“Later,” Hogan said simply, and walked out into the night.
Fury flared hot in Kai’s chest.He waited ten minutes.Then twenty.Then forty, pacing the length of the camper until the walls closed in.Finally, pissed enough to explode, he grabbed a torch and stomped into the dark, following the trail down to the waterfall.
The jungle wrapped close, thick with the damp smell of earth and fern.Cicadas droned, their high-pitched buzz sawing at his nerves.The torchlight caught slick leaves and the gleam of water on stone.By the time he broke into the clearing, the roar of the falls was a constant, mist dampening his shirt and cooling the heat in his face.
The beam of light cut through the trees, catching Hogan sitting on a boulder at the water’s edge, shirt discarded, staring at the current like it might give him answers.The spray caught in his hair, turning it darker, making him look carved out of the night itself.
Kai stormed over, anger spilling hot.“Are you serious right now?You drag me out here after shutting me down all day, then leave me sitting there while you take a midnight swim?What the fuck, Hogan?”
Hogan didn’t move, didn’t flinch.He just stared at Kai, eyes unreadable.
Kai threw his arms wide, fury rattling loose.“Say something, dammit!You don’t get to pull me out here and give me the silent treatment after a whole damn day of shutting me down.You sit there like some brooding statue while I’m tearing myself inside out.You don’t get to act like none of it matters and then suddenly decide it’s time to bare your soul on your terms.I’m not your punching bag, Hogan—I’m not here to soak up your moods until you feel like talking.You don’t get to pull me out here and—”
“Did you love me?”Hogan’s words cut clean through his rant, sharp enough to stop him cold.
“What?”
“Did.You.Love me.”
The night dropped quiet but for the rush of the falls.The air smelled of damp moss and stone, cool mist ghosting over his skin.Kai’s chest heaved.He could lie, but the truth pressed hot behind his ribs.
“Yes.”
Hogan rose slowly, water lapping at his calves.“Did I love you?”
Kai crossed his arms, chin lifting in defiance.“You said you did.I believed you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”Hogan stepped closer, voice rough.“Why didn’t you tell me that I loved you?”
Kai’s throat worked.“Because you can’t tell someone they love you.That’s not how it works.”
Hogan’s gaze locked on his.“Then tell me why you didn’t tell me you still love me.”
Kai’s chest tightened.He blustered, words breaking.“Maybe I don’t.”
“The hell you don’t.”Hogan closed the space between them, heat and conviction in every line of him.“You fucking do.I’ll prove it to you.”
And then Hogan kissed him.
The falls roared around them, spray dampening their clothes, the scent of rain-soaked rock in every breath.Kai’s fists curled tight at his sides, not sure whether to shove him away or drag him closer.Hogan’s mouth was demanding, desperate, as if the kiss itself could anchor the memories he couldn’t quite reach.And for a heartbeat, Kai let it.
****
Hogan’s mouth pressedagainst Kai’s, and for a beat it was like finding something he’d lost and didn’t know he needed.The shock of how right it felt slammed into him—familiar and brand-new at the same time.His pulse hammered.But Kai wasn’t kissing him back.
Frustration growled up through Hogan’s chest.He broke against Kai’s lips, rough, muttering, “Kiss me back, damn it.”
Kai shook his head, stubborn, eyes flashing in the dim light from the torch beam flickering on wet stone.
Hogan lifted his hands, cupped Kai’s face, forced him to see the truth etched in his own.“I don’t remember everything, but I remember this—remember the feel and the taste of you.Even if it’s only my body that knows.Don’t shut me out now.”His voice cracked, rough as gravel.“Don’t make me fight for a memory I can’t reach.”
He kissed him again, deeper this time, tilting his head to the angle he wanted, taking control, pouring every broken edge of himself into it.He devoured Kai, demanding, pleading, proving.
Kai resisted for a heartbeat longer—then his hands came up, sliding around Hogan’s waist, gripping his hips with rough strength.Acquiescence, sharp and hot.Hogan groaned, low and primal, and tightened his hold.The kiss caught fire, the taste of rain and salt and want consuming them both.
Kai’s body was solid against him, every inch pressed close.Hogan could feel the line of muscle, the heat of him, and then—oh, hell—Kai was hard against him, unmistakable, undeniable.His own body responded with brutal immediacy.He pressed closer, hips grinding, breath tearing out of him.
“Let me have you,” Hogan rasped against his mouth.“Please.Tonight.Will you let me?”
