Page 59 of Saving You

It wasn’t a hard ask. He tossed the oil bottle to the end of the bed, then crawled beside Oz and curled around him. Oz clung like he needed Ridge to keep him afloat, and he silently vowed that whenever this man needed him—however he needed him—he would be there.

No matter what.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

OZ

For a chronic people pleaser,Oz wasn’t the best caregiver. He wondered if those things normally went hand in hand and he was just shit at life or if he was like everyone else. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

But with Ridge, it was the first time he really wanted to try with someone. He woke from his sex-induced half coma what felt like hours later, though the clock only read half past eleven. Ridge was still holding him too, reading something on his phone.

Oz took long, indulgent moments to enjoy the feeling of Ridge’s broad chest against his own. He breathed him in, and when Ridge twitched, letting him know he was aware Oz was awake now, he rubbed his face against his hairy chest.

He felt the rumble of the man’s laughter, and eventually, he pulled back. ‘Hi.’

‘Hi,’ Ridge signed back.

Oz felt soft all over. He still hadn’t processed what had happened or how that orgasm had made him feel. All he knew was that he felt tired and more comfortable than he had ever been in his entire life. And he had the sudden urge to reach upand touch the stubble on Ridge’s cheeks and feel how rough it was against the pads of his fingers.

Fuck it, he thought.Why not. The man had been practically wrist-deep inside him. What was a little jaw stroking after that?

Ridge closed his eyes at the first touch, and Oz felt the rumble in his chest. A moan? He pressed two fingers against Ridge’s throat and met his gaze. He felt another rumble against his hands, and then Ridge laughed.

‘You’re so gorgeous.’ He said it aloud. Oz could feel his voice, and he could read it off his lips too. And as much as he liked to disparage his lipreading skills, he knew he hadn’t gotten that one wrong.

Ridge was looking at him like he was someone important, something precious, something to be treasured. Not like a man he was fucking for fun. His heart skipped a few beats as he pushed up off Ridge’s chest. It was too much to process right then.

‘Did you sleep?’ he asked, shying away from his own thoughts.

Ridge seized his right hand and kissed his palm like he’d done before. Oz shuddered as warmth raced up his arm.

‘No,’ Ridge signed. ‘I was planning to be up all night, so I’m trying not to mess with my schedule. But if you want to go back to sleep, I can put my phone away so it doesn’t disturb you.’

Oz shook his head, then held up his finger and twisted his body so he could climb off the bed. His limbs ached in the best way. His back was like warm butter from the way Ridge had worked him over, and even his ass—which was a little tender—didn’t hurt the way he thought it would.

He glanced behind him as he headed to the bathroom, then shut the door and let out a soft breath. He did everything in his power not to make a sound as he flipped open the toilet lid andhad a piss. He didn’t want Ridge to think he was freaking out—even though he was. A little.

He hadn’t doubted he was going to enjoy that with a man. He’d played a little with himself more than once while watching porn, and he knew he liked it. He’d never been brave enough to put anything in his ass, but he’d stroked his prostate from behind his balls, and that had gotten him to come harder than being inside someone.

So he wasn’t shocked at all that Ridge had all but given him a glimpse of God with his fingers.

He wanted more. Not now—not tonight. He was too overwhelmed with everything to take another round like that. But he was feeling more than reluctant to give all this up. And more than that, he was coming to terms with the fact he was falling for Ridge. There was no saving him from that fate now.

He knew he needed to tell him. Keeping him in the dark wasn’t fair. He just wanted a little more time before his words scared the man off.

Washing his hands, he splashed water on his face, then dried off and headed back for the bed. Sweeping past the nightstand, he grabbed his processors. For the first time in a long, long time, he was in the mood to hear.

He liked the sound of Ridge’s soft rumble. It was gentler on him than a lot of sounds. The way Ridge spoke gave Oz an understanding of why some hearing people liked to fall asleep to ASMR.

‘You don’t have to,’ Ridge said, tapping his arm.

Oz smiled and shook his head. ‘I know. I feel like it.’

Ridge didn’t attempt to stop him. He also didn’t look grateful, which Oz appreciated. He simply nodded and shifted himself over to make more room for Oz to sit. It was…nice. No, it was more than nice. He loved being praised, but there wassomething about Ridge not giving him those words for choosing to put his processors on that made all the difference.

Even though they weren’t together, Ridge took him exactly as he was—exactly how Oz chose to be.

No one had ever done that for him before.

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