Page 83 of Quiet
Later though when no one was around? The concept had definite potential. Feeling Briar deep inside, letting Briar’s hands erase the violence his body had gone through. Stamping his mark on every single bit of Isa and showing him that someone in this world loved him and cherished him beyond anything else.
He wasn’t aware of his body rocking softly against Briar until he growled. “Yournois difficult to listen to when your body says something else.” His hands were on Isa’s hips pulling him closer with every move of Isa’s writhing form. His aches and pains were distant and easily ignored.
“I know,” Isa said. His voice was breathy. Just shy of panting. “But you keep looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m everything.”
Briar’s hands took over and began bouncing Isa gently on his lap, his sweatpants doing nothing to disguise the hardness there. He moved Isa like his weight was nothing. “Youareeverything. Everything I look at, everything I do makes me think of you.”
Isa forgot about anything but the sensation of Briar under him, around him, against his body, under his hands . . .
Briar’s furious need to assure himself that Isa was safe and alive overwhelmed Isa’s senses until he was unable to do anything but cling to Briar and moan his name. Never in his life had he thought someone would want him like this.
A loud clatter of feet on the stairs brought him scrambling back from the edge of bliss.
“Goodness, Marie, that took so much longer than I thought it would!” Fiona’s voice registered just under yelling.
“I know, Fiona. I sure hope the boys are ready to eat!” Marie’s voice responded, even louder than her sister’s.
“Oh no. We forgot napkins. You should come with me to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything else!”
“Yes, of course! I imagine it will take us only three minutes to come back.” Marie’s voice echoed down the hallway loud enough to strip paint off the walls.
Isa chuckled and pulled back to rest on his butt.
Briar, however, hadn’t gotten the memo. His pupils were blown out, and he moved toward Isa, stopping only when the boy planted a hand against his chest. It shouldn’t have stopped him. Isa knew his strength was nothing in comparison, but Briar halted instantly. His head tilted to the side in adorable confusion.
Isa wanted to squeeze him to death. Instead, he patted his cheek. “Your parents just gave us a three-minute warning. Didn’t you hear them? They weren’t subtle.”
Briar blinked slowly, and Isa could pinpoint the moment he went fromI’m going to fuck Isa nowtoah yes, social niceties must happen now.It was like a switch had been flipped.
Too bad Isa didn’t operate that way. He pulled the blankets into a pile over his lap and thought about the time he’d walked in on Will waxing his ass. It did the job admirably. No one should have had to see that.
Briar had no such problems. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a text. Isa watched shamelessly. It was to Marie and contained one word.Food?
Marie responded with a laughing emoji.
* * *
Briar’s parents hadn’t stayed long. When they left the next morning, there was much petting of both boys and an overabundance of healthy food passive-aggressively placed in prominent spots in Briar’s bedroom before they took their leave.
Both of Isa’s cheeks were covered in lip gloss by the time they left. He’d never been kissed so much in his life. It was wonderful.
He’d half expected Briar to carry him back upstairs and continue besmirching him once Marie and Fiona pulled out of the driveway, but instead he touched the side of Isa’s face with featherlight fingertips.
He looked so much like a kicked golden retriever, Isa would have done anything he asked.
Which was how he found himself sitting in the large common area in the back of Briar’s house.
It was open and airy, with a view of the backyard. Isa wanted to get a closer look at the eclectic art pieces scattered between lovingly tended flowerbeds, but he’d allowed Briar to herd him into an armchair in the corner while Briar planted himself on the floor in front of him like a guard dog.
Since there was an obvious semicircle of space between him and everyone else in the room, Isa assumed he wasn’t the only one who could sense Briar’shands-offaura.
Everyone was also being super sweet and not asking Isa why he looked like he’d been used as a punching bag.
Alex made sure to fill in any awkwardness by regaling them with the highlights of the party they’d missed. “And when Will and Alice hijacked the karaoke machine and did ‘Call Me by Your Name,’ I thought I’d ascended. Nothing will ever be as good as that performance.”
