the long-distance thing. We can make it work. If he wants this, we’ll make it work.
He’s wearing one of his button-downs, and I love and hate it at the same time. I want to rip it off him, but the backpack doesn’t look very full. It might be his only shirt. And if he’s staying the weekend, he might need to wear more than rags.
But then again…
I suppress the urge to tear the shirt from him and work on the buttons instead, all while Beau demonstrates his superior presence of mind and pops off my running shoes before attempting to peel off my tights. It’s about as graceful as peeling off running tights can be. But when they’re gone, they’re gone. My bare ass meets the upholstery of my new couch.
And then my presence of mind kicks in. “Bedroom,” I pant.
Beau needs no other words. I appreciate his excellent listening skills and his upper body strength as he cups my ass. I lock my legs around his waist, and he carries me across the house.
“Left,” I say between kisses as we enter the hall. He takes us left, and we collide with the bed.
I’ve exiled the shirt, and I’m making haste with his belt when I have to abandon the task while Beau frees me from my sports top.
Assisting a horse’s birth might be easier than getting the second skin of spandex and Lycra over my head and shoulders, but Beau powers through like a champ.
“Bravo,” I gasp, taking in a full breath, which I promptly lose when Beau stands and strips off his jeans.
He stands, naked and motionless, his molten eyes taking in the whole of me. I let him look, savoring my own view, burning the image in my mind for the days we’ll surely be apart.
“I’ve missed you.” I manage though my throat has gone tight.
He plants a knee on the bed and crawls up my body. “I’ve missed you, too.” He kisses me just above my navel. Then once on each breast, making my nipples peak with the heat of his mouth. Then he levers himself until he is a breath away, his lips hovering above mine.
“I’ve missed you. More than you could imagine.”
My eyes sting. I place my hands on his chest, feel the steady beat of his heart. He gives me his weight, and I thrill at it. I run my hands along his ribs and then up over his smooth, warm back. He feels amazing. I need to drink in every sensation. Lock it away in my heart for all the nights when he’s back home.
“Can we stay just like this? For as long as you’re here?”
He blinks down at me, a startled smile creasing the corners of his eyes. “It might be kind of awkward when I start my new job next week.”
Time stops.
When it starts running again, I’m sure I’ve misunderstood. “Your new job.” I parrot. “What new job?”
Grinning, Beau takes his weight on his elbow, stretching out beside me. His hot erection presses into the side of my hip, but he wraps his leg over me as if to blanket me in warmth. He settles a hand between my breasts, over my racing heart.
“I told you I wasn’t going anywhere,” he says, watching me with that smile.
“What new job?” I ask again, my heart speeding faster.
He licks his lips. “The one where I’m a private French immersion teacher for two hellish sounding boys, age six and eight, who are the children of some film executive I’ve never heard of but is apparently insperiuse.”
I blink. “And where do this exec and his hellish children live?”
Beau sniffs thoughtfully. “Google says it’s about a thirty-minute bike ride south.”
“In Laurel Canyon?!” I shriek.
He presses his lips together and gives me a thoughtful frown. “I will need to get a bike before Monday.”
I ignore this comment. “What about your job teaching French?”
“I will be teaching French.”
“Yeah, but what about your disadvantaged kids who need you?”
His frown deepens. “I have a feeling these boys need me too.” Then his focus zeroes on me. “And it’s also a matter of what I need.”
I try not to say something stupid. I really do. “And what do you need?”
“You, chère. I need you.” His voice is whisper soft, and he pairs it with a figure-eight that he traces over my heart. “I told you. I’m not going anywhere.”
I swallow hard, knowing what he’s giving up to be here. To be with me. “What about your mom?”