He jumped off me like I was contagious, slipping on his feet till he found his balance. For a moment he fussed with his wilted bow tie like everything was normal, then said—“Oh there you are. Good. You’re safe. No need to send out a search party, then.”
I barked out a laugh as I pulled myself to my feet. “Search party? What for? To find me?”
He twitched anxiously. “Well, I wasn’t sure if you were safe or not. There’s a storm outside if you hadn’t noticed.” As if to reiterate his point, a crack of thunder rattled the entire mill. He paused a moment, then continued. “Of course, I knew you’d find shelter. After all, you’re tough as nails… strong as an ox… quick on your feet… smart as a fox. I just wanted to make certain…” Hepaused, took a breath, then said, “I wanted to make certain you were all right.”
A wave of emotion washed over me at the realization that the nerdiest, smartest, sexiest recluse I have ever met had just come down from his tower… to rescueme.
I inhaled, smiling, trying to hold all that emotion in. “Are you… are you my search party?”
Soggy Brooks Beresford flicked the hair off his forehead. “I suppose I am. Not that you need one. Not that—”
Before he could finish his sentence, I stepped forward, took his soaking wet face in my hands, and planted my lips on his.
I didn’t plan for the kiss to happen. It was just a spontaneous moment, a spark, a thank-you, a way to tell Brooks I saw what he’d done—that he’d come for me, storm and all.
But once it started, neither of us could stop it.
The storm rattled the mill walls, rain lashed through the cracks while thunder made the boards tremble.
The wild weather seemed to release something untamed in Brooks too.
He pressed harder into me, his lips hungry, his fingers fisting my wet hair like he’d been waiting his whole life for this. I could taste rain on his tongue.
His bow tie hung sodden from his buttoned-up collar, his shirt was plastered to his chest, his breath hot and desperate.
“Brooks,” I gasped, laughing against his mouth. “You’re totally drenched.”
“You are too,” he shot back, then kissed me again, harder.
Another crash of thunder rattled the rafters. Rain cascaded through the holes in the roof. Beneath us, the river surged, water spitting up through the gaps in the warped floorboards. The great wheel outside gave a groan, shifting a few inches as though the storm was trying to bring it back to life.
Brooks startled at the sound, then grabbed my hand. “Up,” he said breathlessly. “Let’s get to higher ground. Just in case.”
We scrambled halfway up the crooked staircase, the boards creaking with each step. But we didn’t get far. Brooks suddenly spun, pushing me back against the stairs. His face was flushed, his dark hair falling into his eyes, his lips swollen from kissing.
He looked down over my bare chest, water running in rivulets between my pecs and down my abs.
“Brooks—” I started, but he cut me off with another kiss that knocked the breath from me.
He dropped to his knees on the steps, straddling me, his body pressed full against mine. His hands fumbled at his bow tie, tearing it loose and flinging it aside. Buttons popped on his shirt as my hands helped yank it open. His pale skin was shiny and wet in the flashes of lightning that flared through the broken windows and holes in the roof.
“Brooks, are you sure you—”
“Shut up,” he said, then kissed me like he wanted to prove something.
I tugged his drenched pants open, my hand sliding inside. He gasped into my mouth as my fingers wrapped around his dick, the sound sharp, unpracticed, like he wasn’t used to giving anything away. His hips jerked, water dripping off both of us as I stroked him, slow at first, then faster.
“Fuck,” he whispered, forehead pressed against mine. His own hand shoved its way into my shorts, fumbling before finding my cock which was just as hard as his.
Thunder cracked.
Rain hammered.
The wheel groaned louder outside, as though the whole damn mill was straining with us.
Our hands worked in time, slick with sweat and rain, pulling and stroking until neither of us could breathe. Brooks wasmoaning, wild and unguarded, every ounce of control slipping away in my arms.
“Cody—” he gasped.
