His head snaps up, hazel eyes wide with surprise. “Hell no!” he exclaims, a little too loudly. “Last night was…” He trails off, and to my surprise, a faint blush creeps across his cheeks. “Last night was wonderful.”
Relief washes over me like a tidal wave, and I can’t help but grin. My heart is racing for a whole different reason now. It’s the best news I’ve heard in a very long time. Without thinking, I reach out and place my hand over his.
“So, are we officially dating?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
For a moment, Ned just stares at me, his eyes searching mine. Then, slowly, a smile spreads across his face, and it’s like watching the sun break through a clouded sky. His eyes light up, and he nods.
“I guess so,” he says, his voice warm and full of promise.
The moment hangs between us, charged with an electric energy. My body moves towards his without me even thinking about it. It’s like gravity, a force pulling me in, impossible to resist. I gently cup his cheek. I lean in, closing the distance between us as slowly as I can, giving him every chance to pull away or say no if he wants to.
But he does neither. He stays right there, his eyes locked on mine, and when our lips finally touch, it’s like fireworks going off inside me. My whole body ignites, every nerve ending alight with a kind of joy I haven’t felt in years. It’s more than just a kiss. It’s a connection, a promise, a beginning.
Eventually, I pull back, my heart racing. The kids are right next door, and I can’t let myself get too carried away. But I don’t go far, pausing with our noses almost touching. I stare into his eyes, and for the first time, I let myself believe that this might really be happening. That I might get to have this. This happiness, this love, for the second time in my life.
“So,” I ask, my voice soft, “what’s really bothering you?”
Ned’s smile falters, and for a moment, a shadow passes over his face. He drops his gaze, and I see the sadness there.
“Just some…heavy stuff with one of the boys,” he says quietly.
One of the people he was imprisoned with. My heart aches for him, for all of them. They’ve been throughso much already, more than anyone should ever have to endure. It’s not fair that life keeps throwing more at them.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I ask.
The startled look on Ned’s face, along with the whiplash way he looks up at me, hurts for a moment. Then I realize that having any faith in humanity after what he has endured, is a miracle. It’s nothing personal. He is not surprised that I’m nice. He is shocked that anyone is.
I watch a whole range of emotions flow over his face. Then he shakes his head. It is not a surprise since I don’t know his friends and I have no special skills. It still sucks to be useless.
Life can be heavy sometimes. But it’s moments like this, sitting here with Ned, that remind me how beautiful it can be too.
Perhaps a bit of humor to lighten the mood? That could be my contribution.
“Heavy shit?” I say with a teasing grin. “Isn’t that what hippies said in the sixties?”
Ned looks aghast for a moment. “I…watch a lot of old shows.”
I chuckle and squeeze his hand. “And I’m an old fart who doesn’t speak like a young person either.”
Ned’s expression turns soft. “Forties isn’t old.”
My eyebrow lifts. There is something very sincere in Ned’s eyes. He truly believes what he is saying, and he is not simply trying to humor me. I’ve caught myself a stunning young man who genuinely doesn’t think I’m old. How did I get so lucky?
I shake my head in fond bewilderment. “I don’t deserve you.”
Ned’s grin is electric. “Well, you can try to make yourself worthy later.”
My heart swoops. My stomach twists. My cock stirs. Every part of me speaks in full agreement.
“Hell yeah!”
Chapter fifteen
Morgan
This was an excellent, if rather impulsive, idea. Ned deserves to be dated properly. Wined and dined. And not just pawed at on the sofa the minute the kids are asleep.
I’m so glad I managed to persuade him. Now I’m walking out of the cinema with him. The city lights are bright and there is a bite to the October air. It feels terribly romantic.
