Page 24 of Glow

“Get ready for bed,” Quinn urged. “I’ll just strip to my skivvies and turn off the TV.”

Dan groggily complied, returning a few minutes later in his underwear, smelling of toothpaste. Quinn went to relieve himself, using a bit of toothpaste on one finger to freshen his breath in lieu of a toothbrush.

When he came back, Dan had turned down the blankets. “Left or right?”

The thoughtfulness of the gesture despite Dan’s exhaustion made Quinn smile. “I don’t care. Pick your favorite.”

Dan slid under the covers on the left, and Quinn crawled in on the opposite side.

“Thanks for understanding,” Dan murmured. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“Nothing to make up,” Quinn assured him. “You had a rough couple of days. I’m just glad you’re here. We’ll figure the rest out.”

“Good night.” Dan turned on his side facing away from Quinn, who debated whether that was an invitation to spoon and decided to take the risk.

He inched close enough that their bodies were barely touching, his chest to Dan’s back, nearly their full lengths. Dan sighed and settled against him, validating Quinn’s hunch.

“You’re safe. Go to sleep. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Quinn’s heart beat a little faster at the promise. Dan already made him feel more than he had for any of his previous boyfriends, and they had only gotten started.

It’s early days, but I’m certain he’s it for me. I think he feels the same. We just have to live long enough to make it happen, Quinn thought as he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Before his alarm went off, Quinn roused from dreams to feel a hand gently stroking him through his briefs.

“Good morning,” Dan said with a sleepy smile. “I wanted to wake you up in a good mood.”

“You’re definitely on the right track,” Quinn replied in a sleep-rough voice. Dan’s hard prick pressed against Quinn’s thigh. Quinn reached between them and pulled their underwear down far enough to be able to take them both in hand.

Dan let out a pornographic moan, and Quinn guessed it wouldn’t be long until both of them tipped over the edge.

Afterward, sleepy and sated, they lay tangled up together for a few moments.

“I don’t have much experience,” Dan blurted, avoiding Quinn’s gaze.

“What do you mean?” Quinn asked.

“This. Sex. I didn’t have a lot of opportunities back around Dover. No one I could really trust. Some hand jobs and blow jobs, but I’ve never gone, you know, all the way.”

Quinn stifled a chuckle at Dan’s choice of terms, but he understood the weight of the confession. “That’s okay. We don’t have to do that soon or at all. Some people love it. Others never do. We get to make our own rules,” Quinn assured him.

“Really?” For being close to Quinn’s age, Dan looked young and unsure in the moment.

“Not what you’d assume from videos and porn, but everyone goes at their own speed,” Quinn said. “We’ll get there or we won’t. We just have to satisfy ourselves.”

“I don’t want to disappoint you.” Dan still wasn’t meeting his eyes, so Quinn tipped his chin up.

“You won’t. We’ll figure out what’s right for us, and that can change, or not, over time,” Quinn said.

“You’re okay with that?”

Quinn kissed him, long and slow. “Better than okay. Now, I need to get to work, so let’s shower before we stick together.” His daemon whisperer side picked up on just how exhausted and worried Dan was, even after their showers. He didn’t need to be able to read minds to sense the energy shift from their last time together. Quinn tried to send positive vibes in return and hoped that Dan could sense his support.

“Is that you?” Dan asked, still foggy with sleep.

“If you felt something like a psychic warm hug, then yes,” Quinn said. “It’s going to take a while for us to figure out how this works between us, but I just want you to know that I’m here for you. I’ll have my phone with me all day. Call me if you need me. And I really think you need to tell the local sheriff, Armel, about what happened in Dover. He’s a bear shifter. He’ll understand, and I guarantee he’ll have no patience with the podcasters or bounty hunters.”

Dan looked uncertain, but he finally nodded. “Okay. But I need to actually be awake to face that.”

“Understandable. Do you want to do dinner together tonight?” Quinn asked.