My eyes prickled, but I was all out of tears for one night.
Benny alternated between feeding himself and feeding me, until the bowl was empty. He put it to the side.
Warm hands trailed up my thighs as he leaned forward, his eyes flicking from mine to my lips. Closer. Until they almost connected, and he waited there for me.
You can’t have him.
My father’s voice in my mind.
ButI want him.
I need him.
He’s mine.
My lips connected with his in a kiss that was slow and gentle. It tasted like comfort. Like home.
Then he picked me up and moved me next to the sink, so he could be only inches away from me as he did the dishes.
Maybe I wasn’t allowed to have him, but this was bigger than me. It was bigger than my father and his rules. It was bigger than the consequences.
Because as I watched him do something so ordinary as washing the dishes while he hummed, I knew in my core that I wanted the chance to experience this every day for the rest of my life.
I wanted to be able to sit beside him and absorb his warmth. His color. His music. I wanted to keep him more than I’d ever wanted anything.
You can’t have him.Maybe. But I knew now that I was going to anyway.
When the dishes were clean, he was lifting me again, carrying me down the hallway until he found my bedroom.
He laid me on the bed, unbuttoned my shirt and pants, and removed them with gentle hands until I was in only my boxers. Then he did the same for himself.
His skin was so warm. So perfect. It both burned and healed me as he lay beside me, then pulled me over him so my face was resting on the beating pillow of his chest. He pulled the yellow blanket over us both, and he kissed the top of my head.
I was so tired.
His fingers traced patterns over my back and sides, the lullaby of his heart a hypnotic rhythm that pulled me into a warm darkness where, for the first time, I wasn’t alone.
I didn’t need to stare at the lights on my ceiling for hours, waiting for exhaustion to accept or deny me, because this time, sleep gently pulled me under within minutes.
twenty-seven
Harper
I HAVE YOU.
Warmth surrounded me.
Vanilla, sandalwood, and something else warm and comforting filled my senses, making me heat from the inside. Sparks lit up my core as I pressed further into it.
My mind was unwilling to be roused from sleep, unlike my body. My hips rolled into the warmth. Friction through fabric. More. I hummed. It felt good. Smelled good. Comfort. Warmth. More.
The moment the sleep fog released me, my heart seized in my chest, a cold wave of humiliation washing over me as I realized why I was warm, what I was smelling, and most importantly, what I was currently grinding my hard dick against. The answer to all of those things… Benny.
My eyes opened, my head snapped up to look at him.
Thankfully, he was still asleep. He was also well lit. I hadn’t woken up with the sky already being this bright in… well, ever. It must have been mid-morning by now, which meant I was late for work.
Despite that, I allowed myself a moment to just take in Benny’s peaceful features. Would this be the only time he ever slept in my bed? If it wasn’t, then how many more times would I get to have this?
