“Bof—boft?”
We were lying on the couch, him between my legs. I leaned over him to look at the word he was pointing at.
“Bought. Theghis silent here.”
“Oh. Right.Bought,” he repeated. “So if there was not, it would be boff?”
I laughed and kissed his head. “Actually, it would be ‘bow’, but some words with theghending sound like effs. I’ll make a list for you.”
He nodded. “Got it.”
It was so fucking adorable how seriously he took this, and I was so proud of him for everything he’d achieved so far. He’d obviously been denied any kind of educational opportunity and was eager to soak up every last bit of knowledge he could.
I once made the mistake of asking him if he’d never had anyone to teach him anything before, and the sadness in his eyes made me instantly regret my question.
But then, as if he needed to get it off his chest so he could move on, he told me about his life before this, all these awful little details that made it feel like a knife was twisting in my gut.
How terrified had he been every single day? And when the rains came, how lonely must he have been, wondering if that was it? If he’d finally succumb to the virus?
I would never let him go through anything by himself again. He had me now, and he’d always have me.
When he was done, I squeezed him tight and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Bowen.”
“It’s okay. I don’t care anymore.”
How could he not care? “Why not?”
“Because…then I never would’ve found you. And I think that would be the worst thing of all.”
I couldn’t breathe, and it felt like I’d been cleaved in two. I couldn’t speak, either, because all I could think about was what if he’d never found me? What if he hadn’t escaped? What if he’descaped but traveled endlessly, or encountered bad people, or a horde of infected? Anything could’ve happened, and somehow, he’d found his wayhere.To me.
“Yeah,” I finally managed to say while he stroked light fingers down my arm. He slid his hand over mine, slipping his fingers between my own and squeezing. I squeezed back and kissed his head. “I’m really glad you found me, Bow. I’ll always be right here.”
“Promise?”
I huffed out a laugh. “I promise.”
He hummed in contentment, happy to be in my arms.
It happened a few days later,in the middle of the night. I hadn’t been able to sleep, was reading on the couch while Bowen snored quietly on my chest. But then his breathing became heavier, his face flushed a deep red, and he began to sweat. When I felt his hard length prodding my stomach, and he started grinding into me, making little agonized growling sounds, I put my book down.
Shit.
Was the rain coming?
“Okay. Come here, let’s go to the bedroom.”
He choked out a sob as I scooped him up and started carrying him down the hall. He wound his limbs around me and shoved his face into my throat, his breaths coming in painful hitches as he started rolling his hips against me. I ran my hand down his back and murmured, “It’s okay. It’ll be okay, we’re gonna make you feel better. You’re alright, baby.”
He was trembling in my arms, and when we got to the room, I shut the door behind us, then strode to the bed and carefully laid him down.
He didn’t want to let go of me, but I gently urged him to so I could take his clothes off. As soon as I got his pants off and went to get his shirt, he drew his legs up and grabbed his hard cock with one hand, pushing the fingers of the other down behind his balls to?—
“No,” I rushed out, grabbing his wrist as he growled at me in frustration. He let go of his cock and snatched the covers in a tight fist while I held his hand away, his eyes practically glowing with anger. Then he let go of the covers and tried to penetrate himself with his other hand.
Fuck.
I needed to get the oil.
