And of course our bodies.
We still had avenues left to explore on that point, but I was more than happy with the status quo: Gio’s talented mouth was enough for me, and I was in no hurry.
Some things were worth waiting for. The box of condoms sat in a drawer in the bedroom, but I knew we’d get around to using them one day.
A long line of days stretched out into the distance, each one filled with the promise of Gio.
His hand found mine, our fingers playing lazily with each other as if we had all the time in the world.
“I like this,” Gio admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, as if he were confessing something fragile.
I tightened his grip, pressing my thumb against Gio’s palm in slow circles. “Me too.” The silence that followed was comforting.
My phone buzzed, and for a moment I was tempted to ignore it.
No onegot to intrude on this precious time.
When it buzzed again, I relented and peered at the screen. I smiled. “Claudia says hi.”
“And what else does Claudia say?”
“She’s checking in on me, making sure I’m okay.” Her exact words wereDo I take it this radio silence means you’re busy doing wicked, wicked things? I’m jealous.
He put his book on the arm of the couch. “Do I get to see where you live?”
I closed my book. “That was random.” I gazed up at him. “If you want. I’m hardly there these days. It isn’t a home—it’s a space to store clothing, possessions, a place to sleep…” I smiled. “Except now I sleep here.” I managed a shrug. “I could take you there, but it wouldn’t show you anything about me that you don’t already know.”
His teasing smile made me tingle with the need to touch him, made me ache to be touched. “So does that mean I know everything?”
I could hear Franz’s voice in my head.
“If you don’t tell Gio the truth—and I understand why that might not be top of your list right now—then how will he get the chance to know the real you?
I’d said I’d tell him, but I wasn’t ready to put a date on that declaration.
You gave him your mother’s family name. Don’t forget that.
“We all have our secrets, right? A little mystery is no bad thing.”
Gio caressed my cheek. “There’s one mystery I’d like to solve.”
My heart lurched. “Oh?”
He moved his hand lower, until it was on my chest, his fingers searching under the neckline of my tee. “You told me once you hadn’t had a lot of experience with men. How much experience are we talking about?”
He slid his hand beneath the fabric, and I caught my breath when his fingers found taut flesh. I shivered. “That… that turns me on.”
“Good to know.” His eyes gleamed. “I also know you have an oral fixation, shall we say, but what else do you like?”
I blurted it out in a heartbeat. “Fingers.” My experience was limited, but enough that I’d known from the first I could easily become addicted.
His slow exhale told me I wasn’t the only one.
“Then why don’t we take this to the bedroom and… explore our options?”
A moment later, we lay on the bed in nothing but our underwear, and I lost myself in his kisses. We fell into an easy rhythm of small touches and unhurried movements, exploring each other as though we had all the time in the world. The tiniest things fascinated me: the way Gio held his breath when I brushed my knuckles over his ribs; the way he leaned into my touch; how his skin warmed as I worshipped it; and the way his shoulders relaxed when I traced every line of him with my fingertips.
“Tell me something no one else knows about you,” he murmured.