The mirror’s glass chilled his spine, and his voice cracked as he said, “This is a mistake.”
“Then stop me.”
He should have. He should have pushed him back, said Emma’s name, or Nora’s. He should have done anything but stand there trembling, caught between guilt and want. His body betrayed him, staying rooted, already shaking with need.
Jacob closed the last of the distance.
Liam’s fists tightened, nails digging into his palms. “I’m married.”
“I know.” Jacob’s voice was gravel. “And yet you’re here. Shaking because ofme.”
The words tore through him. “You think this changes anything?”
Jacob’s chest brushed his. “I don’t care anymore.”
Liam lurched forward, something inside him splintering wide open, only to find Jacob already closing the distance. Fingers fisted in his hair, yanking him close, as their mouths crashed together. His body curled into Jacob,whimperinginto the kiss, every sound raw with need.
Finally. God, finally.
The kiss unraveled quickly, becoming messy and all-consuming. Jacob pressed him into the glass with a growl, his mouth unforgiving. Liam pulled him tight, like nothing could ever be close enough.
The elevator stayed frozen, but everything inside Liam spun out of control. He should have thought of Emma. He didn’t. Couldn’t. Jacob’s mouth left no room for thought, only the wild ache of want.
Jacob bit his lip before dragging his mouth down his throat. Liam’s head fell back against the mirror, fingers holding onto Jacob’s hair as if he could anchor himself there forever.
When they finally broke apart, struggling to catch their breath, Jacob pressed his forehead to his. “You’re still mine,” he said, voice rough with need. “I’ll wait, but don’t think for a second you can keep me at a distance forever.”
The truth hit hard, stripping Liam bare. HewasJacob’s. No distance between them could sever the soul-deep certainty that he would always belong to him. That he would always be drawn back to the inexorable pull of his presence.
Jacob’s thumb brushed along his jaw, lingering there like he couldn’t quite let go. Then, with a final, shuddering breath, he stepped back and pressed the button, jolting the elevator back to life.
“I’ll let you go tonight,” Jacob said quietly, though the rough edge in his voice betrayed how much it cost him. “Not because I want to, but because I know you’ll hate yourself if I don’t. But this isn’t over.”
The elevator shuddered to a stop at their floor, the doors sliding open with a soft chime. Jacob walked out without looking back, leaving the scent of his cologne and the echo of his confession hanging in the air.
***
Back in his hotel room, Liam stood in the shower until the water turned cold, numbing his skin but not the turmoil underneath. He scrubbed his hands raw, desperate to erase the feel of Jacob, but some things couldn’t be washed away.
It had taken every ounce of restraint not to follow him to his room, crawl into his bed, and surrender completely. It wasn’t just Jacob’s body he yearned for, but the peace he brought to his restless mind. The sense of safety and belonging he’d never known with anyone else.
When he finally collapsed onto his mattress, the sheets felt foreign, chilled in a way that made the bed seem far too empty. He lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling, his heart racing like he was still in the elevator.
The vibration on the nightstand startled him back to the real world. Emma had texted a photo of Nora asleep on her chest. The caption read:We’re doing okay. Hope press is going well.
He stared at the photo until his eyes burned and Emma and the baby blurred into something unrecognizable. He replied with a single red heart—a hollow gesture, cowardice dressed up as affection.
His phone buzzed again, but this time he didn’t look. He didn’t want to see Nora’s face right now. Not with Jacob still on his tongue.
He rolled onto his side, clutching the pillow tight, whispering into the dark as though it might guard his secret.
“I need him. I can’t breathe without him.”
The words scraped out of him—a truth that hollowed his chest and left only the ache behind. Love wasn’t supposed to hurt like this. He pressed his face into the pillow, but the next words rose anyway.
“I will always need him.”
He should’ve kept those thoughts to himself and buried them like he buried everything else. Instead, his hand reached for his phone.
