“Sorry,” Rafe whispered. “It’s all right.” Was Ben trying to convince himself? “I don’t normally—” “I’ve pushed you too far, too fast. That’s all.” Ben spoke quietly. “I didn’t realize—” Z. A. Maxfield | Secret Light 79 “It’s not that.” “Hear me out, though. For some men, it’s impossible to face this. If that’s the case here… If this is going to make you feel so low…” “Ben, if you believe nothing else, believe that my outburst—whatever it was—is because I’ve been so lonely. My God, I never realized how painful it is to live without human touch until I met you.” “That human touch doesn’t have to be mine, Rafe. This doesn’t have to go anywhere you don’t want it to.” Rafe rubbed his cheek along Ben’s shoulder, where his head lay pillowed on that muscular arm. Every breath he took brought Ben’s scent to him, strong but clean, as if he’d showered recently. A man’s scent on a man’s skin.
