Page 20 of The Way Home (Pathfinders Lake Romance #5)

Jeremy

A perfect day.

I started to wonder if they still existed or if they went the way of childhood wonders, swallowed up by the demands of adulthood. I’d had a lot of nice days, great even, but nothing that made me feel as if everything in the world aligned exactly right to bring about a perfect day. Until today.

Seeing Riley light up at the science museum would have been enough.

We could have stopped right there, and I would have praised whatever deities who allowed me to witness such a moment.

Having him kiss me, him initiate it, yeah, that definitely topped it.

And dinner? Damn, I just couldn’t stop seeing the way he looked at me or feeling his hand resting in mine, even as we ate.

Riley’s hand was still in mine, resting in my lap as I drove us home.

Despite the growing rain, and a clack of distant thunder, I wore a near-constant smile, feeling higher than I’d ever felt.

I didn’t really know where this was heading, or what might happen, but I didn’t care.

Not after having a perfect day. A day I would remember forever.

Once we were home, we lingered on the porch for a moment, as if entering the house would signify the end of this day.

Riley stared down at me, making heat form low in my belly.

As much as I was dying to kiss him again, I needed something else even more.

I stepped in closer and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him in tight.

Riley’s arms folded over my shoulders and he held me.

My head nestled into the crook of his neck, and his cheek rested on mine. I breathed him in as we embraced.

We hugged each other tight, holding on as if we hadn’t seen each other in years. I hadn’t, not like this, and I wanted to hold onto this, onto him, for as long as I could. After a long moment, I whispered, “Thank you.”

Riley released a light sigh and squeezed me tight. “Thank you, Jem.”

The dark night sky flashed, and I flinched in his arms when the thunder clapped.

Riley leaned back enough to meet my gaze, and he lifted a hand to brush my cheek.

He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss in the same spot.

“If it gets bad, come to my room. I can’t spend another night in the twin bed. ”

I nodded with a soft smile. “Okay.”

We broke apart, at last, though I could have been content to stay with him there on the porch all night, thunderstorm and all.

We went our separate ways, two doors and a hallway separating us.

I stripped my shirt off and peeled out of my skinny jeans.

As I lay in my bed, the smile returned. My heart felt wonderfully full.

Sure, I was still horny after spending time with him and thinking of the hungry way he kissed me under the black light, but more than that I was just so damn happy.

So happy that the next thunder strike didn’t even faze me.

It happened, I felt it, but not in the way that made me lose my breath.

Still… the invitation had been given. I wasn’t in the same condition I’d been in the other day when my stress made it hard for me to defend myself against the storm.

I was feeling light and floaty, but I got up anyway.

Not bothering to put anything on over my neon green briefs, I crept across the hall.

I’d been letting myself in a lot lately, mostly just to get some sort of reaction from him, but tonight was different.

I knocked lightly on his door and waited outside.

“You can come in,” Riley called out.

Slowly, I opened the door to find Riley sitting up all the way to one side of the bed and shirtless. He’d known there was a possibility I might come and he didn’t put a shirt on. Did it mean anything? I didn’t know, but it made my heart race all the same. “I know you said…”

Before I could even finish, Riley flipped the cover back on one side and patted the bed.

I grinned and walked in, taking the spot he’d left for me.

Had he been waiting for me? His eyes did a quick roam over my body, taking in my nearly-naked form.

I hated sleeping in clothes and avoided it when I could help it, but I also longed to feel his skin against mine, more than I wanted a cheeseburger pizza.

I scooted down until my head was on the pillow and turned on my side to face him. Riley put his book on his lap. With his hand freed, he found mine and pulled it closer to his chest, twining our fingers together. “Are you okay?”

I squeezed his hand and smiled. “I am now, darling.”

Riley closed his eyes and let out a soft hum. He went to put his book on the bedside table, but I stopped him. “Wait. Would you mind reading to me?”

“Read to you? What? This? I didn’t think you were big on fantasy.”

“It doesn’t really matter what it is, but sometimes I like listening to someone read. It helps me relax.”

Riley’s hand squeezed mine before he let go, and gave me a soft smile. “Sure. But I’m skipping the sexy parts, because I don’t think I can read those out loud.”

I chuckled lightly. “Maybe next time.”

Riley stayed sitting up in bed, and I took a chance and moved closer, resting my head on his lap.

He didn’t flinch or say anything, and when his hand rubbed over my back, a contented sigh released from me.

He began reading, and it was ten times better than any ASMR person I’d ever tried.

It was him. The words blended together, but his beautiful voice settled over me, completely relaxing me.

Being with him like this… the storm might as well have evaporated.

It was him. Only him filling my field of vision, and the sound of him reading filling my ears.

The perfect end to a perfect day.

In the morning, I woke to find our positions switched, Riley’s body tangling with mine.

His leg was hooked over mine, knee resting dangerously close to my crotch, his head was on my chest, and he had a hand wedged under my armpit.

I folded my free arm around him and held him there, placing a kiss on the top of his head.

I wasn’t sure if he was going to wake up in a panic as he had the last time, so I was determined to enjoy the moment before he did.

Only… he didn’t. He let out a contented sigh and nuzzled his face against my chest, the scruff on his cheeks scraping deliciously against my skin.

Riley’s knee slid up just enough to rub against my cock, eliciting a gasp from me.

I thought he would freeze and jump away, but instead he moaned and rolled his hips, bringing his knee over me once more, while his own erection poked into my hip.

A sleepy moan sounded. I was so tempted to encourage the movement and see how far this would go, but I wasn’t entirely sure he was conscious.

If this was going to happen, it was going to be with his full awareness and participation.

I rubbed my hand over his back. “Riley, are you awake?”

“Mmm,” he hummed. He slid his leg up, putting pressure on my dick, and his cock rolled across the band of my underwear. Fuck me. I didn’t want it to stop, but I refused to continue without consent.

Kissing the top of his head again and trying to keep from arching my back to create better friction, I cleared my throat. “Riley, good morning. I’m going to need some words here.”

Riley squirmed against me, making me ache to move with him. I felt his body still and his breathing change, but he didn’t push away. He yawned and tilted his head back to look up at me with a sleepy smile. “Good morning.”

“Good, good. You’re awake.”

Riley shifted his position slightly, enough for his leg to slide over my hard length, making me draw in a sharp breath. He let out a soft, “Oh,” and froze.

“Yeah,” I said, trying not to move despite my body crying out for me to do something.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize. I thought I was dreaming.” Riley’s cheeks pinked in that color I loved. Even more so now with our bodies entangled and both of us hard.

I gently caressed his cheek. “Must have been a good dream.”

The pink brightened, and he looked away. “It was, but I…”

“It’s okay. We don’t have to do anything. I mean, believe me, I really want to, but not if you’re uncomfortable.”

Riley tilted his head back down, but kept his head on my chest. He carefully withdrew his leg from mine. “I don’t know if I’m ready yet, sorry.”

I kissed his head once more before moving my arm off his back to give him space. “Please don’t be sorry. I just needed to stop you before I couldn’t stop myself.”

He looked up at me and gave me an appreciative look before surprising me by returning his head to my chest. “Can we stay like this, though? Just for a bit longer?”

I wrapped my arm around him again, smiling wide. “We can stay like this as long as you like.”

Riley nuzzled in, and we embraced in silence, both fully awake and fully participating, though different than the direction it was headed minutes before.

But I was happy. Happy to have him stay.

To not flee to another room, to not overthink, to not disappear into his head and work his way through his chemical compounds.

I could feel it, feel him relax fully in my arms, and it was… everything.

I didn’t know how much time had passed—it could have been seconds or hours—but Riley pressed a soft kiss to my chest and rolled away. I missed his body on mine immediately but felt completely content.

Riley stood and stared at me in his bed… well, our parents’ bed, “Hey, uh, I was thinking… maybe we could go for a walk again. Would that be okay?”

My lips curved upward. “That sounds great. I promise I won’t abandon you this time. I’ll stay right by your side and protect you from those mean old branches. How’s your arm doing by the way?”

He turned it over to reveal the faded scratch. “Oh, it’s fine, but I appreciate you wanting to stay with me anyway.”

“Nowhere I’d rather be, darling.”