Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
Wyatt
As I slowly blinked my eyes open, the realization that I wasn’t alone settled in.
My arms were wrapped tightly around Rory, his body pressed up against mine. The lush ass I’d ridden hard last night rested against my morning wood, and damn. I couldn’t help but give a slight pump of my hips. Electricity crackled through my veins, even just that slight brush feeling so damn good.
I hadn’t woken up next to someone in so long, especially not someone who was wrapped up in my arms, and a bone-deep craving for more lobbed me straight in the chest.
I wanted this every morning. Him in my bed, plastered against me.
Rory was an addiction I didn’t want to give up, even though I had the concern that now we’d fucked he’d pull the plug on us.
So I’d savor every second I could get with him.
I ran my fingers through his soft, dark strands, mesmerized by the sensation, and he stirred in my arms. His lashes were the color of spilled ink, and like this, he looked so innocent—a complete contrast to the wickedness he wielded on the daily.
And damn, the feel of his body pressed against mine lit me on fire.
Last night in the shower, Rory had teased me by stroking himself, and I’d been so turned on I took over while making out with him.
He’d ended up returning the favor, and I’d come again to my surprise.
Everything with him felt plucked straight out of a dream, one I didn’t want to end.
I pressed a few kisses along his neck, luxuriating in the softness of his skin, the sharp scent of whatever cologne he wore. My first time with a man had been nothing short of unforgettable, but even more so because it had been with him.
From the moment I met Rory, he’d started to chip away at the deep loneliness that had dwelled in me, and I needed every interaction with him like I needed my next breath.
This pull couldn’t be one-sided, could it?
Fuck, of course I’d be falling head over heels for the first person who’d drawn my attention after coming out of the divorce.
Maybe this was a bad plan, and I should spent more time playing the field, exploring what dating was like out there.
Except I didn’t want to.
I just wanted him.
I drank in the scent of him, the heat of him, the velvet of his skin against mine.
My cock between his lush cheeks lit me up, but damn, if I kept on rutting against him like this, the temptation to fuck him would be far too strong.
And I didn’t have condoms on hand—lack of foresight there, for sure.
I’d be remedying that as soon as possible.
“Fuck,” I grumbled, pulling away from him.
His breaths remained steady, and he didn’t budge as I shifted up and off the bed.
Apparently, he was not a morning person.
Affection suffused me like fairy lights in the afternoon light, and I stood there for far too long watching the rise and fall of his chest, the way his arms sprawled out, how the sheets exposed plenty of his luscious, tanned skin.
I speared my fingers through my hair and slung on a pair of sweats.
Damn, I was in so deep it was ridiculous.
Bustling around my kitchen first thing in the morning came as second nature, and I padded around on the cool tile, setting the coffee to brewing first and foremost. He’d probably be hungry when he got up.
We’d scarfed some of the chicken marsala before we’d crashed out for the night, but I couldn’t tamp down the impulse to take care of him.
I cracked open the door of the fridge. Guess this meant I really was bisexual. Elation fluttered through me with the realization that I had things left to uncover about myself, even at thirty-seven. Even my reaction to spanking him had been brand new, another discovery along the way.
And if he wanted to get spanked over my knees again, I’d be happy to deliver.
I snagged the eggs, some bacon, and then set to work at my stovetop. Soon, everything was sizzling there, the snap and crackle forming a melody with the steady percolation of the coffeemaker. My stomach rumbled at the scents, and I lost myself in the tasks, feeling more mellow than I had in years.
And I was aware of the cause.
Could I just keep him here in my bed? Strap him there and fuck him into the mattress day and night?
But I wanted so much more from him too. I wanted more drinks at the bar together, more adventures.
I wanted to take him to a baseball game to see if he loved or hated it.
I wanted to hear about all his piercing stories from the shop.
Fuck…
I scrubbed my face hard. Yeah, so much for a lighthearted fling. I was getting attached.
Footsteps creaked, and I glanced back to see Rory appearing in the doorway. His hair was tousled from sleep, and a crooked grin lingered on his lips. He only wore a pair of boxer-briefs that clung tightly to his delectable ass and package, and damn, I wanted to peel them off him.
“Cooking for me again?” he asked, his eyes lighting up. “It’s almost like you want me to stay.”
“Could you be persuaded by coffee?” I asked, drawing a mug from the cabinet. I poured him a cup of the piping-hot liquid and then passed it over. “The creamer is in the fridge and sugar is next to the stove.”
“I’d do a hell of a lot for coffee,” Rory said, a flirty glint in his gaze. His hips swished as he sauntered over toward the fridge, and I was mesmerized. Goddamn, he was so pretty.
I turned the burners on the stove off, since the eggs and bacon were finished, and the toaster pinged just in time.
Rory doctored up his coffee, the clink of his spoon on ceramic echoing through the kitchen.
A comfort existed in the air here, one I’d sorely missed now that I was living on my own.
I’d at least enjoyed the companionship of Susie through the years, and having Harper in our house had made it feel full.
But once she’d moved out and then Susie and I made our divorce official…
yeah. I still hadn’t adjusted to being alone, and I didn’t know if I ever would.
He clutched the mug of coffee, sipping at it while he leaned against my countertop. I savored the sight, the way the gentle sunlight poured down on him from the windows, how that sleepy look of his was sexy enough I wanted to pounce on him all over again.
The doorknob rattled, and I froze.
Who could be here at eight in the morning?
Only two people had a key: Harper and Susie.
I glanced to Rory, and his eyes widened. Panic flooded through me.
“Dad?” Harper’s voice sounded as the door creaked open, turning my blood to ice.
Rory slipped into the hallway, his footsteps echoing as he headed for the bedroom. Harper walked in at the exact same time, whipping around to close the door behind her.
“Sorry for swinging by unannounced,” she said, her purse smacking against her side. “My tire looked a little low, and I wanted to know if I could borrow your thingamajiggy for it.”
“The digital air compressor?” I asked, reeling from the sudden shift.
And shit, Rory was literally in my house right now. In my bedroom.
We’d even fucked on my kitchen table.
Harper’s interruption delivered the stark reminder of every reason why I shouldn’t have gone for him. I sucked in a sharp breath. She wrinkled her nose as she scanned me over.
“Dad, throw on a shirt or something,” she said, plunking into one of the wooden chairs. I hadn’t even scrubbed the table, even though I’d at least cleaned up his cum from the floor last night. Guilt throbbed through me.
“Right, yeah,” I muttered as I wandered down the hallway.
I didn’t know what I should say to Rory, but my chest squeezed tight at the idea of hiding him, even while the panic pumped steadily through me.
I cracked the door to my bedroom open, and Rory sat perched on the bed, sipping the coffee he’d brought with him.
“Harper?” he asked in a whisper.
“Yeah,” I murmured. “It’ll be fast.”
His gaze darkened for a moment, but then he plastered on a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He reached down and passed me a tee from the floor. “I’m guessing you need this.”
“Thanks.” I tugged the shirt on, guilt dragging my heels.
The tug of war in my chest stalled my feet for a moment.
Would Harper hate this thing between Rory and me?
Would she feel betrayed? I couldn’t hurt her like that, but I also couldn’t seem to stay away from Rory.
I swallowed hard. I needed more time to process—hell, even just the idea of coming out to my daughter.
I stepped into the hallway, not glancing back. It was a coward’s move, sure, but I couldn’t stand to see any more disappointment in Rory’s gaze.
“It’s in my truck,” I said as I entered the kitchen again. Harper hovered over the food at the stovetop.
“There’s two plates,” she said and arched a brow. “Am I interrupting something?”
My jaw dropped, and the lie wouldn’t come out. I’d always been a shit liar to begin with, so getting called out on it compounded that. “Uh…”
Harper smirked. “Hey, I was the one who told you to get back out there. I’m not going to be upset about you having….visitors. But I’d like the tire thingy, please.”
That didn’t help soothe my guilt, not when the person in my bed was her coworker and friend.
“Right. Let me grab it from my truck.” I slipped on my sneakers by the door and snagged my keys from the holder on the wall and then I jogged outside.
The air was brisk and biting, but I needed the slap to the face right now.
Of all the things to shatter the afterglow…yeah, this would do it.
If Rory distanced from me after this, if I’d been a one and done for him, was our slip between the sheets even worth bringing up to Harper? Or would he be open for more? There was so much we hadn’t discussed, and the lack of answers gnawed at me.
I unlocked my car, grabbed the air compressor, and then jogged back toward my apartment.
Definitely coat weather, but I’d be able to melt indoors within seconds.
My heart still thumped in overdrive at the surprise of Harper being here, of how close to discovery Rory and I had been.
I hated secrets. Absolutely loathed them.
But I needed to know where Rory stood first.
When I popped back into my apartment, the heat sent prickles across my skin, melting the frozen surface, and I handed the compressor over to Harper. “Here, sweetie. Let me know if you have any more problems with your tires.”
“Have fun with your date,” Harper said, waggling her brows as she walked toward the door. “You’ll have to tell me all about her later, Dad.”
Her.
I didn’t bother correcting Harper as she slipped out and shut the door behind her, giving me another guilt tile to add to the stack.
Shit, I was going to have to address my situation with Rory now.
My stomach clenched with dread—that he’d tell me we were done, that this had been a brief fling for him and he was out.
I approached my bedroom door, worry thickening the air with every ensuing step, almost like I was walking through sludge.
I reached for the handle, but the door swung open. Rory stood in the entry, fully dressed in the clothes he’d shown up in. Disappointment thudded through me hard. So much for a cozy morning with him.
“Hey, I’ve got to head out,” Rory said. His pasted smile didn’t reach his eyes, and I hated it. “I heard Harper leave, so I figured it was safe to jet now.”
The “you don’t have to” dried on my tongue, because we were both aware of how her appearance had splashed cold water on our afterglow. A reminder for both him and me that we were playing with fire.
He moved past me, and I reached to grab his hand.
I couldn’t let him go like this.
“Can we hang out again?” I asked, hoping he understood that I wanted more of this. His quick wit and bright smiles, his sexy as fuck body, just…him. “Like a date?” My cheeks grew hot at the mention, and Rory’s gorgeous blues softened.
“Dunno,” he said, the teasing note a comfort. “I notoriously don’t date.”
“I’ll make it worth your while,” I promised, even though I wasn’t sure if I could deliver on that front. Rory was hot and young and out, and I was older and in the closet and had fucked for the first time in years last night.
His eyes gleamed with heat as he gave me a slow scan over. “Well, I can verify that’s true.” He pivoted on his heel and began walking down the hall, but he glanced back at me. “If you want to roll the dice, I won’t say no.”
All too fast, he’d slipped out of my apartment, the door shutting with a gentle click.
That hadn’t been a yes, but it hadn’t been a no either.
Rory was more than just a fascination and awakening for me. And after experiencing the high of what being with Rory Brannon was like, I had to try.
No matter the consequences.