So, I kissed him.
Or he kissed me, or we kissed each other; it didn’t matter because we were finally whole again, breathing each other in.
I managed to come up for air briefly and whispered, “We should think this through.”I brushed a thumb over his cheekbone, my stomach flipping as his eyelashes fluttered.
“We can stop if you want to, love.”He groaned, starting to pull away like every movement hurt.“But ...”He never finished.
But this is goodbye.
“I don’t want to stop.”
He swooped in, kissing me as gently as the first time.He tasted like sugar and chocolate, and I wanted to lick every part of him clean.I started with the flour dusting his face, flicking my tongue across his jaw, then his temple, then the soft skin below his ear.
He rumbled a low moan, his hands steadying at my waist.We were moving, neither of us leading or following, until the back of Armand’s legs hit the edge of the mattress.He pulled me down with him, lips finding mine again in a burning kiss.It was intoxicating; it always was—Armand never did anything by halves, and this was no exception.
Reluctantly, I inched back to kneel above him.I looped my fingers at the hem of his shirt, easing his back off the mattress enough to pull his shirt and pants off.He did the same to me, perched on his elbows and blinking dazedly up at me.We’d done this plenty of times, but seeing Armand naked now—after learning about his past, knowing what he’d been through, the storms he’d weathered to be here right now, withme—I knew exactly how much I was being offered.The trust that was openly bared before me.
If only for the last time.
Light as a feather, I brushed the pads of my fingers across the firm planes of his warm brown chest, the muscles jumping delicately under my touch.He mirrored me with trembling hands, one flirting over my gradually hardening nipple and the other trailing down to trace the ghostly white lines at my hip.I threaded my fingers with his.
“I love you,” I breathed, heart dancing at Armand’s ragged inhale.“I’m so sorry I didn’t say it before, I should’ve said it back immediately.I wanted to, but I’m an idiot, I really do though, I love you so mu—”
Armand swallowed my words with a kiss, all but yanking me down flush against him again.His fingers roamed the length of my back, nails scratching lightly as I ground against him, using one of my knees to spread his legs.God, I wanted to do it like this, with Armand arching his back, chasing my touch, his growing erection needy against my own.But my legs remembered the workout from yesterday and ached in protest.I buried my face in his neck, sucking gently as I pulled on his shoulders to flip us over.
“Is this okay?”I managed, throat going dry at the heat of Armand’s piercing gaze bearing down on me.He was so beautiful it hurt to look at him—his face was an open book, every micro-expression screaming his reciprocation.It didn’t seem possible.He loved me.Helovedme.Even if that didn’t matter in the long run, it made this moment so perfect it felt like a hot white light.
Armand hummed in affirmation.“Love, it’smorethan okay.”He kissed me deep until we were both gasping, our bodies lit up where they touched.I moaned at the loss as he rocked back, reaching for the lube on his bedside crate, and moved like he would prep himself.
I stalled him by wrapping both legs around his waist.He blinked down in surprise.
“Please,” I practically whined.“Please.”
His eyes went coal-black, breath stuttering in his chest as his body covered mine.I confiscated the bottle, coating my hand and taking hold of both our lengths, stroking them together.I wanted him inside me, I wanted him to infuse every molecule in my body, I wanted to watch each part of his face as he came undone.
It seemed he had the same idea—he never once broke my gaze as he maneuvered my still-slick hand down between my own legs, guiding me open one finger at a time.My whole body fizzled, my heels grasping for purchase on the mattress.It was too much, and it wasn’t nearly enough.“Armand,” I begged, causing him to let out a husky groan in response, “comeon.”
“Patience, love.”But he was as pent-up as I was.He finally, finally, slid in with no resistance, and I grasped the swell of his ass to urge him forward.“Fuck—” Armand choked out, starting out agonizingly slow before adopting a world-shattering pace.
If there was a headboard, I would’ve grabbed it, but instead I touched every part of Armand I could, letting the hurricane of emotions from the last few days, the last few months, flow through our linked bodies and dissipate into the universe as we rode through our release together.
We lay in the afterglow for ages, cuddled up and letting our fingers play together above the sheets.Trying to stop time from happening; but the sun had come up, breaking the spell.
“I wish we could start over,” I said against his chest, between little kisses.“Go back to the beginning.”
Armand’s whole body shivered under me.“Aye.I’d like that.”
I eased myself up on one elbow and held a hand out.“I’m Lucas Barclay, nice to meet you.”
He shook it.“Armand Demetrio.Pleasure.”
“Awesome.Now go get an inkwell to step on.”
A cough-laugh of surprise thrummed through him.“Right.Good thing I’m already starkers, innit?”
“Very good thing.”
Armand pulled our hands toward him and kissed my fingers, watching me with an adorable wrinkle in his brow.
