A/N: Mature content ahead.

CH 18

Phillip sat at the kitchen table and desperately tried to calm down. He'd never been in a real fight before, and never been so close to punching anyone, male or female. The closest would probably be Brian, but even then, he was just an annoyance; Leeann was completely infuriating. Although the adrenaline rush was subsiding, he still could feel the anger there, just beneath the surface. Completely unsure as to what to do, he decided to give Gareth a few minutes while he made them both tea. Even though it was only the late afternoon, he felt the routine would do good to settle his temper and the tea might calm his nerves.

This was supposed to be their day together and Leeann had lain waste to it. Well, not entirely. Phillip smiled when he thought about what they had done together, to each other, in addition to laid together, earlier. He had considered locking the door before his shower, but chose to leave it open just in case, and what a good choice it was. Literally and metaphorically a door had been opened, and he didn't want to close it again. Ever again. All Phillip really knew was, after listening to Leeann's cutting remarks, he wanted Gareth to know he was far more than whatever Leeann had said. He was truly amazing in every way, and she was the absolute worst kind of person he'd ever met. Gareth deserved better and he wanted to endeavour, every day, to be that better that Gareth deserved.

The kettle clicked off and Phillip went about making the tea, preparing Gareth's the way he liked it. Carefully lifting the two full mugs, Phillip headed to Gareth's room and lightly tapped on the door. When there was no response, he entered anyway, pushing it open with his foot, and saw the man prostrate and facedown on the bed.

"I've brought you some tea, Gareth," Phillip said gently to the prone figure.

"You didn't have to," Gareth mumbled into the pillow like a sullen child.

"I know."

Gareth shifted so he could turn to look at the other man through his red, puffy eyes. "I'm so sorry about today, Phillip. I'm sorry you had to meet her, and for how she behaved, and for what she said to you."

"Don't. Don't apologize for her," irritation evident in Phillip's voice. He could feel the ire rise again, so he took a big sip of his tea.

Gareth sighed heavily, then reluctantly rolled over and sat up. "It's just...I know she's ruined things between us. I know you're disgusted with me and I'll get packing. I'm sorry I've disrupted your life so much. I can call Mel to get the kids--"

"No." Phillip's heart pounded fearfully in his chest, his forehead creased in confusion. He couldn't have Gareth leave. He couldn't go back, never go back, to the way things were before. He'd a taste of more, and a serving of better, and he was happy for the first time in forever. He set the mugs down on the dresser, gingerly, to avoid spilling, although he was surprised his hands weren't shaking. How could Gareth have gotten things so wrong?

Gareth's red rimmed eyes lifted to meet Phillip's wide shocked stare. He could see the anguish etched in Phillip's features. "No?" Gareth was totally confused.

"I'm sorry about today. I should have said more, protected you more. I've never wanted to be physically violent towards someone so much as I wanted to today. She's so completely wrong about you, Gareth. You are the best, kindest, most amazing person I've ever met." Phillip sank to the bed next to Gareth and kissed the man with as much feeling as he possibly could, passion, wanting, needing, all trying to convey just how much Gareth meant to him. Tears fell from his eyes and he pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against the man. "I never had a life before you. I was never fully alive. Don't let her take that from me. Don't let her ruin anything else, don't let her ruin us."

Gareth licked his lips, tasting Phillip on them before speaking with a small smile. "For someone who never talks much, when you do, you know exactly what to say."

Tea forgotten, the two men kissed with newfound intensity, both eager to show just how much they felt for the other and renew their pleasure from earlier. Phillip led this time, pushing Gareth back on the bed and following him down, tongue firmly tangled with Gareth's, delving into one another's mouths. Capturing each other. Pulling apart to take a few deep breaths, Phillip needed to taste more of Gareth, trailing his lips along the man's stubbled jaw to his ear lobe.

Gareth's ears had always been incredibly sensitive and now was no exception. The nibbles and caresses Phillip was giving was like turning on a switch straight to Gareth's groin. Of their own accord, his hips tilted upwards and he began grinding his growing hardness against Phillip's plumping erection. Groans of wanting punctuated the air. Phillip's tongue began migrating downwards, along the curve of Gareth's neck to his collarbone, hands slipping underneath Gareth's shirt, playing with the smooth skin along his waistband over to the edges of the v of his adonis belt.

Gareth felt like he was on fire, he was splayed across the bed panting with desire. There was nowhere else he wanted to be other than with Phillip, but they had to break apart, collect themselves, if only for a second. Phillip's lips were swollen from kissing and tasting, and Gareth's neck and ears were reddened from the attention.

"Please...please go get the bag from the kitchen. I need you," Gareth begged. Phillip nodded and stood up, the bulge in his jeans evident and somewhat painful from the restrictive clothes. His trip to the kitchen and back was over in record time, and he pulled his shirt over his head before helping Gareth remove his.

This time when he got back on the bed, the men went for each other's flies. Kneeling in front of one another and joined at the lips, they both made desperate grabs to pull down each other's pants and be naked together again, as they had a few hours earlier. Both were successful and the men fell to the mattress to shimmy out of their pants and underwear, discarding them on the floor.

"I need to have you. I need you in me. Please," Gareth begged, gasping with desperation as Phillip palmed his sensitive erection from root to tip. The feeling of Phillip's hands on him were too much to bear and he shuddered in excitement.

"Get on your knees," Phillip instructed, acting on instinct but shaking nonetheless. He'd watched enough on the internet that he kind of knew what to do.

Gareth gave him a lustful look in reply and rolled over, onto all fours, presenting his ass to Phillip like a gift. He arched and could feel the cool air hitting a part of him that was seldom, if ever, this exposed. As quiet as a whisper, the cool air was replaced by heat. Warm breath. Phillip couldn't resist bringing his mouth to Gareth's cleft and giving a tentative lick. He wanted to do it all, and this was too much to just pass up. The skin was soft, so very tender, and both men moaned passionately. Buoyed by his lover's reaction, Phillip licked and probed with his tongue for a little, while Gareth buried his face into the pillows, reeling with the sensation. He relished the new experience, loving every second of it.

Grasping at the bag from the drug store, Gareth rifled around, pulled out the lube, and passed it back to Phillip. "Please, please, Phillip."

Pulling his face away, Phillip opened the offered tube and began slicking up his fingers, then started the task of preparing Gareth. He squeezed some lube from the container directly onto Gareth's ass.

Gareth bucked unexpectedly. "Cold!" he exclaimed with a gasp.

Phillip tossed the bottle aside, then began massaging the fluid into Gareth's tight ring. He very slowly pushed in his digit while kissing along the man's back, tracing his spine with his lips. With his other hand he stroked Gareth's erection deliberately. His own stiff member stuck out from his body and kept leaving smears of precum along the back of Gareth's upper thighs.

"More."

Phillip obliged, carefully adding a second finger and stretching Gareth's tight muscle pulling his fingers apart. He couldn't imagine how it would feel, entering him with his dick for the first time, but he was so aroused, he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to last.

Gareth moaned, then fumbled with the bag once again, grabbing at the condoms. He waved the box behind him. "Do you want to..."

Phillip took the box and tore it open hastily with his teeth, not wanting to remove his fingers from their appointed task. But he had to remove them when actually putting on the condom appeared to be too much of a challenge single handedly. "I might not last long, and I'm sorry if I'm not very good," Phillip said as he generously added lube to his sheathed member.

"Just do it, please," Gareth puffed, desperate to be full since Phillip's fingers were gone. "Go slow."

Phillip ran his cock along Gareth's crease until he found the right spot, his entrance, and he slowly began to push. It was more difficult than the videos made it look. Gareth was really tight and there was a lot of resistance. But suddenly he made it past the outer ring of muscle, and the whole head of his cock was swallowed inside Gareth's tight cavity; it felt insanely amazing. The heat, the constricted feeling around his head. Phillip had to take a deep breath just to control himself while he waited for Gareth's sign that it was okay to go deeper.

"More," Gareth whimpered, so Phillip slowly pushed further and further in until, after what seemed to be an eternity of stopping to wait and going when requested, his hips met with Gareth's pert buttocks. The feeling of being fully inside the man's body was indescribable. There was still the tightness, although now more near the root of his dick, and the heat from Gareth's inner core that was beyond compare. "Move," Gareth begged, so Phillip obliged and nearly came right then. The warmth, tightness, and stimulation were mind blowing and sent him reeling.

Gareth felt pain, burning pain as he stretched to accommodate Phillip's girth. Not that Phillip was huge, but a good size, and a damn sight bigger than anything Gareth ever had up there before. As Phillip pushed the full way in, Gareth began to feel something else, at first just nagging in the background, but then becoming more apparent as he adjusted. Pleasure. Fullness, and overwhelming, euphoric titillation overcame the pain which dulled and receded. "Move," he demanded, begged, needed. And Phillip complied. He moved. He pulled back, then pummelled forward, the men's groans symphonic and loud as he held Gareth tightly by the hips.

Gareth grabbed at his own hardness, stroking in time to Phillip's deliberate thrusts. Heat building through his body, all nerve endings and electric shocks, to be stimulated in two places at once.

"Oh god, Gare..." Phillip cried out as he made one final deep-seated jab into Gareth. The overwhelming blissful pressure that had been building in his gut, in his balls, in his whole body had to be released. He felt his cock spasm wildly, exploding, and his seed caught in the condom as he shot deep into the man. Phillip wasted no time in pulling out, flipping Gareth onto his back and sucking him to completion. He wanted his partner to feel as good as he did. Gareth was so very close, he could voice no frustration when he found himself empty. Instead, his cock was devoured by Phillip and he orgasmed down the man's throat for the second time that day.

Phillip swallowed it all, then collapsed on Gareth's inner thigh, panting from the sheer amount of firsts he'd just experienced. Gareth was breathing heavily, too, but lifted his hand from the crumpled bedding to run his fingers through Phillip's hair.

"I'm sorry I didn't last longer," Phillip said, once he'd recovered enough to speak. He embarrassedly pulled the used condom from his now flaccid penis and tied it, placing it back inside the foil wrapping.

Gareth chuckled and pulled Phillip up his body, kissing him tenderly. "Are you kidding? Phillip, that was amazing. Every second of it."

Phillip coloured at the man's praise, but couldn't help whispering, "Next time I need you inside me." Gareth shivered with the promise of next time as they kissed and cuddled until they finally had to get on with dinner and other tasks. Gareth had marking that couldn't wait much longer, and Phillip had some garden plans that needed to be finalized. Still, when they sat together in the living room, both completing their own work, they couldn't help but reflect on how fantastic it was to be doing it together.

And the same thought crossed their mind that night when they took turns undressing each other and went to bed. Gareth's bed, snuggling into one another, playing with each other, eventually dozing off while talking of inconsequential memories from childhood and to the soothing sounds of each other's heartbeats.

A/N: Well now, thank heavens that Phillip went after his man and Gareth was willing to listen to reason! I know this wasn't the longest chapter, but hopefully it was satisfying. ;)

The next update is Sunday. Thanks for all the reads, comments, and votes!

<3 JJ