Subject: Re: Your visit
All good on my end. New assignment just came up in Greenland. Boarding a plane now. Be in touch soon.
—G
Chapter Forty
Day Six: Expand
The shudder of thunder.
A white lash of lightning.
The solid warmth of George’s chest beneath my cheek.
And the slow, steady beat of our hearts.
A storm rages outside. The elements hurl themselves against the windows. But there’s a stillness within me. My limbs are leaden. My body is impossible to move. Not that I want to go anywhere. I have the sense of settling into myself. I let my eyes close, listening to the familiar sound of George’s breath, and my own falls into the same rhythm.This, I think,is what I’ve chased for so long. Not just shelter from the storm, but a haven.
The next clap of thunder is so tremulous, George’s glasses rattle on the nightstand. But he sleeps on, unshakable. My eyelids fall heavy once more. Lying here with George, his arm curled around me, I feel like a piece of driftwood that’s finally found its way to shore, its rough edges smoothed by the sea.
There were mornings when I wanted Nate to stay in bed with me, to give me exactly this. A body to lay my head upon. Strong arms to hold me. The reassurance of a place to come home to, a person to call my own. But on the rare occasions when he skipped the gym and stayed in bed, Nate was restless by being thrown off his routine. I could tell his mind was elsewhere. Neither of us got what we wanted.
George’s pulse drums in my ear like a poem, and I feel myself drifting back to sleep with one last thought.
Even if Nate had been fully present on those rare mornings, he wouldn’t have been able to give methis.
There’s only one person who’s ever been my haven.
And that person is George.
• • •
A pair ofglimmering sapphires stares at me from across the pillow when I finally wake.
The storm wages a violent campaign outside, and we don’t say a word as we lie facing each other.
George’s hair is a typhoon. I push a wayward curl off his brow. He watches, his gemstone eyes darkening to blackish blue.
An understanding passes between us.
We have nowhere to be. In this weather, there’s nowhere to go. We could stay right here all day. We could dress ourselves in nothing but white sheets and rose petals while the clouds roll over the beach and the waves explode against the point.
It’s our last full day here, and this is the only way I want to spend it.
I shift closer and kiss him once, softly, my gaze never straying from his.
“It’s like a dream,” he whispers.
“It’s better than a dream,” I say. “It’s real.”
I wrap a leg over his thigh, pulling my body to his. He’s already hard. My hand ventures between us.
“Can I touch you?” I ask.
“Fuck,” he says. “Yeah.”
I watch his pupils swell as I run my hand over his thick length. Even through his shorts, I can feel him grow harder under my fingers.
