Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“We all carry some around, don’t we?”
“Yeah, suppose so.” Looking back, I have many regarding my parents and Micah that I’ve had to swallow down and live with.
When our eyes meet, I can see the regret in hers too about any number of things, from her relationship with the deceased love of her life to her beef with Jack in the early days of our family’s grief. Neither of us has any room to place blame.
She twirls the stem of her wineglass. “The way I see it, letting people be wrong about you takes strength and resilience.”
Whatever anyone says about Beth, she’s usually dead-on not only in her intuition, but her wisdom too.
“True. You can never tell what battle someone is fighting inside.”
“With strangers, yes. Which is why I always try to lead with kindness.”
As if she summoned him, Walter steps inside, and I’m hoping he can hold his liquor tonight. Beth had been kind enough to drive him home the other night and even tolerates the rumors about her family he’s spread over the years. I don’t know how she does it, and I suddenly see her in a new light.
Once Walter slides onto a stool next to Mr. Kosta from the fruit stand, she turns back to me. “Micah may carry lots of regrets, but I don’t think any were ever about you. He’s always been sure of his love for you.”
My breath catches.
“Is that how you felt about Alise?”
Her eyes cloud at the name of the woman she loved, who was lost in a freak accident in the mountains. Jack thinks she grieves not being able to save her. “Definitely. Still am all these years later.”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
“I figured you would.” She retrieves money from her wallet and stands to leave.
I watch in a fog as she does, and my thoughts are interrupted by Walter. “Gonna serve me or what?”
I barely keep from rolling my eyes. “Sure thing. The usual?”
At the end of the night, I head home, and the first thing I do is shower off the grime of the day.
As I’m drying off, I hear a faint knock on my door, as if the visitor is unsure about disturbing me. Given that it’s well past midnight, it better be important.
I throw on sweats and head to the entryway. As soon as I see who it is, I understand the hesitation. Micah stands rigidly, his hands loosely balled at his sides as if he doesn’t know what to do with them. I fling open the door and usher him inside.
“I just…” His gaze is wary, his expression so helpless that I can’t help but pull him into my arms and rub soothing circles on his back. It feels so profoundly familiar that my heart aches at the tenderness of the moment.
It’s not like we haven’t sought each other out before, leaned into the safety of each other’s arms, but if I know Micah, this is about something altogether different. It stems from his grief from earlier, from spreading his grandfather’s ashes. But it’s also more visceral than that.
My mouth finds his ear. “Tell me what you need.”
His eyes spring to mine and soften. “I…I need to forget for a while.”
I consider asking if he wants to talk about his feelings, about the loss of his grandfather, but I’d rather he call the shots. He came to me, nobody else, and right now, he needs whatever he thinks I can provide. And I’m more than happy to oblige.
I gather his face in my hands and stare into his eyes, but I see no regret or indecision. I press my lips to his, kissing him slowly and gently. But it doesn’t seem like enough as he moans and sways. His fingers fumble for the waistband of my sweats, and he tugs downward until my half-stiff shaft is exposed. He licks his lips, and as he stares at my cock, it hardens to full mast.
Micah sinks to his knees, his mouth on me in an instant. He licks the head and sucks lightly on the crown before engulfing the length.
“Fuck, honey.” I grip his head. “How about we get somewhere more comfortable?”
Not that I want him to stop. I only want to be able to savor anything he offers.
“Good point.”
I lead him to my bedroom, where we get busy removing our clothes. We fall back on the bed, him on top, and when our cocks slot together, he ruts against me.
My hands grip his cheeks. “Damn, this ass of yours.”
He moans as his mouth covers mine, and soon enough, our tongues are licking and tasting and battling, our lips swollen, our shafts stiff.
He drags his mouth away to catch his breath and rests his forehead against mine.
“Is this what you needed?” I murmur.
He reaches between us, swipes a finger against my slit, then lifts it to suck off the precome. “Not quite.”