“We’re all broken, Will.”
This time, he didn’t tell Edward not to use that nickname. It was weak and pathetic of him, but it was exactly what he wanted to hear. “Then you know how sharp and deadly broken things can be. How they can hurt you if you get too close.”
“You are so very wrong.” Edward’s hand found William’s cheek again, the connection making him pause. A warmth spread from beneath his touch, filling every ounce of William’s body with what could only be explained as a full breath of fresh air. “There is a beauty to broken things.”
William blinked, sensing exactly what was coming next and being too desperate to stop it. “How so?”
“Because no matter how broken you become, there’s always the chance to be put back together over and over, until you are something new. Something stronger, more versatile. That’syou, William Thorn. Beautiful and deadly, yes – but that makes you stronger than most.”
Edward’s answer settled over William like the fresh drift of snow. It tickled his skin, cooling the heat of his anger until he was comfortable enough to close the space between them.
As their lips met, it was as if everything had faded away. Hanbury, its secrets and past, even William’s history. Nothing mattered as, for a brief moment, William allowed himself the one thing he feared and craved with equal measure.
The possibility of vulnerability.
The possibility of letting walls down without fear of crumbling.
The possibility of Edward.
The kiss waseverything.
It was the fulfilment that William desired, and yet he was left wanting more. Their mouths didn’t clash – they fit perfectly together, like one was made for the other. Two pieces of opposing puzzles, finding a home with one another.
Soft as a brush of petals, moving in tandem to a beat that neither man could hear. And yet that rhythm drummed with ferocity within William so palpable, it drowned out the storm beyond the manor, creating something more powerful deep in his core.
Edward shared in William’s need. He fused into William, pressing his back into the wall, keeping him in place. Not that William wanted to be anywhere else. And yet, he knew that if he wanted it to stop, he would have. Shame that was the furthest thing from what he desired.
A careful hand wove around and up William’s neck, tangling in his hair and holding it in place.
Tongues danced, and skin moistened. William had his fingers pressed into Edward’s strong stomach, feeling muscles ripple beneath the thin material of his blood-stained T-shirt. All he could think about was the urge to never let go. This connection, the touch and the closeness, the way it made William feel seen for the first time in a long time, he never would risk ruining it.
Edward drew back with an exhale, lips blush red and swollen. He leaned his forehead down upon William, eyes closed, cheeks finally regaining some colour. “That was selfish of me to assume you wanted that.”
“I did want it.” William knew just how entranced he sounded but didn’t care. “Assume all you want if it means you do that again. When have I given you the impression I didn’t want you? What made you think that I couldn’t want someone like you?”
“Not think.” Edward brushed strands of sticky hair from William’s forehead. “Hope. I hoped you wouldn’t want it. That’s what I meant.”
“Why though?”
Edward drew back before William could reach out and stop him. And just like that, a barrier was raised again. A barbed-wired fence.
With the back of his hand, Edward cleaned his mouth as though riding himself of those blissful few minutes.
“Answer me, Edward,” William pushed on, even though he was frightened of what was coming next. “You can’t kiss me, then turn your back on me like it means nothing.”
Edward paused his fussing, looking back up with nothing but pinched regret creasing his eyes. “I think you should go and get yourself ready to leave Hanbury.”
Just like that, the moment was ruined. No, not ruined – utterly destroyed, like glass smashed over stone.
Embarrassment crept up William’s neck, lightly staining his skin crimson. A sour taste filled his mouth, pinching his cheeks as if his body wanted to regret the very taste of Edward from him.
Without another word, William stormed out of the room as another flash of lightning cut the sky outside. Had he been the one to make the first move? And if not, why did Edward punish him for something he only participated in?
He contemplated adding a boiling shower to his list of tasks just to wash the touch from his skin and scald the tingling sensation of Edward’s strong grasp on his hair from his scalp.
He really was cursed. That was all he could think about as he entered the bedroom, not caring for the dark shadows or what might lurk within them. He slammed the door like a child, making his sudden anger known to Edward or anyone else witnessing such an embarrassment.
Rejection stung. It ripped into a person, turning their skin inside out. And in that moment, William felt as though he was exposed, the secrets beneath his flesh bared to the world to judge him for daring to be vulnerable with another man.
