Page 77 of Steam

“I was just kidding before. Jesus,” Daniel said, shaking his head. “If you think you can fuck me like that and then convince me to leave, you’ve got a screw loose, professor.”

A look of relief flashed across Will’s face—just there long enough for it to register in Daniel’s mind. But it did register. His eyes were clear and the lines on his face softened, just for that moment, a micro-expression that Daniel wouldn’t have noticed under other circumstances.

He looked untroubled and handsome and Daniel could imagine what he might have looked like as a teenager, awkward and full of thoughts about poetry and dreams of tattoos. This was a Will he’d never considered before.

What else had he missed about Will? What other secret expressions existed that would only be for Daniel, stolen moments that would’ve gone unappreciated without his company…

Suddenly, Will Morrow was a vast landscape that Daniel had only begun to map. Will Morrow was someone with a childhood and a future, with dreams for his career and places he wanted to visit, a person with a favorite flavor of ice cream and a recurring nightmare that he couldn’t shake.

Daniel wanted to know more—everything. Did Will like to swim in the summertime? Where had he grown up? Who had taught him how to cook? He wanted to know how Will spent his hours and what he looked forward to and what he dreaded.

What was it like to date your professor, he wondered. There had to be some sort of policy against that…

Daniel was getting ahead of himself. He knew he was. But every aspect of what they’d shared together so far had spiraled out to be more—more than Daniel had hoped for or imagined, and maybe more than Will had expected, too.

Clad only in his boxers, Daniel returned to the bed, crawling into Will’s lap. The older man looked shocked that Daniel continued to be affectionate, but as soon as he was within reach, Will looped his arms around him and pulled him in close to his chest.

When they kissed again, Will stroked his hand through Daniel’s hair.

“That text was the best mistake of my whole dumb life,” Will said through a smile.

“Yeah. I’m pretty glad you ordered that shitty bourbon,” Daniel said, laughing.

“You sure you don’t mind staying?”

Daniel eyed him, wondering what it was about Will that made him require so much reassurance. Whatever it was, Daniel was happy to soothe those fears if it meant they could spend more time together.

“Yeah, definitely sure. I’m already picking out baby names and wedding flowers with you in my head,” Daniel admitted, immediately regretting the joke as soon as it was out of his mouth.

Will didn’t shy away, though, or frown at the suggestion that Daniel might want a lot more from him than dinner.

Instead, he held Daniel by the hips, looked him straight in the eye, and said, “Good.”

Pleased, Daniel planted a kiss on his nose and then separated from him, returning to the edge of the bed to pull on his shirt. They dressed in silence and when they turned to each other again, it would’ve been hard to tell from looking at them what had just transpired.

Will stepped around the bed and pulled Daniel into a hug.

I could get used to this much affection,Daniel thought, fighting a smile.

“Ranunculus.”

“What?” Daniel asked.

“For the wedding,” Will said with a crooked grin. “I’ve always had a soft spot for ranunculus flowers.”

When Daniel kissed him again, he had to stand on his tiptoes.

Every part of this,Daniel thought. I could get used to it all.