged the mirror on a rising moan, Colin knew he was done for. He clenched his jaw against the violent ripples that milked the length of his cock. Within his hand, Ash's cock stiffened and bucked.

"Colin!" Ash cried out. The slim body arched. His voice crumbled as his release rocketed through him.

Colin gritted his teeth as the hot flesh tightened around him. But it was no use. Colin shuddered, a groan rumbling up from his throat. His entire life force seemed to rise and gather in his loins before exploding from him in a rush that left him boneless and trembling. The echo of his shout lingered in the room as he dropped against Ash's sweaty back.

They lay quietly, collecting their breaths as the sweat cooled on their skin. Giving in to the urge, Colin tenderly brushed the moist hair away from Ashley's eyes.

"I always knew it would be like this," Ash panted, resting his forehead against the mirror. "I knew you would be good."

Colin gaped. "You did? I never thought you'd even consider the idea of the two of us together."

Ash turned his head until their eyes could meet. The brown orbs held an unexpected sobriety. "I thought about it. Dreamed about it, even. But I never dared to hope. I know you think I'm just a dumb kid."

Colin pressed a finger to the soft lips, instantly grave. "I never thought that, ever. If anything I considered myself to be too old and plain for you. Look at you. You're sexy as hell. You're fun, you're wild. What we've just done is like a dream I'm afaid to wake up from."

Ashley smiled then, a sweet smile that made Colin's heart trip. "In my dream, I'm mature enough to interest you."

Colin laughed, incredulous. "I think we need to move this to the bed. We've got a lot of dreams to merge."

Ash kissed him. "And I can't wait to make some new ones."

The End