I remember every word he spoke, the feel of his powerful arms holding me tight, his musky scent, the rush of warmth as he spilled inside me, claiming me in that moment as his.
I’m so hard. Achingly so. But that’s not what’s undoing me. It’s our connection—the impossible, electric tether between us. That’s what’s twisting me up, making it hard to breathe. I ache with want, but it’s more than just wanting sex. I wanthim. I want all of him so badly.
And he’s right here, about to walk through that door at any moment. But he feels miles away. I don’t know if I’m brave enough to tell him how I feel. If I’m strong enough to take the risk. What if he doesn’t feel the same? But what if he does?
Fuck. This is going to be averylong five days.
Chapter 19
Aiden
Once we settled into the hotel room, I was about to lose it, so I did the only thing I could think of and went for a workout. The hotel gym, if you can even call it that, has an old treadmill, a creaky adjustable bench, and a sad rack of worn-out free weights. It’s not ideal, but running feels like the safest bet for burning off the tension coursing through my veins.
I’ve been half-hard since Jay arrived in New York two days ago, and if I don’t do something soon, I’m heading for a severe case of blue balls by the end of this trip.
Sliding in my earbuds, I run hard, powering through ten songs on my workout playlist. Sweat streams down my back, and my legs feel like they’re on fire. When I finally hit the stop button and wipe down the machine, my heart is pounding, but the physical effort has done little to calm my nerves.
Jay’s been giving me these soft, lingering looks all day, and I don’t know how to handle it. I keep telling myself I’m waiting for him to make the first move, that I need to be sure he’s ready. But the truth is, I’m running out of patience, fast.
The fantasies I’ve been having, fueled by rewatching our video more times than I’d like to admit, are on an endless loop. Andlet’s just say, my right hand has been working overtime. It’s getting ridiculous.
When I return, the lights are off except for the warm glow of the lamp between the beds. Jay’s curled up across the room, buried under the covers, engrossed in whatever he’s looking at on his phone.
“Hey,” I say softly, “I’m gonna hop in the shower.”
He startles as he looks up, dropping his phone face down on the mattress. For a second, a flicker of heat crosses his face before he quickly looks away and shifts under the blankets.
My brain jumps to conclusions. Maybe I interrupted something. Maybe he was watching porn. And now, all I can think about is him, flushed and hard beneath the sheets.
“Sounds good,” he mumbles, not meeting my eyes. “I was just about to crash. I’m pretty tired.”
“I’ll be quiet when I come back in,” I reply, backing into the bathroom.
I crank on the hot water, letting it flow down my back, trying to ease the ache in my muscles. But I’m too keyed up, and my cock is hard as a rock. Knowing Jay is right on the other side of the door makes it a hell of a lot worse. Jerking off in the shower seems unwise, but I won’t get any sleep if I don’t find some relief.
Taking myself in hand, I fist my dick and give it firm, hard strokes. Images I’ve watched a hundred times flash behind my eyes—Jay stretched out beneath me, my cock penetrating him over and over again, the feel of his cum soaking us at the pleasure I gave him. It’s all I need before I’m spilling across the tile, biting down on my fist to stifle the moans. It’s just enough to take the edge off.
When I come out of the bathroom, I pause in the doorway and listen. It sounds like Jay’s asleep, so I quietly crawl into bed and reach over to turn off the lamp.
A soft glow from the parking lot seeps in through a gap in the curtains, casting faint shadows across the room. At the foot of the bed, Maisy stretches, then climbs up and curls into my side. Daisy briefly lifts her head, then flops back down with a sigh, already out cold.
I lie there, my eyes fixed on the ceiling, while Jay’s presence, just a few feet away, settles over me; the steady rhythm of his breathing and the occasional soft snore echo through the room.
He’s told me the nightmares he had early on are gone, but I still listen for any signs of distress. If he wakes up shaken, I want to be ready to help him. Eventually, sleep finally drags me under, but it’s restless and shallow.
The alarm blares early, jolting both of us awake. We devour a hotel breakfast, then pack up our stuff, including my two finicky cats, who protest every movement as if they’re being personally wronged.
Intending to reach somewhere in Iowa by nightfall, we settle in the van just as the sky lightens. Jay takes the wheel, steering us onto the highway, with the sun rising behind us, casting long shadows across the pavement.
He’s been quiet all morning, so I decide to break the silence the only way I know how.
“Hey,” I say, glancing over at him, “where does Princess Leia shop for Father’s Day?”
He gives me an amused smirk. “Oh no, please don’t tell me we’re starting the day with a stupid joke?”
“Why not? It’s the best way to start the day! Where does she shop?” I tease him.
He sighs dramatically. “I have no idea, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” he says, laughing. That’s exactly what I was hoping for.
