Page 79 of Finley

Daniel took it from him and kissed the mouth that was smiling up at him. Once he’d spread the butter over his toast, he reached for the bottle of grape jelly, his favorite, and nodded. Lover’s Key State Park—he hadn’t been there in years.

“I’d love to go. On one condition,” he said with a grin. Then he picked his coffee up and took a much-needed sip of caffeine.

“Oh? Okay. Let me have it.”

He raised his eyebrow and glanced over the mug. “Oh, I’ll let you have it, all right, but when we get home. If we dothaton a public beach, we might get arrested. Really, professor—show some restraint.”

“You’re hilarious, Mr. Finley,” Brantley told him as he leaned against the counter and crossed his ankles. “What’s your condition?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of: I’ll go as long as we can take some food and make a dayandnight of it. Just like we used to. I rather like the idea of revisiting the place where you first professed your undying love to me.”

Brantley laughed. “I don’t remember it being quite so dramatic.”

“Really?” Daniel said as he placed his mug on the counter and took Brantley’s from him. Then he trapped him against the fridge. “How do you remember it?”

When Brantley placed his hands on Daniel’s hips and tugged him forward so they were fitted together, he nipped at his lower lip and whispered against his mouth, “I remember thinking you were a total troublemaker, and…”

“And?”

“And I loved you more than I ever thought possible.”

“Brantley.” Daniel sighed against his lips. “If I could?—”

Brantley shook his head and caught Daniel’s lips in a quick kiss. “No. Don’t do that.”

Daniel took a step back and ran his fingers down Brantley’s arm. “Okay.”

“Let’s get the kayak on the car and head down so we’re there by the afternoon,” Brantley suggested, and stepped around him.

Daniel reached for his fingers, and when they looked at one another, the message was clear. They would enjoy the day. Enjoy what they had in that moment, just as they had last night, and then, once Daniel went home, that would be it.

As he released Brantley’s hand, Daniel watched him walk through the archway of the kitchen and clung to the knowledge that at least he’d have this. And he planned to make every minute count.

“OKAY,WHEN YOU said you were kidnapping me, I didn’t actually think you were going to drive me to a secluded park somewhere to do nefarious things to my poor, unsuspecting body, professor.”

When Daniel looked over at Brantley, who was seated behind the steering wheel, he gave his most mischievous grin and had his professor chuckling. Today, they were celebrating a kind of milestone. It’d been two years since Daniel had gotten Brantley to see him as more than just…his student.

“Is that what I do?”

He winked. “Sometimes. If I’m lucky.”

“Yes. Well, I can see how traumatized you are by it.”

“I am. It’s all I think about. Awake or asleep, I can’t get it out of my head. It’s very detrimental to my health.”

Brantley took his eyes off the road to glance Daniel’s way. “You, Mr. Finley, are full of shit.”

Daniel flashed a wide smile. “Maybe. But it worked. I wanted you to look at me.”

“Flirt.”

“And? You got a problem with that?”

Brantley placed his hand on Daniel’s thigh and squeezed. “Definitely not.”

“So, whereareyou taking me?”

“I thought we’d take the kayak out at Lover’s Key. Have you ever been there before?”