by Edie Danford
Pete raises our joined hands to his lips and kisses my knuckles. This does a lot to mitigate the memory. He says, “You’ve done a lot of thinking about moving apparently.”
“I didn’t have to think very hard about selling the townhouse. It was the meetings with lawyers and my uncle that were the biggest challenges.”
“So you found an attorney you could work with?”
“Yes. An attorney someone in my department recommended. I like her. A lot.”
“She gave helpful advice?”
“Very. But, as it turned out, I didn’t need anything other than her presence.” My lips curve slightly at the thought of Jakub’s face upon meeting her.
“Oh yeah?”
“You know how Jakub liked to surprise us at home? How he would simply show up?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, I simply showed up with LeeAnn at his office. I explained my concerns to him. LeeAnn provided some examples of how I might fight any protests Jakub might make. Jakub called them ‘threats.’ LeeAnn and I called them facts.”
“Wow.”
I glance at him. The day is sunny, but it’s February sun. Pete’s smile and glittering eyes give the weak rays power. I squint happily behind my sunglasses.
“Yes. That was what it seemed like Jakub wanted to say many times during that meeting—‘wow.’”
“And what did he actually say?”
“He made a lot of noises. About things being in my best interest. And how he was protecting me. And about how you had probably put me up to making such a protest. And blah. And blah-blah.”
“Oh, man.”
“Yes. Before LeeAnn and I left, I gave him an ultimatum.”
“Ultimatums can be useful tools for men like Jakub.”
“This one definitely was. Jakub is a family man. I told him that if he didn’t immediately dissolve the contract with you, I would tell my parents, my grandparents, and a couple of close family friends from home. Let them know he was deliberately keeping me from having a relationship with the man I loved. Throwing around his weight and acting like a jackass.”
“You said all that?”
I nod.
“And what did he say?”
“He said to go ahead. He said they would understand his side of things. All he would have to do is remind them of my time in California. When I was homeless. And was in the hospital almost dying from food poisoning.”
“Oh, Mar.” His fingers feel so good holding mine. “So what did you say then?”
“I did what any reasonable man would do. I called my mom.”
His laughter sounds very understanding. “You know,” Pete says, “that might be an easy thing for a lot of guys. But I think for you it was very brave. You hadn’t wanted to worry her. I’ve heard how careful your voice sounds when you talk with your mom. I don’t need to know Czech to understand how things are between you.”
“Yes. Well. Long story short, I put pressure on him, my parents put pressure on him, LeeAnn put pressure on him. He broke. The contract is forgotten.”
“I’m so proud of you.” His eyes gleam. “You totally took care of business.”
“And you did too. By taking care of me.”
He raises his brows.
“One of the deciding factors was my mom noting how healthy and happy I was when I was home at Christmas. I told her it was all your fault. And, after telling her what Jakub had been up to, I sent her some of those selfies we took at the Field Museum in the beginning of January. She said our smiles matched. And that we were obviously a wonderful couple.”
“Wonderful? She said that?”
“Well. In Czech. Yes.”
Traffic snarls. Pete puts on some music. For a while we creep along happily. Occasionally kissing. Looking at each other with lots of smiles.
Eventually, he asks me about the townhouse. “Why would you want to sell it, Mar? It’s huge, it’s luxe, and it’s so close to the university.”
“Yes. And the only one of those three things that matters to me is that it’s close to work. Honestly, the huge, luxe qualities always made me uncomfortable. I didn’t pick that place. Jakub did.”
He nods. “I understand. For a while, I thought the reason why you always wanted to hang out with me was because my room was so much more your style than the rest of the house.”
“And then you figured out the real reason?”
“Yeah.” He laughs.
“The oops fuck was definitive?” I smile at him.
“I kinda figured it out before that.”
“I thought about moving into your room with you and renting out the rest of the house to needy students.”
“You did?”
“Only for a few seconds. I wasn’t sure you’d actually want to live with me, you see.”
“Mar…”
Before he can say anything else, I tell him, “I want so much to have shared space. In our own place that we choose together. I hope…” I clear my throat. “I hope you want that too?”
He presses my hand to his chest and I desperately wish his skin was bare so I could feel his heartbeat properly.
“I want to live with you,” he says. “Anywhere. Always. I want it bad.”
“That makes me so happy.” My voice cracks again, but I don’t care.
“I’ve been thinking hard about happiness. And giving myself permission to feel happy. I had some productive talks in Austin—with my mom and grandparents and a therapist.”
I flex my fingers against his, glancing at him. This is such good news. “I’m glad,” I tell him.
“I’ll tell you about it later. I want to discuss my ideas about next steps. With you.”
“Okay. I really want to hear all of it. So much.”
We ride silently for a while longer, thinking about possibilities and shared spaces, shared ideas. The thoughts light up the space around us like stars.
“I met your stepbrother,” I tell him as we got closer to the Loop. “Jeremiah.”
“You did? Why?”
“To help with a certain surprise. I, um, confess that I called your mom too.”
“You did?” More emphasis on the “did” that time.
“Yes. She was very nice too. She had lots of sympathy for me.” I smile.
“The sneak! She never let on. Even when I was pissing and moaning and making her nuts worrying over you.” He says all this in an affectionate way.
“She told me where your loft is and put me in touch with Jeremiah. He was helpful.”
“And a big bonehead I bet.”
“Bonehead? That word fits him.” I laugh. “He called me ‘dude’ more than anyone has ever called me that before.”
The navigation system chirps when I turn it on. I don’t trust myself to remember how to get to the loft once I get off the expressway.
“So,” I say. “I want to start fresh with our living space and we have some choices. All good.”
“Good because we’ll be together.”
“Yes. And there are many hotels and apartments and houses in Chicago. And we are lucky to be able to afford many of them.”
“Very lucky.”
I concentrate on following directions for a couple minutes. Then I say, “I want someplace small-ish.”
“Me too.”
“Less messes.”
“More ways to keep an eye on you.”
“So we will go to the loft right now, but I’m open to staying anywhere. A hotel. Anyplace we decide.”
“We can talk about it later. Mostly I want to get out of this car and get your clothes off.”
My cheeks get fiery. My dick makes its presence known under the buttons of my jeans.
“Just another block. Thankfully there is assigned parking.”
“Thankfully.” He lets go of my hand for the first time since we’ve left the airport.
I maneuver the car into the space Jeremiah showed me a few days ago. Zoe and I had come over to do a few things to the place in preparation for Pe
te’s much-hoped-for arrival.
“Hey, Mar,” he says, as I turn off the engine.
“Yes?”
“Thanks for picking me up. It was the best ever.”
I smiled slowly but keep our kiss short.
I want big kisses. Inside-a-private-space kisses.
Yet I am very nervous that I’ve overstepped some boundaries by preparing this surprise. The idea had seemed daring yet good when Pete had been far away. But now that he’s here…
Lots more bravery will be required.
Chapter 15
Pete
The loft is a lot more colorful than I remember. And a lot more furnished.
But I don’t care. I don’t have time to examine any details. I’m too busy taking off Marek’s clothes.
He’s trying to kiss me as I take care of business. It’s sort of working. I want the kisses almost as much as I want him naked. And he keeps making the cutest sounds. Moans and sighs and sweet words in Czech.
I’m pretty sure that some of the words are made up. It would be pretty damn cool if Mar made up our own sexy-times language. I’ll have to suggest it later. Formalize the idea. Have him put it on his agenda—
“I got a better bed,” he says as I finally get the leverage to jerk down his jeans. “You have to promise me not to get upset. It’s not a permanent thing. It’s for the surprise, you see? And we can take it all away. Unless you like it. But I wouldn’t want you to think I presumed to decorate or impose—”
I rest my finger on his lips. “You said this bed is better?”
“Yes.” He nibbles at my finger before I put my hand someplace else I want to explore—those whiskers he never manages to shave on his jaw. “It’s not the air mattress you foolishly slept on before leaving.”
“Being on any bed with you is all I care about right now.”
He sucks in a mattress’s worth of air as I release his awesomely rigid cock from his briefs. I stroke him, absolutely adoring the sound he makes in response, the feel of his hot skin against my palm, the way his hands cradle my face.
My Mar. So sweet, so tender, so fucking hot.
He bends and whispers in my ear, “I want you to make love to me, pusinko. Be inside me. Please. Please.”
My breath hitches. “Oh, man.” The images that zap my brain make my knees weak. I grab his waist, hold on.
“Do you want to?” he asks, his tone so hopeful.
“Oh, yeah. Too much maybe.”
“Here’s what we will do.”
I grin, my lips reveling in the prickliness of his chin. “Yes?” I murmur, following the line of his jaw with a slow-chugging train of kisses.
“You will take off the rest of your clothes.” He grunts a little as he says this. He’s having troubles, once again, with buttons. I help him. We get distracted by kissing. And maybe a little bit of dick rubbing.
“What next?” I remember to ask.
“Now we will get on the bed. It’s big, sturdy. I picked it out myself. No hard edges to stub toes or trip on.”
My grin isn’t ever going to go away. “I see you’ve placed it right in the center of this very large room.”
“Yes. Well, I didn’t want to put it too close to the window. Purchasing curtains was beyond me. The building next door is very close. And—”
I rise to my toes to kiss him, gasping a little at the wet slap of his cockhead against my abs. “And,” I say, “the bed is a very appropriate centerpiece to any home.”
“Yes. Quite appropriate.”
“Did you buy supplies to go with this bed?”
His brow furrows. Then his eyes get wide and bright. “Yes! I got supplies.”
He rushes over to the bed and pulls a small wooden box from under it. I’ve seen this box in his closet. He catches my gaze, smiles, then opens the box with a flourish. He tosses lube and a strip of condoms onto the bed. Which I notice is covered by a sheet that matches my flowered comforter.
But this is a queen-sized mattress. And so that means… Mar has done some shopping. At a huge, scary store without my help. To most people that wouldn’t seem like a big deal, but the bravery and care involved—it’s a very big deal to me. My eyes prick with tears.
“What?” He rushes over to me. “You don’t want this right now…maybe not yet—”
“No. No, I want it so much.” I take his hand. “Hold me for a while?”
“Yes. Anytime. Always.”
We sprawl on the bed. And I can’t fucking believe how good it feels to hold him, to be wrapped up in his arms. I close my eyes. The words he’s murmuring sink into my skin, my veins, my soul. Healing words, hoping words, dreaming words.
“I love you, Pete.”
“I love you, Marek.” I turn my head and our lips come together on my next breath.
My dick is as needy as it’s ever been, but what’s getting me high, what’s turning every cell into a pleasure center, is Marek’s presence. His heat. The intensity that always emanates from him. A brilliant man who studies the power of brilliant stars. He makes me feel like a star. The best kind of star. The kind that glows because of love.
“I want you inside me now,” he whispers. “And I will likely come at the wrong time—”
“I want you to come at the wrong time. I want you to come at the right time. The left time. The sideways time. Overtime. Daytime. Nighttime—”
His kisses me. Hard. And then he hands me the lube.
My hand shakes and I can barely breathe. But I refuse to fall down on this job. I’m touching him, stroking him, exploring him. He’s so responsive—
“Oh, glag. Pete. There! How did you…can you feel?”
Tears of joy and relief keep pricking at my eyes. For a while I’d thought I’d never get to touch him again. So for this to happen now, after what we’ve been through, to hear him say, “Oh, shit. Love you so much, pusinko,” and to watch his pleasure, his essence, his most-excellent Mar-mess erupt like white molten satin over my hand, over his belly…
Well. It’s a gift. Pleasing Marek is a gift I will treasure and never take for granted.
He’s a little overwhelmed, his hands trembling as he helps me with the condom, as we work together to slick it up. His thighs tremble too as he raises them up and apart. He doesn’t say anything, can only nod when I ask, “Ready, baby?”
I’m a little overwhelmed too, as I push and rub and push again. I don’t want to hurt him. I don’t want to come too soon. “Okay?” I gasp.
“Yes. Yes. God, Pete. More.”
We work at it until we get it right, smiling, both of us laughing breathlessly as we finally make the right connection. But, God, once I sink into him, I don’t want to move, don’t want to ever leave again.
He’s so tight. So hot. And I need him so bad, my balls are about to explode. I mention this to him.
He says something in Czech.
“What?” I bite down hard on my lip.
He laughs. “Sorry. I said stay there for a moment. Inside me. I can feel your heartbeat. You feel so good, so amazing. I want to stay like this.”
“I need to learn Czech.”
“I will teach you.” His eyes glow. He’s excited about this idea. Looks so excited, in fact, I’m a little worried he might start a lesson immediately.
I change my angle, lever up onto my knees, moving him into a position I think he might like. Ah. There. He’s much more excited about this idea.
“I love you so much, Mar. But I don’t think I can hold off anymore.”
“Don’t think. Just do.”
And, laughing, I do. I let my body lead. I let it riff on all the feels Marek is giving me, inside, outside. He arches, his gorgeous neck straining as he swallows and cries out. His body contracts around me and the sight and scent and sound of him send me home.
There’s poetry and beauty and the mystery of the stars in my head, but my body is very down-to-earth. It jerks. Flails. Spasms. Spurts. I shout a few incoherent words, freeze, and then collapse in a sweaty heap on top
of him.
I probably pass out a little. Finally, I become aware of his hands stroking my hair, my back, my ass. “This was a good bed initiation,” he says. “Top grades for both of us, I think.”
“Agree completely. The very top. Tops for the bed too. You are obviously an awesome shopper.” I roll off him, holding tight to the condom. Glergh. We’re going to have to have a convo about getting rid of these things altogether. Very soon.
Mar goes up on an elbow and smiles down at me. “I am about to earn another top grade.”
I raise my brows. As soon as I get rid of the condom, I’m gonna grab his head and kiss the ever-loving heck out of his face.
He turns away, fumbles for something at the side of the bed. He comes back with a packet of wipes. A brand I use and like.
“See?” he says. “And that smile. It makes all my efforts worth it.”
“I love you. And I’m gonna keep you.”
We laugh and clean each other up.
We settle on the bed again, holding each other close, keeping each other warm. I gaze up at the ceiling. It’s one of the loft’s best qualities. The ductwork and beams are exactly what you’d want in an authentic loft, architectural and historical and interesting. Except right now every space is filled with—
“Oh my God! How many balloons did you get, Mar?”
He laughs. “It is totally great. Right? Remind me to take a picture later. Zoe wanted to see.”
“There’s, like, dozens and dozens! No wonder you weren’t very upset about that balloon at the airport.”
“I watched the movie you told me about. A few times, in fact. It was beautiful, but it was hard to think of something I could do for you that would be that beautiful, you know? I researched balloons. These are Mylar. I knew they weren’t quite right, but I didn’t know when you’d be getting home. So I needed something that would hold helium for longer than a few hours. And the guy at the balloon place recommended Mylar for home and fresh latex for when I went to get you—”
I kiss him. And kiss him some more. “I can’t believe you did this for me. It is the most…” I pause for more kisses. “The most romantic, the most beautiful, the most awesome— Mar, oh God. You might be too damn good for me—”