Page 46 of After the Rain
“I know, sweetheart. But I’m here. I’m safewith you. Sobe herewith me.”
“I love you, Rain. I’ll love you forever if you’ll have me.” Aidan sounds desperate, and his breaths are coming quick and fast as his pace, shuttling in and out of my body, increases.
“I’ve already got you, love. And you’ve got me. Now come inside me, please.” All effort at talking ceases as he moves inside me with renewed determination, his hand coming up to grip my shaft as he pegs my prostate on every thrust.
I cry out in bliss as my climax rises, and I feel my balls clench. My orgasm hits me like the crest of a wave, and in a second of it hitting, I feel Aidan fall over the edge with me. The heat of his cum filling me up sends shivers of lust through my body. I can’t believe I get to have this. This feeling and this man. For the rest of my life.
We hold each other tightly as we both come down, and when he softens and slips from my body, he rolls to his side and pulls me against him, tucking me under his arm. I tilt my head up and take a deep breath under his arm. Fuck, I missed the smell of him. I can feel him doing the same with my hair before he cards his fingers through it.
“Are you going to tell me about it, baby?” Aidan asks tentatively.
“I’ll tell you everything, just not now. Please? I just want to sleep right here with you. Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow,” he replies with a gentle peck to my forehead. I close my eyes and settle into the warmth and safety I always seem to find in his arms.
I fall asleep and don’t stir until the sun comes up the next day.
I’m awakened by the click of claws on the floor downstairs, followed by the thud of doggy footsteps up the stairs, before I’m ambushed by a thirty-five-kilogram ball of fluff and energy. I laugh as Pax attacks my face with licking kisses. I think he might have missed me even more than Aidan did. I can’t describe the sense of relief I felt when DI Martin told me that Pax was OK, but I don’t think I truly believed it until I saw him when we got home yesterday.
He calms down when I give him a firm ruffle on his neck and lies down beside me, leaning his full weight against my legs while I’m sitting up against the headboard. I keep my hand on his head and stroke his ears, and I swear his grumbles almost sound like he’s purring. He’s followed shortly after by Aidan, carrying an honest-to-God breakfast tray. It’s piled with croissants, juice, teaand even a flower in a small vase. I can’t with this man.
“Do I want to know how you just so happened to have a continental breakfast poised and ready to go?” I smile at him indulgently when he winces guiltily.
“I may or may not have nipped to Poppy’s at six o’clock this morning to collect the order I texted her last night when I couldn’t sleep. I know her almond croissants are your favourite.” He places the tray delicately over my lap, and I am, yet again, in awe of his thoughtfulness.
“Babe. You didn’t sleep?” I ask, concern etching my voice. I’m absolutely sure that he struggled to sleep because he was worrying over the conversation I know we need to have.
“I did, but not until about two o’clock,” he admits.
“And then you were up again at six? Sweetheart…” I reach out for him, and he easily comes to me for a kiss, careful not to spill anything. He settles next to me on the bed, brazenly steals one of my croissants, and then proceeds to nibble at it by tearing small pieces off one at a time. I sigh and take a sip of my tea, then turn my head to look at him.
I decide that now is as good a time as any to go over this. I tell him everything that happenedfrom the moment Corey and I got home that day. I tell him about Pax and how Dan threatened him if we didn’t go. I tell him how determined I was to get back to him. To our home. I say how Corey lost himself there for a while, but stepped up when I reminded him that he had a home to go to as well. I reassured him again that he couldn’t have done anything to stop what happened. I need him to reallyhearme when I say that. And I tell him that, regardless of what happened to me, I would do it again a hundred times over if it meant that not only did I end up back with him, but that I got to say what I needed to say to Dan in the process. I needed to rescue myself, and in some ways, I think I did.
He holds me tightly when I’m done, and our breakfast tray is on the floor. We stay like that for a while, and I hear him sniffle a few times, but I don’t comment. This man, who looks like some Viking crossed with a lumberjack that crawled out of my every fantasy, is such a teddy bear on the inside. He cares deeply about the people in his life, and when he feels out of control, he struggles to manage his anxiety. But in most cases that I’ve seen him struggle with his panic or anxiety, it’s been when he’s been concerned forsomeone elseand never himself.
“I’m so glad you’re home, baby,” he says after a while. He leans back and cups my face in hisenormous hands, his work-worn hands rough on my cheeks. “I want you to stay, Rain. Officially. Like, move in with me? Live with me? Make a home with me? Forever. Will you do that, baby?”
His words set a million butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. The words he just spoke to me are words I’ve been needing to hear and didn’t even realise it. The confirmation that he wants me here permanently, as part of his life – his family – is everything. Swallowing the lump of relief and letting the happiness his declaration just ignited in me shine across my face, I crawl into his lap until I’m straddling him, and cup his cheeks in that way I love to do. The way it allows me to hold his attention, capture his gaze and see every minute flicker of emotion on his face is so precious to me. Reading emotions on Dan’s face was always difficult, the manipulative bastard that he was. But reading Aidan is easy. He’s an open book. And I love to read every page, every chance I get. He’s my bestseller.
“Yes, my love.” I punctuate my words with a messy kiss. “I want all of that too. You’re my family, Aidan, and I want to be yours – now, and for always. I want to work together and live together and play together and basically be co-dependent as fuck. Worryingly so. I want people to know that if they see one of us, the other isn’t far behind. Like I want to climb inside you andjust live there – that’s how much I love you.”
“But like, with healthy boundaries too, right?” He grins at me.
“Boundaries shmoundaries,” I mutter as I lean towards him, and to stop him spouting any more ridiculous shit, I shut him up with my mouth on his.
We stay in bed together, with Pax at our feet, all day on New Year’s Eve, and completely miss the celebrations at midnight, as we’re too busy celebrating with each other’s bodies.
Thirty-Four
Aidan
“Happy New Year, baby.” What a way to start the new year – with my boyfriend’s hot, wet mouth around my morning wood. There are worse ways to start another cycle around the sun. His heat and suction bring me to the edge way too fast, but I don’t stop him. We are short on time this morning, both exhausted after very little sleep. We keep getting lost in each other, and so are a bit slow to get going this morning.
Sooner than I’m ready, I feel Rain swallow around the head of my cock, and I’m shooting a hefty load down his throat. He moans around me as he swallows every last drop, before crawling out from under the duvet while wiping his mouth with the back of his hand – an action so fucking sexy it should be illegal.
“Happy New Year, love.” He kisses me before climbing out of bed, shamelessly waving his ownmorning erection in front of my face. That gets me out of bed faster than my wobbly legs can handle, and I stumble a bit as I follow him across the hallway to the bathroom, where I proceed to repay the favour in the shower.
We both dress in jeans – mine are well worn but still hug me nicely on the arse, and Rain’s are so tight they look painted on. I love being the only person who knows about the blush-peach pair of lace underwear he has on underneath that I very much look forward to ruining later. Rain pulls on a black, long-sleeved T-shirt with a simple Vans logo on the left side, and then he wraps himself in one of my sherpa-lined plaid shirts. I will never complain about him stealing all my best clothes because that possessive beast inside me fucking loves the way it marks him as mine. I pull on a simple white Henley and a grey sweater, and then we both head downstairs for some breakfast.
