We lie together, breathing heavily as we recover. His eyes are still closed when I reach over and run my fingers through the cum pooled on his chest. He opens his eyes, looking sex drunk and hot as fuck. I bring my fingers to his mouth. His eyes widen, and he sucks in a breath.
“Open, baby. I want you to taste,” I say, and a moan escapes him as I push my fingers inside. He sucks them greedily before I pull them out and scoop up a little more, bringing my hand to my own mouth this time. I revel in the taste of him, so goddamn sexy. This is the hottest experience of my life already, and we’re just getting started.
CHAPTER 26
SAM
I blink awake slowly, and it takes me a minute to orient myself. Right. I’m in a hotel in Tacoma, and Tyler is nestled in beside me, sleeping like a baby, his head resting on my chest and his arm wrapped tightly around my midsection. Waking up with him pressed up against me like this is one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. I glance over at the old-school alarm clock on the bedside table, and its red analog numbers read 6:07 a.m. Still early. Tyler won’t need to get up to go to the hospital for a few hours, and I want him to get as much sleep as he can. He didn’t tell me much last night, but it doesn’t sound like things are good, and I figure he’s going to need all his strength to deal with whatever’s coming at him.
Last night was the thing I’ve ever experienced. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved sex, and I’ve played a little with bossing people around in bed, but not much, andnothinglike what we did last night. Oh. My. God. I’ve never come so hard in my life. I don’t understand how I knew, but I knew right down to my bones that what Tyler needed last night wasn’t lovemaking. It wasn’t tender and sweet. He wanted to get out of his own head. He wanted to not have to think at all, only to feel. Taking charge of everything, including his pleasure, was a huge turn-on. It was incredible, and seeing how turned on he was only heightened the experience. I’ve never imagined that would be something I’d enjoy, but holy shit, enjoy it I did. A shiver runs down my spine, and my dick is all of a sudden a lot harder than my usual morning wood. I don’t think I’d want sex to be like that every time, but holy fuck, it was so hot I’m surprised the paint didn’t peel right off the walls of the hotel room.
I let my eyes drift closed again, allowing myself to float around in that half-awake, half-asleep state that can be so pleasant when you know you’ve got some time before you need to be out of bed.
Part of me wants nothing more than to just stay in this bed for the entire day, plundering Tyler’s gorgeous body and discovering a whole lot more about what else turns us both on. But he said last night he had to get up early so he could meet the doctor, plus I’m antsy. I slide carefully out of bed and quietly get dressed in the bathroom. I’ll go grab us some coffee and pastries from the Starbucks in the hotel lobby. I’m not sure whether Tyler will want me to go with him to the hospital or not, but I’ll be there for whatever he needs from me.
It only takes a short time to get our stuff from the coffee shop, and I’m hoping he’s still asleep in bed when I get back so I can kiss him awake. But unfortunately, he’s standing in the bathroom, brushing his teeth when I walk in. He’s showered already, as he’s wearing only a towel around his waist and his hair is damp.
“Hey, I was kind of hoping you’d still be sleeping.” I smile at him. “I wanted to give you an unforgettable wake-up call.” He huffs a laugh, and I grin. “But since that didn’t work out, I brought us breakfast.”
“Oh, yeah, thanks,” he says, his mouth full of toothpaste. He doesn’t meet my eyes, just keeps puttering around at the bathroom counter, which is a little strange, but I ignore it and place the bag of scones and muffins on the little table beside the window with our coffees.
“So, what time would you like to head over to the hospital?” I ask when he comes out of the bathroom.
“Um, as soon as possible. I need to catch the doctor, and he could be there early. “
“Okay,” I say. “I don’t want to assume anything, but I was thinking if you didn’t want me to hang out with you at the hospital today, I’ll—”
“Um, yeah, about that, Sam,” he interrupts me, and my stomach clenches. “My brother texted me earlier. He’ll be here this afternoon. I’ll stay at his place while we’re dealing with this stuff, so you can probably head out after you drop me off at the hospital.”
I stare at him for a second, shocked. Is he telling me to get the fuck out? No, that can’t be right. Is he embarrassed about last night or something? But Tyler’s not actually looking at me; he’s turned around, and without taking the towel off, he slides his underwear on underneath it so I can’t see anything while he’s changing. It sounds stupid, but after the last week, and especially after last night… him not wanting me to see his ass while he gets dressed is just… it hurts.
“Ooookaay?” I say, trying hard not to freak out. Have I seriously done it again? Fucking fallen for someone who doesn’t feel the same way? And holy shit, have I fallen for Tyler?Goddamnit.
Tyler lets out a sigh, and he looks as guilty as one of those dogs wearing the signs that say “I ate the shoes.” Suddenly I'm hit with it like a thunderbolt.I'm being a total asshole.I'm trying to make this situation about me, when it has nothing to do with me. Tyler's mother is seriously sick, he doesn’t even know what her prospect for recovery is, and he’s got a brother he isn’t on great terms with to handle.Pull your head out of your ass, Sam. Not everything is about you.
“Sam, I just, I think it might be easier if I just stay with Aaron, and we’re going to have our hands so full with everything…”
I shake my head and hold up my hand. “Tyler, you don’t have to explain. I get it. You’ve got a lot going on. I understand. I don’t want to crowd you, but I want you to know I’ll be here for anything you need.”
The look on his face is unmistakably relieved, still mixed with guilt, but he closes his eyes for a brief second before talking. “Thank you so much. I think I’ll be fine. Aaron should be getting in around lunchtime, but if something weird happens, it won’t be a big deal for me to grab an Uber and head to his house. He said his landlord has the key and I can pick it up from them.”
I nod. “Okay. Whatever you need, I can do, okay?”
He gives me another watery smile before turning back around to finish grabbing the few things he needs to throw into his bag.
Even though there’s a voice inside me screaming at me to hold on tight, to not let him go, to make sure he knows I can be anything, do anything he needs, I manage to beat it back. He told me he needs space. I can give him space. This is probably partly what Jess meant when she said I tried to twist myself into whatever I thought she wanted.
It only takes me a few minutes to grab my own things from around the room, and after a superfast shower, we’re walking across the parking lot to the truck.
When we get to the hospital, there’s a slightly awkward pause when I pull up to the main entrance to drop him off, but I decide to take charge. Hmmm—it seems like taking charge is something I’m rather fond of…
“Okay, Tyler,” I say, and I reach over the console to grab one of his hands, which are cold and clammy from the damp morning air. “Will you let me know how things are going? I’ll try not to hover over you, but—”
“Of course I will,” he interrupts. He looks up at me from underneath his lashes, which sounds like it should look ridiculous, but he pulls it off. I don’t even think he’s trying to look sweet; it’s a natural thing. “As soon as I have a better idea of when I can come back to work, I’ll let you and Mason know, but I’ll keep you posted too.”
“Okay,” I say, and I have to bite my tongue not to add anything else. But this new, more confident version of Sam is going to handle what’s coming, no matter what. It’s going to be alright. “Just let me know if you need anything or if there’s anything any of us can do to support you. I hope you feel like you can lean on us. I mean, anyone at HDH, we’ll all help wherever we can, but especially me.”
Tyler looks a little surprised, like maybe he was preparing himself for a more uncomfortable scene at drop-off. But no way. I’m not going to be that guy who piles on and adds even more stress onto his boyfriend’s plate. Grown-Up Sam has this shit in hand.Adulting FTW.
