“My feelings for her weren’t all-consuming like they are for you. Angelina and I…we didn’t even touch the last few years of our relationship, and I was okay with that. I would’ve been okay living that way for the rest of our lives. But with you, I don’t think I can survive without your hugs for a day. You clawed your way into my heart and made a permanent residence there.”
My heartbeat was in my ears, and I was probablygrinning like an idiot. “Iampretty stubborn when I set my mind on something. I wore you down.”
“No, that’s not it. You showed me what it’s like to live in the light. You’re like a sunbeam. When the light hits through the window in perfect warmth, the entire world turns magical for a moment. You yearn for it but are afraid of getting too close and the magic ending, so you bask in its beauty until it’s gone, and long for it when it is. That’s what you are to me.”
“I—”
Fuck, that was the most beautiful and heartbreaking thing anyone had ever said to me. I had no clue how I was supposed to respond to something like that, but I was certain about what I wanted to say.
“I love you.”
“I didn’t say all that to force you to say that. Not that I don’t like hearing it, I just wasn’t trying to force you to say anything before?—”
“Hector?” I cut off his rambles.
He cleared his throat and answered, “Yes?”
“Just kiss me and tell me you love me back.”
“I love you,” he said and kissed me just as I asked. Even if he’d kept quiet, his lips conveyed his emotions to me. He kissed me like he was taking a life-saving breath.
His cheeks were pink when we pulled back. “And I’m, um, not just saying that because you told me to. I love you, Atlas. I want to cherish you.”
“I know,” I said, smiling. Hector wasn’t the most expressive with his words, but he’d always shown me hecared with his actions. “And I’m going to say it again in case you still have doubts.I’m not going anywhere. This magic—you and me—it’s one that’s never going to end.”
He pushed me until my back was against the couch, and he was on top of me. We held each other and laughed between kisses.
Chapter Fourteen
HECTOR
I kissed him with everything I had. I didn’t think my heart could feel so…full. Like it was too big for my chest. Like it was overflowing with a warmth that I wanted to bathe in.
I knew Atlas held affection for me. He was never one to hold back from showing his emotions. But hearing him say he loved me unlocked something for me.
The fear that he was going to get bored and leave one day hadn’t gone away, but I believed in the feelings we currently had. This moment was real, and he was here with me.
Atlas ground his hips up against me. His arms tried to pull me even closer despite me practically putting my entire body weight on him already. I could feel his pants filling, which naturally caused my cock to perkup.
He was breathless, eyes shimmering with lust, when the kiss finally ended.
“Call me that again,” he whispered the demand.
“What? Your name?”
“No.Love. I really liked hearing you call me that,” he admitted.
My heart fluttered and expanded more, if that was even possible.
“My love,” I told him. “I’ll call you that as many times as you want.”
He grinned. I leaned in for more kisses because I could never get enough of his lips, but he slipped through my arms and out from under me.
I couldn’t say I wasn’t disappointed by the sudden lack of Atlas in my arms, but I wasn’t going to push for anything he didn’t want. I sat up and tried to act casual while covering the tent in my pants.
Atlas grinned and held out a hand for me.
“Where are we going?” I asked, though I would have followed him anywhere he wanted.
