“I don’t remember ...” Joshua whispered, his voice trailing off. “I wish I did.”
Colin fell onto the bed and scooted to its center. “You were pretty badly injured at the time.”
Joshua gazed at Colin, who was now lying naked on their bed, then he leaned down, smiling, and kissed him—then kissed him again. “In any case, thank you,” he whispered, then turned and moved toward their bathroom. “Be right back.”
By the time he returned, Colin had thrown back the covers, and Joshua slid into bed beside him, snuggling himself against Colin’s skin. “I know whatyouwere doing,” Colin singsonged, flashing his dimples.
“I bet youdo,” Joshua murmured against his cheek. He exhaled slowly, absorbing Colin’s warmth, his presence, and for a long breath, he was silent. Head bowed. His cheek slid across Colin’s bare chest and rested against his pectoral. His eyes slowly closed. He didn’t have to see. He only had to feel. His fingertips slid up the long, firm length of Colin’s ribcage, feeling bunching muscle, bone, warmth, sinew—the strength and fire ofa lion. And all of it his: his to love, his to yearn for, his to cherish. And his to claim.
A slow exhale slipped from his lips, warm against Colin’s skin. His hand flattened over Colin’s heartbeat, feeling the steady rhythm beneath his palm—a pulse that had become the anchor of his world. His. Always his. The weight of the night, of words unspoken, of emotions too vast to shape into sound, hung between them. Not heavy. Comforting.
Joshua tilted his head, brushing his lips over Colin’s chest, just above his heart, as if sealing a silent promise. No matter the storms, the distance, the battles fought within and without, this was his safe haven. This was home.
“Now you’re just being a tease,” Colin’s voice rumbled from above him, his fingers sliding up and down Joshua’s spine, sending a cascade of gooseflesh over his body.
He lifted himself, sliding onto Colin’s naked body in one long, smooth, rhythmic motion. Like a wave rising from the ocean, taking that power unto itself, Joshua’s body claimed what he longed for most. His open mouth covered Colin’s, no time for nuance or tenderness. His kiss was hungry, urgent—and Colin’s arms closed around him like they’d never let go.
“Want you!” Joshua rasped out, his fingers fisting in Colin’s thick, sandy waves. “Want younow!”
Colin felt what Joshua asked of him, and in one quick motion, he spun them in bed. His grip was tight, almost savage as his hand slammed down on the bedside table, grasping for the lubricant, his fingers trembling slightly with anticipation. He spread Joshua's legs apart, pushing them further into the mattress, making him gasp at the sudden shift in power. Colin's eyes never left Joshua's as he reached down, his slick fingers gliding over Joshua's entrance, preparing him for what was to come.
Joshua's heart pounded in his chest, every beat a reminder of how much he wanted this. He whimpered as Colin entered his body and began to move within him, each stroke sending shivers down his spine, a mix of pleasure and pain that had him yearning for more. He clutched at Colin, needing the connection, the strength that flowed from him like a river.
“Oh god, Colin,yes. This!This!”
“Jesus, you’re so beautiful,” Colin rasped. “I want to be inside you, Josh—deep enough you feel me everywhere.”
Joshua moaned, his body arching involuntarily. Colin's words sent an electric current shuddering through him, making him groan with anticipation. He knew the kind of passion that lived within his husband. He knew Colin always held back, refusing to release the animal inside, fearful of where that wild spirit might take him. But tonight, the passionate glint in his eyes, the rough edge in the way he touched him told Joshua how close to the surface that wild spirit truly lived, and Joshua's heart skipped a beat.
“Don’t,” Joshua rasped, clinging tighter. “Don’t hold back.”
Colin’s breath caught. “Baby, I?—”
“Goddammit, Colin.Take me.I want to feel it.”
Colin’s grip on Joshua’s hips tightened. With a low, feral growl, he surrendered to the darkness within, embracing the wild passion that had threatened to consume him. Burning him alive.
Their bodies moved in a wild, urgent rhythm—raw, relentless, and perfectly in sync. Each thrust was filled with raw power. Hard. Pounding. Each touch seared with a fire that threatened to engulf them both. Joshua's cries of ecstasy echoed through the room, mingling with Colin's ragged breaths as they succumbed to the rapture of their shared need.
As they panted and clung to each other, sweat-slicked bodies entwined, Joshua whispered hoarsely in Colin's ear, “Colin, Colin, my beloved.”
“Jesus!” Colin moaned. “Jesus Christ, Josh!” He gasped again and again, struggling to pull in enough air, his body still trembling from the force of what had just happened. His arms shook as he lifted himself onto one elbow, his gaze wild, searching Joshua’s face. “Are you all right? My god, Josh, did I hurt you?”
Joshua’s hands found Colin’s face, fingers sliding through the damp strands of his hair, gripping him, holding him steady. His chest rose and fell with deep, uneven breaths, his skin still flushed, his body thrumming. His eyes—warm, sure, and full of something deeper than satisfaction—held Colin steady, grounding him in the moment.
“You didnothurt me,” Joshua whispered fiercely. “You gave me exactly what I wanted—what Ineeded.” His fingers traced Colin’s jaw, his touch both tender and possessive. “I wanted you to take me just like that. I needed to feel you—allof you.” He swallowed hard, his voice softer now, but no less certain. “I needed to lose myself in you, Colin. And I did.”
Colin exhaled sharply, his forehead pressing against Joshua’s. “I was rough,” he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. “I know you’ve got nail marks. I don’t ever want to?—”
Joshua silenced him with a slow, deep kiss, his lips seeming to absorb the fear from Colin’s breath. “You weren’t rough. You were passionate,” he corrected when they parted, his fingertips stroking down Colin’s spine. “And I have never felt safer. Never felt more yours.”
Colin let out a long, unsteady breath, his body finally beginning to relax against Joshua’s. Colin’s arms wrapped around him, pulling him close, as if grounding himself in the reality of Joshua’s words.
“I love you,” Colin murmured, voice raw. “So damn much.”
Joshua smiled, pressing a kiss to Colin’s cheek, then his temple, then the damp, flushed skin over his racing heart. “I know,” he breathed. “And I love you.”
The world outside faded, leaving only the warmth between them, the quiet hum of breath and heartbeat, and the fire they never tried to tame—and never would.
