“All right. All right. I know.” Will rolledonto his side, facing Taylor, although it was too dark to read eachother’s expressions. “I was wrong not to tell you about thepossibility — because that’s all it was, a possibility — ofthe Paris posting. I know it was wrong. I said I was sorry. I’vesaid it three times now.”
“But you keep doing this shit, Will. ‘Actingin my best interests.’ Like you don’t trust me to know what I wantor need. How many times are we going to have thisconversation?”
“This is the last time. Paris…everything gotso messed up. We were both off balance, okay? I admit I wasn’tthinking straight. So, yes, I did rush you into making a decisionwithout letting you have all the facts. And I know it wasn’t fairor the right thing to do.”
Taylor sighed.
Will felt for, found Taylor’s left hand, hisfingers tracing the platinum band on Taylor’s ring finger. “Do youregret the choice you made?”
“No.” That was emotion talking, not logic,because Taylor did regret the way they had launched themselves intothis new endeavor without proper preparation and only thesketchiest of plans. And Taylor was supposed to be the impulsiveone! This was totally unlike Will, which was probably what botheredTaylor the most about it. He couldn’t help believing that Will’sprimary motivation had been to prevent him from taking the post inIraq — or something equally asinine and high-handed.
Will leaned forward, his mouth findingTaylor’s in a soft, apologetic kiss. His mouth was warm, his tastefamiliar. “I won’t try to excuse it. It’s just…this is all stillnew to me. I didn’t expect it to be like this. Not with anyone. Sogood I’m terrified it can’t be for real, that it can’t last.”
Of course that melted Taylor’s heart. Hefelt the same way. All the time. But “it” wasn’t that new,that was part of the problem. They had been partnered five yearsnow, and officially a couple for almost two. Though, granted, oneof those years they’d spent apart. Still.
He said sternly, “It can’t happen again,Will.” He was dead serious. The realization startled him. At onepoint, he had believed nothing could split them up, nothing couldchange his feelings for Will. But now they had been together longenough that he understood there were things that no relationshipcould survive. Lack of respect was one of them.
“It’s not going to happen again.” Willcovered his mouth and Taylor surrendered. It was an earnest anduninhibited effort, but though pleasurable, they just didn’t havethe energy. Will fell asleep mid-nuzzle. Taylor a rueful sighlater.
They slept late the next morning. Sunlightwas crawling sheepishly across the white coverlet when Tayloropened his eyes. He turned his head, studied Will’s face. Thatcontrast of dark stubble and long eyelashes always did something tohim. Will looked disarmingly unguarded and boyish in sleep, andTaylor smiled.
If they were traveling north today, theyneeded to get moving. But first things first. There had not beenenough time these last couple of weeks for the essentials, theessentials being…taking good and proper care of each other. Maybehe wasn’t good at talking things out, maybe he didn’t haveexperience at long-term relationships — his own parents’ marriageshould have put him off the idea of commitment for good. But thismuch he did know. You had to pay attention and you had to take careof each other in the little ways as well as the big.
He ducked under the sheet and set aboutwaking Will the best way he knew how — with a warm and willingmouth and a bone-melting rhythm.
Proof of how exhausted Will was, it tookseveral long seconds before he even stirred, but at last he beganto twitch and sigh under Taylor’s expert attentions. Finally, hemade a small sleepy sound and shuddered, starting to moveinstinctively, hips pushing, cock thrusting. Taylor sucked harder,applying lips, tongue, even the suggestion of teeth, using hisconsiderable knowledge to give Will maximum pleasure.
Will groaned, heartfelt andinarticulate.
Taylor’s heart seemed to beat in time to thepulse of Will’s cock, tasting the salty pre-cum. He knew what Willwas feeling, knew how to make it just the way Will wanted, suckinghard, then softly, then harder still. Sweet and soft, then hard andfierce, then so soft again, so tender. Tugging him along, Comeon, sweetheart, this way…
Will tossed in the sheets like he wasdelirious, but it was the best kind of suffering, and Taylor couldfeel the exact moment that tingle started at the root of Will’scock, exquisite sensation unfurling, flowering through nerves andmuscles, tissue and bone, that dizzy delight blooming in hisbloodstream.
“Oh my God!” Will choked out.
And there it was, the blood-hot spurt of hisrelease, and Taylor only too happy to take it from him, to swallowit down, the spill of all that tension and worry and aggravation.Relieved and relaxed by the best medicine of all. That would belove, not sex, though sex was a vital ingredient.
Afterwards, he rested his head on Will’sthigh, breathing in the sharp, pungent smell of sex mingled withbare skin and spring rain-scented laundry soap.
Will’s fingers tangled in his hair, whetherin caress or just the need for contact. “Hey, what about you?” Hespoke with what was clearly an effort.
“I’m good,” Taylor said. And it wastrue.
“Did you feed Riley?” Will asked. They hadshowered and dressed and were making breakfast. This was the firsttime they’d had a chance to have breakfast in their own kitchen fornearly a month, and if Taylor never saw another breakfast burritoor Egg McMuffin, he’d die a happy man.
He assented, catching the whole grainwaffles with his plate as they flew out of the toaster.
Will glanced his way, smiled. “Nicecatch.”
Taylor grunted, carrying the plate to thecounter and taking the lid off the butter dish.
“Orange juice?” Will asked.
“Just coffee.” He buttered the waffles.Spread grape jelly over Will’s, almond butter over his own.
“You having sugar today?”
“I guess. Why not. It’s our weekend.”
Will sweetened Taylor’s coffee appropriatelyand carried the blue earthenware mugs to the table. He sat down athis place.
Taylor finished slathering
