***
Chris couldn’t help the smile that broke out on his face as he watched Shane stretch with his eyes still shut the following morning. Shane looked so adorable and innocent lying beside him. Though he’d virtually not had any sleep during the night, Chris had enjoyed the feel of Shane’s warm, hard body against his. After they had raided Abigail’s kitchen the night before, they had gone back to bed and talked till Shane slept. This time, Shane hadn’t gotten another dream and Chris had been thankful for that.
He’d virtually spent the entire night staring at Shane sleep peacefully. Chris couldn’t get over how sweet and vulnerable Shane looked in sleep. He’d always felt protective towards Shane but what surprised Chris was how he could still feel protective towards Shane when the other man obviously didn’t need his protection. If anything, Shane rather needed protection from him, Chris thought with a groan.
At Chris’ groan, Shane opened his eyes to find Chris’ gaze on him. “Oh, crap.” He muttered. It felt so strange to wake up to someone in his bed.
“Good morning.” Chris chuckled, watching Shane. The dark stubble peppering Shane’s chin made him look sexy rather than disheveled. Surely it was a crime to look so good that early in the morning, Chris thought with admiration.
“Good morning,” Shane murmured, squeezing his eyes shut.
Chris laughed softly and reached out to smooth a hand over Shane’s low-cropped hair and then tenderly palmed his cheek. “Hey, open those eyes.” He whispered, grinning when Shane did exactly that. “You have beautiful eyes.”
Shane’s eyes lit up with amusement at Chris’ comment. “Change your line.” He murmured. “You’ve told me that before.”
“I know,” Chris whispered, looking amused too. “And it’s not a line. It’s the truth.”
Shane turned to lie on his back. “I can smell coffee.”
Chris chuckled, sitting up. “Look to your side.” Chris got off the bed and went around to Shane’s side to pick up a mug of coffee. “Here.”
Shane sat up and took the mug from Chris and then took a sip. “Hmmm…this is good.” Shane moaned as the hot creamy coffee burst over his tongue and rolled smoothly down his throat, leaving warmth in its wake. “Just how I like it.”
Chris laughed softly. “Abigail told me exactly how you liked it,” Chris said as he sat on the edge of the bed beside Shane. “You’ve always had a sweet tooth.”
Shane laughed. “Thanks for the coffee.” He mumbled, still a little shaken at finding Chris in his bed. “Don’t you want a cup too?”
“No. I’m okay.” Chris said quietly, studying Shane’s face as he sipped at his coffee. Even that simple act of sipping looked sexy to Chris.
“What?” Shane asked, thanking his stars for his colour. He knew if he were white, his face would be so red at that particular moment. Chris’ hot piercing gaze on him brought an intense feeling of vulnerability and shyness that made Shane uncomfortable.
Chris shrugged. “Nothing.” He answered, managing to look all innocent. “Did you sleep well?”
Shane’s belly quivered at the rasp in Chris’ voice. “You know I did.” He murmured, staring into his mug. He’d never felt as safe as he had, being surrounded by Chris’ body heat. He’d really liked it. He looked up and saw a look on Chris’ face that he couldn’t fathom. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m not thinking.” Chris’ voice turned husky. “I just want to…” he shrugged those broad shoulders, “look at you.”
Shane groaned. Chris made him hot without hardly doing a damn thing. Shane surprised even himself at what he did next. In one fluid move, he placed his half-empty mug on the bedside table and drew a pillow to cover his face.
Chris burst into laughter and reached out to pull the pillow off the laughing face of Shane. “There you are,” Chris said, throwing the pillow onto the bed. “What do you want to do today?” Chris asked softly.
The playful look left Shane’s face. “I’m going to New York to visit my mum today.”
“Oh.” Chris felt his heart plummeting to his stomach. “When will you come back?” He asked, willing his heart to stop beating so fast.
“I’ll come back on Monday,” Shane said quietly. “Just in time for the meeting.”
Chris couldn’t have described what he was feeling at Shane’s news if he’d been asked to. It was a myriad of emotions…he felt a sense of loss, dread, unease…it was a very unpleasant feeling. The mere thought of Sylvia Lewis made him panicky. But the thought of not seeing Shane the whole of Sunday actually terrified him. Had he become so used to seeing Shane that the thought of not seeing him for just a day terrified him so much? The riot of emotions he felt had his heart racing. He was missing Shane already. Shit!
Chris had to make an effort to put up a cheerful face, with a calmness that belied the racing in his heart. Shane planned on leaving home around noon as his plane was set to take off at one in the afternoon. Chris spent the little time Shane had, with him instead of meeting his squad for their usual Saturday get-together. Shane wasn’t taking anything so didn’t have any packing to do. All the two men did was talk. Sometimes there was no talking at all, just comfortable silence. When it was time to leave, it was a struggle for Chris. And if the gloomy look on Shane’s face was anything to go by, he hated leaving Chris just as much as Chris did.
“You’ll be late,” Chris murmured when it was almost twelve. A driver was in to take Shane to the airport.
Shane and Chris reluctantly dragged themselves out to the garage, to Chris’ car. Another twenty minutes went by with both men just standing there, saying nothing. Finally, Chris gave a deep sigh and turned to face Shane.
“I have to go,” Chris said softly.
Shane nodded. “I know.”
“Have a safe trip,” Chris said quietly. His heartfelt so heavy, he felt queasy in the tummy, and there was a lump in his throat the size of a mountain. “Fuck.” Chris breathed when he felt his eyes sting with unshed tears. Pull yourself together, Chris admonished himself silently. It somehow annoyed him that unlike him, Shane not only looked calm but was a picture of masculine confidence, which Chris himself usually always possessed.
“Chris…” Shane didn’t know what to say. The look in Chris’ eyes said clearly what he couldn’t say. He didn’t want to leave Shane. That look…part longing, part helplessness, drew a groan from Shane. He reached up and brushed the back of his fingers over Chris’ cheek, melting inside when Chris leaned into his touch. “Give me your phone,” Shane demanded in a gruff voice. He knew if he wasn’t careful, he would cancel his trip to stay with Chris. But his mother would kill him if he disappointed her. Besides, he’d missed the sweet woman so much. He, therefore, didn’t have any choice but to go.
When Chris handed over his cell phone, Shane used the phone to call himself and then saved Chris’ number. Then he saved his on Chris’ phone and handed the phone back to Chris.
“I’ll call when I get to New York, okay?” Shane husked. And at Chris’ nod, Shane turned around and headed for his car without a backward glance. Over the years, he’d learnt how to mask his feelings very well. And it actually paid off when it came to his business dealings. Shane Lewis knew how to hide his emotions but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to do that for long around Chris.