Page 30

Chapter 30

Liam

Boston had gifted me with Carol’s blessing and an emotional hangover that turned my brain into mush. Brodie and I arrived home in the wee hours of the morning and we’d climbed into bed. Too tired to do much more than trade a few lazy kisses, we fell asleep.

When I woke, Brodie was gone, his side of the bed was cold, and the sun was high in the sky. He hadn’t gone far, though. Music filtered its way into the bedroom. Warmth crawled into me and eased my mind. It was clingy to admit, but I hated waking up alone.

Now that I knew Brodie was nearby, staying in bed seemed like a reasonable option, but once my bladder forced me to get up, I figured I might as well go see if he had coffee on. Once I was in the bathroom, the idea of a hot shower called to me. I wanted to scrub Boston off my skin as though soap and water would take the last vestiges of my old life and its baggage down the drain with it.

The water was too hot at first, so I turned the temperature down. I wasn’t sure how long I was under the spray after that when the door opened and Brodie walked into the room. He’d only dressed in a pair of loose cotton pants and he shoved those off his hips and let them pool on the floor so he could join me.

I pushed the shower door open for him and he slid into the stall. Immediately his arms were around me and mine around him. His mouth brushed against mine and I gave into the urge to kiss him.

It was a kiss of comfort. Of hello and good morning and I’m happy to see you, and when it was over I felt lighter. Like weight had been taken off my shoulders. A smile tugged at my lips and the one Brodie returned had to be ten times bigger and brighter.

“There you are,” he said, somewhat reverently.

I had nothing to say to that. I hadn’t gone anywhere without him. He’d come with me. But maybe that was the reason he was looking at me with tender affection. Brodie had witnessed the shell my life had been and the zombie I’d been inside it.

I returned the kiss, cradling his face in my hands. My thumbs brushed water off his cheeks and I deepened the kiss. Brodie moaned and his arms came around me. I backed Brodie up into the wall and he let out a startled oomph , and then a laugh.

“Fuck,” I said, pulling away so I could see the laughter in his eyes. “I love you so much.”

If I had one wish left to make, it would be for me to never take for granted the way Brodie’s eyes lit up when I said I loved him. I went to my knees in front of him, dragging my hands down his wet body. Brodie shoved a hand into his hair and pushed it off his face.

I kissed his belly button, laughing when he squirmed away. Sex with Brodie was always fun. He brought light and life into my world. Love didn’t keep score, but I still owed him everything. I never wanted to be without him.

Brodie’s fingers brushed my hair off my face. I hadn’t gotten it cut in a while and it was longer than it had been in years.

“I should get it cut,” I said, kissing my way lower, down to the prize that waited for me.

“Don’t do it on my account. I like it.” Brodie stroked his fingers through my hair again. I could’ve stayed there forever and let him pet me, but the tile was already starting to be a bitch on my knees.

Instead of going straight for his cock, as tempting as it was, all hard and standing straight up now, I nuzzled the base of it, then moved lower, exploring the sensitive sac with my tongue. Brodie spread his legs to give me more room. If I were given eternity with him, I’d spend it on my knees, worshipping him like this.

But we didn’t have eternity. We had one life and I was ready to live it. I caressed his body with my hands, travelling up his torso to feel the planes of his chest, the ripples of his ribs, the softness of his middle. The perfection that was Brodie Taggart. Maybe not perfect, but perfect for me.

My cock throbbed, hard and angry, forgotten. But I ignored it in favor of enjoying Brodie’s. I glanced up at him as I wrapped my hand around the base of his cock. My tongue swirled around the head and when I took it into my mouth, it brought with it the flavor of salt and skin. The taste of Brodie.

Both of his hands sank into my hair and he cradled my skull like I was something precious. I hollowed my cheeks and sucked, taking half of him in before retreating. The curse Brodie let slip went straight to my balls. I loved hearing him come apart. I relished knowing I had this effect on him, that I could so quickly reduce him to curse words that sounded a lot like endearments.

I put both my hands on him, his waist at first. His narrow hips jerked slightly when I increased my pace, taking him faster and deeper. Brodie had been my first, but he was also going to be my last. I loved knowing that his was the only male body who would know mine intimately. Parts of me had been untouched for him and it felt like a gift I could give him.

Sliding my hands around, I gripped his ass and took him as deep as I could. I gagged as his cock hit the back of my throat. Brodie’s sounds mingled with the sound of the shower and it was music to me.

“Shit, Liam. Not like this. Want you with me.” It took a moment for his words to register, and then he was helping me to my feet and we were kissing again. All tongues and lust. His arms wrapped around me, tugging me into his space. He was still pressed against the wall, but then he stepped forward and turned us around so I was the one pressed against the tile.

Brodie kissed me like it was our last, like it was the only kiss we’d ever get, so he had to make it good. And then his hips started to move and he thrust against me. I loved everything we did, but I always loved it a little more when Brodie took control. I liked knowing that he’d do things to make us both feel good, and nothing I did would be wrong. I couldn’t make mistakes if I wasn’t the one in the lead.

Water was shit for lube, but lucky for me, I’d landed myself a Boy Scout who’d stocked the shower for occasions like this. He paused long enough to lube his hand before taking both our cocks into his fist, making a tight channel around them.

Our kiss was messy now. All tongue and breath and clacking teeth until Brodie gave up on it. His free hand wrapped around the back of my neck and he held me in place, gazing into my eyes like he could read the fine print on my soul.

I couldn’t breathe through the lust that surged in me. My body was wound tight, every muscle screamed for release but forgot how to let go. And then Brodie’s intense gaze softened, his pouty lips parted and the little furrow in his brow appeared.

“Liam—Liam, fuck.” Whatever else Brodie might have been trying to say was lost to us both as his orgasm slammed into him. His body jerked against mine, his hand flew faster. If I looked down, I’d see him stroking us both. I’d be able to watch his release pour out of him and coat his fingers, my cock, before it was washed away. But I couldn’t look away from his face.

It wasn’t his hand or his orgasm that dragged me over the edge finally. It was the way his body collapsed into my arms and his mouth finding mine that did it. I came so hard I saw stars. I saw my life flash before my eyes, my future. And it was nothing but Brodie.

When I was done, wrung out and boneless, he gently washed us both. I felt more alive than I’d felt when I’d first crawled out of bed and instead of collapsing right back into it like I’d half-intended to earlier, I put on a pair of joggers and a shirt and followed Brodie, who was dressed similarly now, into the kitchen.

“I thought I heard music.” I made a beeline for the coffee pot and poured myself a cup. “Coffee?”

“I had plenty, thanks,” Brodie said. “I was doing a bit of tidying up and had my phone docked so I could listen to music. I hope I didn’t disturb you.”

The coffee wasn’t exactly fresh, but it was good enough to take the last edge of sleep off. I leaned against the counter and took a second sip. “You didn’t. I liked knowing you were still around, even if I didn’t get to wake up next to you.”

Brodie’s expression melted and a smile tugged at his mouth. “Awww, did you miss me?”

“Like a limb.” I was about to take another sip of my coffee when my gaze slid through the room and landed on something familiar. “What?”

Slowly, I made my way to the living room. Brodie had unpacked a few of the things I’d brought with us and there, hanging on the wall next to pictures of his brothers, was one of Piper and me.

I turned to him, my heart in my throat. “What’s this?”

Brodie slid his arms around me and pressed his chest against my back. “She’s not the only one who made it out of the suitcase. I can’t believe you slept through me hanging all these.” Brodie pointed to another familiar picture. “I assume that’s Oren?”

“Yeah.” The word came out strangled. I cleared my throat and blinked at the wall, taking it all in. Mingled in among pictures of him and his family were pictures of my family. Carol and me. Oren and his hot firefighter husband. Piper and me on our wedding day. And there at the center, a picture of Brodie and me. Sometimes we’d stop to take pictures for other travelers and then they’d offer to do the same for us. We looked wind burned and tired, but so very in love.

“I was head over heels for you even then.” The picture had been taken somewhere around the two-week mark of our meeting. “I can’t believe you did all this.”

“Your condo broke my heart, Liam. You deserve a home. I want you to feel like you belong here. I want it to feel like we both live here.”

“I belong wherever you are. That’s home for me.” I turned my head to look over my shoulder at Brodie. “I love you. Thank you. For everything. For the pictures and the support and the second chance, even though sometimes I worry that I’m not worth it.”

His hand closed over my mouth. “Hush. Stop bad-mouthing my boyfriend. His opinion of himself is skewed. He no longer gets to determine what he’s worth. That’s my job. And I think he’s everything.”

I licked the palm of Brodie’s hand and all he did was narrow his gaze at me.

“Do you really think that’s going to work? We just came all over each other in the shower. I’m not afraid of a little saliva.”

He did, however, peel his hand away and wipe it on my pant leg instead of his.

I turned and brushed my lips against his. “Thank you,” I said again. I’d never stop saying it. I’d never stop meaning it.