Page 43 of John Wilder Gets Schooled
I came harder than I ever had before. I was pretty sure I saw stars at one point. Avery kept his hand wrapped around my softening dick through the aftershocks and leaned in and kissed my temple as I slowly floated back to earth, murmuring, “That’s it. You’re doing great.”
I gave him a wide, fucked-out smile. “Pretty great yourself.”
My whole body was buzzing. I’d taken the plunge and dived right in, and now I was floating in a sea of contentment. Andwhile at the back of my brain I knew the polite thing to do was to leave before it got awkward, moving seemed impossible. I wanted nothing more than to sink into the mattress and soak up all the good feelings that were surrounding me. After coming as hard as I had, it felt like I could sleep for a week, and my eyelids drifted closed. When I managed to open them again, Avery was watching me, a pleased little smile on his face. “Need a nap?”
“Mmm,” I agreed, already half-asleep.
“Me too,” he said and curled up against my side. My last thought before I passed out was that he fit there just right.
CHAPTER 12
AVERY
Iwassoscrewed.
I’d lied about needing a nap. ButWilderobviously needed a nap, so I’d pretended I wanted one too, just so that for once the guy could get what he needed without feeling guilty about it. And wanting to take care of Wilder was how I knew just how screwed I was.
Sure, Wilder was sexy as hell, but there was more to him than washboard abs and an ass that wouldn’t quit. The more time I spent with him, the more I got to see his tender, thoughtful side and the way he was so busy taking care of everyone else that he forgot to look after himself. The guy was devoted to his kid, even if he was still figuring the whole sole parenting thing out. And watching him as he lay snoring softly in my bed, with his hair spread over the pillow in a messy halo, I knew I was going to regret this.
Because this was meant to be a purely physical, no-strings arrangement—but I could already feel the threads of attachment weaving their way under my skin, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it. And sure, there were a lot of reasons why developing feelings for Wilder was a bad idea—not least of which was him being the parent of one of my students—but it was hard toremember what they were when Wilder sleeping next to me felt so right.
Except my asshole brain chose that moment to remind me that Wilder wasn’t looking to date. He’d made it clear that he had no space in his life for any kind of relationship. And then there was the matter of Gracie’s mom—were they still a thing? I hadn’t asked, but I knew they were still in touch, so it was possible they’d reconnect. And I didn’t want to get in the middle of that.
Not that there was much chance of that. I was helping Wilder figure some stuff out, sure, but I wasn’t delusional enough to think a guy as hot as Wilder would be interested in anything more than some casual fooling around with me. I was just the guy next door. I was convenient, that was all.
My gut gave a nasty little twist.
Wilder mumbled something in his sleep and I propped myself up on one elbow, glad of the distraction from my racing brain. A crease appeared between his brows, and I instinctively ran a thumb over it. He gave a tiny smile, and the arm around me tightened.
I sighed and nestled into his hold. I’d stay here for a while longer if it meant Wilder would get some much-needed sleep. Although, who was I kidding? It wasn't like cuddling up to him was any kind of hardship—the guy was a walking wet dream. I traced a fingertip over the tribal tattoo that circled his forearm, the hairs on his arm whispering under my touch.
I lay there for a while, soaking up the heat and firmness of Wilder’s body against mine. Maybe this was only temporary, and maybe it was only physical, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy it while it lasted.
Just, it would have been a lot easier if Wilder was exactly what I’d thought when I’d met him: a stupid, hot asshole. Why’d he have to go and be all layered and complex and shit? I hadn’t signed up for a heart of gold, okay? I’d been fine with just a dick of steel.
Outside the afternoon light was turning golden. It’d be dark soon, and I smiled at the thought of Wilder only getting down and dirty when it was night. It wasn’t funny so much as it was a little sad, though. Like, of course people should only ever be comfortable with what worked for them. But at the same time, having to sneak around in the shadows to hook up wasn’t healthy. Wilder deserved sunlight sex, dammit. Everyone did, if that was what they wanted.
I thought about the stunned expression on his face when he’d come, like he’d just won the lottery and couldn’t quite believe it, and smiled to myself. At least I could be sure that his first time with a guy had been memorable.
I closed my eyes and dozed for a little until I was pulled back into awareness when Wilder’s breathing changed. I raised myself up onto my elbow again, in time to watch his eyes blink slowly open, then widen when he realized where he was. I waited to see if he was going to panic. Instead, his mouth quirked and a flush rose on his throat and cheeks.
“Hey,” he said, his voice soft.
“Hey. You sleep well?”
“Yeah. What time is it?”
“Just past five.”
His eyes closed. “Your bed is comfortable.” He opened them. “I don’t… I mean, I guess I have to get out of it at some point?”
I resisted the urge to tell him he could live there. “Well, there’s no rush, unless you have plans.”
He shook his head. “Nope, Gracie’s at her grandparents’ place, and I don’t have any plans with the guys.”
“You working tonight?”
“Nah, one gig a day is enough for me.”
