“You look like her,” Jesse said softly, studying the image. “You have the same eyes.”
“Yeah,” I nodded, watching him carefully replace the frame. “Dad used to say that too.”
Jesse continued his slow circuit of my room, pausing at my bookshelf. “Louis L’Amour, Jack London, Ernest Hemingway,” he read, running his finger along the spines. “Very on-brand for you, cowboy. So macho.”
I smiled, feeling some of my nervousness fade. This was still Jesse, still the man who could tease me and make me laugh even after everything we’d been through.
“Come here,” I said, sitting on the edge of my bed and holding out my hand.
He crossed to me, taking my hand and allowing me to pull him close. I looked up at him, standing between my knees, his expression soft in the moonlight.
“I want to do this right,” I told him, my voice low. “Not just the sex. All of it. Us.”
Jesse’s hand came up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing across my stubble. “What does ‘right’ look like to you, Cole?”
I turned my face, pressing a kiss to his palm. “I don’t know exactly. But I want to try.”
His smile was gentle as he leaned down to kiss me, his lips soft against mine. I pulled him closer until he was straddling mylap, his arms wrapping around my neck. The kiss deepened, slow and exploring, like we had all the time in the world.
My hands slid under his t-shirt, feeling the warm skin of his back. He hummed against my mouth, pressing closer. His body shifted against mine, creating a delicious friction between us. I could feel him growing hard through his sweatpants, matching my own arousal, but neither of us rushed to strip away our clothes. This moment felt too precious to hurry through.
“I want to take care of you tonight,” I whispered against his lips. “Let me show you how sorry I am. How much I’ve missed you.”
Jesse pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, his expression suddenly vulnerable. “You don’t have to apologize with sex, Cole. That’s not why I’m here.”
“I know,” I assured him, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. “But I want to. I want to worship every inch of you. If you’ll let me.”
The smile that spread across his face made my heart stutter. “I’m all yours, cowboy.”
I eased him onto his back, laying him across my bed. The sight of him there, his hair spread out on my pillow, made something possessive flare in my chest. This was right. This was how it should have been all along.
Slowly, I pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the tribal tattoos that snaked down his right arm and across part of his chest. I traced them with my fingertips, following each curve and line. Jesse shivered beneath my touch.
“Cold?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. Just... feels good when you touch me like that.”
I smiled, leaning down to replace my fingers with my lips, kissing along the patterns inked into his skin. I took my time, exploring him with a patience I hadn’t shown before. Ourprevious encounters had been frantic, driven by lust and denial. This was different. I wanted toworshiphim tonight.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured against his skin. “Always have been.”
Jesse’s breath caught. “Cole...”
I looked up to see his eyes glistening in the moonlight. “I mean it,” I added. “Really. You’re the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.”
Jesse’s eyes softened at my words, a vulnerability there I rarely saw. His hand reached up to cup my cheek, thumb tracing along my stubbled jaw.
“No one’s ever called me beautiful before,” he whispered. “Not like that. Not like they meant it.”
“Then everyone else has been blind,” I replied, turning to kiss his palm. “Or stupid. Probably both.”
I lowered my head again, continuing my journey across his chest. My lips found his nipple, and I teased it gently with my tongue, feeling it harden beneath my attention. Jesse arched beneath me, a soft moan escaping his throat. His hands found my hair, fingers tangling in it as I moved to the other nipple, giving it the same treatment.
“God, Cole,” he breathed. “That feels amazing.”
I smiled against his skin, continuing downward. My tongue traced the lines of his abs, dipping into his navel before following the trail of hair that disappeared beneath his sweatpants. I looked up, meeting his eyes as I hooked my fingers in the waistband.
“May I?” I asked.
