Page 276 of Incompatible

"Got to get ready for class," I mutter.

"I’ll walk you," Bay says.

"Really not necessary…" I protest, but without conviction.

"I’ll walk you," Bay repeats, his voice absolutely calm and leaving no room for argument.

A faint shiver runs low in my belly, so I only nod obediently.

This is exactly what it means to be with someone who has such a strong protector instinct, and I start to rememberhow much I always loved that, the feeling of being precious to somebody. I was horribly lonely for almost exactly a decade, and now… this new feeling rises in me and spreads through my veins like a drug. I want him to care about me, to protect me like his treasure, to fill the void in me, around me.

When Bay stands up, completely naked, I realize I am standing beside a man who is almost two heads taller than me and so much more massive, towering over me like some kind of statue, and I tilt my head back to look up at him before taking a decisive step toward him, because his size doesn’t scare me, it… turns me on.

My chest rests against his stomach, his arms hang passively at his sides, but then I slowly lift my gloved hands and lace my fingers with his.

Even with the gloves on, still the feeling is wonderful, Bay’s fingers weaving through mine as we stand there pressed together, looking at each other with that charged intensity.

"I want you…" he whispers.

"I can feel it, and see it," I say, because his still hard cock is pressed against my stomach and chest.

I smile, and he returns it.

When I head to class that day, Bay walks beside me. I can’t deny myself at least some form of contact with him, so I put the gloves on and stop caring about whatever anyone might think, because gloves in Florida in spring are definitely not necessary, but who cares. I take his hand and we stroll across campus like we used to, fingers intertwined, and I turn and catch his eyes.

"I missed this," I murmur.

"It will never be gone again," Bay replies with certainty.

Could it really be that easy?

???

The next few days pass with a shy but steady closeness building between us, and unfortunately I also have to accept the fact that our house is now regularly visited by Bay’s coworkers.

Bay asked whether I would prefer that he take them to his apartment, but I had an intense, almost explosive reaction to the idea. There was no way in hell I was going to put any unnecessary space between us, even if it meant forcing myself to crawl out of my tiny, secluded mental hole. My shyness needs to go.

I will be Dr. Alexander Nolan very soon, with a full-time position at the college, and I’m trying to see the advantages of this situation, to work on how feral and withdrawn I’ve become.

The very next day, Eric shows up about something, and then the whole band comes over to rehearse a few things, which means they take over the living room while I hide upstairs in my ‘cave’. But then memories surface, back when Bay was still playing with the school band, and this used to be part of our routine anyway. So on an impulse, I decide to go downstairs and hang out near them.

The most awkward moment comes right after I emerge from my ‘cave’, when Bay introduces me to the rest of the band and immediately says, "This is my husband, Alex."

They have no problem with it, and Malik even seems happy to see me. The only problem is that I still can’t fully believe any of this. I’ve become such a homebody over the years, and now my life is being catapulted into me being the boyfriend of a quite popular singer!

The band is shocked when Bay explains that we got married when we were eighteen but were separated by incompatibility that, as he tells them, wasn’t actually real and turned out to be something we could eventually bypass.

It’s funny, but the very word husband feels almost absurd to me, because I stopped thinking of myself that way long ago,assuming it was only some piece of paper that had been shoved onto a shelf a decade ago, nothing important, but apparently for Bay it is still reality. Which is another sweet thing that makes my heart swell.

They play for about two hours, and when they finally finish rehearsal and it’s just the two of us again, I hand him the thick gloves, pull on a heavy sweater and pants, sit beside him on the bed and lean against him, making sure no part of my bare skin touches his.

Bay gently strokes my hair and I say,

"I’m curious how your family is going to react to all of this. I’d honestly prefer to tell them only after my desensitization is finished."

"Well, there’s been so much going on in my family lately that I doubt anyone will even notice the change."

"Yeah, I can imagine. With River being back and with Rain’s wedding…"