Page 37 of The Forbidden Summer
His throat bobs, like the words are caught there, fighting to come out. Then, barely above a whisper, he says, “I’ve tried not to feel this way. I really have.”
His eyes flick down to my mouth and back again, and my heart stutters.
“But every time I’m near you…” He trails off, his voice trembling just a little. “It gets harder to pretend.”
I stroke my thumb in and out of his body, easing the tautness of his muscles.
“I feel the same way, sweetheart.”
His breath ghosts across my cheek, warm and trembling, and I swear I can feel his heartbeat in the space between our bodies. He’s so close, I could close the gap in a blink—but I don’t. I want him to want it. To choose it.
I tilt my head just enough for our foreheads to brush. The contact is light, barely there, but it hits like lightning.
“Say it,” I whisper, not sure if I mean the words or everything behind them.
He exhales, shaky and full of everything unsaid.
He closes his eyes for a beat, like he’s gathering the last of his courage. When they open again, they’re shining. Bare, exposed, nothing left to hide behind.
“I’m in love with you,” Van admits, voice hoarse. “I think I’ve been in love with you for longer than I’m ready to admit.”
My chest tightens, both with fear and relief so sharp it almost hurts.
He swallows hard. “And it terrifies me. Because once I say it, I can’t take it back. And I don’t want to.”
My heart stumbles. He’s trembling, even if he’s trying to hide it. Braver than I’ve ever been.
“I won’t let you take it back.”
I reach for him, cupping the side of his face like I’ve done a hundred times before, only now it means something different, something dangerous and precious all at once.
My lips touch his, slow, like my soul’s catching up to the moment. Like I’m afraid if I go too fast, he’ll vanish. His lips are soft, parted, waiting, and when we finally meet, it’s like coming home. A sigh slips out of him, and I swear I feel it all the way through me.
When I pull back, he’s still staring, eyes wide and wet and beautiful.
“I love you too,” I murmur, my voice rough with everything I’ve been holding back. “God help me, Van, I do.”
“Père, I need to…”
“I know. Let me get you there.”
Slipping my thumb from his body, I replace it with my two longest fingers, hoping to touch that special place inside him that will make the world a brighter place. My fingers slidedeeper, and when I brush over it, Van whimpers, spreading his thighs wider.
“Oh, God, Père. I need… I want…”
“Everything,” I murmur, finishing his thought. With quicker strokes, I push Van toward the edge, my other hand stroking his hard shaft. He covers my hand with his, making sure I twist my fist over his sensitive, wet head.
He’s definitely a leaker. A sticky puddle of seed pools on his belly, and I dip my head to lap it up with my tongue.
Sweet ambrosia.
I’ve never tasted another man’s cum before, but after tasting Van’s, I can’t imagine why I’ve waited.
My lips seek his out, and the kiss, the jerking off, the finger-fucking, they become sloppy and uncoordinated, a chaotic tangle of limbs that result in bringing my boy off with a shout. Van cries out, body twitching in my arms as he comes in my hand, the muscles in his ass squeezing my fingers tightly.
“That’s it, baby. Take everything you need.”
Van latches onto my mouth again, greedily suckling my tongue as his body goes still, his heartbeat slowing.
