Chapter Eight
Isaac
Holy fuck.
I was a goner.
Hours had passed since our passionate bout of lovemaking, and still sleep eluded me. After I’d come, I withdrew carefully. I knotted off the condom and then went into the bathroom to soak a washcloth in hot water. I brought it back to our bed where I set about gently cleaning Ben.
He bestowed upon me a sleepy, sated smile, and soon slipped into sleep.
Normally after a good orgasm, I was able to drift off as well.
Not tonight.
Tonight I was energized. Or keyed up. Wound up like a top about to explode into action as soon as the string was released. Instead of disrupting my bed partner’s sleep with my restlessness, I dressed in my T-shirt and sleep pants. I snagged my laptop and headed over to the couch by the fire.
Within seconds of my butt hitting the cushions, I had company next to me.
Buddy gave me the most beseeching look, and I didn’t have the heart to boot him. Plus, this was a pet-friendly room. No way was this adorable beagle the first canine to grace the couch.
He pawed at my forearm and tilted his head.
I met his gaze, then scratched behind his ears.
He sighed.
I lifted my arm, and he settled his snout on my thigh.
Okay, then. Phew. If Buddy didn’t like me, being a part of Ben’s life would’ve been complicated.
Oh, hell, who was I kidding? Of course this would be complicated. Several hundred miles and a ferry ride separated us. I opened my laptop and navigated my way to my employer’s website. No lighthouses in Mission City, but…
Well, if that wasn’t a sign, I didn’t know what was. I carefully filled out the application for the job of harbormaster in Mission City. I wasn’t guaranteed to get it, but the posting had been up for some time. Might’ve had to do with the salary. I’d be taking a pay cut, but I’d still make enough to survive on.
If he wants you.
Yes, minor hiccup. What if this was one-sided? What if I was just a fling? Someone to pay the bills until he could go back to Mission City? What if he never wanted to see me again?
Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.
Ben, sleep-rumpled and naked, meandered over with a blanket slung over his shoulders. He plopped down next to Buddy, but shifted the pooch so the little guy pretty much sat in my lap. Then he proceeded to kiss my neck. “I woke, and you weren’t there.”
A bit of petulance laced his voice.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
His stubble rasped my jaw. “I can think of ways to make you sleep.”
I chuckled.
He snagged my laptop, and before I could react, he had it on his lap.
Buddy stirred when I tried to grab it back.
Okay, not upsetting the pup was more important than his master not seeing the website. Nothing confidential as I was on a public site.
Ben blinked. He turned to stare at me. Then his attention was drawn back to the screen emitting a weird blue light that turned his white skin almost translucent.
I’d observed him at dinner, of course, but now I could look my fill. Powerful jaw, distinctive nose, and hair the colour of mahogany close-cropped at the sides. He was just…adorable.
His nose scrunched. Then he rubbed his forehead. “So, uh, you’re going to apply for a job in Mission City?”
I tried to read his tone, but he was being scrupulously neutral. “Well, I applied.”
I rushed to add, “But that doesn’t mean I’ll get the job and, you know, even if I do, I don’t have to take it, and…”
His eyes were bright but wary. “I thought your ex-boyfriend lived in Mission City. Dickens, right?”
“Yes, he does. It’ll be nice to reconnect with him. As a friend. We parted on good terms, and I’ve only ever wanted him to be happy. I’m not the man who can make him happy, though. And he wasn’t the man for me.”
“But you think I might be?”
Again, no hint of what he was thinking.
“Well…”
My brain scrambled. How was I supposed to answer that question? We’d made love once. He’d rocked my world. I wanted to see where we could go, and staying in Tofino wasn’t going to give me the answer to that question.
Ben gently closed the laptop and set it on the coffee table. Then he carefully scooped Buddy into his arms and placed him on the doggie bed.
Buddy opened one eye, got the lay of the land, and went right back to sleep.
Oh, the life of a dog.
Without warning, Ben hopped onto my lap and straddled me. He ran his hands along my scalp until they rested at my nape. Then he tugged me in for a kiss.
This wasn’t a languid kiss. No, this was passion. This was fury. This was need and desire and electricity.
He kissed me with a ferocity that rivaled my own hunger.
I slid the blanket off his shoulders so I could run my hands up and down his back. I cupped his ass, pressing him against me.
His hard cock nudged my belly while mine reacted to the contact.
Could I take him here? On the couch?
Even as I had the thought, he ended the kiss. He pressed his sweat-slicked forehead to mine. “The answer to your question is yes. Hell-fucking-yes.”
Had I asked a question? My addled brain couldn’t remember. But I’d always remember this moment. The firelight against his skin. The seductive way he bit his lower lip. The promise of more to come. Yeah, good thing he bought a box of condoms.
I hoped the storm lasted forever.