Page 102 of Winging It with You

“And I meant it when I said let’s not,” I say, matching his movement, which causes the wooden dock to creak beneath my foot.

“Asher, I can’t,” he whispers. My fingers flex at my sides, itching to touch him. He’s close enough now that I could just reach out if I thought he wanted me to.

“You never have to again.” His amber eyes pour into mine—eyes I know in my soul I could get lost in for the rest of my life—and every nerve ending screams for him to hold me in his arms.

And he does.

Theo reaches forward, slowly at first and then like his life depends on it. He pulls me flat against his chest. I wrap myarms around his waist, finally inhaling the most comforting scent ofhimafter all this unnecessary time apart.

Neither of us has to say anything else.

If traveling the world together has taught me anything, it’s that the feeling ofhomedoesn’t always have to be a place.

Melting into Theo, I know without any reservation or nagging uncertainty that if you’re lucky, home can be a person.

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After what felt like thedeepest sleep of my life, I sneak out of Theo’s childhood bedroom, careful not to wake him, to brush my teeth and smooth out my bedhead. A futile attempt, considering the faux-hawk that seems permanently affixed to my head at this point when I glance in the small bathroom mirror before tiptoeing back to the bedroom.

Our reunion last night went differently than I expected. A little cooler than I had hoped, but we got there eventually. We then quietly got ready for the night, sleeping in his full-size bed, and even though we slept strictly side by side, just being in the same space as Theo felt like a dream.

I finally felt hopeful again.

Theo stirs, his eyes slowly opening as he turns in my direction. I want to kiss every inch of his handsome face. But instead, I roll on my side to face him.

I use the silence between us to memorize the freckles that have grown more prominent on the bridge of his nose and along his cheeks. There’s so much I want to make sure he knows. And so many things I promised myself I’d tell him if given the opportunity.

“Hi” is all I can muster.

He blinks a few times, his eyelids heavy and reluctant, and he nuzzles deeper into his pillow. “Hi back.”

“I’ve missed you,” I blurt out at the same time he asks, “How’d you sleep?”

We both laugh, now cocooned together in the cozy bedding, the glow of the early-morning light coming in through the small window above us. Theo reaches over to pull me closer to him.

“I bet I missed you more,” he says, placing a gentle kiss square on my forehead. “Don’t move,” he mumbles against my skin. I wouldn’t dream of it. He quickly hops out of bed, so I crane my neck before he gets too far down the hall to the bathroom for a nice view of Theo in nothing but a pair of black trunks. His wide, muscular back is on full display.

The house is quiet, peaceful. Theo’s family was incredibly welcoming last night, calming every nerve I had about barreling my way into town and forcing myself on them.

His room is somehow exactly as I pictured it. Neat and orderly yet still filled with moments of another life lived. There’s a row of Hardy Boys books centered on a wooden bookshelf, a small corkboard across the room that holds a string of Polaroid pictures, and a simple metallic desk lamp on the nightstand. I pick up the framed photo next to it, revealing a much younger Theo and a group of people who I’m assuming are his high school friends. I see he’s had that same signature grin in every phase of his life.

“I’m surprised you’re not rummaging through my drawers, Bennett,” Theo teases from the doorway, looking even more delicious than when he left. His sudden reappearance makes me jump in the bed.

“That wasonetime,” I say, returning the frame back to its place. “And sneaking a peek into one’sopentoiletry bag in a shared bathroom is hardly the same as snooping through their childhood belongings.”

“Mm-hmm, sure it is,” he says with a wink. Theo closes the space between his now-shut door and the bed and rips back the warm covers, sliding in next to me. “Hi again,” he says, lying on his side to face me, a smile brewing beneath his dark stubble.

Instead of letting me respond, Theo crashes his lips into mine. I melt against his touch, wrapping my arms around his neck and looping my fingers into his wild hair, and pull him even closer to me. There’s an urgency to the way he’s kissing me. Like he has been a man starved and my lips are the only things keeping him going.

He rolls me onto my back and presses the full weight of his broad body against mine. My legs naturally wrap around his waist, an invitation to make me his whenever and however he wants.

I hate how much time we wasted in those hotel roomsnotdoing this every chance we got.

“Mmm, baby, I’ve missed you,” I groan against his lips, feeling his smile against mine. “I don’t think you realize how badly I missed you.” I run my hands down his muscular back as his hungry lips claim mine again, my fingers continuing to trail along his side. I marvel at how hot his skin is beneath my touch. He presses his forehead to mine when I reach between us, cupping him in both hands and giving his now-throbbing cock a squeeze.

“I’ve fucking missedthis.”

“It’s yours,” he whispers, his voice hoarse against my ear. Planting kisses along my neck and on each cheek, he repeatsthe words my heart has been longing to hear over and over again. “It’s yours…It’s yours…I’m yours.”

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