Page 53 of Touch In Excess

Rami bit his lip, and after a long beat, he nodded. ‘I promise I will though.’ More ambiguity, but he could live with that over a complete untruth.

Ahmed nodded. ‘Call me more, at least. Please. Let me know you’re okay.’

Rami managed a smile. ‘I’m okay. I’m happy.’

Cocking his head to the side, his brother studied him, then looked satisfied. ‘Okay. But if he hurts you, the whole family will come for him. Make sure he knows that.’

Rami felt a soft, aching pulse in his chest. He missed them. Ah, he missed them so much. He couldn’t keep this up for long. He needed to do more and quickly. He had to get his bills paid and end this so he could have his house, and get his family back to the way it was, and maybe carve out a space for Skye too.

“Rami,” Ahmed said aloud. Rami looked at him. ‘You know that, right? We won’t let anyone hurt you.’

‘I know. Thank you.’ And he meant that.

They hung up quickly after that, and Rami felt a small pulse of regret for not asking how his brother was doing, but he didn’t want the call to get any longer. He didn’t want Ahmed to ask more questions that Rami couldn’t give the answers to.

So he’d live with this feeling in his chest for a little while longer. It wasn’t ideal, but for the first time, it felt like there was some promise that everything was going to work out.

“Did you try it?”

Rami startled when warm arms wrapped around his waist. He’d been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t heard Skye come up behind him. Taking a breath, he leaned back into his lover’s arms and followed his gaze to the bed, where the dildo package was still lying spread out on the covers.

“No. I boiled it.”

“You—oh.” Skye laughed and kissed him on the side of the neck. “Good call. I always forget that’s a thing.”

Rami quickly turned to look at him. “You don’t sterilize?”

Skye’s grin lit up his face, and he kissed Rami again like he couldn’t help it. “We have someone do that for us, sweetheart.”

“Very spoiled,” Rami murmured.

Skye laughed again and tilted Rami’s chin to the side so he could kiss his lips. “Mm. I suppose I am. In a lot more ways now than I was before.”

It took Rami a second to realize what he was implying, and when he did, his body jolted. “I…you think I spoil you?”

“Very much.” Skye’s face was full of the blunt honesty Rami preferred, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do with that admission.

He licked his lips, then muttered, “Thank you,” before breaking away.

Skye let him go, and Rami could feel his eyes on him as he began to clear up the trash. He shoved everything into the little bin beside his bed, then carefully tugged the sheets andcomforter into their correct positions. He fluffed the pillows, then grabbed his laptop and attached the webcam to the top before positioning it on his desk.

He knew the setup by heart, but it felt strange to be watched this time. He was self-conscious of every move and was doing his best not to second-guess what he’d been doing for a while now. Skye wasn’t there to judge him.

Skye was there to watch him and then to bring him back down to earth when it was all over.

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Skye asked once Rami was done.

He was standing in the middle of the room, letting himself work through his stims, his body relaxing a fraction with each sway of his arms.

“No,” he said. “I always get anxious before a live.”

“Sorry, sweetheart. I can’t understand you when you’re moving your head like that.”

Rami turned and didn’t want to stop stimming, so he raised his hands instead and repeated himself in sign as he continued to move.

“Got it. Is there anything I can do?”

‘No,’ Rami signed. Then he stopped. It always felt weird when he went still after so much movement. It was like his body had been buzzing, and now, it was completely silent. He took a breath, then walked over and stood in front of Skye. “I want you to bid on me.”

---