Page 84 of Wandering in Darkness
“I want to,” I whisper, well aware that I can’t let my heart jump into this because it’s going to be really fucking sad if I do. Instead, I lean in, eager to feel those lips again. And as my lips press against his, my whole body becomes so sensitive that it’s like I can feel every inch of him—his muscled legs beneath me, the way his fingers tangle in my hair, cupping my head. And if I rock forwardjustenough, I can feel his cock.
My lips part, and it’s the invitation he needs as his tongue tangles with mine. I feel like putty in his hands, eager to let him do anything he wants to me. One of his hands slides under my shirt and up my back while the other drifts down, and when his fingers slip under my pants, I realize he could tell me to stripright here on this very public path, and I would toss my clothes off the cliff if he asked for it.
His hand squeezes my ass cheek before drawing out and up my hip. It’s like he wanted just a taste of it and wouldn’t permit himself any more, even though I’m prepared to give it all to him.
I don’t want him to stop; I want to get lost in it. But when he pulls away, he doesn’t push me off his lap, setting his head against my shoulder instead.
“I really fucking like you,” Grayson admits. “I was afraid of liking you. I was afraid it’d ruin this… because I’m bad at dating. I forget about my partner’s feelings… but I think I’m realizing that it’s because I’ve never liked anyone as much as I like you.”
“Oh?” I whisper.
“What if we just… take it slow… and see if I can be good at this from a long distance? We’ll see what happens?”
“Yeah?” I try not to let my happiness consume me, but it’s hard to keep it down.
“Just… we’ll go slow and… we’ll try really hard. Just don’t forget that I don’t know where this will take me. I don’t know if I’ll stay in the States or go overseas—my future is so unpredictable—but I want to try my hardest to traverse it with you.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Will you visit me, then? When you bring Traveler?”
I nod. “I want to.”
“Good,” he says as he gives me a gentle peck. “We really should head down. You need to get up early, and I don’t want you to be tired. You need to be at the top of your game.”
I’m not even sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight, I’m so fucking happy, but I nod anyway and stand up. Once we have our bags on our backs, Grayson reaches out to me, and I feel like myheart is going to float away when he takes my hand. His fingers intertwine with mine and I’m positive I could run up and down those stairs at least three more times, I’m so damn happy. I smile at him and he smiles right back at me.
“I hope you won’t be too busy to do stuff with me,” I say.
“I won’t. I’ll make sure to find time,” he assures me.
I don’t ever want the walk to end, but all too soon, I find myself back at the car.
“I… got you a present,” Grayson says.
“A present? I’m pretty sure I didn’t do anything deserving of one,” I tease.
“It’s a ‘Thanks for putting up with my bullshit’ present.”
“You don’t have to give me anything for putting up with any of it. Honestly, I’m just really happy to get to spend time with you.”
“It’s fine. I saw this and knew you’d like it,” he says as he goes around to his trunk and opens it. I’m expecting something small, but when he hands me a large heavy box that’s wrapped up, I’m confused. “I think she thought it was for your birthday because she wrapped it quite nicely. Look, even a little bow.”
“What… is it?” I ask. “And why’s it so heavy?”
He shrugs, so I peel at the paper until I see that I’m revealing a gun case… and what kind of gun needs a case this large? With a hand on each of the locks, I flip it open and peer inside before promptly shutting it.
“This is obviously a joke,” I say.
“It’s not. Your birthday is in a couple of weeks, so pretend it’s for that.”
My fingers are nearly shaking as I flip the lid back open. “Grayson!”
“Cal!”
“Good lord, no! This… the money… this gun is so expensive! I can’t even fathom how much you paid for it! Absolutely not! Why’d you get such an expensive gun?”
“Because with your talents, you need the best of the best. I’ve seen how far you can shoot with a mediocre rifle, but with one like this? I bet no one could outshoot you.”
