Page 82 of Finley

“Tell me first.”

Daniel was panting beneath him. Then he flashed that flirtatious grin and brought his hands into action. Daniel slid them down to grab Brantley’s ass and then bowed up to suck on his lower lip. When he was done with his own brand of teasing, he said, “I love my teacher.”

Brantley stilled and then raised his head a fraction so he could see into Daniel’s eyes.

“That’s what I wrote on your boat. Well, I did a heart in lieu of the wordlove,but…I reallydolove my teacher. And I hope he feels the same way.”

Brantley swallowed at the enormity of truth in Daniel’s eyes. Daniel did love him, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do with that, because whether it was right or wrong?—

“Finn,” he said, shaking his head. Then he put his mouth to Daniel’s ear and confessed, “I love you too, so much it makes my heart hurt.”

That was the brutal truth. Because while he loved Daniel, he was more than aware that his life was settled there and this beautiful young man had his entire future ahead of him. A future that more than likely would take him away.

But Brantley wasn’t ready to explore that reality.

Not today, anyway.

AS THE TWOof them dragged the kayak onto shore, Daniel came around to the front end and took Brantley’s hand in his.

“I love this place. This was a really great idea. I haven’t done it since I left, though, so I bet I’m going to be sore in muscles I barely remember having.”

“I doubt that,” Brantley said as he took one of the packs out of the boat and hefted it over his shoulder. Then he reached in to get the second.

As Brantley passed it over to him, Daniel couldn’t help taking a step closer and stealing a kiss. Brantley parted his lips, and Daniel immediately took the invitation. A hand clutched at his bare arm, and he couldn’t stop himself from touching Brantley’s strong jaw.

The kiss was sweet and unhurried, and it reminded him of exactly why he’d fallen for this man in the first place. No one knew him the way that Brantley did, and no one ever would.

When he reluctantly pulled away, a slow smile crept across Brantley’s lips, and he asked, “Lunch?”

“Yes. Let’s eat.”

They dropped the kayak several feet up the beach from where they stopped and let it rest near the sea oats swaying in the breeze. Daniel dumped his bag on the ground and got the blanket they’d packed out, and when he sat down on it and patted the spot between his raised legs, Brantley came over to sit there with his back resting against his chest.

As they settled in, Daniel reached for the bag beside them and said, “Let me guess. Peanut butter?”

Brantley looked back with a smirk. “Don’t forget the jelly.”

“You know, you have a very good memory, Professor Hayes.”

As Brantley faced the beach, he said quite seriously, “Only when it comes to you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Daniel put his lips to Brantley’s shoulder and asked, “Trying to lure me back with potato chips and PB and jelly sandwiches?”

“Would it work?”

When Brantley twisted a little to face him, Daniel smiled. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“All because of sandwiches? And here I was thinking it was the company.”

He pulled Brantley back against his body. “Trust me,thatis the number one reason I put in for a vacation, got on a plane, and flew across the country. Foryourcompany.”

There was a comfortable silence between the two of them where all that could be heard were the gulls as they squawked begging for scraps. Then Brantley asked, “Was it worth it?”

Daniel looped his arms around Brantley’s shoulders and took in every detail of the moment. The warmth of the man, the sun setting, and the familiar way his heart soared whenever Brantley was near, and then he whispered, “Every last second.”