Page 65 of A is for Aftercare

I pout. “Can’t it be both? At the same time?”

“Maybe,” he says, staring deep into my eyes.

“Wouldn’tyoulike to hear my moans and gasps as you spank my arse?”

“Aye, very much so, but it’s still not sounding like much of a punishment for you. Maybe I could put you in a corner.”

I purposefully deepen my pout.

"Or withhold sex and playtime until you've learnt your lesson."

I gasp in mock horror. "But, Sir, that would be a punishment for you as well, wouldn't it?"

He laughs. “Aye, you’re right. Oh damn it, Archie, you’ve made me forget why I was going to punish you in the first place.”

I doubt that’s true, but I’m happy to go along with it. “Maybe you should just kiss me instead?”

He grabs the back of my neck and kisses me roughly. I melt against his body, realising this is probably going to make me hard as surely as him kneading my cock through my jeans. Clearing his throat, he lets me go. I glance over my shoulder to see a couple walking towards us, three dogs bounding in front of them with their tongues hanging out. Neither of us moves. Our bodies, facing each other, hide each other's arousal. The couple smile as they pass, and we offer each other a polite hello. Once they've gone, Hamish takes my hand again, and we continue walking.

“Tell me about Scotland,” I say as we enter the wood a few minutes later.

“What do you want to know?”

“About where you lived and what it was like.”

“I grew up in a small town near Edinburgh, not so far from a loch. We’d skim stones there, go fishing, and cool our legs in the water in summer. In winter, it would freeze right over. Never thick enough to skate on, mind, but it looked pretty all the same. In winter, we’d have snowball fights where everyone in the street took part.”

“It sounds amazing.”

“I doubt it was much different to growing up anywhere else.”

“Except better snow,” I say.

He chuckles. “Aye, well, better snow than down here anyway. Have you always lived near London?”

“Yes. My parents still live in the house they had when we were born.”

“That must be nice.”

“It is. They’re talking about downsizing, though. They don’t need as much room now it’s just the two of them.”

“How do you feel about that?”

I shrug. “Kind of weird. But I guess the memories we all have mean more than the building itself.”

“Aye, that’s true.”

A cold wind blows through the trees, and the sky darkens above us. We both look up as the first plops of rain splash onto our faces.

“I told you it was going to rain,” I say, shivering.

It’s not just a shower either. It’s a downpour. The canopy of leaves above our heads does nothing to shield us from getting drenched.

Hamish wraps his arms around me. “Do you know what the best thing to do is when you’re caught in the rain?”

“Run like hell to get home?”

“Kiss a beautiful man.”