Page 42 of Find Me Again

Ryan felt it, too, down to his bones. The euphoric hum of his orgasm was still pulsing through his body, and there was nowhere he'd rather be than right here, right now.

Soon, he would happily get up for some pancakes and first cup of tea, but for now, this was good.

Close to perfect, really.

Neil came back with a wet towel in hand, and instead of tossing it to Ryan, he insisted on cleaning him up.

The smile Ryan gave him was probably pretty soppy, but he could always blame it on the orgasm. His brain wasn't truly back yet.

Once Neil disappeared into the bathroom again, Ryan rolled over on the bed, with his arms and legs spread out as he lay on his back.

Damn, he missed mornings like this. Starting the day with a shared orgasm was the best way to spend any given morning, period. Everything else was just gravy after that.

Neil chuckled from the bathroom entrance, but before Ryan could ask, Neil crossed the small distance between them and crawled back onto the bed until he was hovering over Ryan and resting on his elbows on both sides of Ryan's head.

Which was really hot.

Then again, everything about Neil like this was hot, and if Ryan hadn't come barely minutes ago, he would be getting hard, for sure.

As it were, he made do with tugging Neil down and kissing him, slow and deep. There was no doubt in his mind that he had Neil's full attention—it was simply too much, too overwhelming, too heightened. Ryan was clutching at Neil's sides in fear of falling apart under the force of it.

They paused at some point to catch their breaths, and Neil closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Ryan's. And as Ryan watched him—his short lashes, the uneven line of his nose, the outline of his lower lip—his heart thumped in his chest while his mind was clear.

He would be happy to do nothing but stare at this man for the rest of the day.

And maybe he would, if not for Neil's phone, suddenlyringing somewhere in the room.

Neil grimaced, but then he was up and heading towards the armchair where they'd tossed their clothes last night.

"Sorry," he offered over his shoulder. "That's my agent's ringtone."

Ah.

"Sure." Ryan quickly rolled out of bed to head towards the bathroom. "Take your time."

Their break from the world was over, at least for now.

* * *

Ryan was showered, dressed, and almost done with the big batch of pancakes by the time Neil appeared in the kitchen looking tired and tense, but not like he was about to run for his life.

Small mercies.

Figuring Neil might not be ready to talk, Ryan pointed a spatula towards the coffee maker that had more buttons than his car.

"I have no idea how to deal with that, so if you want coffee, you're on your own. Water and juice are in the fridge, and the pancakes are ready. Have at them."

To his surprise, Neil headed for him first, and looped his arms around Ryan's waist from behind before dropping his forehead to rest on the back of Ryan's neck with a sigh that tickled Ryan's skin.

"You okay?" Ryan asked quietly, putting an empty bowl away and covering Neil's hands with one of his as the last pancakes sizzled at the stove.

"Yeah, just… You know."

The words were muffled, but Neil didn't sound defeated, so Ryan patted his hand and let him be, focusing back on thepancakes.

As he stood there, he grabbed a small one from the top of the stack and shoved it in his mouth, only to hum in satisfaction a moment later. He might not be a particularly skilled cook, but he could make a few dishes that were to die for, and pancakes were one of them.

He chewed slowly as the two of them stood there in silence, neither pressed to fill the air with words, happy—at least in Ryan's case—to continue as they were.

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