Page 101 of Power of the Mind

So I remained.

I ran my fingers over his shorn hair, massaging his scalp. It was one thing I knew Diem enjoyed, and quickly, the uncomfortable moment evaporated. Diem relaxed about as much as he was able, which, for him, wasn’t a lot.

After a few minutes, I earned fleeting eye contact.

Questions stared back at me.

His uncertain hands on my waist grew more confident, until Diem was more than resting them against my sides and was instead holding on, occasionally teasing the hem of my shirt with a finger like he wanted to feel my skin but didn’t know how to go about it.

“Do you want to take my shirt off?” I asked.

When his hands stilled, I thought he might say no. The wariness on his face was absolute. But slowly, he nodded.

“Go for it, D. I want you to.”

He fumbled, tugging it over my head and dropping it on the floor. His attention remained fixed on my chest and collarbones like he was burning the image into his retinas.

His lips parted, and his chest rose and fell in rapid succession.

Bracing on his shoulders, I rose to my knees again, bringing my lower body higher and closer. “Shorts. Do you want them off?”

He nodded.

Stormy oceans flickered with light and energy. Diem’s hands trembled as he undid the button and zipper. But then, he seemed lost and uncertain.

I slid from his lap and the cargo shorts fell to the floor. I stepped out of them. In underwear, I planted my hands on my hips and swayed, letting him look his fill. Letting him see.

“You’re gorgeous,” he croaked.

“How do you want me?”

He didn’t answer. His throat moved with a thick swallow. Anguish surfaced, and although he couldn’t take his eyes off what he’d unveiled, he said, “Tallus… I can’t keep doing this. I can’t…”

I hooked a finger under his chin so he would look at me. “Stop. This right here? It’s just sex, Diem. Nothing more. Nothing less. No pressure. No strings. No conditions. No expectations.”

He huffed.

“I’m serious. No. Expectations,” I firmly repeated. “The rest of it…” I shrugged. “That’s up to you. If you want more from me, I won’t say no. If you don’t. That’s fine too. But for the record, just because you were dealt a shitty hand doesn’t mean you don’t deserve good things. Our past does not define us. We are in charge of the present. And I truly believe you are a better person than you give yourself credit for.”

His lips formed a protest, but I pressed a finger to them, hushing the words before they came out.

“You are.”

Swirling vortexes of indecision made tiny tsunamis on the surface of his eyes. For a long time, he simply stared as thoughhe’d never seen anyone like me before. And maybe he hadn’t. Maybe this was a first for Diem.

“Should I get dressed and go?”

“No.”

“Then keep undressing me, D. Or do I need to help?”

A pause ensued before, with stilted movements, Diem reached out and removed my underwear.

My cock sprang free, and he stared at it like a man half-starved.

“May I?” he asked, his voice raw.

“Yes.”

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