Chapter 10

I wished I could have stopped thinking about Bj?rn and the silly move I'd made last night. But of course, it was all I could think about. I checked my phone obsessively as if I could summon a message from him.

I'd done everything I could, right? I'd been patient, didn't push him, and yesterday, without potentially screwing up a budding friendship if that was what he'd prefer, I gave him a clear signal that romantic or sexual advances would be most welcome. It was up to him now.

In an attempt to calm myself, I went running before lunch and took a long shower. I reminded myself of the number one rule, patience. Except I was running out of it. I was dangerously close to calling him and straight-up ordering him to come over and fuck me already.

Why did Swedish men have to be so damned slow on the uptake?

Luckily, I had laundry. I'd start with that. I was just hanging the second load on the drying rack when a loud knock made my heart accelerate.

I ran to open the door to find Bj?rn standing there, like an answer to all my dreams and prayers.

He was dressed casually in jeans, sneakers, and a blue checkered shirt over a T-shirt. I would have worn a jacket and possibly a scarf in the chilly wind, but he was a Viking, after all. He even looked flushed as if he'd run up the hill.

"Hi," I said, and my heart did that stupid little dance again.

"Hi," he breathed, staring at me.

I waited half a second, expecting a follow-up, but it didn't come.

"Um." I scratched my neck. After the kiss on the cheek last night, I felt exposed. I scrambled for something to say. Anything. "What did I do? Did I trim a hedge that wasn't mine? Are we about to have a feud after all?"

He grinned at that, but his smile wilted immediately. "Can I come in?"

I stepped away from the door. "Sure."

He took off his boots in the hall.

"Is something the matter?" I asked. I caught a whiff of his aftershave, and my heart pounded even faster. Damn this man for having such an effect on me. "Do you want coffee?"

"No. No coffee. It's just…"

I paused in the kitchen doorway. He stared at me again, opened his mouth, and closed it. Then he looked up and swore under his breath. I was starting to get seriously concerned. Did I do something stupid? Did something happen to Madde? Was Gryta invaded by zombies?

"Bj?rn? What's going on?"

A determined, almost fierce look formed in his hazel eyes. He took a step closer, then another. I stood frozen.

Then he roped one arm around my back and cupped my jaw. His thumb brushed my lips.

My knees did this thing where it felt like I didn't have any bones and would melt to the floor if he didn't hold me up.

I gazed at his lips, dry and pale, the scruff of beard surrounding them.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked, breathless.

"Yes." I was so proud of myself for saying an actual word. It was one syllable, but oh so important, and I said it, loud and clear.

Then he kissed me.

At first, my mind flashed to the last thing I ate, the water I drank, the taste in my mouth… Did I even use deodorant after I showered?

But he made a sound, like a soft grunt, and I parted my lips against his.

The rest was just sensation.

His hard body against mine, the soft cotton of his shirt under my hands, the clutch of his fingers on my back, the tickle of his beard on my cheek and chin, his nose bumping mine… His tongue stroked mine. He tasted faintly of cinnamon.

He gripped my nape and deepened the kiss, and I stretched to meet him, holding myself up by his shoulders. His groin met mine, and the sudden ache in my cock and balls made me gasp.

We stumbled to the kitchen, tongues tangling, until my ass hit the table. He palmed my ass cheeks and squeezed, and again, that rough grunt! The perfect sound of desire and sex… He pressed our cocks together through the double layer of denim.

I braced one hand on the table and scrambled up, almost tumbling to the side, but he caught me and lifted me. He settled between my legs. A hot ache in my underbelly grew and pulsed like a greedy, ravenous monster about to burst out. We thrust against each other, and I pulled on his arms and grappled at his back to get him closer.

Bj?rn kissed down my throat, scraping my skin with his teeth, while his warm hands sneaked under my shirt. Why couldn't he just shred my clothes and fuck me raw right then and there? A garbled moan escaped me as I bucked.

Then he was undoing my fly, frantic. Before I could reach for his zipper, he was on his knees, his face smashed against my briefs.

"I want to suck you," he whispered. He sounded so needy that it cut dangerously close to my heart even as my dick throbbed.

"Yeah…"

He took my cock out and swooped down my length like he'd been thinking about this for the entire day. The wet warmth sent blissful currents through me, and my vision blurred. Lord, he was…

"Oh fuck!" My voice came out high-pitched and broken.

He groaned and bobbed his head, licking along the underside. There wasn't anything better in life than being wanted by someone you wanted right back. And the way he sucked me, eager, almost desperate… It was like he craved me.

I stroked his hair, then gripped a fistful while he hollowed his cheeks. Just seeing this man on his knees in front of me would have been enough to make me blow. But he worked my cock almost frantically, lips tight, tongue laving, taking my cockhead into his throat, and I couldn't prolong it no matter how much I wanted to stay in this moment forever.

"You'll make me come."

He looked up at me, his gaze full of yearning, and I moaned. When I noticed his arm working, his hand obscured by the edge of the table, my arousal grew tenfold. He was jerking off.

"Do you want me to come…into your mouth?" I stammered out.

"Mmhmm." His eyes fell shut, and he took me into his throat again, increasing the rhythm. He had both hands on his cock now, and I could only imagine him twisting his fingers around the crown or tugging on his balls as he stroked himself furiously.

I couldn't hold it anymore. I'd been celibate for months, and now the hottest man I'd ever touched knelt for me. My balls tightened, and I cried out as a warning before my eyes squeezed shut with the rush of pleasure.

I forced them open in time to see Bj?rn swallow, then pant and catch the last spurt of my cum on his tongue and parted lips. His mouth formed the perfect O, and he groaned from deep in his stomach. A dollop of my cum clung to his lower lip.

He came with my release on his parted lips. Dirty and beautiful and simply miraculous—I needed to sear that picture into my memory.

Resting his head on my thigh, he breathed with his eyes closed, licked his lips, and gulped.

I carded my trembling fingers through his hair, then along his jaw, testing the texture of his beard. It felt soft and thick, almost like fur.

What would happen now?

Without meeting my gaze, he pressed a quick kiss to my softening cock and shot up, heading for the sink. He washed his hands with his back to me. He didn't rinse his mouth, though.

"Can I use this to mop up?" he asked, reaching for a paper towel roll on the kitchen counter.

"Sure."

I stuffed my cock into my pants but didn't manage to get off the table before he was crouched under me, wiping cum off my floor. He threw the scrunched-up paper towel into the trash can under the sink. The sound of the cabinet closing had the force of a gunshot in the quiet kitchen.

Slowly, he turned around. He looked scared.

Hell, I was scared too.

I didn't remember ever losing control like this with anyone. Had I ever wanted anyone this much?

It was terrifying.

I slid off the table and took a couple of steps toward him. I tried to smile. Bj?rn heaved a breath and met me in the middle of the kitchen.

"That was incredible," I whispered. He wouldn't run away again, would he? Not now. His eyes flicked between mine, unsure but also full of longing. I put my palms on his scruffy cheeks and tugged his face lower so I could brush my lips over his.

We kissed, and he tasted of my cock and cum. I could smell myself in his beard. His arms tightened around me.

"Are you okay?" I asked. I had no idea what was going on in his head.

He exhaled against my lips and bumped my nose with his. The gesture was so sweet that if I hadn't already been infatuated with him beyond help, that small nose bump would have tipped me over.

"I like you," he murmured. "I like you a lot. That's what I came here to say."

His voice…deep, raspy, and needy.

"Good. Because I like you too. A lot."

"I want to keep seeing you."

"Well, in this village, it would be hard not to."

It was the wrong joke to make because he winced and turned his head away. A couple of seconds ticked by. Had I screwed this up already?

"Are you nervous about people finding out?" I asked, my heart beating double-time.

His eyes flashed to me. "I'm out," he said firmly, frowning. "Everybody knows I'm gay. They knew before I went away to college."

"I know."

"But…" Another powerful sigh made his chest expand.

"It's a small community," I said. "People finding out would put pressure on us before we had the time to explore what we wanted."

He exhaled and hugged me, pressing his forehead against mine. "See? You're so damn clever. It's hot."

"The guys in the queer club would make a big deal out of it."

"No kidding."

"I'm fine exploring where this goes while keeping it under wraps."

He pecked my lips, then kissed me again, lingering. "For the record, I'm not ashamed or anything," he said.

"Me neither."

"I'm excited right now."

"Oh?"

"I snatched the hot new teacher." God, he was perfect! Was I dreaming?

I chuckled. "Snatched? Hold your horses. It was one blowjob."

He dug his fingers into my waist. "I'd like to do more. Much more."

I expected him to say something sexual next, but he kissed me again before murmuring against my lips, "Can I take you out on a date?"

Be still, my fragile heart!

"I'd like that."

"It's a bit of a drive to the closest restaurant, but if you're up for something less conventional, I have a few ideas."

"For example?"

"A picnic on a boat?"

"You have a boat?"

He shrugged. "It's just a fishing dinghy."

"I'm in."

"Wednesday? It's a bank holiday."

"May 9. I think I can make space in my busy schedule." I was going to drive to town for another grocery run—a busy schedule indeed. The shopping could wait.

"Great. I'll pick you up at eleven."

"Here? Is that wise?"

"Wiser than meeting in the middle of Gryta. If someone sees me driving by your house, they'll assume I'm visiting Henke or checking something on the property."

"Okay. I'll hop in and duck my head when we ride through the village."

He laughed.

"Just, um, will you say anything to Madde?" I asked.

At that, Bj?rn looked a little guilty. "I was hoping to keep it quiet from her as well."

"I'm good with that." More than good. I wasn't ready for any I'm-having-sex-with-your-stepson conversations.

In the subsequent silence, a small shudder went through him, and he exhaled from deep within.

"Fan," he swore softly in Swedish and squeezed me.

"What?"

"I was so nervous coming here today." The self-deprecating smile adorning his lips was a sight for gods.

"You did good. Very brave. I'd give you an A plus."

He nuzzled around my ear and down my cheek. "It's been a long time since I did this."

"Had sex?"

"I went to Gothenburg sometimes to hook up. But I haven't dated in years. Not since university."

He brushed a kiss in front of my ear, then a trail of them down my neck. It was distracting.

"I promise to be patient and understanding," I said in mock seriousness.

His chuckle tickled my neck.

"Thank you." He began massaging my ass, and fresh arousal gathered in my underbelly.

"Bj?rn? What do you like in bed?"

"Everything, anything. I've mostly topped because it was easier. I love sucking cock, in case I haven't made that obvious. You?"

"I'm versatile, but I've been known to particularly enjoy bottoming when the mood is right." He hummed at that, a low, happy sound. "When you say everything…"

He stopped his exploration of my neck and leaned back to look me in the face. "I don't mean anything kinky, sorry. I don't have much experience with anything beyond rimming and anal."

I wasn't sure if I was relieved or slightly disappointed. Then I recalled the list of tags under Lars's Grindr profile. Yep, relieved.

"That's okay. More to explore." I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from grinning. I was getting giddy like a kid.

Bj?rn wanted me, and we were going to sneak around and have copious amounts of sex.

I hadn't even taken a look at his cock. I needed to remedy that.

We endedup making out on my sofa, exchanging long kisses and whispered banter. Then we got rid of our pants, and I finally took him into my hand. Lying by his side, I stroked him, feasting on the beauty that was his dick.

It was thick, uncut, and curved with a full, round head. A gorgeous cock. I tugged the foreskin down and up, feeling him harden even more. Precum gathered at his slit.

When I looked up at his face, he watched me with hooded eyes and parted lips.

"You have a gorgeous dick," I said.

Bj?rn let out a broken laugh, then a strangled sigh.

"Do you want to come like this?" I tightened my grip. "Or I can suck you."

He put his broad, calloused hand on my cheek. "Kiss me."

He would undo me in one evening.

My heart picked up when our lips locked together. He caressed my tongue with his and slid his fingers into my hair, cupping my nape. I stroked him harder, and I could feel it in the kiss. He was getting close. He pushed his tongue deeper into my mouth, grunting, then pulled in a breath through his nostrils.

His cock throbbed in my hand, and he broke the kiss. Eyes closed, mouth slack, he came over my fingers and onto his stomach.

I bucked against his hip, desperate for friction.

Bj?rn shifted, propping himself up on his elbow, making space for me.

"Lie on your back," he told me. "Want to see you come."

He stared with open fire in his gaze, tracking the movement as I took myself into my hand and stroked. He liked looking at me, and wasn't that the greatest turn-on?

I jerked off while he watched with a hungry expression. When he suddenly moved to take my cockhead into his mouth and cupped my balls, I groaned.

"Almost there."

I stroked the base of my cock while he sucked on the head.

I could feel the climax gather, rising slowly, tingling, then vibrating like a cooking pot until it burst. The pleasure went all the way to my fingers and toes.

Bj?rn let go at the last second and swooped in to kiss me on my open mouth.

My cum spilled between us, smearing us both.

We'd need a shower, but I didn't want to stop kissing him. It felt as if I'd just woken up but hadn't yet realized which memories were real and which had been a dream. If I moved too much, said something, or let myself think, would I wake up fully and find him gone?

Running my hand through the cum on my stomach, I kept kissing him, cataloging the details that would make the memory last. Like the faint taste of my cum in his mouth, the way his calloused thumb scraped through my sparse afternoon stubble, the tickle of his breath on my cheek. His knee bumped mine, and the hard armrest of the sofa pressed my ear against my head.

When he broke the kiss to look at me, I prepared myself for reality to crash down on me.

But he smiled like the sweetest dream I'd ever had.

"Hi," he said softly.

"Hi," I whispered back.

"Can I borrow your shower?"

We tookturns cleaning up in the bathroom. I went in second, and when I entered the living room, wearing clean underwear and a T-shirt, he was dressed, hovering by the door.

"Before you say anything, I'm not running away." He shifted from foot to foot, his head bent awkwardly under the low door frame.

"I certainly hope not."

"I forgot the time. It's almost eight, and I have to…" He pointed vaguely at the door.

Did we spend almost four hours cuddling and having sex? The time flew by. I nodded. "Yeah. School night. I still have some homework I need to correct. Sorry, I didn't even feed you."

He shrugged, grinning. "We got distracted. I'll see you on Wednesday?"

"Yes. What should I wear?"

"I'll text you instructions."

Then we just stared at each other. "I'm going then."

"Okay."

"One last kiss?" he asked, blushing.

"God, you're adorable. Come here."

I dragged him to me by his shirt, and he devoured my mouth, growling playfully.

"Thank you for a lovely afternoon," I said.

"It was my pleasure."

"Mine too."

"Great pleasure."

"Mmhmm."

"I really should go."

I could easily go for a round three, but I was hungry, and we both had work to do.

"Go." I pushed on his chest, and he stepped away, smiling sheepishly.

"Goodnight, Eric."

"Goodnight."

Standing in my kitchen window, I watched him stride over the meadow. The sky above was a blend of colors, orange with pink and purple streaks. Fresh stems peeked out among the dead clumps of grass in the meadow, scattered with blooming narcissus flowers. The trees would soon be clothed in bright green leaves.

Bj?rn paused and looked back toward my cottage. He probably couldn't see me in the window, so I didn't wave. He was already too far away for me to discern his expression.

Abruptly, he turned around and began jogging down the incline along the forest, gathering speed. He jumped up with his fist in the air before he disappeared behind a cluster of trees.

The swell of happiness in my chest was so powerful it felt dangerous.