If they were the same.
He wanted to know if they could pick up right where they left off, or if they were beyond redemption.
Michael was willing to put it all on this one, last gamble.
With that gentle kiss came a fire that had always been there. It rose up, stoking as the heat and flames filled them.
Michael deepened the kiss, controlling it. He let that part of him out, and he waited to see if Graham would respond to him.
And a miracle happened.
He did.
That lust wound around them, and time was erased. It was just like the last time they made love. All of those feelings were there, and Michael opened himself up for heartbreak one last time.
In the pain, he found the strength to do it.
As he kissed him, Graham let everything fall away. If this was his last time with D’Artangnan, then he’d treasure it. Like the dreams he’d had all night, he dove in, needing that contact with him.
He needed this man to be whole.
He’d tried to live without him, and Graham knew it wouldn’t work. All he could hope was that if he opened himself up for this, they might make it work.
Because living without him…
It was torture.
As they kissed, Graham moved instinctually into the man’s body. All the time apart fell away, and it was the most familiar thing in the world.
This he knew.
This he craved.
As he felt D’Artangnan’s arms wrap around him, time moved backward, and he was back in that small apartment, just the two of them.
And there was calm.
In the fire, there was peace.
The kiss was wild, it was wicked, and both men pouredEVERYTHINGthey had into it. If there would only be this one moment, they’d make it count.
In a way, it was both of them asking for forgiveness.
With love.
With heat.
With passion.
Together, they made the heat in the room go up, and that was only with a kiss.
As Michael broke the kiss, he stared into Graham’s eyes.
“Don’t do this if you don’t mean it,” he whispered. “I can’t be hurt again.”
Oh, he meant it.
There was nothing he meant more.
