Chapter 14

We cleaned up, crammed in Bj?rn's snug shower stall and ate the kladdkaka naked in bed.

Then we cuddled and made out, and Bj?rn got onto his back and held his knees to his chest, offering me his ass. He was so hard his cock looked almost purple. I couldn't resist taking it into my mouth for a few teasing sucks.

"Please, Eric, please, fuck me."

Having my big powerful lumberjack laid out under me, pleading, was the most erotic moment of my life.

I took my time, fucking him nice and slow, discovering all his sweet spots. He liked it shallow, my cockhead pushing right into his prostate—it made his hard cock drool precum like a faucet and his muscles twitch. But when I nestled myself deep and kissed him, he would go all pliant under me and shudder helplessly, chasing after my mouth.

He was so responsive and sweet. I couldn't get enough.

I edged him for as long as I could, and he gazed up at me with needy eyes, all mine and desperate.

Seeing him come apart, his cock spurting over his hairy belly with only a few gentle strokes from my loose fist, I felt like the king of the universe.

Then he bit out, "Keep going. Hard. Come in me."

He made the best noises—wild, high-pitched wails, his face scrunched up.

I was afraid to hurt him, but he kept spurring me on until my balls slapped into his crease.

I came so hard I felt it in my toes.

He kept us joined with a tight hug around my back until I softened. Then he kissed my nose sweetly, smiling at me, his eyes sleepy.

"Can I have more of the kladdkaka now?" he asked.

His sheepish question and smile hit me right in the solar plexus. We made out in the shower, ate more cake, and drank smoky, rich red wine.

I wanted to stay over, but if Madde caught me leaving Bj?rn's place in the morning, we would never live it down.

"Can we sneak over to my place while it's dark so you can stay for breakfast?"

His reply was immediate. "I'd love to."

"Won't Madde wonder where've gone off to?"

"I'll tell her I was up early and went out fly-fishing."

"You've been doing too much fishing lately, remember?"

He shrugged. "Then I'll think of something else. I want to have breakfast with you. We can even take a walk in the morning."

Nuzzling his cheek, I smiled. "Okay."

When we walkedalong the forest to my cottage, it was midnight. Bj?rn had taken the remaining pieces of cake and a Tupperware container of shrimp with him. We put the leftovers into my fridge ready for breakfast and brushed our teeth side by side in my bathroom.

We slept plastered to each other under the covers.

In the morning, I opened my eyes to bright sunlight. I'd forgotten to close the blinds. Bj?rn's arm weighed down on my side, and his breath tickled my neck. The cozy warmth of his body under the covers made up for all the chilly mornings I'd survived in this cottage. I didn't move, not wanting to disturb him. I just wiggled my toes under the blanket and grinned.

I'd woken up cold in this bed so many times. I'd been lonely, worried, full of doubts. Afraid. I didn't believe in ghosts, but I had an overactive imagination, and creaky noises on a dark morning in an old, empty house by a forest were enough to plant a teeny tiny sliver of uncertainty into my head.

Now Bj?rn was here.

The next time I woke up alone, I would miss him.

New relationships always came with this double-edged fear for me. Either it didn't feel good enough, making me doubt myself at every turn, or it felt too good, scaring me.

Never had I been as frighteningly happy to wake up next to a guy as I was this morning.

Bj?rn stirred and sighed into my hair. When I shifted, he hummed and stroked my chest with a hot palm. After caressing my belly, he fisted my erection.

"Good morning," he murmured and stroked me, rubbing his hard cock against my ass lazily.

My nerve endings lit up with arousal, and my fears were drowned in lust.

"Morning. Aah…"

"I want to suck you and listen to you moan."

"Uh-huh."

It was over in a minute. Bj?rn licked my cock clean, then stained it anew with his own release.

We cleaned up in the bathroom and prepared a luxury breakfast together, making Skagen toasties from the leftover shrimp and caviar.

Bj?rn hummed around his food, eating just a little too fast as he always did when he liked something a lot, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. My food was forgotten for a moment, and I simply stared at him.

This must be how people feel when bungee jumping or paragliding. I was afraid, terrified really, but also exhilarated by a constant stream of joy that flowed from somewhere in my middle.

The chorusof birds on the sunny morning was such a contrast to the silent snowy forest only a few weeks ago. Fresh leaves were budding everywhere, their color almost neon green, and the road was lined with blooming coltsfoot. Bj?rn held my hand, which I tried not to find meaningful, but when he rubbed his thumb over my skin, my stomach fluttered.

"How are the repairs going?" he asked. "Do you need help with anything?"

Uh-oh.Yes, I did. I'd always need help, darn it all. But he'd done too much already. I couldn't rely on him for everything.

"Thank you. I'm good for now. I've been replacing the insulation in the upstairs windows piece by piece, and I almost feel like I know what I'm doing. My next big project is fixing the entry door. The frame is falling apart, and you can feel the draft in the corners. I found I can order a door online and have it delivered, but I'm still hoping to get my hands on something authentic."

"There's a woodworker down in Ytterby who can make a custom door. We bring him the lock and fittings, and he'll make you a door in the classic Dalsland style."

"That'll cost a fortune, won't it?"

"Not really. He might even have something old to repurpose. We can check with him next week."

"That would be wonderful, thank you," I replied automatically.

He kept saying we, and I liked it, but at the same time… We were together now. The thought of being indebted to him yet again made this ugly, squirmy sensation grow in my belly.

"And you don't need to pay anyone for delivery. We'll take my truck, and I'll help you set up the new frame."

"I see a lot of tuna melt sandwiches in your future."

Bj?rn hummed, grinning. "You know what I like."

I'd better keep the facade issue to myself.

The small pieces of dry, rotten wood I'd found in the grass by the northeastern corner of my cottage kept appearing. When I knocked on the facade, more dry pieces fell out from underneath. It might be nothing, but it might also mean that something was very wrong. I was trying not to lose any sleep over it until I knew for sure what I was up against. The construction expert I'd called was supposed to come next week and have a look.

"What's wrong?" Bj?rn asked, cupping my jaw.

I'd always wanted a perceptive, attentive man. Now I wouldn't be able to hide a thing.

"Nothing, just thinking."

He raised one eyebrow, so I stood on my tiptoes and planted a kiss on his nose. Chuckling, he grabbed me around my waist and kissed me properly. My groin tightened when his tongue touched mine. It was a reflex and a potential problem for the future. When Bj?rn kissed me deep enough, no matter the time or location, I'd get hard.

I played with the soft hair on his nape and relished the scrape of his stubble on my cheeks.

Suddenly, something bumped my leg, and I jerked away from him.

Blue eyes, sharp fangs, gray fur, huge paws. Was that a freaking wolf?

The fluffy monster danced around our legs, tail wagging excitedly. A dog. Phew. But it was massive.

"Selma! Hej,kompis." Bj?rn scratched its ears while the dog wriggled around, about to burst with joy.

I heard steps crunch on gravel and lifted my gaze. A white-haired man was slowly walking our way, a crooked wooden stick in his hand, long like a wizard's staff. He was extremely tall and lanky.

And he must have seen us kiss. Shit.

"Selma, let them be," he told the dog in Swedish. The pup immediately turned away, hurrying toward her master with her tail between her legs.

"Hej, Henke. That was my fault," Bj?rn said. "I always say hi to her when she's out and about."

"Bj?rn?"

"Yes, it's me. And this is Eric, your new neighbor."

I blinked. Henke and Selma. Old Henke was blind. The puzzle pieces fell into place.

"Hello," I said unnecessarily loudly. He's blind, not deaf, you idiot. "Nice to meet you."

"You're the American. You bought Gustaf's cottage."

He stretched out his hand in front of him, and I hurried to take it. He squeezed my fingers, lingering for a beat.

"Yes. That's me."

"It's not falling onto your head, is it?"

I chuckled awkwardly. "I'm doing my best so it doesn't."

Henke smiled, flashing a row of perfectly healthy straight teeth. "I heard you've been working hard since the day you moved in. The gossip mongers are betting on how long you'll last."

Selma sat by her master's feet, and Henke patted her head as if making sure she was there before stroking her neck.

"The entire village talks of nothing else," Bj?rn grumbled, kicking a random stone with his scuffed boot.

Henke's smile didn't waver. "I hope you'll stay. Peter says you're a good teacher. His grandson is in your class. Olle? He's about eight, I think."

"Thank you. Olle is a bright kid."

"It's unfair, isn't it? I know so much about you, and you know nothing of me. But that's Gryta for you."

"I'm getting used to the way information spreads around here."

"You're safe from me. I'm almost blind, you know. You boys could be kissing in the middle of the road, and I would have nothing to tell anybody."

Bj?rn looked at me wide-eyed, and I shrugged helplessly.

"When you're bored, come by for coffee, Eric. You can ask about your cottage. And this one loves it when we have visitors." He scratched Selma's head, and she thumped her tail against the ground in agreement.

"Thank you," I stammered, "that's very kind of you."

"I'll be turning back. The damned loggers change the roads under my feet, and then I keep getting lost. If it weren't for Selma, I'd be lying dead in the woods already."

"Take care, Henke," Bj?rn said. "You know you can always call me or Madde if you need anything."

The old man reached out and fumbled forward until he found Bj?rn's shoulder. "Hell, you've grown tall. Almost as tall as me." Bj?rn squirmed under the touch, looking at his feet.

"Your old man was a fool," Henke said with sudden vehemence. He slapped Bj?rn on his arm and turned away.

"Selma, kom!"

The dog looked at us dolefully for a beat longer, then trotted off to catch up with her master.

Bj?rn heaved a sigh.

We began walking in silence, and our hands found each other again.

"How did he know?" I whispered when we were at a safe distance.

"He might have heard us. He must have ears like that dog."

"But he didn't seem like he cared."

"No."

"Him and your father knew each other well?"

"They had been friends since kindergarten."

"Oh wow."

"Yeah."

"What he said about your father…"

Bj?rn hugged me around my shoulders. "It was nice to hear. I didn't know where Henke stood. I've barely talked to him since my coming-out."

"I will take him up on the coffee offer."

Bj?rn kissed my temple.

We parted ways in the forest. I headed back to my cottage, and Bj?rn took a shortcut to his place over the meadows.