Page 83 of Familiar Things New

Edwin looked up from Andrew’s fist, and the desire in Andrew’s eyes sent a shiver down his spine. His pleasure immediately soared closer to its peak. He caught Andrew’s mouth in a long, passionate kiss, and mere seconds later, Andrew began to moan. Edwin knew from the sound that Andrew had brought himself to orgasm. And he was so close himself.

Desperate for more friction, Edwin moved his hips faster. Only a few more thrusts. Just a few more and he’d come too.

Andrew’s hand settled on the small of Edwin’s back. Edwin startled from the contact but kept on fucking Andrew’s thigh. He was so close. So Goddamned close. All he wanted was to finish with Andrew. Just this once.

All of a sudden, Andrew shifted his hand higher, and it came to rest atop Edwin’s binding. Immediately, Edwin was torn out of his near-orgasm haze, fear and embarrassment seizing him by the throat and striking him in the heart at once. He had no clue whether Andrew could feel the binding. Neither did he know whether Andrew might conceive of what it was if he did. But none of that mattered right then. Andrew’s soft, intimate touch had made Edwin feel more ashamed, more exposed, more naked than he’d ever felt in his life.

He scrambled backward.

“Holy Christ,” Edwin blurted out. “I-I have to go.”

“Go?!” Andrew spluttered. “Edwin, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Edwin said as he hopped off the bed. “Everything.” His breathing became fast and shallow as he hurried to find the rest of his clothes. “Dammit, fuck.”

“Don’t leave,” Andrew pleaded. “Edwin, come back!”

Edwin’s eyes filled with tears. He took an uneven step backward, his waistcoat and jacket cradled in his hands. Had Andrew felt his binding? Had Andrew noticed the lack of a bulge when he’d been thrusting? Dammit, what a fucking fool he’d been to let himself become so lost in his pleasure like that. Yes, he wanted Andrew to know the truth about him. But not now. Not like this. Oh, God, what had he done?

Edwin began to tremble.

Voice shaking, he said, “I’m sorry, Andrew, but this . . . this was too much. And I-I can’t be here right now.”

Heat flooded Edwin’s cheeks. Andrew sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Edwin took another step backward and tripped over Andrew’s new suit, causing his own jacket to fall to the floor. Edwin bent down to pick it up.

“Wait! Edwin, please!” Andrew started over to him. “Edwin, talk to me!”

But he couldn’t.

Edwin fled, leaving his jacket behind.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Andrew

Andrew’s entire body felt heavy as he descended the stairs to the first floor of the boarding house. He’d spent the last however-long in complete shock over what had happened with Edwin, his muscles tense and mind whirling for every second of it. And now, he was spent.

Once Andrew reached the bottom of the staircase, he went outside to retrieve the sign for his business. His hands shook as he unhooked it from the front door. Despite the hours he’d spent ruminating over what had happened, he still had no idea why Edwin had left. Or whether he might come back. And he was just too frazzled to work.

He had begun to head back upstairs when Mrs. Meyer came out into the foyer. Keeping his head low, Andrew fixed his eyes on the hardwood in front of him and prayed that he could keep his emotional state hidden from his landlady.

“Good morning, Mrs. Meyer,” he said, pausing on the stairs.

“Prudence,” she corrected.

The corner of his mouth ticked up to form a small, reluctant smile.

“Prudence,” he amended. “Are you well?”

“Well enough, I suppose, though my ankles sure are bothering me,” she said, “which tends to happen before a storm.”

Andrew hummed. He had difficulty believing that there could be a storm brewing. After all, the weather had been mild lately, especially for March, and that morning had been no exception, with a fair bit of sunshine and only an occasional breeze. Truthfully, the day’s lighting would have been perfect for the studio.

Oh well.

“I, uhm, I hope you feel better soon,” he said. “I can cook later, if it might help. I won’t be working today.”

“Why not?”