Rubbing One Out - Susan Mac Nicol Page 0,26
The warm water cascaded over his hair and body, soft touches, which made him shiver with the aftershock of a great orgasm. Once his breathing was under control, Ben turned off the shower and stepped onto the bath mat. His legs still felt a little jellied, and he grinned at his image in the mirror.
“Morning,” he said to himself. “Enjoyed that, did you?” He wrapped a towel around his waist, using another to towel dry his hair. He hung it on the towel warmer and opened the door as billows of steam entered the bedroom.
Dae was still there, but he was awake, sitting up in bed with the duvet pooled around his hips. He looked over at Ben and smiled uncertainly.
“Morning.”
“Good morning.” Hell, I hope he didn’t hear me having a morning wank.
Ben walked over to the cabinet, which doubled as a dressing table. He picked up his deodorant stick and skimmed it over his pits. He wasn’t a fan of aerosols when he could help it. They weren’t good for the planet.
“I suppose you’re wondering what I’m doing here in your bed?”
Ben had never heard Dae sound so unsure of himself.
He shrugged as he pulled the towel away and dried his body. He was gratified to hear a soft gasp behind him. “You’ll tell me when you’re ready. I imagine you had a good reason.” He finished drying himself and opened the drawer to take out a pair of boxers. Once he was finished pulling them on, he turned around. “Did you sleep well, at least?”
Dae’s face darkened. “I had a bit of a bad dream last night. I’m surprised you didn’t hear me.”
Ben laughed as he pulled on his Windward Zoo polo shirt, then walked over to the hanging closet to retrieve a pair of jeans. “I’m one of those people everyone hates. Someone who can get to sleep within seconds, and sleeps like the dead. There could be a thunderstorm or an earthquake and I probably wouldn’t wake up.”
Dae leaned back against the pillows, the duvet slipping and revealing an intriguing dip between waist and hip. “I woke up feeling as if I needed some company. I’m sorry if I overstepped any boundaries. I meant to wake up before you and leave, but I guess you beat me to it.”
Now dressed, Ben sat down on the bed to pull on his socks and shoes. “I’m not upset, honest. If you needed someone to be there for you, I’m happy to be that person.” He stood up. “The birds wake me in the morning. They seem to love performing a full orchestra at seven. They’re a natural alarm clock.”
He ran some moisturizer over his face and slipped on his smartwatch. “Are you feeling better though? You look a little peaked. Anything I can do to help?”
Dae shook his head. “No, thank you.” He laughed bitterly. “Coming to this world appears to have taken away the security blanket I had when I was in Calado’r.”
Ben sat down next to him. Oh God, am I causing him to hurt by not giving him my wishes so he can go home? No matter how much Ben wanted to get to know more about Dae, that was something he couldn’t justify. It was selfish.
“Am I contributing to the problem?” Ben asked gently. Dae’s beautiful purple eyes stared back at him with apprehension. “I mean, do I need to use my wishes so you can return to the lamp and get that security blanket back? I don’t want you to feel unhappy here.”
Dae smiled faintly and pressed a finger against Ben’s lips. “No, Ben. I need to work through this and let go. Coming here allows me to do this. Thanks for the offer.”
He stood up, gathering the duvet around his lower half. “You have to get to work. I’d better let you go. I promise not to make a habit of climbing into your bed at night.”
Dae shuffled out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Ben sighed and got to his feet. He wanted to stay home and be with Dae, but duty called. He was on a later shift today and had another swimming lesson with Sammy. Plus his favourite vet, Alison, was coming by to do an annual health check on the seal and penguin community. Hazel would kill him if he didn’t turn up for that. His boss had inventive ways of making people pay for their indiscretions.
No hardship. Ben rather liked Alison. She was a no-nonsense