Chapter 71

Chris’s cry excited Joe, taking his senses to a new level, and he came so hard, he nearly crushed Chris under the weight of his body.

Joe collapsed, like a great tree, over Chris, panting into Chris’s ginger hair.

Sated, they stayed in bed for the rest of the night, naked, warm, and passing the bottle of Robbie Burns between them until the sun came up. 13

Joe stopped writing and set his fountain pen down near the stack of paper.

Yesterday, he’d moved the table to the narrow window and cleaned its dirty pane. He could see clearly through the glass now. He slid the window up and let the cool May air into the small room. Spring was well under way. Warmth