“I know. A love potion,” I wiggle my eyebrows, then hug him because after today’s arguments, I’m eager to be close again.
His chuckle’s raspy, sweet yet has a bit of a bite, like honey with chili powder. Finally, I get my wish and push my nose into his smooth dark hair. The scent he carries already feels like home.
“I don’t think either of us needs one of those,” Corvus tells me and pulls out of my arms as I chew on the implications of what he just said. He gravitates toward an antique cabinet with iron handles and retrieves something from the back of a shelf and presents me with a small rectangular bottle reminiscent of classic ladies’ perfume. The glass is black, and the cap—in a silvery shade. At the front is a label with the wordCloserwritten in Corvus’s neat script. “I was considering saving it for the wedding day, but it would be nice if you already smelled of it at the altar.”
“You… made a perfume for me?” I ask in disbelief, my heart pounding. I sure as fuck want to be closer right now.
Brief moments pass through my head, of Corvus giving me a pick of two scents several times in the past two weeks. Was that… part of his secret project?
He grins and places the bottle in my hands, but his touch lingers, warm and slightly damp with sweat. “Don’t worry if you don’t like it. I can always try another mixture, but this composition really brings you to mind. It’s fresh but so pleasant I could smell it every day.”
I know it will be my new favorite before I even open the bottle.
I lean in to smell it, but he pulls the container away with a chuckle.
“No, put it on your skin, because fragrance interacts with the oils on it. The same accord might smell differently on me than it does on you. And as it develops, you will get to learn all the different notes.” Corvus grabs my hand and spreads a little of the perfume over my wrist with his thumb.
I get goosebumps from this touch, but it’s the scent that really gets me emotional. He put into it what he might have struggled with in words. Every note in the perfume shows how he sees me as a person. The first thing I smell is something tart—grapefruit?—but underneath is a deep, herby base I find addictive. It’s warm, inviting, like a sunrise enjoyed together under a warm blanket while the air is still cool.
Corvus might struggle expressing his emotions because of his upbringing and years in the closet, but he feels strongly. I cansmellit.
It makes me more willing to open up to him instead of putting on the mask of a man I expect him to want. “It’s beautiful. I… You know what I like in bed. I’m big, brash, sometimes a bit too cocky for my own good, and that’s all most people see. I’ve gotten so many gifts from my exes. Boxers, a set of cards, a Swiss army knife, a mug that says ‘Boss’, and even a cologne they liked. But none of them wasmade for me. They were the kind of thing you give to a masculine man who acts and behaves in a certain way. Because that was what they wantedfrom me. To top, to provide, to protect, to fix things, but I can’t do all that. I always ended up disappointing them.
“I was too kind when they wanted a bastard, too violent for more than a fun ride, too horny to be serious, too dumb to make good money, but a smartass if I questioned them, annoyingly cryptic until I opened up and they didn’t like what they saw. But you’re… letting me be myself. Thank you. Like in this perfume. Like I’m allowed to be many things at once, and you see them all. Like, yeah, maybe I do like beer and superheroes, but it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the flowers you put in the living room.” I chuckle, embarrassed, and smell my wrist again. “Sorry, I’m no deep thinker, it’s just… I want you to know it’s appreciated.”
Corvus stares at me, lips opened ever so slightly as he leans in and inhales the perfume straight off my skin. “You might be a deeper thinker than you give yourself credit for. I think I did nail it. It’s just like you, with many ingredients that elevate each other.”
I kiss him when he meets my gaze, and we melt together in the middle of his workshop. I still make sure to put the bottle away carefully, and I wouldn’t dare treat this space like I would a kitchen where I bent him over the counter. The ingredients here are dangerous. So despite the need growing in me, I let our kiss be sweet as I wrap my arms around him, tangled in the scent he so thoughtfully composed for me.
It feels so perfect when he embraces me back, and for a moment we just stand in place, surrounded by the scent he always carries, and that of a perfume, tailor-made to express how he sees me.
“Even when you don’t completely fail people’s expectations, they become so heavy they choke you,” Corvus tells me and rubs his faceagainst my collarbones. “It was reckless… how I chose to approach you, but I don’t regret it. I don’t even regret that Aspen filmed us.”
“Yeah? You wouldn’t have preferred me as the dirty secret in your basement?” So maybe it’s needy, but we’ve already established that’s what I am. I kiss the side of his head, and I already know the perfume will always remind me of this lovely moment of truth between us. It’s almost uncanny how we got here after the painful confrontation earlier, but in this case I only care about the end result.
Corvus swallows. “That would have been the sensible thing to do. But maybe I’m less sensible than I always thought, because I want you in my bed, even though you could break my neck while I sleep.”
I hug him and start walking him out of the workshop with a smile. “The only thing I’m breaking in your bed is your headboard. You know, from all the banging?”
He laughs and rests his head on my shoulder. “I would haveneverguessed.”
Chapter 23
Corvus
TheToweristhelargest nightclub in the city, at least according to Remo, who’s its manager and might be a little biased. I wouldn’t know. The only reason I ever visit this place, or one of the bars my family owns in the area is for work, which means I usually stay only as long as it takes for the poison to take.
The best thing about this whole bachelor party idea is that I got to spend the day shopping with Dalton, and he was more than happy to let me pick his clothes, which means that he’s wearing a pair of excellent jeans that sit on his hips so well I feel edged, and a T-shirt with the twisted silhouette of a howling monster.
He looks delicious, and I’d much rather be someplace where I could easily coerce him out of the new clothes, but a man can’t have everything. I don’t understand the point of this party in the first place. What am I supposed to be celebrating? Bachelorhood?Withthe man I’m already fucking and living with? It’s not like the piece of paper we will sign is going to change anything in how we already conduct ourselves.
Dalton looks at me with what I can only describe as stars in his eyes. “I’m so pumped! I’ve not danced in ages. Do you think Damen’s prepared surprises?”
I guess this is the crux of the matter and the reason we’re here. If it was just me, I would have called off the whole damn thing, but Dalton’s been so excited about this outing with my cousins that I didn’t have the heart to spoil it for him. It might mean I’m going soft, but that’s something to take a closer look at another time.
The glint in his eyes lights me up inside, and I know I won’t let it dim tonight. If he wants a wild party, he’ll get one. Though, I suppose it will take several drinks before I can stop feeling like I’m insulting Father’s memory by having a ‘gay night’ organized in my name in the top floor of the multilevel nightclub.
“Is that what you want to do most? Dance?” I ask, and fortunately we’re still close to the entrance, in the part of the club that functions more like a chill bar and therefore has an acceptable level of noise. Sadly, the smells at the club are a mixed bag at best. While most people wear perfume, all of it mingles in an unholy way with profuse sweating, and I’m on the verge of pressing my face to Dalton’s neck for respite. Like every day since I gifted him the perfume, he’s wearing it. I’m sure it will become his signature scent.
