Page 50 of Waiting on Life
“It’s fine. Just takes a bit to warm up.”
And then it did when he splayed his hands on my back and pressed into my grateful muscles. I lay there while he worked, pushing, kneading, squeezing. At a few points, it hurt, but it also felt amazing. The air was scented with that chalky, candy-cigarette smell that’s so reminiscent of Bengay, and to me it was as nice as the candles.
“Please,” I pleaded. “Don’t stop.”
I had been brought low by a cute guy with incredible hands, and I didn’t regret it for an instant.
“Don’t worry,” Kyle replied. “I’m getting warmed up.”
He straddled my legs then, his underwear-covered cock, plumped up against my boxer-clad ass. There should have been at least an initial moment of panic or tensing up. Instead, I sank further into the bed, becoming more relaxed than I’d been in forever.
And at some point, I fell asleep.
Kyle
His snores were soft and light, and they sent tingles through me. I’d given plenty of rubdowns in the past, but the moment I climbed on top of a guy—and there was nothing sexual about it, it was simply easier to dig my fingers in deep—they’d freak out, like I was going to try to fuck them. Fat chance. I was a dedicated, card-carrying member of the Bottom’s Up club. The fact that Toby trusted me on such a level? That was heady as hell.
When I’d finished his massage, I thought about going to sleep on the couch, or maybe heading back to my place, but I had to be honest with myself. I really, and I meanreally,wanted to know what it was like to be in his bed. I went to the bathroom and washed my hands, then grabbed an oversized towel from the cabinet. I took it into the bedroom, then slid it under him so he wouldn’t stain the sheets. Once I was satisfied everything was right, I climbed into bed beside him. He mumbled something, then rolled to lay on his back. I took this as an opportunity to put an arm around him and snuggle in close.
For me, this was an affirming moment. Until right this second, the thought that I could ever be with Toby was a pipe dream. Though Tammy had said to trust him, and Toby had done nothing to make me think I couldn’t believe in him, I found it hard to do, because I’d been hurt in the past, deeper than I’d ever let anyone know. Being beside Toby, holding him? Nothing had ever felt so right for me.
I ran my fingers through the fur on his chest, loving not only the texture, but finding the tattoos buried beneath. With every strand I brushed away, it was like uncovering a hidden treasure. My favorite was the pegasus, although I’d yet to see the dragon. Funny thing, I was willing to wait for the grand unveiling.
What had Toby done to me? I’d always been about showing a guy I could get him off, but Toby? I didn’t want him to come and go. I wanted him to be the one who’d finally stay.
He snorted and rolled, ending up facing me. It was such a weird thing seeing him without the beard, I reached out and put a hand on his face, rubbing gently. He sighed—such a happy sound—and snuggled deeper into his pillow, apparently so relaxed that he let go of all the worries he normally carried around. The marked difference was written all over him. Gone were the crinkles in the corners of his eyes, the tension in his cheeks, the redness in his ears. Instead, he was a man at peace with everyone and everything around him.
A few moments went by before the door creaked as a thin shaft of light swept into the room. Toby had said Waldo slept with him, and I wondered how he’d view me being in bed with his daddy. His paws came into view at the edge of the bed, and then he stood to his full height and cocked his head as he regarded me curiously.
“Hey, Waldo,” I whispered.
He purred and jumped up, landing noiselessly on the bed. Then he made his way onto Toby’s pillow and kneaded it before he turned and took a few more steps, effectively putting him in the middle of me and Toby. He turned a few times, then flopped down between us, his face next to mine.
At first I thought he was claiming Toby and telling me to back off. Then he did the most curious thing. He stretched out, putting his legs over Toby and his head on my shoulder. The purring was loud, but soothing, just as Toby described it.
“You okay with me being here?”
Waldo twisted his head, burying it deeper into my neck. He nibbled the skin, but didn’t bite or anything. I wanted to believe he was telling me that this was my place too. That I belonged next to Toby and the three of us should be a family.
And goddamn, how I longed for that. The thought of working with Toby—be it at the bar or on the farm—had become a dream for me that I hadn’t shared with anyone, not even Pete. The chance for us to build something together, to step away from the people who’d hurt us both, to reclaim who we were, and what we wanted from life? Could anything be more precious?
“Keep doing that, and you’re going to rub the ink off me,” Toby murmured.
My gaze snapped to his face, and he lay there, a wide smile as his eyes sparkled.
I pulled my hand away. “I’m sorry, I—”
“Put your hand back, okay? I wasn’t complaining. I like it, the feeling of you touching me. The question I have is, are you okay with me touching you?”
How was that even a logical question? “Yes. Please.”
The smile grew even brighter. He reached out and put a hand on my arm, sliding it up and down, raising goose bumps.
“You don’t know how many times I’ve dreamed of this. How I’ve longed to touch you, to be touchedbyyou. I—Why is Waldo pushing his nose in your neck? And why do I have cat ass up near my face?”
It was said with a certain ferocity, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “He climbed up a bit ago, and when he saw me, this is how he chose to lay.”
I wasn’t going to tell Toby my weird thoughts about it.
