8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
William
It was too good to be true. It had to be too good to be true. I really needed a win, but even when all of EJ’s signs and signals were screaming yes, I was hesitant to believe it. I wanted it to be true with every ounce of my being, but my confidence was low. Until I got a definitive answer from him, I'd probably remain cautiously optimistic.
Seeing him in action, working the crowd, answering questions, giving his speech, was the most amazing thing ever. He’d always had a sort of quiet confidence about him, but in this scenario, he glowed. My heart was fit to burst in my chest over it. One glaring side effect of it was that I couldn't keep my hands to myself. It was damn near impossible. I subconsciously found every excuse to reach out and touch him. Mercifully, he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he gravitated toward the touch and exchanged small gestures of his own. I was about to go nuts from it if I didn't get him alone and spill my guts.
We lost our jackets and rolled up our sleeves to get the last of the cleanup done once he sent his friends and family packing. It was late, but by unspoken agreement, we both seemed keen to get it wrapped up in record time. Tables, chairs, and a million other accessories got packed away before we whipped out brooms and washcloths to handle the last of it. The evening chill as we finally carted the last of the boxes and our personal effects to the parking lot was a literal breath of fresh air and a tease to my sweat-damp skin.
All the haste to finish disappeared as the night drew to a close. I didn't want it to end, but I knew it had to as I slowed my pace with the last box of brochures in my arms. I hefted it into his trunk in slow motion and sighed under my breath once I slammed it closed.
“I guess—”
“Thanks again—”
A release of held breaths preceded shared laughter as we both started speaking at the same time.
“You go first,” I murmured, unable to resist the urge to reach out and lace our fingers together.
“I just wanted to thank you again for coming tonight and for all your help.” He eased forward just a fraction of an inch and peered up into my eyes. “I appreciate it so much.”
“It's absolutely my pleasure, EJ.” The way the low lighting of the Town Square caught in his gaze had my heart rate growing a little faster. “Tonight meant a lot to me too.”
“Do you have to head back or… um…” A little gasp of inhaled breath was audible over the sounds of the autumn evening—geese in the distance, the rustle of leaves, insects calling out as the threat of cold hung crisp in the air. “Would you take a walk with me?”
The joy I felt was indescribable. If all I could ever have of him was stolen moments and friendship that could almost be more, I would hoard every second. “Yes. Absolutely.”
Again, hope blossomed as his face broke out in a grin. He walked backward across the Square, tugging me along by the hand, before turning to lead me along one of the smaller paths that cut through the parkland toward the banks of the creek. So many afternoons and evenings had been spent along the creek bed. Despite myself, fantasies of more time spent here in the future buoyed my spirits.
The path was a narrow one crafted of pressed stone and sparsely illuminated by small lamp posts that grew more sporadic the farther we walked, his hand wrapped in mine. In between the golden pools of light, the moon showed through the canopy of trees overhead, creating dappled specks of pale silver to guide us along our way. The air was cooler under the trees and along the softly babbling brook, but I didn't complain. Not when it caused him to step closer to share body heat.
We didn't talk, didn't laugh, hardly even breathed as the quiet breeze skated over our faces and carried the heady aroma of autumn with it. Tension grew in my chest, neither pleasant nor unpleasant, until I finally couldn't stand it anymore. With a decision made, I stopped us in a pool of moonlight and shifted until we were face to face.
“I have to say this. If I don't, I'll explode. Ah—” I held my fingertip to his lips and left it there. “Just let me get this out.”
He nodded, his lips curving beneath my touch.
“EJ, I'm crazy about you. I know I messed up. God, I messed up in a huge way, but I meant it when I said I was sorry and have been ever since that day. What I didn't tell you was this—not a day has gone by that I haven't relived that moment. No other kiss has ever compared. No one else could hold a candle to you. For the last ten years, I've been searching for… pining for something and that something was you. I know that I asked if we could try being friends. Screw that. It's not enough, and if I have to wait another ten years to convince you to give this a shot, to give us a shot, God dammit I will.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled it from his lips with a quiet laugh. “Can I talk now?”
“Yeah, shit. Sorry.”
“God, you're so fucking cute.” His hands landed on my chest as he grinned. “Remember when I said I accepted your apology and that you needed to stop apologizing so much?”
I nodded, swallowing audibly as my hope grew stronger and larger. I needed his next words to be good ones so badly, I could barely breathe.
“Well, I meant it.” His hands traveled higher over my pecs to slide around my neck, his fingertips shifting to brush along my hairline at the back of my head. “As for that bit about just being friends?”
“Yeah?” My words came out rough around the edges as my eyes darted all over his face.
“I lied too. I want more. But you're going to need to make the first move this time. It didn't end so well for me last time. This is how you show me you mean it.”
“Shit, EJ.” I pulled him flush to my body in an instant, my arms winding tight around his torso. He was so firm, so warm, so real . Like every dream I'd had for years came to life at that moment and my heart soared. “God, I mean it. I absolutely meant every word of it.”
“Then kiss me, you fool.” His voice was full of mirth.
My lips landed on his brow, his cheek, his nose, his other cheek, and then finally, in a blissfully brilliant flash of delight, the plush cushion of his lips was beneath mine. His grip tightened around my neck as mine tightened around his torso and with the most subtle repositioning, the kiss deepened. Lips parted, breaths mingled, and our mouths fused in a perfect, poignant reconnection ten years in the making.
His tongue teased over my lower lip and I shuddered head to toe before sweeping it into my mouth and dancing mine around it. God, I needed this. I needed him. It was a burning need that transcended the physical and shot directly into my very soul. It was push and pull and more and yes all wrapped into a singular, defining moment so intense, fireworks erupted behind my closed eyelids.
He broke the kiss with a soft moan that I could feel in the core of my body—molten hot and delicious. Incensed, I dove back for more. Grappling hands and urgent desire kept our bodies firmly pressed together, top to toe, as I shifted my leg between his thighs to press against his burgeoning erection. I needed more and more and more.
“Oh, fuck,” he groaned, throwing his head back with a panting breath. “Christ, Will.”
“Told you… I meant it…” My lips trailed wet kisses over his jaw and down his neck.
“I believe you.” He tugged at my shirt, shifting his arms under mine to slip his hands underneath the thin fabric. The sensation of his palms on my bare skin combined with the chill of the autumn night brought a shiver to my spine as I moaned against the pulse pounding in his neck. I nipped along the tendon and rocked my hips against his, desperate for friction and connection and more. Just more of him.
“Will… good God…” He huffed out a breathy laugh and gripped my sides. “Time out.”
Immediately, I froze. Still panting, my pulse pounding in my ears, I pulled back to search his face. His pupils were blown wide in the pale moonlight and the flush bleeding over his cheeks and chin was enough to have my vision tunneling. His words, in contrast, had my heart plummeting.
“Hey, no…” He cupped my chin and pecked my lips. Somehow that sweet, tender, innocent act was even more powerful than the wanton kissing that had left us in this state. “Your face just got so sad. We are definitely doing more of this. I just want to do some general housekeeping before we get too carried away.”
“Oh,” I mumbled, shifting my hands lower to grip his hips, partially to keep him from leaving and partly because I never wanted to be apart from the bliss of his body. I'd already lost too much time. My brow furrowed. “Housekeeping?”
“Oh man, you're panicking. This is your panicking face.” He smoothed my frown away with a thumb to my brows. “Housekeeping. Top, bottom, side, preferences, likes, dislikes, consent.”
Realization had heat flooding my cheeks in shame and arousal combined. I laughed with relief and let my forehead fall to rest against his. “Okay, so maybe I was panicking a little. Now I know what you mean.”
“Mm, you always were a little quick to jump to the worst case scenario.” Once more, he stole a tiny kiss and the butterflies resumed their swirling dance in my gut. “Now tell me what I want to hear.”
“Consent is a hell yes. I've… never bottomed but not because I don't want to. I'd be willing to try that. I really like eating ass and giving head. I guess… dislikes… oh, no sharing. I don't think I could.”
“Jesus, I'm going to blow in my pants.” He chuckled and shifted his hips against mine to illustrate his point. He was most definitely rock hard, even with our momentary time out. “I also enjoy all forms of oral pleasure, giving and receiving. I can go either way. Top or bottom. And if we’re doing this, we’re going to do it monogamously. Just let me know if you want to explore something else with someone else before—”
“Literally shut up right now.” I brought a hand to his mouth and laughed. “You think now that I've gotten what I never should have run from after this long, I'd want anything else?”
He nipped at the muscle of my palm and grinned like the devil as soon as I pulled my hand away. “Babe, we haven't even slept together. Don't make promises when you don't know what is in store. Maybe I'm a boring lay? Maybe you hate my sex sounds? Maybe—”
I pressed my hand back to his mouth. “Shhh. Too much crazy talk.”
Instead of replying, he ground his hips against mine and licked my palm. Somehow, even that silly action was enough to renew my dick’s interest in our activities. To be fair, now that we'd given the green light to taking things further, my dick would have been interested even if he started picking his nose while doing a donkey impression in a clown suit.
I slowly pulled my hand away and swiftly swept in to return one of the sweet, simple kisses he was fond of giving. “So now that the housekeeping is out of the way, can we get back to making out?”
“Mmhmm. I stopped you because I was about two seconds from dropping to my knees. Had to get the consent out of the way first, though.” He moved his hands from my sides to my upper back before sweeping them downward to cup my ass. “And on that note…”
“Good God, we really are just a bunch of horny teenagers tonight, aren't we?” I hooked my arms around his neck to pull him closer, letting my lips brush along the whorls of his ear. “In hindsight, that seems very appropriate.”
“Yes, yes it does.” He kneaded my ass through my trousers even harder. “Would it be pushing too hard too fast to ask if you'd like to fool around a little and maybe… head back to my place after?”
“No. Yes.” I laughed and nuzzled his earlobe. “No, that’s not pushing too hard. Yes, I'd love that. All of that. I’m… I'm not eager to end this yet. Not when I've only just gotten you back.”
“We do have a lot of catching up to do.”
“And no better time to start than the present.” My lips shifted to his jaw as I trailed tiny kisses over the faint stubble before seizing his lips once more. It was all I could ever want or need, but the promise of more fed the flames of desire as I infused every ounce of my longing into a deeper kiss. I'd thought it was too good to be true, but the truth was ten times better than I could have ever imagined. I wanted to kick myself for missing out on something this intense and affirming all this time. He was right—we had a lot of catching up to do.