“I’m close,” Xavier gasped, his rhythm becoming erratic. “Marcus, I’m?—”
“Do it,” I urged. “I want to feel you cum inside me.”
That pushed him over the edge. He thrust deep one final time, his whole body shuddering as he came with my name on his lips. The feeling of him pulsing inside me, combined with the friction against my cock, sent me spiraling into my own orgasm. I came untouched, spilling onto the sheets beneath me with a guttural moan.
We stayed like that for a long moment, both of us trembling and breathless. Xavier carefully pulled out, and I felt the loss immediately. He disposed of the condom, then collapsed beside me, pulling me into his arms.
“Holy fuck…” I started but couldn’t find the words.
“Told you,” he grinned, pressing a kiss to my temple. “You saw heaven, didn’t you?”
I nodded. “Fuck yeah I did.”
I turned in his arms so I could look at him properly. His hair was a mess, his skin flushed and glistening with sweat, and he’d never looked more beautiful.
“Thank you,” I said quietly after a moment. “For being so gentle. For taking care of me.”
“Always,” he murmured, his fingers tracing patterns on my chest. “I’ll always take care of you, Marcus.”
The words hung in the air between us, heavy with meaning. Three days. That’s all we had left before he had to leave, before this perfect bubble we’d created burst and reality came crashing back in.
But right now, wrapped up in each other with the morning sun streaming through the windows, I let myself believe that maybe, somehow, we could make this work. That maybe I could be brave enough to fight for what I wanted instead of what I thought I should have.
Because what I wanted was lying right here in my arms, and I wasn’t ready to let him go.
Chapter 23
Xavier
It was the middle of the lunch rush when Marcus and I stepped into the diner, the little bell over the door announcing our arrival. A few heads turned toward us, but most went back to their food without a second glance. Dolly looked up from her place behind the bar, waving with a big smile on her face.
“Hi there, boys! Come sit at the bar, everywhere else is full.”
I glanced at Marcus, who gave me a small nod before we made our way through the crowded diner. The smell of fried chicken and coffee hung thick in the air, mixing with the chatter of what seemed like half the town packed into booths and tables. I slid onto a stool at the bar, Marcus settling in beside me close enough that our shoulders touched.
“You boys want the special?” Dolly asked, already pouring two glasses of sweet tea without waiting for an answer. “Got chicken fried steak today with mashed potatoes and gravy.”
“Sounds perfect,” Marcus said, and I nodded in agreement even though my stomach was doing nervous flips that had nothing to do with hunger.
This was the first time we’d been out in public together since everything had happened. Sure, we’d reconciled in private, spent half a day wrapped up in each other, but this felt different. Morereal. More permanent somehow. I didn’t feel like some outsider. I felt like… I belonged, maybe?
I was probably overthinking it.
Dolly set the tea glasses in front of us, her eyes darting between Marcus and me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. “Food’ll be up in about ten minutes, Sherrif” she said, then hesitated. “You boys doing alright?”
“We’re good,” Marcus replied, and his hand found mine under the counter, giving it a quick squeeze that made my heart skip.
“Really good,” I added, unable to stop the smile spreading across my face.
Dolly’s expression softened, and she gave us both a knowing look before bustling off to take care of other customers. I took a sip of my tea, the sweetness almost overwhelming, and watched the activity around us. A couple of ranchers were arguing good-naturedly about cattle prices in one booth. A family with two young kids occupied another, the children coloring on their placemats while the parents looked exhausted but content.
“This okay?” Marcus asked quietly, his thumb rubbing circles on my palm where our hands were still joined beneath the counter. “Being here together?”
I turned to look at him, at those kind green eyes that had seen right through every defense I’d ever built. “More than okay,” I said honestly. “Though I have to admit, I’m a little surprised you’re not freaking out.”
He let out a soft laugh. “Oh, I’m freaking out internally. But I’m trying this new thing where I don’t let fear make all my decisions.”
“How’s that working for you?”
