Diego leaned forward, his chest pressing against my back as one hand snaked around to wrap around my shaft. “I wanna feel you cum while I’m inside you,” he whispered in my ear, his breath hot against my skin.
His hand worked my cock in time with his thrusts, the dual sensations overwhelming. I was close, so close, teetering on the edge of something massive.
“Diego, I’m gonna?—”
But the words never made it out. My whole body seized up as I came hard, the pleasure exploding through me in waves that seemed to go on forever. Diego’s hand kept stroking me through it, wringing every last drop of pleasure from my body until I was shaking and gasping for breath.
“Fuck, that’s beautiful,” Diego groaned behind me, his rhythm faltering as his own orgasm approached. His grip on my hip tightened, almost painfully so, and I loved it. “Can I... is it okay if I...?”
“Yes,” I panted, still riding the aftershocks of my own release. “Cum for me, Diego.”
He let out a sound that was half-growl, half-moan as his hips slammed against me one final time. I felt him pulse inside me, his whole body going rigid as he came. The way he said my name in that moment of absolute vulnerability sent an unexpected warmth spreading through my chest.
For a long moment, we stayed frozen like that, both of us panting and trembling. The water had cooled considerably, but I barelynoticed. Diego’s weight was heavy against my back, his breath hot on my neck, and I never wanted him to move.
Eventually, though, he eased himself out of me with a gentleness that made my heart ache. I felt strangely empty without him, but before I could dwell on that feeling, he was turning me around, pulling me against his chest in a tight embrace.
“You okay?” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my temple.
I nodded against his shoulder, suddenly too overwhelmed to speak. This wasn’t just sex. This was something else, something more intimate than I’d experienced in a very long time, maybe ever. The realization terrified me.
Diego seemed to sense my unease. He tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Hey, where’d you go just now?”
“Nowhere,” I said quickly, forcing a smile. “Just... that was intense.”
“In a good way, I hope,” he said, searching my face with those dark, perceptive eyes.
“In the best way,” I admitted, and was rewarded with one of his genuine smiles, the kind that made his eyes crinkle at the corners.
“Come on,” he said, stepping out of the tub and offering me his hand. “Let’s hop in the shower and then curl up under a blanket and watch another movie. We’ve still got some leftovers.”
I just smiled, happier than I’d been in years. “Okay,” I nodded. “That sounds amazing.”
Chapter 17
Diego
Iwoke the next morning to a buzz from the bedside table. Making sure not to disturb Hayden, I reached over and grabbed it, the screen nearly blinding me in the early morning darkness.
The temperature was now above fifty degrees, and the roads had cleared. Everything was now open.
I felt a twisting in my stomach. It wasn’t excitement or even happiness that everything was back to normal. It was a sense of dread that this little dream of mine was coming to an end. In the morning we’d have to pack our things and head back to Sagebrush. Despite how well things had gone, I wasn’t sure if our little fantasy was going to survive friends and family. Back in Sagebrush there was responsibility and expectations and people. Here in the hotel, it was just us two, time seemingly frozen until we wanted to return to real life.
But it was over now. I glanced over at Hayden wondering if he’d really leave after New Year like he said. Maybe I could convince him to stay. Then again, what chance did I have of doing that? I was supposed to leave come spring. What was the point of dragging it out longer than we had to?
I sighed, watching Hayden’s chest rise and fall with his steady breathing. His freckles looked softer in the dim light filtering through the curtains, like stars fading at dawn. I wanted to reach out and trace them with my fingertip, but I didn’t want to wake him.
Truth was, I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. I’d spent my whole life drifting from place to place, never putting down roots, never letting myself get attached. It was safer that way. Foster homes had taught me early that getting comfortable anywhere was a mistake. The rug always got pulled out from under you, eventually.
But lying there, watching Hayden sleep, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Maybe ever. Something that scared the hell out of me.
I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could, pulling on my jeans and a t-shirt. I needed to clear my head, get some fresh air. The hotel room suddenly felt too small, too intimate, too filled with possibilities I wasn’t sure I deserved.
I scribbled a quick note on the hotel stationery.
Gone for a drive. Roads are open. Back soon.
—D
