Page 321 of Shadowman
I frown.Bollocks. I kinda wanted a Coke…
“I got you a Coke.” He places the can on my tray table. “If you want ice, though, you’re shit outta luck.”
I snicker, grasping his face to kiss it all over while he fights me off.
“Alright, back off,” he huffs. “We have another two hours until we get there, and I’m trying not to focus on how hard you’re making me.”
“Am I, sexy man?” I croon in his ear, licking the lobe until he shudders.
“Yea…” he breathes out.
“But I’m not doing anything.”
“Oh, yes you are. Just sitting there quietly…”
He grins, and I chuckle.
“Ignoringme. God, it’s hot.”
More laughter bubbles from within my chest while I touch his throat and his chest. The poem I’ve been working on for the better part of this trip was certainly keeping me occupied. But now that I’ve stopped, it’s right back to being insatiable for my delicious, growly boyfriend and his delicious hard body.
Byron turns fast, cutting off my tongue-assault of his ear, grabbing my face in that possessive, dominant way that certainly betrays how needy he is when I have his ankles in the air.
“Behave, violet eyes,” he growls, fully serious. My balls are thrumming. But then his lips twitch, and he licks mine. “I promise, as soon as we land, I’ll be so deep in your body, you’ll be giving me a reverse blowjob.”
I stifle a whimper, smirking over his mouth. “Because your dick will be in my throat the other way?”
“Uh-huh,” he beams.
I snort, and he laughs back. It’s bloody fantastic. I swear, I’ve never felt like this. We have so much fun together, and every day is brand new.
Being with Byron Kang is the first thing that’s truly made me feel alive, asmyself. We’ve been together for a year now, and it’s going shockingly well. I can’t believe I get to call him mine, and that he actuallywantsto call me his, after everything I’ve put him through.
To be honest, though, the past doesn’t affect us nearly as much as it used to. Things were different back then. It’s almost disturbing how much has changed…
Since my poem is done, mostly—you know us artists, nothing is ever truly finished—I opt to cuddle up with my boyfriend for the remainder of our flight, watching episodes ofBrooklyn 99with a blanket over us so that I can casually feel him up without scandalizing the other passengers. And before we know it, we’re touching down at Heathrow Airport, arriving for our next adventure, in a place I haven’t been since I ran away from it at eleven years old.
I won’t say it isn’t odd being back here, because it certainly is. I have only fleeting awful memories of this place, so old they’ve begun to warp over time. But we’re here for a reason…
And besides, Byron associates much of London with his grandfather, so this is a trip I know he’s been longing for.
Traveling has become a big part of our lives, and it makes sense. Byron was locked up for three years. Once things ended and they settled down enough, he was desperate to break free for real.
We found a small but cozy flat in Astoria, moved in and began building a new lifetogether. And then, as soon as we were able,we started taking trips. Naturally, funds were limited, so we couldn’t simply jet-set all over the place like the heirs to some billionaire tycoon. But we managed to have fun while keeping it modest.
The first place we went was Atlanta, so that I could say a final goodbye to Alice.
As Byron and I get our luggage and get into an Uber, my mind is sorting through memories of him holding me while I fell apart at Alice’s gravesite. It was difficult… Like reliving the night I lost her all over again.
I don’t know if I ever won’t carry guilt over what happened to Alice. I still feel somehow responsible, though I know it wasn’t my fault. Dr. Love has made sure to drill this into my head.
“There’s a big difference between killing someone and simply being a shitty boyfriend,”he would say during our weekly sessions.
It made me smile and allowed me to breathe just a little easier. The comfort he gives me is one thing that’s never wavered, in all the years I’ve had him as my doctor. Despite how angry I was with him for a while there, I can’t discount how much he’s changed my life, for the better.
I wish I was able to see him more often, but our schedules and locations don’t allow as much these days. Hence, the other reason this trip is so exciting…Well, part of it.
Byron and I get settled into our hotel, making almost immediate use of the bed, and the shower, and the desk, and the window that overlooks the Thames. And once we’re sufficiently sated, muscles sore and balls empty, we get cleaned up and head out to meet some friends for dinner.
