Tentacle on 34th Street (Tinsel and Tentacles 2.0)

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

A lex rode shotgun—even though he’d offered long-legged Qylar the front—sensing something amiss in the air. During the trip, they discussed the dishes Cryss was planning for dinner the next day. He missed the fun-loving vibe the guys usually had. There were no jokes. No picking on one another. Had they argued? He was afraid to ask too many questions until the pair had had a little time to cool off, if that was the case. Perhaps later, when he and Cryss were alone, he would ask. He just hoped it wasn’t about him.

Cryss pulled the truck in front of their townhouse on 34 th Street. Alex knew the neighborhood was some of the most expensive real estate in the city, but Cryss’s townhouse didn’t appear as luxurious as others around it. Not that it was shabby. Far from it. It was well-maintained, and perhaps even recently painted. The shrubs were trimmed and uniform. It was just a wee bit dated with its 80’s postmodern architecture.

Alex smiled to himself. And relaxed. He’d worried that someone with private plane money would live in something that looked like a museum. He didn’t want to be afraid to touch anything for fear of breaking it—and then not being able afford a replacement. Once they walked inside, though, he realized the front facade might be just that. A facade. The foyer and the part of the house in his eyeline hinted it had been recently renovated with glossy hardwood floors and upscale, modern fixtures. He suspected the rest would be just as nice.

Cryss set his suitcases at the base of the stairs near the entry. “Let me give you a quick tour of the main floor before we take your stuff upstairs.”

Alex trailed behind Cryss. They first passed a dining room with an actual dining room table that could seat at least six. Deeper in, they stepped into a large living area. The furniture was stylish and clearly expensive. A massive television took up most of one wall that a set of French doors didn’t.

What he didn’t see was any décor. The walls were stark white. There were no art or photos on those white walls. There hadn’t been any in the dining room or foyer, either. No keepsakes. No books. Nothing that said the house had been lived in. It was vaguer than a model home.

He glanced to the side and noticed the kitchen, which was huge and fit for a gourmet chef with Viking appliances. It did show a little more personality with its mixer, handful of cookbooks, and crocks of cooking tools stored on the sleek marble counters.

“Nice. But can I ask—what do you have against art on your walls?” Alex smiled at Cryss. If the man was going to complain about his small apartment, he was going to complain about the big, empty nothingness of Cryss’s. “Or photos. Anything really.”

Cryss grinned. “While I was waiting for you, I mentioned to Qylar how much I liked how you’d decorated your home and that we really needed to do something with these blank walls.” He stepped closer, into Alex’s space. “Maybe you could help me correct that. You seem to have an eye for design.”

Alex couldn’t miss the wolfish look in Cryss’s eyes. “I might be willing to help you.”

“I sense I struck a very tender nerve that’s still stinging. I meant no offense when I asked about the size of your apartment, and I’m truly sorry if I hurt you.”

“You don’t have to keep apologizing. If I’m honest, being cramped in there for so many years has worn on me. It limits who we can invite over, and entertaining is next to impossible.” Alex lifted his gaze to Cryss. “So yes, it was already something of a sore spot.”

Cryss leaned his head and pressed his lips to Alex’s. “I only asked because I want the best for you.”

“The best doesn’t always mean the biggest.”

Cryss smirked. “Bigger doesn’t hurt. Perhaps we can ensure you have space to stretch out a little more come January.”

Alex held Cryss’s gaze, struggling not to get swept up in the man’s whispered words hinting at a future when they barely knew one another—yet it felt so right, the two of them. He yearned for a forever with Cryss, and he couldn’t understand why. He’d always been cautious and careful when it came to men. Too cautious and too careful according to some. Alex had ruined relationships with his inability to loosen up and freely accept their love. Cryss was a cyclone, spinning around him and threatening his heart with utter destruction—and still he wanted to be there with the swirling winds, holding on tight.

“Well, the kitchen shows a little more personality,” Alex said, changing the subject before he got too dizzy and drunk on Cryss’s allure.

Cryss grinned. “I do some of my best work there.”

“I can’t wait to see what you can do,” he murmured, lost in Cryss’s eyes again.

“How about we head upstairs, and I’ll show you the bedroom.” Cryss placed a gentle hand on his arm and led him back to the front. After he again snatched both of Alex’s bags, he marched up, looking over his shoulder with a come-hither look. “Follow me.”

Alex marched up the steps. At the top left was a small sitting area with a window seat, a comfortable-looking chair, and a small bookcase full of books. Finally.

“Finally, what?” Cryss asked, his back to Alex.

Did I say that out loud?

Cryss slowly spun and met his stare. An odd look crossed his face before he again asked, “Finally, what?”

“I didn’t realize I said that out loud,” Alex murmured. He pointed to the case of books. “It’s nice to see some books in this house. That’s what.”

Cryss chuckled. “You’re welcome to any of them. That chair’s pretty comfortable, too.” He cocked his head to the side. “The bedroom’s through here.”

There was a short hall with only one door at the end. Alex walked through it into a massive bedroom that seemed almost as big as his entire apartment. The walls were elaborately trimmed with wainscotting panels painted a medium blue gray. A bed that had to be the largest in existence took up most of one wall—along with two nightstands on either side, but that was all there was in the room. No dressers. No chair. Nothing. Just a big empty space.

A blank canvas like the rest of the house. It’s all just… so hollow.

“Qylar and I spent most of last year renovating my grandfather’s home—well, my home now, I suppose. It was quite outdated.”

“You did it yourselves?”

Cryss nodded. “Who better to put the craftmanship into your home but you?” He chuckled. “Craftmanship might be a stretch. We had no idea what we were doing before starting, confident we could figure it out as we went. We made many errors along the way. Some jobs we had to do two or even three times to fix our mistakes. Even so, there was a pride in finishing a task and loving how it ended up.”

“It is beautiful. I love the paneling.”

“Even though the walls are blank?” Cryss asked, lifting a brow.

“It could use a few personal touches.”

“I think we were so exhausted once we finally finished the house that the thought of doing more seemed overwhelming. We put it off… and put it off some more… and here we still are.”

Cryss opened a door Alex assumed led into an adjoining bath, rolling his suitcases in.

“Um, where are you going with those?” Alex crossed the bedroom and peeked inside.

It wasn’t a bathroom. It was a massive closet. He was quite certain that it was bigger than his bedroom. There was a center island that had wide drawers the same dark blue-gray and several ties lying across the marble top that matched the kitchen. Three walls were covered with hanging space except for a large, floor-to-ceiling mirror in the center. Cryss had barely filled half of the racks, though, so why did he need so much room? At least he’s not a clotheshorse.

Cryss slid his suitcases to one side. “If we were staying here longer than one night, I’d offer to let you hang your clothes and find you some drawer space.”

“No point in that,” Alex replied.

“Not when we fly out tomorrow,” Cryss said. “So which one is it in?”

Alex frowned. “What?”

“The toy. Which suitcase?”

Alex chuckled, face warming. “The black one.”

Cryss lifted the suitcase onto the top of the dresser island and unzipped it. He pulled out the big blue tentacle. “Anything else you need in here before I close it up?”

“Leave it open for now. I’d love a shower and change into something comfortable.” Alex paused. “We’re not going out, are we? It’s already been a long day after a rough couple of months.”

“I figured you’d want to relax tonight. We can order takeout and crawl into bed if you want. After your shower, of course.”

“In bed together?” Alex joked. “I thought we were keeping things platonic?”

Cryss chuckled, lifting a brow. The smile faded from his lips, his eyes heated. “If that’s what you want, sure.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Alex said after a few seconds pause, closing the few inches between them. He pressed his palm to Cryss’s chest. “I don’t want that at all.”

Cryss stared into his eyes, breathless, before capturing his mouth in a rough kiss, bowing his back from the intensity of it. He could feel the man hot and hard against his belly. He was quickly getting there himself. Cryss shoved Alex’s light jacket off and onto the floor before yanking his sweater over his head. They worked together, peeling one another’s clothes off in a frenzy, until they were both completely naked. Cryss paused a moment, running his hand down Alex’s chest and stopping at his flank.

“You’re incredible.” Cryss dragged him close, capturing his mouth again.

He lifted Alex off his feet. Alex wrapped his legs around Cryss’s waist, neither of them breaking the kiss. Moving forward, Cryss exited the closet… only to walk backwards back into it. Alex broke the kiss, confused until Cryss reached out to grab the dildo on the counter. Once he had it, they headed for the bedroom.

Alex panted, his gaze trapped in Cryss’s. After being deposited near the center of the bed, he crawled deeper and sat on his knees. “What size is this bed?”

“An Alaskan King,” Cryss murmured as he tossed the toy beside Alex. He reached for something in his nightstand and tossed that on the bed, too, before climbing in himself.

A small silver box landed near Alex’s knees. He reached for it, a hint of a memory whispering through his mind. “I think I’ve seen one of these before.”

Cryss paused, staring at Alex with an odd expression. “You have?”

Alex stared at it resting in his palm, the memory so foggy he struggled to pull it back into his mind.

“In a dream?” Alex frowned. The picture in his mind cleared a bit. “Yeah. It was in a dream.” A shiver raced down his back, an odd sensation in his belly. He pushed it aside and laid the box on the mattress. “I’ve been having the strangest of dreams the last couple of months.”

Cryss crawled closer, until he was almost touching. He lifted Alex’s chin with his forefinger. “Tell me about these dreams you’ve had.”

“I don’t remember everything. Just bits and pieces. You were there.”

“Oh, was I?” Cryss murmured with a soft smile. “And what were we doing together in your dreams?”

Heat filled Alex’s cheeks. “Exactly what we’re doing now. Naked, in bed together.”

“What else do you remember?”

Alex frowned, fighting to remember. “I remembered the box only after seeing it here. Odd that you actually have one just like it.”

“What was inside the box, Alex?”

Alex searched his memory, and when it came to him, he snorted. “Lube. But not a lube I’ve ever used before. It tingled… and you only needed a little.”

Cryss caressed the side of Alex’s face. “Did we have sex in your dreams?”

“Maybe,” Alex murmured.

“Well, did we, or didn’t we?”

Alex shook his head. “I think so. Like I said, I can only remember bits and pieces.” A word whispered in his mind. “Nef-er-e-a?” What in the hell was that? A place? Yes. “I think that’s where we were.” Alex blinked as another little piece unraveled. “I think we were on another planet.” He scoffed. “Like I said, they were strange dreams.”

Cryss looked at Alex, his expression unreadable. He rubbed his thumb over Alex’s lower lip, breathing hard. “What do you remember about me? In your dreams?”

Alex searched his memory but came up short. He pushed but the fog was too thick. “I know it was you there, but that’s really all I remember.” I remember how safe I felt lying in your arms and how I never wanted to wake up.

Cryss swept in and captured his lips, dragging him close. It wasn’t the urgent kiss of moments ago, but something deeper, more reverent, almost. They kissed until Alex was breathless and had to pull away, gasping for air. He wasted no time after, returning to Cryss’s lips and kissing the man just as tenderly—until the need between them rose and they returned to their urgent, hungry ones.

After urging him onto his back, Cryss trailed kisses down his neck, shoulder… and across his chest. Cryss’s hands massaged Alex as he traveled lower. He stopped just above the base of Alex’s aching cock, nuzzling against the small patch of curls. Cryss glanced up, making sure he was watching before grasping the root of him and circling a tongue over the glans.

Alex jolted at the feel of Cryss’s mouth against him. The next lick was longer. Slower. He couldn’t move his stare from Cryss’s, not even when that hot mouth engulfed him, right down to the root. He struggled for air, observing his cock disappearing to the back of Cryss’s throat, over and over again. Alex clenched the covers in his fists, moaning between gasps for breath.

Cryss massaged his sac, with just the right amount of pressure. He let Alex’s cock pop from his lips, pausing to reach for the silver box. After opening it, he pressed his finger inside. That same finger was pressed against his hole next, spreading a lubricant there. It tingled, warming a bit.

Just like the dreams.

Alex frowned, confused. He was too needy to think. Shoving it aside, he focused on Cryss and that big, thick finger sliding into him and stretching him open. Once it was in to the last knuckle, Cryss drew Alex’s cock back into his mouth. He worked the hole, sucking at the same pace—all while holding Alex’s gaze.

He lifted his hips, feeding his cock into Cryss’s hot mouth, his inner thighs trembling as he neared release. Seconds later, Alex shouted his release, filling Cryss’s mouth with his load. Cryss never stopped sucking, draining every drop until Alex touched him with a silent plea to stop as the sensations grew too extreme. He released Alex but continued to slowly work his finger in and out.

“How was that?” Cryss whispered.

“Amazing,” Alex said with a smile, his voice low. He closed his eyes. The leisurely thrust of Cryss’s finger felt amazing, too.

“I seem to recall you wondering if I could back up my flirting,” Cryss said, watching his finger sliding into Alex a moment before lifting his gaze. “I hope you’re ready to find out just how well I can.”

Alex shuddered. He wasn’t sure he could take it if that had only been the appetizer.

Cryss withdrew his finger before thrusting two in.

Alex arched his back, the stretch sublime.

“How many times have you used your toy?”

Alex frowned. He’d lied earlier, right? What had he said? Post-orgasm, his mind wasn’t quite working yet. “I haven’t.”

Cryss slid a little higher up his body, those slick fingers still creating a steady pace. “I think you’re lying to me.”

Alex nodded. He no longer cared or felt shame in that moment. He closed his eyes, focusing on the slow in and out of Cryss’s hand inside him. “I did. I used it.”

Cryss pressed his lips to Alex’s abdomen. “Did you think of me when it was inside you?”

Alex opened his eyes. Cryss captured his gaze before he nodded. “Yesss...”

Cryss withdrew his fingers, and Alex groaned in protest. He rose onto his knees, grasping the silver box again. He held Alex’s gaze as he smeared the tentacle with a thin coating. Shame filled his cheeks with heat for some reason. He’d only learned of his new kinks weeks ago. Sharing it with Cryss left him feeling exposed, almost uncomfortably so.

He didn’t want to stop, though.

Sharing his newfound kink with Cryss was as thrilling as it was awkward. His pulse raced, and his mouth dried. Watching Cryss pump his big hand over the toy to lube it up nearly made him moan.

Lube? That’s not going to work. The toy’s too big.

“We might need something stronger,” Alex murmured realizing he’d forgotten to grab his bottle of Boybutter in his rush to leave. “That tentacle’s pretty thick.”

“We won’t,” Cryss replied confidently.

“That tingle is nice… but what if it burns inside me?”

“It won’t,” Cryss whispered.

Alex frowned, suddenly remembering how only a little had made him wet and slick in his dreams. And how good it felt when Cryss had slid it deep inside—before he’d thrust his tentacles inside. Alex blinked. His tentacles? Cryss was a tentacled alien in his dreams. How in the fuck had his unconscious, exhausted mind come up with that?

He chuckled inwardly. Is that why he’d bought the wild dildo? At least he finally had an inkling of why he’d been feverishly staring at tentacle porn every night for weeks before he jerked off and used the dildo.

When Cryss pressed the soft tip of the tentacle against his hole, he lifted his legs, hooking his arms over the backs of his knees to open himself. It took a little work to get the soft, tapered tip of the tentacle in, but the toy grew firmer a couple of inches down. Near the flared base was the firmest part, but it was too wide to fit him. Yet. Once the tip was in, Cryss slowly pressed it deeper, gradually stretching him wider and wider as it sank into his body.

About three-quarters in, he tapped Cryss’s wrist. “No more. I can’t…”

“Okay, baby,” Cryss whispered. He slid the dildo out a few inches before returning it close to the same spot he’d tapped out. “How’s that?”

“Good,” Alex murmured. Cryss withdrew and thrust again, holding his stare.

Cryss set a slow rhythm at first, but it soon wasn’t enough. Alex grabbed his wrist and urged him faster, but Cryss removed his hand and sat back.

“I seem to recall asking to watch you ride this monster.”

Alex’s face flamed bright.

“Show me how it feels good… so I know how to please you next time,” Cryss whispered. He offered both his hands to help lift Alex to his knees.

Alex took the assistance while the toy was still lodged deep. When he rested on his knees, it went a little deeper. He moaned, the pressure somewhere between pleasure and pain. Cryss slid up the bed until he rested against the pillows and headboard, searching Alex’s face. His skin felt too tight over his body. Being watched as he pleasured himself wasn’t something he was accustomed to.

Those basic, average men that he’d dated before—the ones just like himself—had also been basic, average men in bed, for the most part. It hadn’t been bad sex, just… rather ordinary. Dependable. He’d dipped a toe into BDSM and the leather scene when he’d first arrived in San Francisco—what gay man wouldn’t at least explore a little—but none had snagged him in its clutches until those dreams. Some had titillated him to some pleasant degree, but fear of the unknown had held him back from trying them himself.

He was too cautious.

Too careful.

Alex didn’t want to be held back by his own hangups anymore—but the first steps across that line were scary.

“Show me how you like to ride that tentacle, baby,” Cryss murmured as he reached down, slowly caressing his own monster as he anxiously awaited the show to begin. “Seeing you take that so deep inside you…” Cryss groaned, his eyes going heavy and hooded. “I’m barely holding on here, Alex. You’re torturing me.”

Seeing Cryss’s excitement unlocked something inside him. It was no longer his kink. It was their kink. Alex rose higher on his knees and adjusted the base until it was fully flat against the mattress. He took a deep breath, amazed that he was about to ride it with Cryss as his audience, and sank as far down as he could go on the length. He lifted again and came down, setting a slow, languid rhythm. His cock grew hard again, curving up toward his belly, aching to be touched. Cryss was too far away, so he gripped it himself and stroked from base to tip.

“That’s right, Alex. Ride that tentacle,” Cryss murmured as he stroked his cock, his hand almost a blur.

Watching Cryss getting off on watching him getting off had to be one of the most erotic things he’d ever experienced. His pace quickened, both over the dildo and his cock, until he was near frenzied, coming near the edge of the abyss. Oh, god… I’m going to come again.

Cryss leapt from the top of the bed and pressed Alex onto his back. He slid the dildo out and tossed it to the floor before he lifted Alex’s legs high. Alex moaned as he pressed the head of his massive cock against the gape left behind. “I need to be inside you.”

Alex nodded, clinging to the tendrils of the orgasm he’d been near. “Hurry…”

Cryss shivered against him before sliding deep.

Almost all the way in.

Alex half chuckled, half moaned. I took almost that entire monster inside me. Cryss wasn’t as long as the dildo, but he was slightly girthier than the widest part Alex had been able to take.

“Oh, fuck, Alex.” Cryss shivered again, panting. “You feel so good wrapped around my cock.” Cryss placed Alex’s legs over his head. “So, so good.” He leaned over, their lips colliding again.

He continued that kiss as he set a slow pace, filling Alex’s hole with that big cock over and over. Cryss pulled out almost all the way each stroke, stimulating the most sensitive areas near the entrance of Alex’s body. The girth and upward curve of Cryss’s cock massaged his prostate on every slide out and plunge back in. It was almost too much, frying his nerve endings and riding the edge of pain.

It took Alex a few minutes for his body to grow accustomed to the sensation. Excessiveness reformed as indulgence. He became greedy for more. Soon, slow and languid didn’t seem enough for either of them. Cryss lifted again to his knees, his rhythm intensified. He grasped Alex’s cock, stroking it with his big, strong hand, and added another dimension of pleasure. Alex felt the orgasm he’d lost rising again. He strained against Cryss, trying to move his hips what little he could in the rush toward oblivion.

His orgasm seemed just out of reach, though. Alex closed his eyes, and a crystal-clear vision of a tentacled Cryss pinning him to the mattress and angling him just right with those appendages formed in his mind. That finally sent him over the edge again. Alex screamed, coming over Cryss’s hand, his body convulsing.

Cryss roared, head thrown back, as he came deep inside of Alex seconds later. He pumped his hips shallowly a few times, trembling as he drained his cock. When he stopped moving, and they were both a panting mess, covered in sweat and cum, Alex felt warm all over. Not feverish, but a contented warmth that spread to every inch of his body.

Was that what true satisfaction felt like? He’d never experienced anything like it and feared he might grow addicted to what pleasures Cryss inflicted upon him.

“That was… amazing,” Alex mumbled, having struggled for the right word. Amazing wasn’t quite good enough, either, but it would have to do while his brain rewired after being short circuited by that last orgasm. He was ready for the longest nap of his life. Maybe then, it would work again.

“Where did you go at the end?” Cryss asked between pants as he slowly withdrew.

Alex mewled. He immediately missed the pressure and sensation. The feeling of being utterly possessed. His body hadn’t been his own. It had been Cryss’s. “Where did I go?” He frowned, his mind still slowed by lust. “What do you mean? I was right here.”

“You closed your eyes, and I felt your mind drift,” Cryss said before nipping at Alex’s lips. “Where did you go?”

Once again, Alex clearly saw the image that had gotten him off. The fog was gone, and he remembered it all. Cryss pinning his arms down with pale blue tentacles. The same angling his bottom up at the perfect angle as Cryss fed two thick tentacles inside his body. But he couldn’t say that.

“I thought of you.” It wasn’t a lie.

Cryss searched his face a moment. “Me?” He brushed back Alex’s hair from his damp forehead. “Me, or the one from your dreams?”

Alex felt his face warm.

“Did I not rise to the level of dream me?”

“You did,” Alex said quickly. “You were amazing. I came two times, if you didn’t notice. And I came hard.”

Cryss smiled. “Yes, you did.” He traced a finger over Alex’s chin. “I love how verbal and responsive you are.”

“Is that another way of calling me loud?” He’d had other partners complain about his moaning and he’d not been half as turned on as he’d been with Cryss.

“Loud is good.”

Alex pulled his gaze away as his face heated.

Cryss captured his chin and forced him to make eye contact. “It was a turn on. I loved hearing you. It was a roadmap to your body. I knew exactly when something felt good… and when something wasn’t as enjoyable. If other men have made you ashamed of that, they’re idiots.”

Alex fought a smile.

“Communication between lovers is imperative. If you don’t like something I do, I want you to tell me. Life is too short to spend it having bad sex.” Cryss stole a kiss. “Watching you ride that tentacle?” He blew out a rough breath. “That was one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen.”

“I’ll admit that I got that dildo because I’d seen—and felt—that bulge of yours. I knew I needed to prep so it wouldn’t hurt. I haven’t had a partner in a while.”

Cryss grew quiet a moment. “Why a tentacle?”

Alex’s face warmed, and he looked away.

“Come on … I want to know what you like.”

It’s not my kink anymore. It’s ours. “Promise you won’t laugh?”

Cryss’s smile faded, and his expression turned more serious. “Promise.”

“I turned you into an alien in my dreams. I don’t know where that came from, but it lodged in my brain, and I couldn’t shake it free for some reason.”

Cryss searched his face, a hint of a smile on his face.

“You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?”

“I absolutely am not.” Cryss traced his lower lip.

“Then why are you smiling?” Alex asked.

“Because you are,” Cryss replied. “I think you really enjoyed these alien dreams of me.”

“I did,” Alex admitted. “You had tentacles.”

“Oh, did I?” Cryss’s smile grew. “Is that why you bought that specific dildo?”

Alex’s face warmed even more. “I didn’t remember those parts of the dream until just now. Maybe my subconscious sent me in that direction. It explains my recent fascination with tentacle porn.”

Cryss grinned as he trailed his finger down the center of Alex’s chest. “What did I do to you with my tentacles?”

The tingling he’d first experienced after meeting Cryss returned for some reason and with it, an intense awareness of his own body. His skin grew taut. Nerve endings fired. His heart quickened. Drawing in air was more difficult.

“Your arms and your legs would… separate into three appendages each. With some of the ones that had been your arms, you’d coil around and pin my wrists down to the bed. One would wrap around the back of my head and support it while the others massaged and caressed my upper body,” Alex said, licking his lower lip. His mouth was too dry. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. “The ones that had been your legs… you used some to steady yourself. Others wrapped around my ankles and held me open for you.” A shudder ran down Alex’s spine. “Your cock separated, too.”

“Did I slide those tentacles inside your ass?” Cryss whispered as he slid two slick fingers there, massaging Alex’s prostate.

Alex nodded, unable to speak for a moment. His cock desperately wanted to grow hard again, but after two orgasms, it was too soon. The tingling awareness, though, it intensified to a fever pitch. Cryss’s fingers almost seemed to lengthen inside him as they stroked in and out.

“How did it feel with my tentacles inside you, Alex?” Cryss asked before nibbling on his neck behind his ear.

Dream and reality blurred. He felt a coiling inside his body. He knew it was impossible. His own twisted mind playing tricks on him. Those fingers worked his prostate, the beautifully devastating sensation making him gasp for air. His head fell back, back bowed and mouth wide as an orgasm ten-times stronger than any he’d experienced wreaked havoc on him—mind, body, and soul. He keened, tears streaming from his eyes. Cum leaked from his spent, soft cock.

Cryss continued the strokes throughout, coaxing him through until the end. When it was over, Alex was a completely boneless, quivering mess. He gasped for air for several minutes until the world no longer felt upside down and he could breathe again. “What did you just do to me?”

Even his own voice sounded shaky in his ears.

“Did you not like it?” Cryss asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I think… I think you just destroyed me.” Alex couldn’t stop trembling.

“Those whines and whimpers of yours made me think you liked it.” Cryss wrapped his arms around Alex and only then did the trembling slow.

Enveloped by Cryss’s body, he finally stopped shaking.

“I’m guessing you’ve never had a prostate orgasm before,” Cryss murmured.

Alex shook his head. If he’d thought his brain short circuited before, he wasn’t sure what to call the void inside his head after that. “I’ve heard they could be… powerful. I had no idea that’s what one felt like.”

“Was it too much?”

“Yes,” Alex replied quickly.

Cryss pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I won’t do it again.”

“I never said I didn’t want more,” Alex murmured. “At least warn a guy next time.”

Cryss chuckled, his chest vibrating against Alex’s face. “Noted.”

They lay there, still for Alex wasn’t sure how long. The angle of the sun’s rays lengthened against the wall, and he might’ve dozed for a few minutes, safe in Cryss’s arms. When he roused, Cryss was lovingly caressing his arm, rubbing circles all over his skin.

Alex rolled more to his side and met Cryss’s stare. They were silent, but there was much said with their eyes. Even with his own inhibitions, Alex had never felt more comfortable or at ease with another human being. Whatever was linking them together had intensified after their afternoon together.

Alex leaned in for a kiss before his head fell back to Cryss’s arm.

“When you closed your eyes to come the second time—did you see the me from your dreams?”

Alex hesitated a second. There was no way he was telling the man the dream version had gotten him off in that moment. “No.” Yes.

Cryss’s nostrils flared before he claimed Alex’s lips again in a hungry kiss. When they broke apart, gasping for air, Cryss rested his forehead on Alex’s. “I can’t stop touching you… but I need to let you rest after this afternoon.”

Alex both agreed and disagreed with that statement. He didn’t want to stop touching and being touched, either, but the flesh was weak.

When his stomach growled loudly, he cringed.

“We missed lunch,” Cryss murmured. “And here it is dinnertime, and I still haven’t fed you. I’m falling down in my hostly duties.”

Alex stole another kiss. “We can wait another minute to get up, can’t we?”

Cryss cradled the back of his head and claimed his mouth, plundering. Alex moaned against him, his body needful. When had he become so needy and insatiable? He’d had his fill for a while. Cryss, though, was hard against his stomach, the head poking against him. Alex had had multiple orgasms. Cryss had had one. Use my body. Seek your pleasure inside me.

Yet Cryss pulled away, instead, and scooted to the side of the bed, his back to Alex. “You need to shower. I need to order us something to eat.”

Alex’s eyes wanted to close instead, but the prospect of a hot shower for his exhausted body sounded too good. “Point me to your bathroom.”

“I need to wash up myself. Follow me,” Cryss said over one shoulder, offering his hand.

Alex took it and was urged across the huge mattress. When he climbed out of bed, his legs were wobbly and he had to lean against Cryss for support. Cryss gripped his hips and steadied him.

“You okay?”

“I said you destroyed me,” Alex murmured.

Cryss looked far too pleased with himself at that comment. “Need me to carry you?” he whispered.

“I can walk on my own two feet, thank you,” Alex said. “Now, where’s your shower?”

C ryss flipped on the bathroom light and immediately met his own gaze in the mirror. He didn’t recognize the wild look in his eyes. They didn’t look too differently than Alex’s blown-out pupils as he’d come the final time. Maybe it was the threat of being found out mixed with the heady decadence of Alex in his bed. He’d bedded many men and a few women in his life. None of them matched what he’d experienced with Alex.

He knew he was walking on thin ice, tempting more of Alex’s memories of their dreams. Hearing how much his human had gotten off on him and his tentacles was much too stimulating to ignore. He’d pushed the line way too damned far.

He kissed the back of Alex’s hand before releasing it. “I think you can figure the way from here.”

Nearing the sink, Cryss flipped on the water.

“Is that a spaceship?”

Cryss spun to look at Alex. “What?”

Alex pointed to the shower. “How in the hell do I use that thing?”

Cryss chuckled, relaxing. “I’ll turn it on for you. Let me wash my hands, first.” When he’d scrubbed them clean, he shook the water from his hands and strode to the shower.

“Oh my god.”

Cryss looked over his shoulder. “What?” Stop being so damned jumpy!

“A soaking tub? I think I have to hate you now.”

Cryss smiled. “Would you rather have a bath?”

Alex looked between the shower and the tub. “It’s tempting. My back’s a little sore from being pushed to the ground by your admiring fan.”

“They better be glad there was a crowd there. I saw red and could’ve wrung their neck,” Cryss growled.

“I’ve seen you wring a neck before. I don’t think that crime deserved it.”

“Says you,” Cryss muttered.

“I think I’ll just go with a shower,” Alex said.

“Are you sure? Between that push and me blowing your back out, you might deserve a soak.”

“Yeah. I’m sure.”

Cryss reached into the shower and got the water started, testing the temperature. Once it was comfortable, he urged Alex inside. He pointed to two knobs. “These adjust the temps.” He lifted his finger to another. “This one works the jets and the one above it turns on the rainshower head.” He pointed to one more. “Hit this and it all turns off everything at once.”

Alex moved his head under the water, his eyes heavy lidded. “Thanks.” He flipped on the overhead almost instantly and moaned.

Cryss tightened his jaw, too tempted to join his human.

Alex turned his back to Cryss, letting the water run over him. Cryss’s gaze drifted down over Alex’s perfectly squeezable ass—and noticed his cum leaking down his human’s leg. He closed his eyes, struggling even harder to walk away.

“I could stay in here all night,” Alex murmured, lifting his face to the spray.

Cryss stepped into the shower and closed the glass door behind him.

Alex noticed and smiled. “Hi.”

Cryss didn’t speak. He couldn’t. He was too close to losing control. Without a word, he reached for a clean washcloth and the soap before lathering up and washing Alex’s chest. Alex met his stare, his eyes going a little molten. The only sound was that of the shower and the occasional gasp or sigh from Alex as Cryss washed and massaged every inch of his human’s body with reverence. Grabbing a bit of his shampoo, he worked it into Alex’s wet hair, massaging the scalp and earning a few delighted moans. Alex clung to him as he worked his fingers in. When done, he helped rinse the suds. “That was nice,” Alex murmured. “Thank you.”

“No one’s ever done that before. Fuck, that was hot,” Alex thought.

Cryss smiled as he snatched the washcloth again and soaped it up for himself.

“Did you ever think I might want a turn?” Alex asked, trying to steal the washcloth.

Cryss didn’t let him.

“Fine,” Alex murmured, grasping the root of Cryss’s cock and stroking to the tip. “I want to make you feel as good as you made me feel.”

Cryss brushed Alex’s hands away. “Next time. I was supposed to order your dinner already. You haven’t eaten in hours.”

Alex pouted a little. “I think I can manage a little longer. I owe you a couple.”

“No one’s keeping score here,” Cryss murmured. “Watching you shatter is just as satisfying as coming myself.”

“Do you not like to be touched?” Alex asked, frowning.

“I do. I look forward to you touching every inch of my body.” As far as he’d been pushed, playing with fire, he wasn’t sure he could control himself. He might come undone— quite literally — or release a few eggs when he came. Alex couldn’t get pregnant, of course. Only males from his planet and Earth females could, but the eggs were large enough that Alex might feel them slip out. “If you touch me, I’m going to want to fuck you again. Blowjobs and handjobs are a nice starter, but they’ll only make me hungry for more.”

“More isn’t off the table.” Alex caressed his chest with one open hand. “Use me, Cryss. You’re clearly needy. My body is yours.”

Cryss trembled, and he closed his eyes against the want within. When he felt some semblance of control, he reopened them. “We’ve played enough today. I won’t abuse you, Alex.”

Alex still frowned.

He captured the sides of Alex’s face. “You said that you haven’t had a partner in some time.”

“I prepped.”

“Even so, I don’t want you so sore tomorrow that we can’t play again.”

Alex shrugged, clearly not agreeing. “Fine.”

“Were your three orgasms not enough?”

“Keeping score or not—I feel like you’ve been ignored.”

“I have not been ignored.” He pressed his lips gently to Alex’s. “Far from it.” Cryss scrubbed his body quickly. “What do you want to eat?”

“Do you like sushi?” Alex asked.

Cryss’s face erupted into a broad smile. “I do. Very much so. What do you like?”

“A dragon roll or shrimp tempura roll.”

“You got it.” Cryss rinsed off and captured another kiss before climbing out. He spun back to face Alex and keep the man in the shower. “Turn on the jets and let that work on your sore back for a bit. It feels really good.”

“I don’t want to waste water.”

Cryss shook his head. “You won’t. We have a looping system. Shower water is filtered, treated, and reused for something else.”

“Oh,” Alex smiled, leaning his head back in the spray. “Nice.”

Cryss dried off and heard the jets come on just as he exited the bathroom, followed by another satisfied sigh. He grinned, happy Alex was enjoying his home. He padded to the closet to grab a pair of lounge pants and a t-shirt—and snag his phone from his discarded jeans lying on the floor. Once dressed, he peeked in and smiled at the look of pleasure on Alex’s face while using the jets. He left the bedroom and glided down the stairs, finding Qylar in the kitchen, pouring himself a drink.

“He had the same dreams.”

Qylar’s head popped up. He overfilled the glass, and it splashed out before he noticed and set the pitcher down. “You asked him about them?”

“Not at first. He recognized my little silver box and mentioned it. Then he told me about these weird dreams he’s had for the past two months. He even mentioned Nefyria by name.” Cryss crossed his arms over his chest. “I asked some questions after that. He remembers the tentacles.”

“So he knows you’re an alien?”

“He has no idea,” Cryss said. “He thinks it was all just the dreams.”

“Good.” Qylar snagged a paper towel and wiped the spilled drink. “You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

“For now, no. You don’t know how bad I want to, though.”

“I don’t think you should,” Qylar murmured.

Cryss scrubbed both hands over his face. “I won’t… but only because I’m terrified he’ll leave me and never come back.”

“Shit.” Qylar shook his head. “You’re a fucking dream walker, Cryss.”

“I wish I wasn’t.”

Qylar frowned. “You don’t find this a little exciting?”

“Not when it might expose me.” Cryss paused, shaking his head. “Hearing his thoughts is starting to feel like an invasion of his privacy. I don’t know how to turn it off. I can’t warn him about it without him either thinking I’m insane or realizing I am the man he dreamed about.”

“I don’t know how to help you. I wish I did.” Qylar frowned. “Though I have blocked people in my other form who I didn’t want to listen to. Maybe try that?”

“You can block people? I can’t.”

“And you’re the dream walker.”

“Not like I asked for this.” Cryss grabbed the menus out of the cabinet, forgetting himself for a moment and using one of his tentacles to do it, like he normally did. As soon as they were down, he realized what he’d done and spun around, checking to see if Alex had possibly come down. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found the coast clear.

“You need to be more careful,” Qylar said. “You’ve got a long time ahead where you can’t be fully you.”

Cryss hoped he could make it without fucking up. It had seemed easy when he’d proposed Alex stay with him but had quickly gotten a lot more complicated. “We’re ordering sushi. Want some?”

“Sure. My regular.”

Cryss called the order in. After it arrived, he grabbed a six-pack of cold, canned sparkling water from the fridge and their half of the order before racing up the stairs two at a time. He found Alex dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a tee—and lying across his bed asleep. He smiled, not sure if he should wake the man or not. They’d missed lunch, though. He couldn’t let another meal pass.

Before he could rouse the man, he paused, looking at Alex’s sleep-softened features. How he can consider himself average, I don’t know.

He gently nudged Alex. “Hey, baby. Dinner’s here. Don’t you want to eat before you go to bed?”

Alex lifted his lids, blinking away the sleep. “Yeah. I’m starving.”

Cryss handed over the waters. “I hope sparkling’s okay?”

“Love it,” Alex murmured, peeling off two cans for them as Cryss climbed into the bed with the bag.

He started unloading everything. Midway through, Alex gasped. “How much more is in there?”

“I told you I’m a big boy who likes to eat.” Cryss grinned mischievously, pulling out the last two containers. “Plus you gave me a workout earlier.”

Alex chuckled. “Which one’s mine?”

“I got you two of each you asked for,” Cryss said, pointing to two containers. “I think those are the ones.”

They soon dug in, Alex moaning at his first bite. “Oh my god, that’s good.”

“This is our favorite sushi place,” Cryss said. “I’d hoped you’d like it.”

“I definitely do.”

Cryss smiled, and they continued eating and teasing one another until his ribs ached from laughing and his chest hurt from falling for his human a little bit more. He fed Alex some of his favorites, those Alex had never been courageous enough to sample. He leaned closer with one on his chopstick and placed it in Alex’s open mouth. There was something incredibly satisfying about feeding the man, and he wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the way Alex opened his mouth, ready with his tongue out.

The same way he’ll look before I press my cock there.

He felt himself stir, but knew Alex was too abused and too exhausted, so he ignored the rising lust. They had until New Year’s for him to have all he wanted.

When they were done, Cryss cleared away the mess. He flipped on the wall-mounted television across from them and climbed into the bed, dragging Alex into the crook of his arm. “Wanna watch a movie?”

“I’ll probably fall asleep again soon. Watch whatever you want.”

Cryss kissed the top of Alex’s head. “Have you watched Only Murders in the Building ?”

“I freaking love that show.”

“I just started it recently.”

Alex’s head popped up. “You just started?” He waved a hand at the screen. “Turn it on. You have to finish it.”

Cryss chuckled. “You got it.”

Alex snuggled closer.

Cryss started the next episode and settled back.

A few seconds later, Alex asked, “Can you hear that? I can barely hear a word.”

Cryss winced. He kept the television low because he didn’t need it any higher. He notched it up some. “Better?”

Alex lifted his face, eyes wide. “Could you hear that before you turned it up?”

“I have really good hearing,” Cryss murmured.

Alex frowned but lowered his head to Cryss’s chest. “Can you bump it up a tad more—if that’s not too loud for you?”

He added another two notches on the meter. “Good?”

“Yeah.”

Cryss suddenly realized there might be a million tiny ways he’d confuse Alex with his little alien idiosyncrasies. If enough of them added up, Alex might figure something was fishy. Telling him the truth felt more and more like the right thing to do. He sat there for long minutes, weighing whether he should or not.

He’d gotten off on the tentacles… and we shared so much in our dreams. He was at ease with me. Maybe… maybe he won’t run.

Cryss swallowed the lump in his throat, his heart thundering in his chest. “Alex?”

No response came.

Cryss leaned to the side and saw Alex was already asleep. Was that the universe’s way of telling him it was a bad idea? Once he calmed himself, he turned back to the show and realized he’d missed most of the episode. He restarted it and settled in, kissing the top of Alex’s head.