Page 48 of The Way Back


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You.The thought is immediate, but I can’t say it, as much as I want to.The word simply sticks in my throat.Something shifts behind Graeme’s eyes, and I suspect he knows what I’m thinking.His gentle smile tells me it’s okay if I don’t say it.

“I love the way you kiss me.”The words are barely out before he gives me a quick kiss.“And the way you look at me, and the way you make me feel.I love the way you touch me.And Ireallyloved what you did a few minutes ago.”

He laughs softly.He rolled the condom on while I was speaking, and he hovers over me now, his hard length pressing against my lower belly.I wrap my legs around him and lift my hips in invitation.He kisses me again, his tongue sweeping into my mouth this time.I clutch at his back, pulling him closer as the head of his cock nudges my entrance and then inches inside me.

Our bodies begin to move, slowly at first until we find a rhythm.Graeme murmurs in my ear, telling me how good I feel, and how much he loves the sounds I make.The quiet rumble of his voice in my ear sends shivery tingles throughout my body.I spent so many nights hearing that voice in my head while I was alone in bed.It felt illicit and shameful to think that way about my best friend, but I couldn’t help it.The reality is better than any fantasy, though, and not just because there’s no guilt associated with it now.

My greedy hands trail over Graeme’s back and around to his chest.I can’t get enough of touching him and kissing him.I tweak his nipples, and he lets out a growl I feel directly in my centre.His hips jerk, his movements becoming slightly erratic before evening out again as he drives into me with long, hard thrusts.

My fingers dig into his back as the pressure builds inside me once more.I can tell Graeme is close when his pace changes again, the force of his thrusts pinning me to the bed.His hips snap forward suddenly, and I run my hands over every inch of skin I can reach as his body shakes around me.The sounds he makes and the feeling of him buried deep inside me send me over the edge.We cling to each other, both of us gasping for breath.

After we take turns in the bathroom to clean up, we lie together in a daze.I must fall asleep at some point because when awareness returns, there’s an orange glow peeking through the crack in the blinds, telling me the sun is hanging low in the sky.

Graeme kisses my forehead.“We should think about dinner at some point.”

I let out a gusty sigh.“I can’t move.I think I’m going to need three to five business days to recover.”

He chuckles, his eyes shining with unmistakable pleasure.“I like the idea of you not being able to leave my bed.Maybe weshouldjust spend the next few days here.But then we’d miss...”He trails off, his smile wavering.

My stomach sinks.He doesn’t need to finish his thought for me to understand.He was likely going to say we’d miss out on doing other things in what little time we have left together.

Graeme kisses me and sits up, throwing off the sheet.“Why don’t I go make us something, and we can eat in bed?”

“As much as I like that idea, I was hoping we could go to that pub I pointed out yesterday,” I say.“The one you said has amazing fish and chips, and has a live band playing tonight?”

“Of course, whatever you want.”His voice is even, as always, but I don’t miss the hint of disappointment there.

I grip his arm and hold him in place when he moves to get out of bed.I suspect we’re both fighting the same internal battle.“Part of me wants to stay in this bed with you forever, while the other part wants to soak in every bit of this city.I want you to take me on dates, and kiss me in public, and hold my hand.”

Graeme’s face softens.“I want that too, love.I want the world to know you’re mine, even if it’s just for a short time.”

I nod, swallowing past the lump in my throat.“And after we explore the city some more, we can come back here and spend the rest of the night continuing to explore each other.”

“Who needs sleep anyway?”he says with a one-shouldered shrug.

“Exactly.”

He’s kidding, of course, but if I could stay awake twenty-four hours a day until I leave Scotland, I would, just so I wouldn’t miss a single second of this precious time with Graeme.