We collapsed against the cold stone floor as one, thesweat on our naked bodies cooling quickly as our heaving breaths worked to calm our systems. I wasn’t sure how long we lay like that, letting the silence stretch between us, but without the discomfort of before. I found solace in the staccato rhythm of Peytor’s breathing, of the thumping of his heart that seemed to reverberate in the space. I hoped mine did the same for him.
Tentatively, I reached out to grasp Peytor’s hand with my own. Warmth erupted in my chest, spreading through my torso and limbs as Peytor clutched mine in return, twining our fingers together.
I sighed, a contented, happy thing.
“Thank you,” he whispered so lowly I almost missed it.
“For what?” I asked, closing my eyes for a moment as I chased the lingering afterglow. I wasn’t yet ready for it to fully dissipate, worried what would happen between us when we returned to reality. Would this be the only time we came together like this? Or would he heed my words and actually work to be a part of our quad?
I sent a quick prayer to Fate that it was the latter rather than the former; something just felt sorightbeing with Peytor. Like he was the missing piece in our puzzle, the connection that would make us whole once more, despite our individual broken parts.
“For accepting me. Wanting me for . . . this. For you. As part of the quad.” There was a completely foreign honeyed warmth to his voice, and I turned myself completely until I was balancing on my elbow, facing Peytor. Our fingers were still interlaced, and I squeezed once in recognition of his openness.
My gaze canvased his face, noting the relaxation, the openness, and even a spark of hope. Like it all could be right after all.
“You don’t have to thank me for that, Peytor,” I admonished with no real heat.
Peytor shrugged loosely, the muscles in his neck and shoulders bunching with the movement and drawing my eyes down his unabashedly naked figure.
Gods, he’s attractive.
“Lex?”
“Hmm?” I tore my eyes from his chest, finding a twinkle of mirth and heat in his steel irises.
“Did you hear what I said?”
I shook my head with a light laugh. I hadn’t felt this free in . . . weeks. Months. Maybe even years.
Gods, it felt good to laugh.
“You can’t blame me for being distracted, Peytor. Not when you look like this. Not when you’ve told me I get to fuck this for the rest of my life.”
Peytor’s soft cock twitched slightly at my words as a faint blush coated his cheeks. With another chuckle, I leaned down and pressed my lips to each of hischeekbones before giving him a hot, searing kiss that spoke of all the things I wanted to do to him, of what he meant to me.
I pulled back when his tongue began to tangle with mine, his hands moving to my hips as he hauled me on top of his body. The tip of his hard cock brushed against my ass, and I groaned deeply as I felt my own erection pulsing between the hard planes of our stomachs.
“Fuck.” I reluctantly pulled away, leaning my forehead against his. Our breaths mingled for a moment while I played with the soft hairs that fell against his face. Peytor sighed deeply, his fingers flexing against my waist.
“You never have to thank me for desiring you, Peytor. Love isn’t transactional—it’s not owed or bought. It’s given, and deservedly given in this case.”
I felt Peytor smile against my mouth.
“Love, hmm?”
I rolled off him with a scoff, attempting to cover my embarrassment for letting that word slip through my lips.
“Hey.” Peytor tightened his grip and hauled me back down on top of him. I sat straight this time, looking down at him along the planes of my torso. “We said we’d be honest, right?”
I nodded my head once, too embarrassed to actually open my mouth.
“Then I love you, too, Lex.”
Peytor said it so flippantly, like we’d been saying it for years.
“Peytor—”
He cut me off with a finger against my lips, which I playfully nipped before he withdrew it with a smile.
