Page 105 of In Step

A tear grazed my cheek but I still couldn’t move. “You don’t have to apologise. We both decided to do this. I needed time as well. Time to make a start on something for me. But FYI, I’d never ask you to give up your work.”

He nodded. “I know.” He made to move but I lifted a hand to stay him.

“But I also can’t be just another man in one of your ports, Abe. I can’t be someone you hook up with when you’re back home. I love you and I won’t do that to myself. I deserve more.” I shot him a half-smile. “Someone I respect once taught me that.”

His mouth curved up in a slow smile. “Sounds like a cool guy.”

I grinned. “He is.”

Abe sighed. “I want that as well. I mean,more.I want more. I don’t want anyone else.” He bit his lip. “I want everything with you.”

“Everything?”My heart beat against my ribs, so loud I was sure he had to hear it.

He shot me a sheepish look. “Everything. To be honest, I’m not sure what my future career will look like. The balls are up in the air, but I thought maybe we could plan that together.” He eyeballed me. “I turned both Berlin contracts down.”

“What?” I gaped.

He shrugged. “I’m not throwing it all in, and I’ll still need to travel for work, but I’ve spent the last two weeks working out a budget and making enquiries. I can maybe keep the long international trips to just two or three a year, especially if I can pick up some regional work in Australia and New Zealand.”

What the hell?My head was still playing catch-up.

Meanwhile, Abe just kept talking. “And I thought maybe you could visit with me on a couple of those longer trips—get that passport finally stamped.” He gave a lopsided grin. “I contacted the Royal New Zealand Ballet and they’re interested in working with me. They even hinted at a semi-permanent position, but I’m not ready for that yet. Besides, that’s something you and I would need to talk about.”

“You andme?” I’m pretty sure I squeaked.

“New York and Boston have each booked me for a three-week stint next year, and along with a couple of other projects, I’ve enough to keep me going while we tweak things and see how it looks financially.”

I shook my head, scarcely able to believe what I was hearing. Abe had really thought about this. “You’ve done all this for me?”

A smile split his face. “Of course I did it for you. For us. I want you, Kane. I wantus. And I want to come home. To you, to this ridiculously tiny town, and to my family down south. But I need to know if you can live with what I’ve said, with me still coming and going for a few years yet. I’ll be done with it eventually. I can feel the day coming, maybe even sooner than I expect.”

I didn’t need to think. “I have zero problem with that. I want you to do what you love, what you’re good at. I’m fine with all of it as long as what you and I have is home base and that we agree on how often and for how long. I don’t need to live in your pocket, Abe, or you in mine. I just need to have enough of you. So yes, it’s definitely something I can live with.”

“Thank God.” He blew out a breath. “Because I’m gonna die if I don’t touch you in the next five seconds.” And this time his steps toward me were full of purpose.

I finally got my own damn legs moving as well and leaped into his open arms, our mouths colliding in awkward, frantic need. He crushed me to his chest, angling his head to take the kiss as deep as it would go, and heat washed through me as the taste of him exploded in my mouth.

Oh god, he was back. Here. With me.

And like he couldn’t get enough of me either, Abe leaned in for more, tipping me backward. I smiled against his lips and then gasped as I tripped on the leg of the chair and fell, taking him with me, our combined weight collapsing the flimsy thing and sending us both to the deck in a sea of arms and legs, pained cries and laughter.

“Oh my god.” I laughed and kicked at the broken chair, my feet catching in the webbing and needing Abe to free me.

He lobbed the whole thing over the railing to crash on the lawn below and then stretched out over top of me, his legs slotting between mine in a perfect fit, like he’d never been gone.

I threaded my fingers through his hair, which had grown a few centimetres since I’d last seen him. “I’ve missed you so much.”

He cradled my face. “I’ve missed you too. I can’t believe I can finally do this.” He pressed his mouth to mine, the kiss more leisurely this time, his tongue sliding alongside mine and sending a bolt of heat to my balls. “And this.” He kissed each eyelid. “And this.” He kissed my nose and chin. “And especially this.” He ran his nose up and down the side of my face, breathing deep, before burying his face into the side of my neck.

“You smell so fucking good. How can anybody smell this good?” He lifted his head and kissed me again. His thick, hard cock pushed right up against mine as his hand found my chest and a growl rumbled in his throat. “You’re practically naked.” He pressed a line of kisses down my neck as his hand lifted my thigh so he could get the head of his cock under my balls.

“And you’re practically fucking me.” I groaned as he pushed his dick up against my taint. “Which, by the way, is nowhere near good enough.” I tugged at his shirt. “And you have way too many clothes on.” He lifted up and I hauled his Henley over his head and chucked it who the hell knew where, as long as I got my hands on all that hot skin. “Much better.”

“This is ridiculous. There’s a bed just inside.” Abe tugged the string on my board shorts, undoing the bow and shoving them down just far enough for my dick to spring free, aching and heavy and ready to go. “God, that’s a beautiful sight.” He licked his lips and wrapped his hand around it, but I shoved him aside, popping the button on his trousers and scrambling to get them down his thighs before I fucking unloaded all over the deck without him even touching me.

“So ridiculous,” I grunted, pulling at the waistband caught on his hip. “And so fucking hot. For fuck’s sake, who made these things?” I yanked and pulled and finally got his trousers down.

“Oh,fuck.” He groaned as the dark flared head of his cock sprang free, trailing pre-come up my thigh. “Jesus, someone might see.” He drove his cockhead into my groin, his eyes rolling back in his head.

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