Page 15 of The World

I hitched my legs up higher, wanting him even deeper, and he exhaled a sound that was half groan, half whimper. “Touch yourself,” he instructed. “I want to see you come for me.”

I didn’t hesitate, sliding my hand down between us until I was gripping my own cock, working it in time to his thrusts and breathing in sharp, frantic pants.

“Come for me,” he said again. “Do it, Ethan. Come on.”

And that was all it took. “Fuck!” I yelled, pushing my head back into the mattress as my back bowed and I exploded all over my stomach.

Taika’s hips moved even faster, his face contorted into this angry half-snarl as he chased his own orgasm and then he came with a groan that vibrated all the way through my own chest.

He collapsed onto one elbow and we both struggled for breath.

“Holy shit,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever come that hard in my life.”

“Same,” I said, still dazed.

"Maybe Florida brings out the best in us," he teased. But the fingers that stroked delicately over my cheekbone said he knew better. It had nothing to do with where we were, it was all about who we were with.

Five

~Taika~

I wokeup and immediately stretched out my arm for Ethan, needing to pull him closer, but the bed was empty.

My stomach sank. A thousand nights in a thousand beds all over the world. A thousand mornings waking up alone, and I'd never cared before. One night with Ethan, and all that had changed. How the hell was I supposed to go back to sleeping alone?

I opened my eyes fully to find the room dark but for the glimmer of light coming from the open balcony door. The clock said it was just after nine PM. It was still chilly, but I threw the covers off anyway, grabbed a pair of boxers from my suitcase, and went in search of the guy who'd thrown my whole world into chaos — joyful, beautiful chaos.

I found him leaning against the waist-high balcony wall, staring down at something below. Whatever he saw had caught his attention; his head was tilted to one side, and a little smile played around his mouth as he watched. He’d pulled on a pair of boxer briefs, and his legs were in shadow, but the top half of his body glowed in the moonlight, and his light hair was nearly silver against the blue-black sky.

Christ, he was gorgeous, inside and out. Everything I learned about him reinforced that belief. And I didn’t delude myself that I knewhalfhis story, but I wanted to. I wanted to learn the answer to every ridiculous getting-to-know-you question he could dream up, I wanted to see him sigh and gasp and bite his lip in amusement at every sight from Shanghai to Belize. I wanted him to have everything he wanted, to help him achieve all those dreams he’d been dreaming even when the world tried to get him to stop.

I didn’t want this to end.

“Hey,” I said softly.

He spun around, giving me his Ethan smile that made me feel like nothing else in the world was as important to him in that second as I was. What would it be like to see that smile every day?

“Hey, yourself.”

I took the two steps that separated us and when I was right in front of him, he lifted up on his tiptoes and pressed his lips to mine.

“What are we looking at?” I asked, ghosting my fingers over his forehead to brush back a stray strand of blond hair. I wanted to touch every part of him I could reach.

“Well, a minute ago, I was looking at a family playing down there.” He stroked a hand down my chest as he spoke, like he needed to touch me, too. “Two moms holding hands and two little kids. One kept pointing at the moon, while her mom whispered something in her ear. The boy kept picking up rocks and handing them to the other mom, and she acted like he was giving her diamonds. It was… awesome, really. I want to come back here someday.” He smiled ruefully. “I mean, add that to the list of places, right?”

He licked his lips and I could sense the second he started thinking about the future, about everything that would happen when tonight was over. He was flying back to Boston tomorrow and I was flying to another fucking meeting, this one in Rome.

“So, uh…” He swallowed, and his fingers spasmed against the back of my neck. “Do you think you might get back to Boston at any point?” He winced, then shook his head. “I mean, I know what you said before, about people being disappointed when you have to cancel, so I’m not talking about anything set in stone. I wouldn’t do that. Or expect that. I know we barely know each other.”

He cleared his throat. “It’s just, you know, now that this trip is over, I’m going to miss all the text messages and the pictures of where you’ve been, whining to you about my dumb articles and making you answer my stupid questions even if you answer them wrong. And I was thinking next time you’re in Italy having some fancy twelve-course business dinner, I might make a box of macaroni and cheese and sendyoupictures, just to make you jealous. So, like, if you were back in town, maybe we could meet up again and, I dunno, just spend some time together, or…”

“Come with me,” I blurted. I’d never meant anything more in my life. “Come with me. Tomorrow. To Rome. You can keep writing, right? From wherever you are?”

“Ye— I mean, I guess so. But, Tai… I can’t afford…”

“You don’t have to. No, stop, let me explain,” I said, holding him more tightly, praying he’d listen. “You were right, with everything you said before. I’ve been too focused on business, and I don’t take the time to enjoy the things around me. I think it’s been easier that way, because when I’m busy I don’t remember that I don’t have a realhometo go back to, or anyone who misses me when I’m gone, you know?”

He nodded, eyes wide.