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Chapter Sixteen

GRAHAM

I run my hand over the sheets beside me and find the spot empty. The bed is still warm, so he can’t be gone long. I sit up and take in the room. Tyler’s bent over, wearing only those tight briefs I love, pulling his jeans up.

“What time is it?” I ask, my voice rough with sleep.

“Shhh… it’s early.”

“Why are you up?” I sit up abruptly. He’s been sleeping here most nights the past week. His place is nicer, but he insists that we stay here for Gulliver, who’s started sleeping in the bed, as well.

“I have to get home to change before work.”

I sneak a peek at my phone. Five-thirty. Damn, it’s too early. He usually brings a bag so he can change here in the morning. It’s led to a lot of great morning sex, the two of us exchanging lazy hand jobs in the shower.

“I’ll get up with you.” I pull back the covers and summon the energy to sit up.

Tyler pulls his jeans up over his hips and comes to sit next to me on the bed. “Don’t do that.” He strokes the back of my head, running his fingers through my hair. I’m sure it’s a mess, but I don’t care. “You should get a little more sleep if you can. I have an early meeting this morning, so I need to get into the office and ensure everything’s set up.” I pout a little when I realize the meeting isn’t with me. I love getting to see him at work. It’s our little secret, a bubble for the two of us. Even if everyone else is there, the little looks we exchange, knowing that later I’ll get to strip him out of that ridiculous polo shirt, make work so much better.

“I could make you coffee.” Anything to buy myself a little more time.

“Don’t worry about it. Really.” He bites his lower lip, a sure tell that there’s something else he wants to say. “When can I see you again?”

“Right now, for coffee,” I say, pulling him close to me. I inhale his scent, wanting to memorize the way he smells first thing in the morning so I can think about it while we’re apart.

“Somehow, I doubt it’s coffee you’re after.”

“How about tonight? After work? I’ll order takeout, and we can make a second attempt at that movie?” Hopefully, the second attempt will end the same way as the first one. The action movie we started last night was great, but I enjoyed the show I got in the bedroom a lot more.

“Done. What time do you want me?”

I ignore the clear innuendo. “Does seven work? I have a meeting that might run late.” Usually, I don’t care. Now, I wish I could pass it off to someone else. If our time living in the same city is limited, I want to savor every minute.

“Seven it is.” He kisses the top of my head, lingering for a moment. “Have a good day.”

Tyler picks his shirt and socks off the floor, pulling them on before disappearing. I keep myself awake, listening to the noise in the living room until I hear the front door open and close. When I’m sure he’s gone, I sink back into bed. There’s still time before my alarm clock goes off. The debate about whether it’s worth it to try and go back to sleep bangs around in my head for a minute before Gulliver strolls in and decides for me.

Right, it’s time to feed the cat. “Sorry, but your favorite person had to leave early.” Tyler quickly became Gulliver’s biggest fan. It seems to go both ways. My cat that used to hide anytime someone was here, greets him at the door and stays by his side.

The morning ticks by slowly as I manage to get Gulliver and myself breakfast, shower, and find an appropriate outfit for donor meetings today.

A few people at Sprouting Joy look at me funny when I walk in, but I shake off the feeling. Whatever they’re gossiping about, I don’t need any part of it today.

It’s not until halfway through the day that someone says something. “You seem very… smiley today,” one of the volunteers says when I make the rounds, checking in with everyone.

“Do I?” I’m not sure if that’s because they think I normally don’t smile or because I’m extra happy today. I hope it’s the second one.

“Yeah, like you have some big secret.” She winks at me. “It’s not about Sprouting Joy, is it?”

“Uh, no. Just happy, I guess.”

She snickers and walks away, undoubtedly to tell the rest of the group.

For once, I don’t care about the gossip. I might if I thought Tyler would be incriminated, but I doubt anyone here can piece that together. We’re careful. Rarely seen together unless strictly necessary for work. Thankfully, he doesn’t work front desk shifts, or I’d have a hard time staying in my office and not hanging out right next to him, bugging him the whole time, and sneaking kisses when no one’s watching.

I put the office rumor mill out of my mind and return to my paperwork. Only six more hours until I get to see Tyler again. Six very long hours.

I’m such a sap, but it’s hard to avoid when I’m falling for Tyler. Now, I need to find a way to stay in Cardinal Falls and his life. Not an easy task, but I’m not one to back down from a challenge. If there’s a way, I’ll find it.

* * *

TYLER

It’s all too easy to fall into a habit with Graham. In the last two weeks, we’ve been together more nights than we’ve been apart. There’s the odd night here and there when one of us has work or a social engagement, but most nights, we’re curled up on one of our couches.

I kinda love it. I thought dating someone might be too much stress. I like my life. It’s not perfect, but I have a good job and friends. Plus, Sprouting Joy. I didn’t think I was missing anything.

I have never been so happy to be wrong.

Graham spends every night showing me what I was missing out on. In as many ways as he can think of. I know he said he had an active imagination, but he seems determined to prove it. He’s used his hands and mouth to explore every erogenous spot on my body. Seriously, the man’s a fucking god.

And it’s finally Friday night. After I’ve spent most of the week sleeping at his place and either packing a bag or slipping home in the wee hours of the morning, it’s finally the weekend, so we can stay in bed as long as we want. I love sleeping with him every night, but it’s hard when one or both of us gets up early for work. Usually me since we stay at his place more nights than not. We can’t leave Gulliver without attention.

I really need to keep some clothes at his place. I keep forgetting to pack key items in my overnight bag. Like underwear.

Woah. That’s a new one for me. It’s not moving in. Not exactly. It’s still a big deal. Having some of my stuff live at Graham’s home. The thought makes my chest swell, but not like my usual anxiety. This is softer, almost comforting.

I grab some snacks from the fridge, mostly cheese, and some crackers from the pantry. I ordered pizza, but I’m hungry and don’t want to wait until it gets here to eat.

Graham knocks on the door but immediately opens it and lets himself in. I know we’ve only been dating a short time, but the easy way he lets himself in, knowing I left it unlocked for him, makes it seem like we’ve been doing this for years.

Don’t tell Nathan. I gave him lots of shit for how fast he moved with Colt. I guess I finally understand.

Another thing I won’t be telling Nathan.

“Hey, how was your day?” Graham walks over and kisses me before he takes off his shoes. It’s not a quick peck like I expected, either. This is a promise for what’s to come later tonight. A promise I intend to be sure he keeps.

“You were there for most of it.” Virtually, at least. The team spent most of the morning updating Graham, giving him choices, and making progress. With any luck, the project will wrap up before Steph gets back.

I miss Steph, but the thought of her coming back twists my stomach in knots. Of course, I want her to be at Sprouting Joy, but the minute she’s back, Graham is out.

And then what? That’s the magical question I spend hours a day not thinking about. And since not thinking about it requires active effort, it’s been a lot of work.

“True. I like getting to see you on video calls. It’s almost as good as being in-person.” Graham nuzzles against me, his stubble rubbing against my skin. “Well, maybe not almost as good.”

His breath tickles, and I pull away slightly. “Video is definitely lacking.” I run my hands up the side of his body, enjoying how his muscles tense beneath my touch.

“Hmmm… dinner first. Then we can continue this.”

I open my mouth to disagree, but my stomach growls. Loudly. Apparently, I’m overruled today.

We settle on the couch and munch on the cheese and crackers until the pizza arrives. We have a documentary on Ancient Egypt running in the background when we finish our slices. Neither of us seems to be watching, though. Instead, we snuggle up together, spending the evening with little touches and the occasional kiss, neither of us in a hurry to take this any further. We’ll get there—we always do—but right now, I’m enjoying getting to just be. The two of us, with nothing else.

No ticking timeline on when Graham might leave.

No pressure to tell Steph about our relationship.

No nosey friends getting into our business.

When we finally fall into bed, I spend the time worshipping every inch of his body until we both see stars.

* * *

The best part of Graham sleeping over? Morning cuddles.

“Hey,” I say when he starts to stir. I’ve been awake for a while, staring at him and enjoying the way our limbs are weaved together.

“Hey.” He presses against me, head resting against my chest. Neither of us moves for a moment, still letting the sleepiness wear off. “You know, if we were at my place, Gulliver would never let us sleep this late.”

It’s eight. Not exactly late, but the point’s taken. Gulliver’s usually meowing and pawing at our faces by six. Cats, I’ve discovered, don’t know about weekends.

“You sure he’s okay alone?” The neighbor has been all too willing to step in and take over some cat duties, but I still feel bad. I’ve taken his owner away.

“He’s fine. I fed him dinner before I came over last night, and Marybeth will look in on him this morning.”

“Hmmmm…” I make a note to grab a bag of his favorite treats from the store before I head over there again.

“Breakfast?” Graham rolls over toward me. His face has lines from the pillow streaking across his cheeks.

“I don’t think I have much.” Even that’s likely an overstatement. I’ve been… distracted.

“What if we order something?”

I agree, but only because the other option is going out. I like the idea of spending the morning lounging around and enjoying the morning together. This way, we can keep our comfy clothes on. I personally vote for staying naked, but Graham insists someone might see in.

Graham orders from a nearby place with amazing breakfast sandwiches on bagels and sets it to have the food delivered. Since we still have thirty minutes, we decide to shower. We fell asleep without showering last night after a minimal effort to clean cum off our skin with a washcloth.

The shower is long enough for us to thoroughly enjoy soaping each other up. Graham presses my back against the shower wall and leans in, kissing me gently. He slicks us up using my conditioner and strokes both our cocks until we come, our combined release washing down the drain. I’m still in awe of how quickly he can make me come when he wants to, the way he can apply the perfect amount of pressure, or how he runs his tongue over the underside of my cock.

Graham leans against me, letting the tiles hold us both up for a second. Fuck I hope we can do that again today. Several times, if possible.

The water turns cold because I don’t have one of the fancy tankless heaters like Graham does, so we get ourselves dry and decent enough for the delivery driver. It’s getting toward the time of year when mornings and evenings are chilly, but the middle of the day is warm and toasty. That means we get to enjoy sweats and heavy socks. Nathan buys me these big fuzzy ones every year for Christmas. They’re ridiculous, but I love them on mornings like this. I get out pairs for each of us and start the coffee.

We retire to the couch, the conversation switching between topics every few minutes. Finally, there’s a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it.” Graham jumps up before I can protest. Instead, I go to the kitchen to fill our coffee cups and grab plates.

“Hey, Tyler, there’s someone here for you.”