“I’d have tried.”
“When I saw that truck was heading straight for you, I was so scared. I tried really hard to make room for him to pull back in. Maybe if I’d braked harder then he wouldn’t have clipped me and…”
“In those conditions, there was nothing more we could do. He was in a hurry and we were in his way.”
“To not stop…”
Tal sighed. “Irresponsible.”
“I don’t understand why we’re not more battered and bruised.”
“We were lucky.” But Corey was right. Why weren’t they more severely injured?
“I think we used up all our luck tonight. No doing anything reckless like sleepwalking to the kitchen to look for a knife.”
Tal smiled. “We still on the serial killer thing?”
“You’re safe with me. I promise.”
“I believe you.”
“Good.”
Corey’s sigh of satisfaction made Tal smile.
There was silence for a moment, then Corey spoke again. “We might wake up tomorrow stiff as anything. Eek. Sorry. I didn’t mean that how it sounded.”
Tal laughed. That sounded more like the Corey he was getting to know.
He sensed Corey roll over, felt a puff of air on the back of his neck as he exhaled. Then Corey’s breathing settled again. Several minutes later, he felt Corey edge a little closer, his chest almost against Tal’s back, his groin nearly nestled against Tal’s arse. Not quite touching but so close. The back of his neck tingled. Was Corey even awake? Tal thought not until he felt Corey sigh against his shoulder. Then his hand crept over Tal’s waist. Tal didn’t even think of pushing him away. He caught hold of Corey’s fingers and held on. How had that been what he’d been waiting for? He didn’t like to be touched.
“Thank you,” Corey whispered. “I was scared. Thank you.”
Tal’s heart calmed and, hands together, they fell asleep.
When Tal woke, it was morning. Light seeped into the room around the edge of the curtains. Corey was pressed up behind him, all of him touching Tal now, chest, legs, hips, toes…hishand still on Tal’s. More often than not with Dorian, Tal had ended up nowhere near him, lying right at the edge of the bed, as close to falling out as he could get without actually falling out. Dorian had given him a push once, shoved him onto the floor, just to make a point. They’d never fallen asleep holding hands. Never woken quite like this. Touch had always been an issue Tal struggled with, and yet Corey was touching him and he was…okay about it. More than okay. It had been what Corey needed last night, and him too, it seemed. Tal swallowed hard.
Even so, he needed to move. He didn’t want Corey to get the wrong idea. Tal hadn’t changed his mind. Corey wasn’t what he wanted. Tal would feel he’d taken advantage. He stopped himself repeating the litany of why not and refused to let Louis into his head. The erection he was currently sporting was just something that happened, normal and common, and not down to Corey being pressed up against him, breathing on him, or because their hands were still together. Probably. Though Tal hadn’t woken with a hard cock for a week or so.
He slipped out of bed being careful not to disturb Corey and went into the bathroom. As he stripped out of his boxers, he suddenly felt shaky and very cold. When his knees threatened to give way, he leaned against the sink and shivered. It was weird because the room was warm but he was covered in goose bumps and his breathing was ragged. Then the strange feeling passed and he took a deep breath as he stared at himself in the mirror. He didn’t have a single bruise. Nothing had developed overnight. He rubbed his chest and there was no discomfort. He was shocked that the rapid explosive force of the airbag hadn’t left him with any marks.
Tal emerged from the bathroom, showered and dressed to find Corey had slept on, curled up tight. Tal found Corey’s bag and their now dry clothes and shoes outside the door and brought everything into the room.
Corey looked even younger when his face was relaxed in sleep.
He’s twenty-twoLouis said in his head.Old enough.
He looked seventeen.
Tal stopped staring, picked a book off the shelf and went to sit by the fire. It came on though he’d touched nothing. How had it switched off last night? He sighed. A timer.
He’s not too young.
He was.
How do you know he’s not what you need.
Tal knew.
