Page 30 of Finally

Iwoke just as the first rays of light were beginning to make their appearance. I’d slept more soundly than I had in years. Beside me, Topher was still asleep, breathing softly with his head turned toward me on the pillow. I rolled over, being careful not to wake him. His usually perfectly styled hair was an adorable mess, flopping down over his forehead, his long lashes fanned over the tops of his cheeks and his lips were turned up in a soft smile, as if he were enjoying a pleasant dream. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.

It was good to see him looking so relaxed and peaceful. He’d been under so much pressure lately, between the campaign, the threats…and me. I knew I hadn’t made things easy on him since I’d shown back up in his life. The feelings I’d had for him had never gone away; they’d just been buried under lock and key all those years, in order to protect myself.

Seeing him again had brought it all back, along with deeper feelings of respect and admiration for the man he’d become. It also hadn’t made things any easier that I’d found him so fucking sexy. All of that push and pull of emotions had turned me into a moody, irritable bastard, and unfortunately, Topher had gotten the brunt of it.

However, that had all changed after our conversation the night before when the truth had come spilling out. I knew Topher was hurt and angry with his parents for their interference in our lives, and to be honest, so was I. Their deceit had caused pain and confusion in each of us that had lasted the entire twenty years we’d been apart, but as much as I’d love to confront them and demand to know why, they were still Topher’s family. I’d let him decide how he wanted to handle things between them and if he wanted me to be by his side while he did it.

I hoped he’d let me be by his side, but a lot had happened since we graduated from high school. We were adults now who’d lived very full lives. Topher had been a lawyer, and was now running for governor of Illinois. I’d been to war, seeing both the worst and the best in humanity. There was so much we didn’t know about each other and I knew it wouldn’t be easy trying to rebuild what we’d lost, but I was willing to try. The question was, did he feel the same? Topher’s life was full already. Did he even want a relationship?

“I can hear you thinking over there,” he said, startling me. I’d been so lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t even noticed that he’d woken up. His voice was deep, still raspy from sleep and it sent a current of awareness straight to my cock.

“What?”

“I’ve been watching you for several minutes and you were completely lost in thought. What were you thinking about so hard?”

My lips twitched at the word “hard,” but I bit back my smile. I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I’d spent the night in bed with the only guy I’d ever loved. I certainly didn’t want to scare him off or make him think that all I wanted was sex. I did want sex, with him, but I wanted so much more. I wanted all of him.

“I was just thinking of all the things I want to know about you,” I told him.

Topher smiled at that. “Like what?”

I smiled back at him. “Everything. I want to know what college was like and if you lived in the dorms the whole time or if you got an apartment. I want to know the best and worst movies you’ve seen over the last twenty years and what type of books you like to read. I want to know if your favorite color is still orange. I want to know if you’ve had any boyfriends and if they ever broke your heart…”

I stopped as he started laughing. “Wow! You were working on quite a list while I was sleeping.”

I felt my face heat up. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I feel like I was cheated out of everything and for so long. I want to learn everything I can about you, as quickly as possible, so maybe I won’t feel like I missed out on so much.” I looked down between us. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just being crazy.”

“Hey!” Topher reached over and lifted my chin so he could see me. “If you’re crazy, then so am I because I want to know everything about you too,” he whispered.

I blew out the breath I’d been holding and his smile returned, making his beautiful blue-green eyes light up. I felt certain that I could spend every minute of every day looking at him and never grow tired of his face.

“So, let’s see what I can remember from that list. Maddie threatened me with bodily harm if I didn’t pull myself together. Once I did that, I discovered that college could be a lot of fun. I joined several clubs and made new friends in each of them, but mostly, I hung out with Maddie. One year of living in the dorms was enough for both of us, so we found an apartment right off campus and shared that for several years. Hmmm…best and worst movies. I’ll have to give that one some thought and get back to you. As for books, I usually go for historical fiction, but lately, I’ve been on a mystery kick. I still like orange, but gray is my favorite color.”

“Gray? I’ve never known anyone who liked gray the most,” I said, surprised by his answer.

“Then they must not have been lucky enough to wake up looking in your eyes,” he said softly. Oh, my heart. “As for your other questions, I’ve had a few boyfriends over the years, but none that were serious. They never broke my heart because I never gave it to them.”

I bit down on my cheek to keep myself from smiling. I knew I should probably feel bad that none of his relationships had worked out, but I just couldn’t bring myself to be sorry. If Topher had fallen in love with any of those guys and things had worked out with them, I would never have gotten this second chance.

“What about you? Have you had any serious relationships?”

“No. I’ve…dated here and there, but nothing that would be considered serious,” I told him, choosing my words carefully.

Topher barked out a laugh. “Are you a player, Mr. Wright?”

I chuckled. “No, not really. It’s just that between my time in the Marines and the traveling I do for Hamilton Security, it was easier to keep things casual,” I explained.

His smile faded. “Oh.”

“No, there’s no oh! I said it was easier. I’m willing to put the time in if it’s with the right person,” I said, propping myself up on my elbow so I could lean over him.

“Have anyone in mind?” he whispered breathlessly.

“Yep.” My lips brushed over his in the lightest of touches and he let out a sigh that sent liquid fire spreading throughout my veins.

Topher’s fingers slid gently along my jaw then feathered through my hair. Cupping the back of my head, he pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. His lips parted in invitation and I slid my tongue between them, groaning at the sweet taste of him. My head was swirling, my pulse was racing, and my cock had never been harder.

We broke apart as the shrill ringing of a phone shattered the silence of the room. “Fuuuuck,” I groaned, dropping my head onto his shoulder.

---