Page 27 of Chasing You

He swallowed heavily and fought the urge to kiss him. Instead, he carefully rolled Kash to the side, then slipped from the covers and made his way to the bathroom. His body ached with the force he’d used to hold back the strength of his orgasm. He had come—it wasn’t something he could have helped even if he’d wanted to.

But he’d done it untouched, his cock rocking against the sheets until it spilled beneath him. He hadn’t done that since he was a hormonal teenager, and it felt…strange. Not good or bad, but very different.

Emptying his bladder, he tried to run from the feeling in his chest, but he couldn’t. He washed his hands, thenpressed his fingers to his cheeks and tugged downward, staring at the red line of his lower eyelid.

He looked old. Haggard. Grey.

He felt unloved, even though he knew that was the furthest thing from the truth. But in some respect, it was also the most honest thing about him because he was loved, but not in the way he wanted. He’d thought about trying to date—to give his heart to someone else, knowing that Kash would never be his—but he couldn’t close his eyes and envision his twilight years with anyone else.

Even with his ex, it had never been her. Not really. And there was a damn good chance she’d always known that.

But he hadn’t realized her exit strategy was going to tear him to shreds.

Adele wasn’t going to make that mistake again though. It was Kash or no one, and he could easily live with either one of those realities. He’d been alone for so long now he knew he could be comfortable that way for the rest of his life, but he would leap at the opportunity to be with Kash if the man even so much as hinted he was interested.

He didn’t think there was a lot of hope for option B though. So he’d take what he could get.

He stared down at his hands—at the fingers that had been wrapped around Kash’s dick—and he felt the echo of his shaft against his palm. If he walked to the bed right now and tugged down the sheets, he’d probably see his limp cock lying between the slit of his boxers. Fuck, he wanted to taste it.

His mouth watered, and he shook his head.

Last night didn’t mean anything. It was no strings. He’d promised that much. But God, he’d give at least one limb to be able to have it again.

He also knew that Kash had liked it. Kash hadn’tpretended he was someone else. He’d come with Adele’s name whispered like a prayer on his full, gorgeous lips. He’d leaned into him. Held him. Asked him to stay.

Maybe he was a fool, but he was starting to wonder if the missing link between friendship and love was showing Kash that Adele could be good to him. And good for him. That he could make the rest of their lives so obscenely happy both of them would forget what it was like before they were together.

“He could also hate you for trying,” Adele whispered to himself in the mirror. But he knew that look in his eye. That feeling in his chest.

He was too far down the rabbit hole.

Fuck it. He was going to woo this man into goddamn oblivion, and he wouldn’t stop until Kash either fell head over heels for him right back or told him it was over. He wouldn’t accept an in-between.

It was now or never.

All or nothing.

Grabbing his shirt, he slipped it over his head. It was a little damp from Kash’s leftover shower water the night before, but he didn’t mind. Padding out of the bathroom, he could hear Kash snoring gently, so he picked up his sweats, then toed on his shoes and grabbed his wallet.

Wooing would start with breakfast in bed. Then doing anything Kash wanted until his appointment. They could go look at cherry blossoms or tulip blooms, then eat good food. They could stay in and watch terrible cooking shows on hotel TV. They could order in or go out or ride the metro up and down the city and people-watch until neither of them could stand to be around strangers ever again.

It didn’t matter. He didn’t care so long as Kash was happy.

Adele would do everything in his power to make the day both easy and comfortable and show Kash that he was up for this, and not just for now, but for the rest of their lives.

He smiled to himself in the elevator and then in the lobby, where the doorman gave him a quirked brow and a head-nod. Adele stepped into the streets, hugging his middle because it was colder than he expected it to be, but a walk would quickly change that.

He picked up his pace, heading toward the little bakery a couple of blocks from the hotel, and just as he was crossing the street, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. The first name in his recent call list was Dallas, but there was only one person he knew who could truly help him with this.

Bowen’s line rang for so long Adele started to wonder if it was a mistake calling so early. Then he picked up. “Aren’t you on vacation?”

Adele sighed. “I’m with Kash while he sees a couple of specialists. There’s no vacation happening here.”

“Oh, shit. That’s…okay. Is he alright?”

“Yeah.” Adele was grateful he could say that with honesty. “They’re still trying to figure things out, but right now, it’s not life-threatening.” Adele was still trying to process the fact that for a short while—for several weeks, actually—Kash thought it had been terminal. And he’d been facing that alone.

“Good. So…everything’s okay, then? I saw Gage last night, and he seemed good.”

---