Korin walked over to the pool. He only realized after he got there that Ádan was utterly naked. It hadn’t occurred to Korin Ádan could be…the baths at school hadn’t been like that. They were public; people had always worn bathing clothes of some sort.

Not that Ádan seemed uncomfortable having Korin there. And wasn’t this what Korin wanted?

“Come on in,” Ádan said.

“I seem to be overdressed.”

Ádan stood slowly, then put his hands on the side and levered himself up out of the pool. The muscles along his shoulders and down his back flexed with the easy motion. In two steps he was standing in front of Korin. In a low voice, he said, “I could help with that.”

Korin nodded his assent. Ádan slid his hands up under Korin’s shirt. Ádan’s skin was overwarm and rough from the water. He left a damp trail up Korin’s stomach, over his chest, scraping Korin’s nipples with his thumbs as he went. Korin’s body knew nothing of the doubts and hesitations swirling through Korin’s mind. It only knew the heat of the room, the heat of Ádan’s touch. Korin was hard and ready and it was already impossibly difficult to remember why he’d hesitated at all.

Ádan lifted the loose shirt over Korin’s head, slid it down Korin’s back, freed Korin’s arms, then tossed it aside. Korin kicked off his shoes as Ádan’s hands ran down his sides, skimmed over his hips—first outside his clothes, then again, burrowing under to bare skin.

Leaning forward, Ádan slowly closed the distance between them to catch Korin in a languid kiss. His tongue probed Korin’s mouth as his thumbs ran along the top edge of Korin’s thigh and his fingertips dug into Korin’s ass. Korin stopped thinking, stopped worrying, let his thoughts melt into his body.

Ádan sucked in Korin’s lower lip, worried it gently, then moved down to Korin’s neck, his lips and teeth finding sensitive spots Korin hadn’t known existed. Korin had to put his hands on Ádan’s shoulders to steady himself as Ádan sank lower, kissing his way down Korin’s chest as he pushed the rest of Korin’s clothes down. Ádan ended up on his knees before Korin, but stopped his progress with a kiss just below Korin’s navel. He reached up to Korin’s hands on his shoulders, brought them to his mouth, peeled off Korin’s gloves and sucked on each fingertip in turn. The feel of Ádan’s tongue against Korin’s rough, scarred skin was dangerously intimate and desperately erotic all at once. Korin swayed forward, as Ádan pulled back.

Ádan looked up at Korin, a teasing smile dancing across his lips. “Ready for the pool?”

At this moment, Korin would have agreed to anything. He stepped free of the puddle of clothes at his feet and let Ádan pull him over to the water.

The silky heat of the water sliding over his skin was as amazing as Korin remembered. Only this was better, with no clothes, it enveloped him, embraced him.

“The look on your face right now,” Ádan whispered against Korin’s ear. His tongue traced along Korin’s earlobe, making Korin twitch. “I start to think beneath that controlled wizard veneer lurks a true sensualist.”

Korin turned in Ádan’s arms, done with games, done with slow. He straddled Ádan’s lap, feeling his every movement against the water, a constant caress along his awakened, sensitized skin. Ádan’s fingers dug into Korin’s shoulders as Korin caught his mouth in a hungry, desperate kiss. Ádan’s tongue swirled around his own as their bodies pressed together.

Ádan’s hands moved down Korin’s back, a relaxed, languid stroke, but Korin could feel the tension in Ádan’s body. It echoed the need in his own. The water made a delicious, slippery friction between them.

Korin rubbed against Ádan, lost in the sensation. Till Ádan caught his hand again and leaned back to put space between them. With unquestionable deliberation, Ádan moved Korin’s hand down to wrap it around Ádan’s cock.

Korin froze.

“Korin?” Ádan asked.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t think…” The words sounded stupid as they came out of his mouth. “Jon never wanted me to…because of my scars…”

Ádan’s raised eyebrow communicated a world of disdain, but the look was erased with a blissful sigh, as Korin wrapped his fingers tighter. Korin stroked slowly up and down, getting to know Ádan’s shape, the feel of his skin, the weight of him in Korin’s hand.

Ádan closed his eyes, leaned his head back. “There you go, Sunshine. Just like that.”

Korin kept going just like that. Until Ádan’s hands clutched at Korin’s hips and his body tensed. Korin took that cue to speed up and Ádan’s hips bucked against Korin’s hand. Ádan’s whole body tensed as he climaxed. Korin continued to stroke until the twitch of Ádan’s hips told him to stop.

As Ádan reclined, recovering, Korin couldn’t resist running his hands over Ádan’s chest. Feeling the hard muscles under Ádan’s dark skin. Moving lower, Korin ghosted his fingertips over Ádan’s stomach. Ádan flinched, caught his wrists. “Too much,” he said, but with a smile to take away any sting. Then, “Your turn.”

Ádan turned them both around and before Korin knew what he was doing, Ádan had lifted him by his hips up onto the edge of the pool. The air was sudden coolness against his skin and Korin was about to protest just as the wet heat of Ádan’s mouth descended on his cock.

Korin buried his fingers in Ádan’s hair and thrust into Ádan’s mouth. He wrapped his legs around Ádan’s back, lost in the delicious heat and pressure of Ádan’s lips and tongue. This was unlike anything Korin had ever experienced. Every rushed, frantic, half-freezing encounter with Jonathan might as well have been a different act. All Korin could do was surrender to the pleasure building inside him as Ádan expertly coaxed him to orgasm.

Ádan’s throat worked as he swallowed, then gently released Korin. With a self-satisfied smile, he pulled Korin back into the water.

Korin never wanted to move again. He closed his eyes as Ádan settled them both on the pool’s bench, wrapping his arms around Korin’s chest and one leg over Korin’s thighs, holding Korin against him.

Korin sat there, melted by heat and pleasure. If only this moment could have stretched out forever.

But it couldn’t. The whispering voice of reality was creeping in around the edge of Korin’s fading bliss. The reminder of where he was and who exactly he was with.

Ádan seemed to feel the change in Korin. He pulled back, giving Korin space, although his hands still rested lightly on Korin’s arms. Before Korin could think what to say, Ádan leaned in and whispered, “It isn’t morning yet. We’re both tired. You could come to bed with me.”

It was a terrible idea. The worst idea in all the world. But Korin could only answer, “Yes.”