Page 15 of Room 810

“You said you were going to meet up with Phil.” Gabe looked around the room behind me, as if he expected the man to jump out from behind the couch or something.

Did he think Phil was here in my home? Why would he be—?Ohhh…“Gabriel Barclay, are you jealous?” My lips pulled up involuntarily in a sly smirk.

“What? No. That would be—no! I just…” He was extra flustered, looking anywhere but at me, but it seemed to me he was protesting too hard.

“That’s kinda cute,” I said, smoothing my hands over the terrycloth covering his chest, feeling the hard planes on his pecs beneath my palms, his nipples hard enough to be felt through the towel.

“I’m not cute,” he muttered, but I couldn’t help but notice he wasn’t denying his jealousy.

I wasn’t an idiot, I knew I came across as flirty, but it was just my laidback island persona. I wasn’t the promiscuous type, and while it wasn’t anyone’s business who I slept with, I felt the need to clarify to him that there was no one else.

“Phil is one of our long-term guests. He doesn’t come out very often, so I dropped off his emergency supplies. That’s all.”

“Oh?” He peeked back at me, hope glinting in his eyes.

“Yeah. Oh.” I lowered myself down to my knees in front of him.

“W-what are you doing?” he gasped, a strange look on his face, half panic, half excitement.

I tapped his leg. “Your shoes. Take ‘em off.”

He blushed hard but obediently lifted one leg then the other, while I slid off his soaked loafers. The leather would probably be ruined. Oh well, I would buy him another pair.

“Come in, have a seat, and I’ll get you something warm to drink. You’re staying, and it makes no sense for you to stand at the door all night.”

He allowed me to lead him in, but when I pushed him toward the couch, he balked. “No! My shorts are too wet, I’ll ruin your couch.”

I could’ve told him I didn’t care if the couch got wet, but instead, I sat down and crossed my arms over my chest. “Then take your shorts off,” I said, eyebrow arched. I loved riling him, pushing the boundaries on what he was comfortable with and seeing if he would rise to the challenge.

He pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth, thinking it over. Finally, he said, “You think I won’t?” and I could see the glint of determination in his eyes.

Instead of answering, I just sat back and watched him, as though ready for a show.

He narrowed his eyes, then brought the towel up to his mouth and clamped it between his teeth, the fabric draped in a narrow strip over his front. He reached behind it and grabbed the elastic waistband of his shorts and yanked them down, with an expression on his face that clearly said, “See? I can be bold too.” As he tossed the shorts into the pile with his wet shirt, he fumbled with the towel, and for one glorious second, I thought he might lose his grip. Unfortunately for me, he managed to get it wrapped it safely around his waist.

Gabriel sat down on the sofa, leaving as much room between us as possible, but then apparently feeling brave, he scooted closer by a few inches. But if I had things my way, he would need to be a lot braver by the end of this night. My smirk widened, and I closed the distance between us by half.

9

Gabriel

WhenTobymovedcloser,I felt the urge to reach for him. For one second, I wanted to just let go of all my carefully laid plans. No timetables, no worrying about the storm, and certainly no thinking about what would happen after I got on that plane and left a broken heart behind.

For just this moment, I wanted nothing more than to let myselffeel, with no fear about the repercussions.

“Why were you worried about me?” he asked, his voice a breathy whisper. I shook my head, willing to bare my body but unable to bare my soul. “Tell me,” he pressed, walking his fingers across the couch cushion until just the tips of his fingers brushed against the edge of my towel. Even though he wasn’t touching me, I swore I could feel the tickle against my skin, and it set goosebumps scattering across my chest.

I blinked long and hard, halfway wondering if this was a dream, but when I opened my eyes, he was still there, a steady presence despite his flippant attitude. He was gazing at me with a fierce passion, and it made my whole body ache for him. Like the power of the crashing surf pushing at me, I allowed the force of my emotions to carry me forward. “Toby…” I whispered, a plea.

“It’s okay. I know exactly how you feel,” he murmured, catching me as I fell into his open arms.

This kiss was different from the previous one. It wasn’t just a sloppy collision of lips and tongues and teeth, fueled by drunken lust. This time, my mind was clear, and every detail was in sharp focus. The feel of his skin, the slight rasp of whiskers as I brought my hands up to cup his cheeks, the sound of his whimper as his lips parted. I swept my tongue into his mouth, his taste overwhelming me. He gripped my shoulders, dragging me impossibly closer.

Together, we tipped over on the couch, with Toby beneath me. My blood flow surged south, my cock thickening, the towel doing nothing to contain it. I arched my hips, pressing it into Toby’s thigh. I wanted him to feel what he did to me. There was a pressure building inside my chest, making it hard to breathe. My heart was racing. I wanted more—no, Ineededit. This was a lifetime of control slipping, and it was like a landslide of release. My head swam, and I felt like I was standing at a precipice, with a choice in front of me—I could either step aside and let it pass me by, or I could take the leap.

I pulled back and looked down at Toby, his lips kiss-swollen, eyes glazed with need… and I realized he was more than willing to leap off that ledge with me. And while I couldn’t see the bottom where I would no doubt get crushed, maybe I could enjoy the freefall.

“Gods, Toby, you are so damn beautiful.” I dragged my thumb over his full lower lip, and his tongue darted out to flick at my skin. My cock throbbed, and he no doubt felt it, wiggling to create friction between us. With a grip on his jaw, I tilted his head to the side, exposing the long column of his throat. I pressed a kiss behind his ear, then licked downward until I came to the silky material wrapped loosely around his torso. “And these damn robes of yours, they drive me insane,” I growled. “Such a tease…”

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