This happened. Last night actuallyhappened.
Outside, the world was buried in white silence.
Inside, Eli’s world felt breathtakingly, terrifyingly different, and now he didn’t want to move for fear of changing it.
Noah stirred, blinking awake. He opened his eyes slowly, focusing on Eli before softening into a sleepy smile that stole every ounce of air from Eli’s lungs.
“Morning,” Noah murmured, his voice still wrecked from sleep.
And maybe from other things too.
“Morning,” he whispered back, doing his best to sound normal, casual.
Noah shifted closer, sliding an arm around Eli’s waist, tucking his face against Eli’s shoulder as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
And God, that simple, warm, trusting gesture undid Eli more than anything last night had.
“You’re warm.” Noah’s words were muffled. His beard was a little rough against Eli’s shoulder.
“You’re not,” Eli countered.
“I run cold,” Noah said sleepily. “You’ll learn.”
Eli’s chest tightened at that.You’ll learn.It sounded hopeful. Warmth spread through him, only to be followed immediately by panic.
Morning changed things. It always did.
Noah’s arm loosened slightly, as if he sensed the shift. He pulled back, a faint crease across his forehead. “You okay?”
Eli hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. Are you?”
Something flickered in Noah’s eyes and he exhaled. “Yeah. More than okay.”
Relief and warmth spread through Eli’s chest. “Good.”
“I’ll light the fire, then I’ll go make the coffee.” Noah sat up, and before he could climb out from beneath the blankets, Eli pulled him down into a kiss, taking his time.
Noah sighed. “Now that’s a great way to say good morning.” He kissed Eli back, stroking his chest, his belly, edging his way lower until his fingertips grazed the head of Eli’s cock. “And speaking of morning…”
Eli couldn’t hold in his laughter. “Aren’t you supposed to be good with wood?”
Noah’s eyes sparkled.
Coffee would have to wait.
Eli finally made his way into the kitchen where Noah stood with his back to him, humming as he whisked eggs. The aroma of coffee reached Eli’s nostrils.
Noah wore sweatpants and a hoodie, his hair still mussed from sleep and?—
Nope. Not thinking about that.Such thoughts would only lead in one direction, and the lure of the coffee was too great to ignore.
Noah handed him a mug, then leaned against the counter. “You sure you’re all right?”
“As all right as I was when you last asked me.” Eli peered at him. “You?”
Noah’s smile lit up his face. “Yeah. I just… I wanted it to be good for you.”
Eli’s cheeks heated, but he didn’t look away. “It was,” he said. “Really.”
