7
Milo
I wasn’t ready to go back to real life. Even though I was dying to get my sketches painted on canvas, going home meant saying goodbye to Casey. That I was solidly against. I waffled about giving Casey my information. If I did, we could stay in touch, maybe even try dating long-distance. Then again, not being able to reach each other after the cruise also felt like the easiest way to let him go. Did that make me a coward?
I was still undecided when I finished changing for dinner, pocketed the sketch I planned to give Casey, and made my way to the dining room. Luckily, Cheryl had glommed onto a group cruising together and was dining with them tonight. I wound my way through the set tables toward Casey’s table. Except when I got there, it was empty.
Worried I’d gotten turned around, I picked up the placard with the room number and names. In hindsight, not my smartest move. No sooner had my gaze landed on Casey’s name than it slid to the other name listed: Hudson. My stomach rolled unpleasantly at the reminder that the only reason I’d been able to spend time with Casey was because he’d gotten dumped right before the cruise. Would he try to get back together with Hudson when he returned? Was I only a distraction from heartache? Did I care?
“Wow.”
I spun around, guiltily dropping the placard, at the breathy exclamation. “Casey! Hi. I wasn’t snooping, I promise. It’s just, you weren’t here, and I wasn’t sure if I was at the right table, and—“
“Saw my ex on the card. I admit, it’s been frustrating having to see Hudson’s name everywhere. Not that I’m still broken up about the breakup,“
he quickly added, then winced. “That makes me sound like a jerk.”
My anxiety finished evaporating, and I smiled at Casey. “So, single-Casey who is in no way a jerk, dinner?”
His face visibly relaxed. “Yeah. By the way,“
he grabbed my hand, not unlike when we’d gone to the beach and leaned forward to place a kiss on my cheek, “you look ridiculously handsome.” The sudden heat blanketing my face made me wish I had gotten sunburned the other day, but Casey’s only comment was to smile broadly and pull out my chair for me.
Despite the meal being as delicious as every other night, it didn’t take long to realize neither of us was eating. “Do you want to get out of here?“
I asked when I accidentally nudged a pea off my plate that rolled across the table before falling to the carpeted floor.
“Yes.“
I couldn’t help but smile at his obvious relief. “Where did you have in mind?”
Be brave. Be brave. “I wouldn’t mind seeing this balcony I’ve heard so much about.“
Okay, minor exaggeration. He’d mentioned it briefly in passing… once. To my surprise, he agreed readily, and we vacated the dining room.
Five minutes later, we stood on the balcony of his suite, looking out over the water. The moonlight rippling along the surface was breathtaking, but all my focus was stolen by the man at my back and how badly I wanted him to touch me.
“This might be the best vacation I’ve ever had,“
Casey said dreamily.
I took a deep breath, intending to tell him I felt the same, but that wasn’t what came out of my mouth. “Casey? Would you kiss me?“
Maybe it was the sweet air or the knowledge that this time tomorrow I’d be sequestered back in my studio in Oak Haven, but my nerves were noticeably absent.
“I’d love to, if that’s really what you want,“
he whispered.
Holding tightly to my newfound bravery, I turned around and looked into his eyes reflecting the moonlight outside. “Actually, I’d like for you to do a lot more than kiss me. Is that okay?”
He sucked in a breath, and I held mine while I waited for his response. “Milo, I’ve wanted to kiss you since I saw you.“
I mentally high-fived myself for insisting on keeping the lights off to view the moon, since it meant he couldn’t see me blushing (again). He tentatively touched my arm, the light brush of his fingers causing goosebumps under my suit jacket. “Getting to make love to you would be everything. If you’re sure.”
“I’m very sure.“
Not giving myself a chance to doubt, I flung myself at Casey, wrapping my arms around his neck, and met his lips with mine in a sweet kiss. Not that it stayed sweet. In a heartbeat, we went from gentle exploration to eager kisses that mingled our breaths and tangled our tongues.
“Fuck, Milo, you taste even better than I imagined,“
Casey said between heavy breaths as he moved from my mouth to my jaw, then on to my neck. His lips felt amazing: soft yet firm, tender yet hungry. “May I?” he asked, sliding his palms over the lapels of my jacket.
“Uh-huh,“
I nodded, already moving to lose the jacket.
From there, it was almost a game. For every article of clothing one of us removed, the other did as well. By the time we got to naked skin, my heart felt like I was attempting a marathon, and I was kicking myself for not doing this three nights ago.
We tumbled onto the bed, which was much bigger than the one in my stateroom, and shared a laugh. We rolled around, kissing and frotting, until I ended up on top of him. I rolled my hips, dragging my dick along his. Casey’s groan mirrored mine. He glided his hands down my sides, firmly gripped my ass, and forced me harder against him.
“This okay?“
he whispered.
I rolled my hips again, loving how his fingers tightened on me, and leaned down to kiss the side of his neck. “Could be better.“
His bruising grip relaxed, clearly misinterpreting what I meant. To help him out, I grabbed one of his hands and sucked two of his fingers into my mouth. Once I got them good and wet (and broke the trance I fell into when I met his lust-filled gaze), I placed his hand back by my ass.
I fought to control my heart rate and relax as he circled the sensitive muscle, periodically teasing me with more. My body had a mind of its own as I writhed against him, seeking more. Then he slid a finger inside. Every nerve lit up, and I gasped. It really had been way too long if I was already this close, and his second finger sliding in beside the first wasn’t helping matters.
“Oh God, Casey,“
I groaned, torn between riding his fingers until I came or sliding down his gorgeous body to suck his cock. “There’s so much I want to do with you, but I’m already so close.” There was nothing dignified about the sound I made when his fingers slipped free.
“I know what you mean.“
He coasted his hands up my sides and leaned up to claim a lingering kiss. “What do you want to do most tonight?“ The way he asked–sweet, endearing, putting me first, even the implication that we could have more nights like this–made my heart skip.
I gave him a firm kiss, then rolled off and made a beeline for my suit jacket. A second later, I crawled back onto the bed with the lube and condoms I’d (very) optimistically brought. Casey sat up and cradled my face before giving me another sweet kiss and taking the supplies.
“This is probably the wrong time to say this, but…“
He placed another kiss on my lips, and my heart lurched into my throat as I waited for him to finish. “I think my breakup might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said, his voice a layered mix of awe and sincerity. He kissed me deeper, driving his statement into my core.
“Casey,“
I moaned, unable to form the words I needed.
“I know. Lie on your side.”
I did as he said, positioning so that my back was to him, a little disappointed that I couldn’t see him anymore. As a partial remedy, I twisted to watch him slide the rubber on and slick his cock. He captured my mouth as he added lube to my hole. Then he hooked his arm under my right leg, opening me wide, and slid his sheathed cock inside with an agonizingly slow thrust.
“Oh God, oh God,“
I panted, the burn of the stretch quickly morphing into a pleasurable (and slightly torturous) pressure.
“You okay?“
Casey’s whispered check-in threatened to shove me over the edge.
“I’m freaking great. For the love of all that’s holy, please move.”
He chuckled, and I felt the vibration equally against my back and inside my ass. He slid out and lazily pushed back in as if we had all the time in the world. The reality was far from it, but the fantasy was lovely. He set a steady, unhurried pace that I was pretty sure was designed to kill me, and placed kiss after kiss along my neck and shoulders.
I wasn’t sure when we went from leisurely fucking to Casey gripping my hips as he pounded into me. “Fuck, that feels so good, Casey. Don’t stop. Oh God, please don’t stop.“
I reached back to dig my fingers into the flexing globe of his ass and rocked my hips to meet each thrust.
“The way you squeeze me, Milo. Fuck. I could stay inside you forever.“
He lightly bit my shoulder and slammed into me.
Pleasure rose like a wave. Before I could reach for my cock, he did it again and my orgasm crashed through me. “Casey!”
He grunted, his grip on my side bruising as he shuttled faster and faster. “Fuck, Milo,“
he whispered repeatedly until his voice became tight and his body stiffened as he filled the condom.
I vaguely remembered whimpering when he pulled free and got up to dispose of the condom. And I was pretty sure he cleaned us up. But what stuck with me was the way he tucked me in and pulled me close. The last thing I remembered before falling into blissed-out slumber was the tender kiss he placed on my hair and how right it felt to have his arm around me.