Perfect Alignment (Thorne and Dash 3)

Riley leaned over him, and Thorne gasped as Riley’s abdomen brushed his cock. “Yes! Need this! Need you all over me.”

“Thorne, I…”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. I love you.”

Sweat made their bodies slide against one another. They were frantic, desperate, holding each other as if that was the only way they could survive.

Thorne forgot how sore his ass was. He didn’t even feel it. All he was aware of was Riley possessing him. That and how he felt so full and so fucking right.

Riley was muttering unintelligible words, which Thorne only understood as grief and need as deep as his own. Then release overtook him, and he came, crying Riley’s name, shooting between their bodies, adding to the slippery mess.

Riley rose up on his arms and looked at Thorne. Thorne couldn’t have turned away for anything. Riley was his everything. His eyes were dark, his face flushed, and when he came, the look on his face—happiness, ecstasy—was all Thorne needed to finally accept that they were okay.

“Marry me,” he said.

Riley smiled down at him and nodded. “Yes. All I wanted… Got too caught up and…” He didn’t seem to have enough breath to talk.

“Come here.” Thorne pulled Riley down to him. “Talk later. For now just let me hold you.”

Riley did, and Thorne enjoyed the weight of him.

Too soon Riley sat back up, their sticky skin holding its grip, then finally peeling apart. Thorne winced as Riley’s now soft cock slipped from his ass.

“Be right back.” Thorne just nodded as he watched Riley, his beautiful Riley, walk into the bathroom. He heard water run, and Riley returned with a wet washcloth. He cleaned Thorne up, and Thorne did nothing but watch.

“You okay?” Riley asked.

Thorne nodded again, still unable to find his voice.

“Really?”

“Y-yes.”

Riley still looked skeptical, but he said, “Okay. Turn over, and I’ll put some salve on your ass.”

Thorne did as he was told. He yelped when the cool gel hit his overheated flesh.

Riley laughed. “Shocking?”

“Fuck. Yes.”

Riley straddled the back of his thighs and kept massaging him with the soothing gel. “I was serious when I said we could cancel the ceremony.”

Thorne had nearly fallen asleep, but he jerked up, nearly unseating Riley. “What? No.”

“If you want to, then we should. I know you’d lose a lot of money, but—”

Surely Riley understood how much Thorne regretted disappointing him. “I don’t give a fuck about the money, but we’re not canceling it.”

“I shouldn’t have pushed you. I railroaded you into it.”

“No, you didn’t. You told me what you wanted. I agreed and then treated you like shit.”

“No.”

“I did, and I really meant it when I said that more than anything I want you to be happy. And it’s not just for you. It’s for Kathryn and Susan and everyone who loves us. Hell, Kathryn even says my parents might come. I’m not fucking selfish enough to disappoint all of you. At least I’m not since I met you.”

“But if you’ll be miserable…”

“I won’t be. I just didn’t want wedding planning interrupting our lives so much. I was busy and so were you, and it was a lot of trouble, and fucking hell, I’m such an asshole.”

“No, you’re not.”

Thorne raised his brows.

“Fine. You are, but I love you that way, and I wouldn’t change you. I’ve been so busy pushing all this on you and not really listening to what you wanted. I thought I knew you so well that I could guess your motives better than you could.”

“Sometimes you can.”

“But not this time.”

Thorne nodded. “Not this time.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The next morning after grocery shopping and cookie baking, Riley and Thorne packed a picnic and took the sailboat out, planning to spend the day on the water.

Once the sails were up, Thorne headed out across open water. There was a cove on the far side of the lake that they hadn’t explored, and he wanted to see if there were any good private spots there.

Riley stood behind him, hands on his shoulders. “New York,” he said out of the blue.

“What?” Was Riley finally choosing a honeymoon destination?

“I want to go to New York. I’ve never been.”

“You haven’t?”

“No.”

“Then that’s exactly where we’ll go.”

“Won’t you be bored, though? You’ve been there so many times.”

Was he serious? “Bored? How could anyone be bored in New York? I could spend a few weeks just exploring art museums, not to mention everything else. And the food—there are so many amazing restaurants. Why haven’t I taken you to New York already? Why haven’t I taken you lots more places?”

Riley leaned down and kissed him. “You’ve been very remiss. I’ve always said you work too much.”

“I think I forgot that message.”

Riley sighed. “Maybe we both forgot.”

“You’re starting a new business; that’s different.”

“It is, but I’ve still been neglecting you.”

“You took on too much with the wedding, and I refused to help because I’m a fucking ass. We’ll fix that, and you’ll get the bakery open and staffed, and then—”