Page 76 of The Geography of Happiness

“Mm-hmm.”

Hardly encouraging but I pressed my case. “So maybe this thing between us doesn’t have to end when you leave. Maybe we could do this again. I could come visit... or something.”Visit... or something?Because I did all the time with my hookups, right?

But Terry wasn’t just another hookup, not even the extended director’s cut version—cue a second disquieting admission. But exactly what he meant in my life was still up for debate. I settled on a friend, at the very least, mostly because I was too much of a coward to delve deeper, and friend felt... safe. Friends with benefits sounded even better.

Or not.

Because Terry was staring back at me like my suggestion dismayed—no,disappointedhim. But also like it was the mostoutrageous thing he’d ever heard, all of which told me a lot and none of it promising.

I should’ve kept my big mouth shut.

“No,” he said, his gaze hard and uncompromising. “I don’t think that would be the smart thing to do at all. I’m not that guy, Spencer, something I thought you already knew. Tonight was—” And he actually smiled. “—amazing, but it wasn’t the start of more of the same. I can’t live like that.”

“But it wouldn’t be like a hookup, right?” I floundered. “We know each other and we like each other. We’re... friends. It wouldn’t be hollow.”

Terry closed his eyes, and I could almost hear him counting in his head. Finally, he opened them again. “Wearefriends, Spencer. Or at least we’re heading that way, which is another reason I won’t do what you’re suggesting. I know myself well enough to realise I would start to want more. Hell, I’m even doing it now. Stupid daydreams. And when that day came, I wouldn’t want to share you. The idea of you seeing other people would kill me. And then I’d lose you as a friend as well.”

I wanted to argue that he was wrong but we both knew there were no guarantees. Plus, he was right. The reality of Adelaide and Painted Bay wasn’t just going to disappear because we wanted it to. It was a geographical shitshow of bad timing.

“So—” Terry got up on one elbow and stroked my face, regret swimming in his eyes. “—my suggestion is that we do nothing after today, except be friends. I think that’s really what we both need from each other, at least right now.”

He couldn’t have been clearer than that, and the truth was, I should’ve been happy. It was the safer option. The easy one. It didn’t derail either of our plans and it offered time and maybe even an open door. Maybe. So why did my heart sink at the very idea?

Terry frowned at my silence and reached for my hands. “Hey, don’t get me wrong, Spencer. I’m flattered beyond belief that you’d want something more between us, but the reality is that I live a quiet, boring life and I like it that way. Whereas you’re fancy-free, brave, and looking for adventure and challenge like moving to Adelaide. But that lifestyle isn’t me. I would tie you down and we both know how much you hate that.”

I bit my tongue, wanting to tell him he was wrong about that as well. Terry was already living a hugely challenging life that required enormous bravery, but I doubted he’d hear it just then.

When he dropped down to press a lingering kiss to my mouth, the scent of our sex on his lips was like a rush to the head, and my body reacted like he’d already imprinted on my heart. And when he went to pull away, my hand rode the hot flesh of his back to return him where he belonged, his mouth on mine for a second round, and he opened for me like it was second nature.

When he finally pulled away, he remained on one elbow, staring down at me, his fingers playing with the hair on my chest. “You know I’m right.” He breathed the words softly. “I’m leaving tomorrow or the next day. I have a daughter to finish raising and a life I’ve built in Painted Bay—friends, family, a business to run.Youhave an exciting opportunity waiting in Adelaide, adventures to have and a career to build. You won’t evenbein the country tocome visit. We’re much better suited as friends.”

And he was right, of course. The whole notionwascrazy but knowing that didn’t make a scrap of difference to my heart, which was far more confused than it had any right to be.

I cradled his face and drew him down for a deeper, more punishing kiss. And as our tongues tangled and the arousal grew, Terry crawled on top of me, his dick waking mine, our naked bodies humming with pleasure as the friction amped up.

Well, looky there. I turned away from the kiss to grab the lube and then rolled us both onto our sides. His eyes widened in question and I smiled and waggled my brows. “Pay close attention and behold one of the perks of man-on-man love.”

The second I wrapped my hand around both our dicks and started to stroke, Terry’s lips were on mine, and I swallowed every soft rumble and groan of need that he dropped into my open mouth. When his thigh lifted over mine and his hips thrust forward, I picked up the pace.

“Fuuuuck, that’s good.” Terry pulled off and buried his face in my shoulder. I did the same with him, the two of us grunting and thrusting toward the edge.

Then his cock swelled in my hand and he came with a whimpering cry, the feel of his hot spill leaking through my fingers kicking my own orgasm over the line.

We rocked and shuddered in each other’s arms until we were done, then he pulled away and kissed me on the nose, and again, and once more until I finally opened my eyes.

“Well, damn,” he purred like a satisfied kitten. “That was sure... something all right.”

“Told you.” I lifted my sticky hands to take a long lick from one of the fingers.

His eyes locked on my mouth as he grabbed another of my fingers and did the same, adding a slow stripe of his tongue up my palm just for good measure.

I grinned like a fool, then grabbed the blanket to finish cleaning us up before pulling him back into my arms. He settled against me and we stared at each other for the longest time.

It was me who broke the silence. “Okay, so I don’t know how much I truly believe in what you were saying about us being much better as friends, or even how much you believe in it yourself, but I agree that it’s maybe the best we can manage... for now.”

I felt the second Terry relaxed, which strangely made me sad.

“But what I do believe,” I continued, “is that thereissomething here, something between us that’s maybe worth working on, and I don’t want to say never.”

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