Page 16

Kjartan

B eryl huffed and rested his forehead against my pec.

“Let’s feel dumb together because I was just thinking the same thing. Won’t you be sick of me, though?”

He leaned back, his eyes wide and insecure.

“Oh my precious little babe,” I crooned. “Never.”

“Precious little babe?” He huffed and cocked his elegant eyebrow at me.

“I have no idea where that just came from,” I told him, feeling my cheeks heat.

“Gods, you’re cute. Come on, take me back to bed.”

***

Beryl and I spent most of Sunday in bed. It was the best time of my life.

After breakfast and our walk, he pulled me back to my new bed. We fell over each other like starving animals. Within minutes we were naked and hard.

I couldn’t remember ever having this much sex in a single day. If you had asked me before if I had the stamina for this, my answer would have been a firm no.

But Thor, I couldn’t get enough of this man. Over and over again, I got lost in his embrace, lost in the tight grip he had on me, and the little noises he made when he came.

“As much as it sucks to acknowledge it, I am starving,” Beryl said way past noon. We’d worked all the calories from our porridges off, and then some.

“Do you want to cook here or eat out?”

“Ugh, stop tempting me again, you sexy man,” Bee chastised me with a laugh. “Eating out is a personal favourite of mine. But I don’t know what you prefer?”

“We could drive over to the distillery. Their food is amazing.”

“A distillery? That sounds great. Yeah, let’s check it out.”

We got up, showered, and dressed.

“Lucky I brought a change of clothes.” Beryl blushed as he pulled out a grey shirt and dark slacks from his bag. It was a simple outfit but it made him look like a million coppers.

“You look great,” I muttered, struggling as always with the buttons on my shirt. Missing a crucial part of my finger made things difficult.

“You, too. Here, let me.” He gently pulled my hands away and buttoned my shirt for me. I stole a tiny kiss when he smoothed the garment out over my pecs.

Hand in hand, we went to the car, and I drove us out to Lone Fox Distillery. It was barely fifteen minutes away and well worth the drive.

We often did projects for the owners, Fitz and Maddie. It felt a bit like coming home, and with my gust of wind, too.

“Wow! That’s so pretty!” Bee gaped out of the car window as we drove up to the cluster of houses and barns sitting in the middle of the heather-dusted hills.

I parked the car, decided to be cheesy, and pulled him close. “Just like you,” I told him in a whisper and kissed him.

“Gods, I have no self control when you say cute shit like that.” His hand dropped to my cock, rubbing me through my trousers. I plucked it off.

“Not here. Let’s eat, and then I will take you home and you can grope me as much as you like.”

“Are you asking me to stay the night again?”

I hummed, nuzzling my mouth into his palm. “I am.”

“Good.” Thank the gods I had the late shift on Monday.

We got out of the car and entered the restaurant hand in hand.

“Kjartan, hi!” Clara, their head of service, greeted me, then beamed at Beryl, her eyes flickering down to where his hand was in mine.

“Bee, meet Clara. She runs this place.”

“Good to meet you.” We shook hands.

“Kjartan is overexaggerating. I manage the restaurant together with Allair, our chef.” Clara blushed a little and shepherded us to a cosy nook in the back with a view of the terrace and grounds.

We had barely settled down when my hunk took my hand off the table to hold it in his.

“What do you fancy?”

I glanced at him from under my lashes.

“And don’t say ‘me’.”

“The Indian curry sounds delicious. I might have that.”

We ordered two curries, one alcohol free beer for me, and an IPA for Beryl.

It was delicious. Rich and hot with fresh vegetables; it was the perfect meal for this cooler, gloomier day.

“I can pay, Kjartan,” my sweet Sylph said when I handed Clara my card. She hung back for a moment to give us space.

“Just because I’m a barista doesn’t mean I don’t have any money.”

“I know, Beryl.” I covered his agitated hand with mine. “Let me treat you while you are here with me. You can treat me when I am staying at your place.”

This shut him up.

“Are you okay?” Clara asked, holding my card up, and he nodded at her with glassy eyes. “Be right back.” She hurried away.

“You want to come and stay in Kirkmuir with me?” he asked me quietly, eyes boring into mine.

“I do. Is that okay for you?”

“Yes.” The word came out even quieter, but Bee smiled at me.

We went on a little walk in the woods behind the restaurant afterwards, along a stream and past a stone bridge until we arrived at a drop in the land.

Rain clouds crowded around the hills before us like a herd of sheep huddled together.

Scotland was often gloomy and dark, but living here made me…

I slipped an arm around Beryl’s shoulder.

A couple of weeks ago, I would have said it didn’t make me happy, but with him here that would be a lie.

It was a cautious kind of happiness bubbling in the pit of my stomach. The kind you didn’t trust at first because it might evaporate all too soon. Where before I had only existed in this land, I now had something to live for.

“It’s beautiful here, Kjartan.” Bee’s arm slid under my jacket and around my waist. When I felt him shiver, I pulled him closer into my warmth. “Thank you for taking me.”

“I’m glad you like this place. Let’s come here again, yes?”

He snuggled deeper into my body. “Great idea.”