Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
He smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”
Damn. I’d sure as hell try not to make that mistake again.
19
LACHLAN
Was I really sitting in my tent in Foster’s guest room? I’d panicked, and it was the only thing I could think of to do besides leaving, which I’d considered briefly before heading down the hallway and digging for the tent in my rolling cart. It was so second nature that it took me no time to set the darn thing up.
Honestly, Foster was right. I should file the police report, just like I should’ve stood up for myself in a more public way against Clint. Even if nothing ever came of either, it was a step in the right direction. But I just wasn’t confident enough. I preferred to walk away or hide.
The guilt made my stomach ache. What if another unhoused person got hurt, or another of Clint’s boyfriends? I likely wasn’t the first.
“I can help make up your bed again,” Foster said, his gaze trailing over to the mattress I’d stripped of sheets and blankets.
My gut churned. “I don’t think so.”
I didn’t feel ready to sleep in that bed again and act like my life was normal. But there was a deep groove between Foster’s eyebrows, and I wished I could make him understand.
I patted the comforter I’d arranged on the tent floor. “But you’re welcome to hang out with me in here.”
My pulse thumped, not only because I was inviting him into my private space, but because I wasn’t sure what he’d think. How pathetic did I sound?
His eyes softened. “You’d want that?”
I nodded, not really understanding where all this trust was coming from right then. I had fled the kitchen because I was afraid. But it wasn’t really of him. It was of being fooled by someone again, and yet he’d quickly batted down that idea by explaining and apologizing. Clint used to offer non-apologies where he’d pin the responsibility of his anger on me. And I took the brunt of it willingly to make things better.
Foster crawled inside and made himself comfortable on the bedding. It was essentially a one-man tent, so our knees were touching, our breaths mingling.
Thankfully, Oscar was busy chewing a bone he’d rediscovered in my room, otherwise it would’ve been way too crowded.
“It’s cozy in here,” Foster said, and I smiled.
“It is.” I twisted the corner of the comforter. “Do you understand now?”
“I think I do.” He reached out, touched a strand of hair near my jaw, then pushed it behind my ear. I sighed because it felt so good to be touched by him.
When he ran his hand along my scruff, I kept my eyes closed, wishing it would never end. “You’re gorgeous, Lachlan.”
“I could say the same to you.” My stomach felt funny as I opened my eyes and our gazes clashed. I reached out to touch his five-o’clock shadow, enjoying the roughness against my fingers. “I want you. Is that wrong to say after the way I acted?”
“No. It’s human.” His lips were only a fraction away, and I could easily close the distance. “I want you too. Even if all I do is hold you.”
Despite our conversation, I still felt on edge. “I want…I need…more.”
“I think I get it.” He gathered my face in his hands, his kiss so devastatingly tender, I practically melted. He encouraged me to lie back, and as he hovered over me, he asked, “Is this okay?”
I nodded, pinpricks lining the hairs on my arms and legs, the anticipation killing me.
“Can I take these off?” He indicated my jeans, and when I nodded again, he slid them down. I took off my shirt, saving him the trouble of dealing with it. Before I knew it, I was completely bare, but the affection blazing in his warm, brown irises made me feel safe and cared for.
He removed his shirt as well, and my gaze roamed all over his firm chest and downy dark hair before he bent down to feather kisses along my throat and collarbones. When he lashed his tongue against one nipple and then the other, I groaned, reveling in being tended to for the first time in forever.
Sex before was always on someone else’s terms, and I was normally doing the heavy lifting, sometimes falling short of getting my needs met. Foster taking his time and wanting to make me feel good was unfamiliar, so maybe that explained the tears suddenly stinging my eyes.
I took a deep breath, shut my eyes, and pulled myself together. I relaxed into his touch and allowed myself to enjoy this. Enjoy the feel of Foster’s stubble rasping over my thigh as he buried his nose in my groin. Relish his warm mouth as he engulfed my cock, making me shiver. He pulled down the foreskin and licked the head, and I opened my lids to watch him. Swiping the precome from my slit, he seemed to savor it on his tongue. Ugh, he was so fucking hot, and his desire made me feel powerful and confident enough to ask for what I wanted.