Page 26 of Heal Me

Jocelin grabs the front of my shirt, and I grin. “Yes?”

“Shut up and kiss me.” I haul him close, closing the short distance between us. With deliberate slowness, I softly brush his lips with mine, gradually deepening the kiss. I lean in and grip the back of his neck, pressing our mouths together as I slowly tease his lips apart with light flicks of my tongue. With a moan, he tilts his head and opens his mouth, gliding his tongue along mine until I forget where we are. The only thing in the world is Jocelin and this kiss.

Until someone very close by laughs, dragging me from our little bubble. Reluctantly, I pull back. “Joce.”

“Fuck, Gunnar.”

The blatant lust in Jocelin’s eyes makes my cock throb, but his shift from arousal to disappointment pulls a laugh out of me. “Joce.” He pouts, and I try not to let it sway me. “Sweetheart. We’re in a very public place and need to keep things SFW.”

“We’re not at work.”

It’s all I can do to keep my resolve. “Joce, I like you so much, and god I want to rip your clothes off and do very dirty things to you. And PDA aside, we have a lot to lose if this doesn’t work out. We shouldn’t rush it.”

He drops his forehead against my shoulder and groans. “Fine. Be all mature and self-controlled. I’ll just be over here, dying.” With a groan he sits up, staring me straight in the eyes. “Damn, Gunnar. How do you have so much self control?”

“I truly don’t. I’m almost as amazed by it as you are.” Chuckling, I hand him his mug. “Here. Occupy your hands with that.” I pick up my tea, take a sip, and attempt to adjust myself discreetly in jeans that are definitely feeling too tight.

We make it through our desserts without further slips of hands or lips, staying occupied by chatting about work and hobbies. It’s not surprising to learn that Jocelin likes to read classic literature and collect fine wines. I tell him about my passion for tinkering with engines and riding my Harley whenever I can. We do discover we both love spy movies, but our tastes in music are complete opposites.

The conversation flows so easily that it’s a shock when Amanda comes to clear us out. “Okay guys, we’re closing in fifteen minutes. Can I get you anything else?” When we shake our heads, she collects our empty plates, gives us a wink, and heads back toward the kitchen.

I look at my phone and can’t believe the time. “We’ve been sitting here for hours.”

Jocelin laughs. “Honestly? It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.” It really doesn’t. Not once did things get awkward or bogged down, and I could easily keep talking to him longer. Unfortunately, that’s not an option. “We’d better get going. You still have a bit of a drive ahead of you, and we both have work tomorrow.”

I nod and stand, handing Jocelin his coat and grabbing mine. We slip into them and head for the door. Jocelin waves to Amanda and Georgiana, and I take his hand, holding it the whole walk back to his loft. “I had a great time tonight, Joce. I really love talking with you.”

Jocelin swings our hands between us as we walk. It’s cute, if a bit juvenile, but if it makes him happy, I’m not going to complain. “I had a great time, too. Talking with you is easy. So easy, we had no trouble filling four hours.”

I squeeze his hand. “Yes, and now we’re prepared for Alistair’s party.”

Jocelin nods. “True.” We cross the street to the corner of his block. “We might as well go in through the garage entrance. I can get on the elevator there, and you won’t have to walk through the lobby.”

We turn down the ramp into the garage, stopping at the little booth, and I hand my temporary key card to the guard, who looks confused by our lack of a vehicle. “Thanks Jim. See you next time.”

I walk Jocelin to the elevator and cup his face in my hands, placing a soft, chaste kiss on his very tempting lips. Gripping the front of my coat, he pulls me in so our foreheads touch. “I really don’t want you to go. I know why you think we should take it slow, and I respect that, so I won’t push.” He brushes the tip of his nose against mine. “But I’ve had such a lovely evening, I don’t want it to end.”

I kiss his forehead. “I don’t particularly want to go, but I have to. And we’ll see each other this weekend, right? What time should I pick you up for Alistair’s party?”

“He lives near Bjorn, so it’s about forty minutes to get there. It starts at 7:00, so why don’t you come over around 6:30? We’ll be fashionably late.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Recklessly, I lean in and kiss him, enjoying the soft feel of his lips against mine. But I pull back before either of us gets carried away again. “Night, Joce.”

“Bonne nuit, Gunnar.”

Slowly, Jocelin releases my coat, and I back toward my car. “I’ll call you tomorrow night. Just to say hi. Maybe you can help me decide what to wear to Alistair’s since you seem to have a lot of knowledge in that area.” I grin and come to an abrupt stop when I bump into my car.

Jocelin laughs. “Definitely call me tomorrow night. We can talk about whatever you want. And be careful driving home. I like you in one piece.” He taps his key card to call for the elevator, and I lean against my car to wait until he steps inside. We wave as the doors close, and then I sigh, unlocking my car and sliding in, all the while calculating how many hours need to pass before I can reasonably claim it’s officially tomorrow night, and I can talk to Jocelin again.

15

Jocelin

“Nameplease.”

“Jocelin Allard and Gunnar Osouf.”

There’s a brief silence before the gate retracts. “Please pull through to the podium. Valet parking will assist you from there. Welcome to the Trumble residence.”

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