Page 43 of Heal Me

“Very nice to meet you both. Sorry, I was half asleep when I stumbled downstairs. I didn’t realize there was company.” He kisses my temple. “I’ll go throw on a shirt.”

I sigh, only slightly pretending to be disappointed. He has a beautiful body, and it’s a shame to cover it up. “If you must.”

Gunnar excuses himself, and I turn, pouring hot water into the third mug. Slipping back into French, I face my parents, feeling the need to reinforce boundaries yet again. “So that’s Gunnar. He’s adorable when he first wakes up. He’s like a big bear.” They don’t need to know that this is the first time I’m seeing it, too.

My father smirks. “He has enough facial hair to qualify.”

I raise my brow at him, wondering if he’s teasing or has decided to side withmaman. “Seriously? This is where you have a problem?”

My father shakes his head and is about to say something when he’s cut off by my mother. “No,mon chou. The problem is we know nothing about him. You still haven’t told us anything. And without knowing more, based on what we’ve seen, I’d guess he’s a construction worker or mechanic.”

Fists clenched, I take a deep, calming breath. “Maman,I love you. Please remember this as I tell you that snobbery isn’t an attractive look on you.”

Gunnar clears his throat and reenters the kitchen, wearing the tee from last night. It accentuates his muscles and tattoos, and his clenched fists and tight jaw add an air of danger about him. “Sorry if I’m interrupting.” The last thing he sounds is sorry.

I glare at my mother. “Not at all.” I slip my arms around his waist, and he kisses me softly. He retrieves his tea from the counter and pours a dash of cream into it before addressing my parents. “What brings the two of you to Seattle? Will you be staying long?”

That almost does make me laugh. Leave it to Gunnar to take two innocuous questions and fill them with such disdain.

My father, finally able to get a word in, speaks up. “Livia missed her son and insisted we make a surprise visit. We will be staying here for a few days.” My ears perk up. Did ‘here’ mean here in Seattle or here as in this loft?

Like he’s reading my mind, Gunnar addresses the question directly. “Here in the loft or at a hotel?” He doesn’t wait for a reply before walking over to the refrigerator and peering inside. “Babe, if your parents are staying, we really need to get to the store. We’re out of everything.” I almost laugh out loud. At this point, we’re already telling people I work with that we’ve been dating for months. Why not my parents, too? Gunnar turns an innocent look my way.

“Well, you did monopolize most of our free time this past weekend. We barely made it out of the loft. Not that I’m complaining. At all.” I wink at him and blow him a kiss.

He flashes me a salacious grin, playing along. “You know I can’t resist you.”

From the corner of my eye, I see my mother turning eight shades of red and my father laughing quietly. I shrug. “We’ll have to make a grocery run at some point today. We need more laundry detergent, too. You’re running out of clothes. I don’t even know why we have separate houses anymore. We’re both always here or there.”

Gunnar’s eyes sparkle mischievously, sending a quick rush of heat straight to my cock. “Babe, are you asking me to move in with you?” He crosses the kitchen and sweeps me into his arms, kissing me soundly. “Are you sure? I mean, it’s kind of a big step. But if you’re sure, I’m game. We’ll just have to figure out if I should move here, or if you’ll move into my house. Or, we find something brand new that’s ours.”

I’m quite proud of myself for keeping a straight face as I reach out and card my fingers through his hair. “We can talk about it later,mon chéri.” I kiss him softly before turning to my parents. “Why don’t you stay here? I’ll stay at Gunnar’s house. We’re usually there on the weekends anyway, and since I’m on indefinite leave from work, there’s no need to be downtown during the week.” I don’t give my parents time to respond, not that it matters what their answer is. They can stay here, or they can go to a hotel. I’ve decided I’m going to Gunnar’s, regardless. Hopefully, he’s on board with that. “Should we go get some breakfast?”

Gunnar looks down at his clothes. “Well, everything I have here is dirty, including what I’m wearing. I probably should head back to my place to shower and change. That might give you some time to catch up with your parents.”

Pouting dramatically because, right now, that’s the last thing I want, I wrap my arms around his neck and nibble at his ear. “But I don’t want you to go. We were going to spend the whole day together.”

He smirks and murmurs just loud enough to carry across the room to my parents. “We were going to spend the whole day together in bed, babe. But obviously those plans have changed.”

My father laughs and covers it with a cough. “Why don’t you two go to Gunnar’s? Yourmamanand I will go to the grocery store and stock up on items to get us through the next few days. We can all meet up for dinner later.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea.” I glance at Gunnar to see where he is with this plan. “I’ll throw a few things into an overnight bag, and we can gather your dirty clothes and do laundry at your place. You can feed me when we get there.” I smooth my hands across Gunnar’s chest and drop my voice seductively. “I’m starving.” Gunnar growls, low and soft, and damn, it goes straight to my cock. I’m not sure if I want to laugh or devour him. Both? Definitely both. At the same time.

My mother clears her throat and stands, a fake smile plastered to her face as she addresses my father in French. “Guillaume, why don’t we head out now? Jocelin,mon chou,we will call you later and let you know when and where to meet us.”

Without hesitation, I correct her in front of Gunnar. If she is going to be so overtly rude, I can be as well. “In English,maman.”

She turns her fake smile to Gunnar. “It was lovely to meet you, Gunnar. I guess we’ll see you both later.” She sweeps out of the room, leaving my father to make a proper goodbye.

He takes my hand and squeezes it firmly, giving me a wink. “Don’t be too hard on her, Jocelin. She loves you, and only wants what’s best for you.” Turning to Gunnar, he holds out his hand. Gunnar hesitates and then grasps it, and I let out the breath I’ve been holding. “Gunnar, this has truly been a pleasure. I look forward to getting to know you better. Please don’t let my wife’s behavior put you off. She means well. It’s the execution that needs work.” He looks between us and smiles. “Ithink you are very good for my son.” And with that, he turns and follows my mother out of the kitchen.

22

Gunnar

“Youaretryingtostarve me to death. I know it.” Jocelin stretches lazily, draping himself over my chest. His dramatics make me laugh because it’s so different from how he usually is, and it’s kind of cute.

I ghost my fingertips along his bare back, and he arches into my touch like a cat. “As I recall, you were the one pressing himself againstmeon the ride home. And I believe it was your hand working me up while we sped down the highway.” I tap him on the tip of his nose. “A very dangerous move, I might add. And who was it that yanked their clothes off and walked naked through my house? Oh yes, that was also you. And I’m sorry babe, but I’m only human. You, naked? Yeah, that’s gonna pull my attention away from anything else, including feeding starving boyfriends, every time. Soooo… technically, you’re the cause of your own hunger.”

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