"Rory." He kisses me softly. "I can't believe I just did that."
"We have just spent the last hour or so kissing."
"I know. But it was my first instinct when I saw sadness in your eyes. It surprised me, that's all."
"You can kiss me as often as you want, for whatever reason you want."
"That's good to know. And yes, if I could stay here—not necessarilyherehere—I would."
17
CALLAN
My eyes open. I can hear soft snoring and feel the warmth of breath against my neck. Am I dreaming? There's a heavy weight over my stomach. I touch it with my hand and find an arm. My breath catches in my throat. I turn my face to see Rory sleeping soundly. We must've fallen asleep together, which means everything that happened yesterday wasn't a dream. I let him drip hot wax over me, and I kissed him—several times. I smile. I'm glad it was real, even though my thoughts still shoot around like a game of ping-pong. I'll figure things out in my own time, and I know Rory will be there to help guide me.
I roll onto my side and stroke his face. We’re fully dressed, and my jeans are uncomfortable because my morning wood is straining against them. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep at least half-hard from all the kissing we'd done. Getting turned on by a man is strange, but it helps that it's Rory.
His snoring stutters, and then he whimpers as his eyes slowly open. "Morning."
My smile becomes wider. "Morning."
I want to kiss him, and I don't repress it. I shuffle closer and peck his lips.
"That was nice," he says.
"I'm sure I've got morning breath."
"So do I." He yawns. "I don't care, do you?"
"No. We can stink together." And I probably do, considering I’ve been wearing these clothes for over twenty-four hours.
He puts light pressure on my back, coaxing me even closer. Then he kisses me. Not a tentative peck but a fierce kiss with tongues and moans. My cock gets harder. My jeans get more uncomfortable. I tug them, trying to relieve the pressure. Blood rises to my cheeks, and I know my skin must be going bright red. I've done so much blushing in the last twenty-four hours I've probably created enough energy to power a house.
"You don't need to be embarrassed." Rory brushes his knuckles over my jaw. "Every guy gets morning wood."
"I know. But I don't normally wake up next to my best mate when my cock is hard."
"Does it bother you?"
"I know it shouldn't. But yeah, it is embarrassing."
"Could you tell me why?"
I shrug. "I'm still getting my head around being turned on by a man." I put my hand on his chest. "And before you say it, I know morning wood has nothing to do with you. But kissing has made it worse."
"Oh, that’s my fault.” He smirks before wiping the expression away. “Do you want to stop? Do you want me to go?"
"No. If we’re going to explore what's happening between us, I need to get over myself. I just need to figure out how to do that.”
"Any ideas?"
I roll onto my back and put my hand under my head. "Could we play a game of let's pretend?"
"I'll do anything if it will help. What are we pretending?" He mirrors my position.
"We’re sixteen.” My chest squeezes tight. "We've woken up from a sleepover. It's the first time we've had morning wood. What do you think we’d do?"
Rory purses his lips. He stares at the ceiling for a while, so I do too.
