Burning the Midnight Oil: A Single Dad Small Town Romance

Chapter 25

God, I can’t fucking think straight around him. He makes me lose all sense of rational thought. Makes me forget right and wrong. Makes me want things I never knew I wanted. And standing here just now, watching him admit his feelings and his desires to me, while thinking they were one-sided was too much. I couldn’t stay quiet a second longer and let him think that, even if I’m still so fucking confused. I couldn’t bear to see the look on his face, believing he meant nothing to me. That the kiss meant nothing. That it was something that happened and I never thought about it again. That couldn’t be further from the truth, and apparently telling him as much wasn’t good enough. The carnal urge to show him overtook me and, before I knew it, my lips were pressed to his and my tongue was surging into his mouth.

Grady’s fingertips are biting into my flesh on my sides as he lets me guide the kiss. He tastes amazing. Feels amazing. And when my tongue rolls against his, curling around it, he sighs into my mouth, and I think I might combust. Somehow, we make it to the ground, and he climbs into my lap. I’m all too aware of my current state of undress as the dew forming on the grass seeps through my briefs, but I don’t fucking care. Grady’s arms wrap around my neck, my hands going to his hips, guiding him, rocking him back and forth on top of me. The friction is mind numbing, but not nearly enough. I’m so out of my element here with him; I don’t even know what to do, but I refuse to let myself spiral with those thoughts. Not here. Not right now, when the pressure of his weight feels so goddamn right.

He”s practically trembling, like he’s trying to hold himself back from really giving in. That won’t do. I slide my hands underneath the hem of his shirt, feeling his warm, bare skin. I want to run the tips of my fingers along his entire body, trace every curve and dip. Memorize the path. Dragging the material over his head, I toss it in the grass beside us, grazing my lips along his jaw, down to his neck. A full-body shiver rolls through him, and I can’t help the smile that spreads on my face. Turning his head, our mouths align again, his lips hungrily covering mine.

We move so fluidly together; our lips, our bodies…they fit together like perfect pieces to a puzzle. I don’t get it. Kissing Grady feels like something I’ve done a million times. It feels natural, as easy as breathing air into my lungs. But then, something shifts. Grady’s lips stop moving, and his body tenses in my hold.

“Wait,” he murmurs breathlessly against my mouth. Pushing off me, he stands up, and I quickly do the same. “We can’t do this,” he states firmly as he puts distance between us.

And suddenly, every single reason I’ve given myself over the past few months comes back all at once, slapping me in the face. Every reason we needed to not end up right here, in this position, becomes abundantly clear again.

“No, you’re right,” I reply, even though it physically pains me.

He looks over at me, and me him, and I don’t think either of us knows where to go from here.

“It’s…” Grady clears his throat. “It’s not that I don’t want to.”

“I know,” I say dejectedly. “Me too.”

Giving me a smile that’s definitely forced, he gestures behind me. “Should we…?”

“Go back to the campsite? Yeah, let’s do that.”

He takes a step, then two, in my direction, and before he can breeze past me, I wrap my hand around his forearm, and he freezes in place, head turning to meet my gaze. A dozen different thoughts pass between us without ever saying a word.

If things were just a little bit different…

But also, I want you. I don’t get it, but I do.

His dirty blonde hair, now almost dry, hangs messily in his face, his cheeks are flushed, and he’s chewing on his bottom lip. Under the moonlit sky, he looks beautiful. Shy. So fucking tempting.

“Can I kiss you one more time?” I ask, unable to help myself. This insatiable need to taste him is so new and confusing.

Eyes dip down to my mouth before he looks me in the eye. He nods.

I wouldn’t be able to say who moves next, but there’s no rush. The heat, the passion, is there, but we aren’t hurried. Our lips move together, our tongues savor deeply, and our arms wrap around each other like we both don’t want to let the other go. Speaking only for myself, I don’t want to let him go.

But I do.

We pull apart, slightly breathless, chests heaving, and we walk side by side back to the campsite. It’s quiet and empty when we get there, everybody else probably asleep, completely oblivious to the turmoil happening out here.

“You’re not sleeping in that damn tent,” I growl when Grady acts like he’s about to walk over to it.

His head snaps in my direction, brow furrowed. “Yes, I am.”

A grumble grows in my throat. “Goddamnit, Grady.”

Leaning down, I wrap my arm around his thighs, my other draped over his lower back, as I lift him off the ground and amble across the campsite toward the camper.

“Boone!” he screeches. “What the fuck are you doing? Put me down!”

“No, you’re being a difficult little shit, and it’s too damn late to argue with you.”

“Put. Me. Down! Right this instant!” I crack a palm down on his ass, making him startle and yelp. “You did not just spank me!”

“Oh, but I did, G.”

Grady lets out a disgruntled groan, but doesn’t say anything.

When I reach the camper, I have to duck as we enter to make sure I don’t whack his body against the frame. Taking a few steps, I lean down, putting him on his feet. He looks pissed, but I don’t think he actually is. Breath coming out ragged, he shoves his hair out of his face.

“We left my shirt out there,” he says softly.

“We can get it in the morning.”

My throat tightens as I watch Grady shamelessly drag his gaze from my face, down to my chest, and then farther…and farther. My dick twitches behind my briefs as his eyes land on my groin and stay there for a moment. His tongue pokes out, wetting his bottom lip as his eyes lift, meeting my gaze again. An emotion I can’t place crosses through his features, a look on his face that makes my stomach flip.

“Maybe just one night,” he whispers before dropping to his knees in front of me. “Maybe just for tonight, I”m not Grady and you”re not Boone...my sister’s ex-husband. Just one night.”

Mouth dry, my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, leaving me unable to respond. Not that I think I could formulate a proper response right now anyway. Looking up at me from beneath his lashes, he reaches up, fingers hooking into the waistband of my briefs. He pauses for a moment, presumably waiting to see if I put a stop to this.

And I should.

I should put a stop to this.

I should insist we go to bed.

Because this is wrong on so many levels.

It’s confusing, and new, and so very wrong.

But I can’t. I can’t do anything. Can’t tell him to stop. Can’t move. Can’t think. Hell, I can barely breathe. Especially not when he begins dragging the material down my thighs, or when my cock springs free, bobbing in his face, almost completely hard already.

Grady lets my briefs drop to my ankles as he wraps a hand around my length, giving it a stroke as he peers up at me. “Fuck,” he breathes.

I grit my teeth, nostrils flaring as pleasure ripples inside of me from his touch. It feels so fucking good. He leans in, eyes never leaving mine, and he flicks his tongue against my flared tip, groaning as he gathers the bead of pre-cum sitting on the slit. I shiver.

“You taste so good,” he moans before closing his lips around me. Grady twirls his tongue around before sinking deeper, taking more of me in his mouth. Wet heat surrounds me, and he sucks me deep, with his cheeks hollowed and his tongue flattened on the underside of my shaft.

“Jesus, Grady,” I groan, my legs trembling from the intensity of this pleasure.

Looking up at me with moisture pooling in his eyes, he smiles around my cock, my heart skipping a beat at the sight. Then he sinks down farther, swallowing the rest of me up like it’s nothing. Holy fuck. His tight throat constricts around my head as he swallows, and I swear to God, I see stars.

Holy…shit. He can really suck a dick. Letting my head fall back onto my shoulders, I close my eyes, letting myself get lost in this feeling he’s giving me. In the sloppy noises he’s making. In the messy, wet way he’s taking my cock. Except as soon as I do that, he pulls off. When I glance down at him, he’s smirking and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Why’d you stop?”

“You need to watch me,” he replies huskily. “You don’t get to forget who it is making you feel this fucking good.”

Jesus fucking Christ. His words and the tantalizing way he’s looking at me with red, puffy lips and bloodshot eyes obliterate my sanity. Desire and arousal take over my every nerve-ending, shooting me so high, I don’t even know what’s up or down anymore. Nodding, words escaping me once again, I rake my fingers through his hair, tugging his head in my direction. A smirk flashes on his face moments before he opens his mouth and my cock surges past his full lips.

I fuck his face vehemently, expecting him to push on the top of my thighs and make me back off, but it never happens. Instead, he fumbles with his pants, yanking them down enough to pull himself out. Reaching up, he gathers the spit coating his chin, using it as he wraps a hand around himself, and he pumps himself to the same rhythm I’m using on his mouth.

God… Fuck…

Why is the sight of him jacking off while he takes my cock down his throat so fucking hot?

Fuck.

Fuuuuck.

My grip tightens in his hair as heat pools low in my spine. It spreads throughout my entire body, settling deep in my balls.

I’m close. “If you don’t want me to come in your mouth, you better stop now,” I manage to grit out.

His dark, hungry gaze flicks up to my face, and I swear, I see the fucker smirk again, but there’s no sign of him backing off. It’s a good thing too because I can’t hold back any longer. Pressure builds and builds in my groin, and my cock throbs as I empty down his throat, a deep, guttural groan tearing from my throat as I come.

Grady whimpers, his brows scrunching together before his release spills onto his hand and the floor. He keeps my cock in his mouth as he fucks himself through his orgasm, and it’s so fucking hot, I just about bust all over again.

We’re both breathing hard as he lets me slip from his mouth, and the tension in the camper shifts, the reality of what just happened settling in once again. Grady stands up and grabs a paper towel, using it to clean his hand and the floor. Then he tucks himself back into his pants as I lean down and pull my briefs up.

Staring at one another, it’s like we’re at a loss for words. Finally, he blows out a breath and says, “Tomorrow. Let’s deal with this tomorrow.”

I nod, chest tightening. “Good idea.”

“Night.” He gives me an awkward half wave before he brushes past me, climbing into his bed. Pulling the covers up to his chin, he rolls over, facing away from me, and I take that as my cue to do the same.

This isn’t going to end well.