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enchanted cottage might have more disastrous results. But
everything had already gone pear-shaped and Travis didn t know
the rules of the world he inhabited. He was learning everything for
the first time, and that included boundaries.
John turned to face him fully, and their knees touched. Just that
bit of contact sent a jolt through him. Travis held out his hand as
he d done before do you know who I am? John didn t move, his
gaze locked on Travis. He turned his wrist and cupped the side of
John s face, holding without really touching him. His thumb
brushed over the very corner of John s mouth, and the desire that
drove him to his feet crystallized into a million points. Some small
part of him knew it wasn t the right time to think about his
attraction, much less indulge it. But the need for both of them
was too much to deny.
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Travis bent at the waist, tremors running down his legs.
Mentally, he was prepared for rejection, for anger, for fear, even
for violence. But he knew on a purely emotional level that the
disappointment would crush him. He couldn t remember wanting
anything as much as he wanted this kiss. With a final breath, he
pressed his mouth to John s.
John didn t respond. Disappointment clutched him and he
pulled back slightly, mind racing to find some way, anyway, to
save face. But just as he broke contact, John leaned forward. Their
lips met again, but this time John s moved against his, asking for
as much as he was giving. Travis moaned and sank to his knees,
holding the back of John s head to keep their mouths fused
together. Their tongues touched briefly, broke away, and touched
again. Travis couldn t decide which was worse. He throbbed at
every touch and ached at every second separating them.
 Travis& 
 Do you want me to stop? Travis asked.
 No, but what are you doing?
 I m kissing you.
 Is this& customary for you? Men didn t kiss other men like
this when I was alive.
 No, they probably did. You just didn t know about it. But men
are more open about it now. You know, if that s the sort of thing
they enjoy.
 Do you enjoy it?
 Yes. Do you?
 I& I do not believe I ve experienced anything more
pleasurable.
 Would you like to do it again?
 Yes, John murmured, sliding off the edge of his chair to
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kneel in front of Travis. Their mouths were level, and their chests
pressed together. Travis smoothed his hand down John s spine
before pulling him into a tighter embrace. He didn t feel like a
ghost. Travis had never touched anybody who felt so alive, so
warm, so perfect against him.
John moved into the kiss without prompting, eagerly opening
to Travis s lightly probing tongue. He wrapped his arm around
Travis, and he detected the lightest of tremors where John touched
him. Travis s cock pushed against his zipper, his balls aching with
every hard thump of his heart. If he were with anybody else, the
pants would already be gone and he d have his fingers wrapped
around their shafts. But the long kisses weren t a means to an end.
He didn t even care about the end. He wanted to show John how
something so simple could feel better than anything else in the
world. He wanted John to forget about his earlier pain and about
the kiss he never had the chance to taste.
Travis kept one arm around John, holding him in place, but his
other hand was free to explore where it would. He slid his fingers
through John s hair and traced the shape of his ear. He skimmed
his fingertips along the edge of John s jaw, trailing them through
his long whiskers. His mustache teased Travis s lips as John
deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue over Travis s and moaning
deeply with the caress. Travis responded by dragging his hand
down John s side, letting his fingers linger over each rib. He felt
John jerk and gasp, and the fact that the ghost was ticklish amused
Travis more than it should have.
John was an eager partner, and he wasn t too shy to mimic
Travis. His touch was light, his large fingers gentle but undeniable.
Heat flowed through Travis at every brush of contact, and he
thought he would melt beneath the ministrations. Pleasure slinked
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through him, rolling and rebounding beneath his flesh. As his skin
flushed and his groin tightened, he wondered if he was the victim
of enchantment. If John had put him under some sort of spell to
intensify every second they spent together.
When they broke apart again, Travis s lips were swollen and
his head was spinning. John held his gaze while his fingers
gathered up the material of Travis s shirt. He pulled it off without
speaking and let it drop from his fingers. John s attention dropped
to his chest, and he skimmed his fingers down the length of
Travis s torso, pausing long enough to circle his nipple with a
thumb.
 Let s go to the bed, Travis said.
John nodded and stood. He took Travis s hand and pulled him
to his feet, and Travis couldn t resist the chance to run his hands
down John s muscled arms. His mouth was drawn to the smooth
skin, and though it was his idea to move to the other side of the
cottage, he couldn t pull himself away from John long enough to
walk. He pressed his mouth to John s throat, kissing a path from
one ear to the other. He wanted to scrape his teeth over the warm
flesh, and then soothe it with his tongue, but he knew John was
sensitive and he didn t want to push too hard and ultimately cause
more pain than pleasure.
 I can make the clothes disappear, John said as Travis tugged
at his shirt.
 No, I d rather undress you.
 Why?
 Because I just want the two of us to be& normal. This one
time.
Travis wasn t sure if John understood, but he didn t question
him further. He patiently waited for Travis to strip him of his shirt,
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gasping softly each time one of Travis s knuckles brushed against
his bare skin. John explained that he d been a charcoal burner, and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]