“No, wait!” Like the habit of a lifetime you clammed up at the pivotal moment and choked out the words, “I’m sorry…I’ve changed my mind.”

You felt his body tense above you, heard the groan when he buried his face in your neck, and you mentally prepared yourself for the backlash you fully expected to come.

It didn’t.

However, something much stranger happened.

Instead, of shouting at you and calling you a cock-tease, like you had been so used to hearing when you had been in similar positions, Joey pressed a kiss to your neck before pulling back to ask, “Do you want me to get you off anyway?”

Your eyes widened. “Huh?”

“Get you off,” he repeated.

“Aren’t you mad?”

He frowned. “Why would I be mad?”

“Because I choked.”

His frown deepened. “And?”

You shrugged. “And I got your hopes up.”

“Jesus.” Chuckling softly, he pressed another drugging kiss to your lips. “You seem to be under the illusion that I’m some sex starved deviant, incapable of spending time with you, unless that time revolves around being between your legs.”

“Aren’t you?”

“You wound me.”

“You want in between my legs, don’t lie.”

“I absolutely want in between your legs,” he wholeheartedly agreed. “But that’s not what I’m here for.”

“Then what are you here for, Joe?”

“Your company.”

“Funny.”

“Your company,“ he repeated, unyielding.

“Really?”

“I didn’t come here with the expectation of sex,” he said. “That’s not why I’m here and it’s not why I keep coming back, either.”

“But you do want to?”

“Obviously, I want to. But I’m not going to force you into doing something that you have the honesty to admit you’re not ready for. I’d rather you tell me now than regret me after.”

“Wow.”

“I would never regret you, Joe. I couldn’t. Not ever. I care too much.”

“I know. And I know that I’m not good with the words you need to hear from me.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

“But don’t ever think that I don’t have feelings,” he said, pressing a kiss to your mouth. “Because the only time that I allow myself to feel anything is when I’m with you, {{user}}.”