Page 35 of Christmas in Paris
“So when’s the wedding?” Ashley asked impishly as they all walked out of the principal’s office to let the poor woman get to work. Simon groaned, but Ray rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around Simon’s waist in a gracefully effortless way that touched Simon deeply.
“Ashley, why don’t you take grandpa’s car and bring Mandy to get whatever she needs from her house,” Ray directed, tossing a set of car keys at the teenager. “Get her settled in. I might not be home for a bit.”
Simon smirked a little, his arm slipping around Ray’s waist like it belonged there. He had never been so happy in his life, he realized. So deep down contented, right down to his very soul. He had never thought he would be even remotely happy again from the moment he’d walked away from Ray.
“Oh?” he asked, teasing. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Home with you,” Ray replied, and that worked out just perfectly as far as Simon was concerned.
Chapter Twenty Five
Ray
“Why did you say yes?”
They were in Simon’s car, on the way to his house, and neither of them had said much since they’d parted from Mandy and Ashley. But they hadn’t stopped touching, either, like neither of them could quite believe that this was happening and they constantly needed to reassure themselves that this was real.
“I was sick of being the one going after you, no matter how much I missed you,” Ray admitted. “The first time we kissed, it was me. I tripped you into bed so many times, and you never went after me. So I decided I wouldn’t make the first move.”
Simon frowned.
“Okay, I guess I deserved that. Most of it, anyway,” he said. “But I texted you. I told you I missed you. Why didn’t you text me back?”
“My phone. I just paid the bill today,” Ray admitted, with far less shame than he would have had about sharing his financial issues with most people. But then, Simon knew about them and had never judged him for it at all.
“I thought you wanted nothing to do with me,” Simon confessed, and Ray had to laugh softly at that. It was actually sort of funny, in a terrible sort of way. More so now that they had gotten back together, of course. That helped a lot.
“I thought you wanted nothing to do with me. When you just walked away …”
“… I was trying not to beg you to come home with me and never leave,” Simon whispered.
“Oh my God,” Ray said, laughing, but only because if he didn’t laugh, he would scream, and he was way too happy for that. “We’re such idiots.” He paused and then took a deep breath. He had said these words once before but not in a way that Simon could hear. They came out surprisingly easily, although for anyone else they would have refused to come out at all. “I love you, Simon.”
“I love you, too, Ray,” Simon murmured as he pulled up to what must have been his building. It was a lot nicer than where Ray lived, and maybe that should have mattered, the difference between them financially, but it didn’t. They smiled at each other, and then, right out where anyone could see, they kissed.
They could do that now. There was no reason in the world why not, and while forbidden relationships could be fun and exciting, this was better. Far better.
“Come on. You have to show me your place,” Ray decided, when the kissing had gotten just a little bit too intense for a public place.
“What’s the hurry?” Simon replied, although he had that wicked look in his eye that he only got when he was teasing Ray. He clearly knew very well what the hurry was, but Ray smirked back at him and, after a quick look around to make sure they were alone, grabbed Simon’s hand and put it to his crotch, showing him just what the hurry was.
“It’s been a long time, baby,” he murmured and was delighted to see those gorgeous hazel eyes light up in that way that meant, Ray knew, that he was in for a rough ride. Not that he was complaining. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Yeah, it has. We should fix that,” Simon murmured back, squeezing Ray’s obvious erection. “Before I jump you right here and now.”
The idea appealed, but Ray shook his head sadly.
“We probably shouldn’t get arrested for indecent exposure right after you just got off the hook with your work for being with me,” he said, laughing. He stole one more quick kiss and then pulled away from Simon, grinning at him. “Show me your home.”
It was so funny how neither of them had seen where the other lived. Their whole relationship had taken place in Paris, so it felt especially intimate to walk hand-in-hand into Simon’s apartment.
It was huge, at least compared to Ray’s tiny apartment, and definitely in better shape. Newer, for one thing, and more open. Ray’s whole apartment, including both bedrooms, could probably fit into the living room.
With someone else, it could have mattered. It could have made it feel awkward. As it was, Ray just smirked and tugged Simon over to the big couch.
“I don’t have the patience to make it to the bedroom,” he admitted, settling down onto the couch and tugging Simon down on top of him. It was not only highly arousing to have him there, but it also felt like coming home. Wherever he ended up, Ray knew now that he would be home as long as Simon was there.
And that was a good thing because he couldn’t help but hope that he and Simon would do more traveling. Paris had been amazing, but just the start, as far as he was concerned.
