“Well, I’m just going to have to take good care of you, aren’t I?” I said. I dragged him forward as I kicked the door shut behind him. I shoved his jacket off his shoulder, letting it fall to the ground. Fisting the sides of his shirt, I pulled him across the house with me. Duke hurried after us, circling and getting in the way. When I damn near tripped over him, I tore away from Harley long enough to deal with my dog.
“Bed!” I ordered loudly, pointing back to the living room. Duke whined a little and tilted his head slightly. “Don’t you cockblock me, you little shit. Go to your bed. Just for a little bit. I’ll make it up to you later.”
We both waited with bated breath for the dog to make a decision. It took way longer than it should have, and one quick snap of my fingers for Duke to turn tail and disappear into the dark living room. As he did, Harley laughed.
“Not the time for laughing, princess,” I said. My mouth crashed into his, my tongue driving past his lips and battling his. I pulled him down the hallway with me in a frenzy of discarded clothing—yanking his shirt over his head, pausing for him to kick off his shoes, unbuttoning his jeans. My dick leaked with anticipation as I drank in every inch of him that I could see.Fuck, he never ceased to amaze me.
His hungry gaze raked down my chest and stomach, but he faltered.
“Mav…” he began, his breath hitching in his throat. “Is that…”
His fingers brushed against my forearm, the touch sending my pulse stumbling chaotically. He traced the lines of ink on the tattoo I’d kept hidden up to this point. The seashell sat on my inner forearm, nestled between seaweed and bubbles.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
“Why do you have a seashell tattoo, Maverick?” Harley asked.
“Because,” I said, “because… maybe some part of me has always clung to a part of you. Because… maybe the best parts of my life were the parts that had you in it. Because… maybe I’d always love you. And because… the wordmaybedoesn’t belong in any of those sentences.”
The admission hung heavy between us. They were words I was honestly surprised I said out loud. They were ones I’d accepted a long time ago. They were the entire reason I got the tattoo. Because I needed to carry some part of Harley with me—the part that loved seashells and sitting on the beach. The broken boy whose jagged pieces fit with mine. The one who saw me when the rest of the world looked me over.
Harley’s hands found my face, and he kissed me. It was urgent and grounding, his lips sliding against mine with a desperation that bled right through me. I understood that desperation. It was years of things we’d felt but left unsaid bubbling to the surface.
My arm circled his waist, pulling him closer until there was no space left between us. His skin was warm on mine as I guided him the final distance to my bed.I needed him. I needed to feel him. Taste him. Hear him. I needed to feel him come undone for me. Needed to be the one who made him fall apart.
“Mav,” he whispered, his voice breaking as I sank my teeth into his neck. My hands roamed his body—tracing the lean muscle in his back, teasing the sensitive skin down his sides, admiring the dip in his hips. Every touch drew a new sound out of him, each one a little louder than the last. They spilled down my spine and made my cock strain in my pants.
“Naked, now,” I ordered, breaking away from him. As we rushed through stripping off the last bits of clothing, I touched base with him. “I’m negative, I’m regularly tested, and I have good insurance now.”
That last part made him chuckle.
“Same, but it’s not like it matters,” Harley said. Hooking an arm around his waist, I pushed him down on the bed, tumbling with him. His legs widened as I settled between his thighs. My cock nestled against his, and the little bit of friction between us made my balls ache.
“And why doesn’t it matter, princess?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. My lips brushed over the soft stubble on his cheek as I spoke.
“Because I haven’t been with anyone else,” he replied. I leaned back to look at him. He gave the tiniest of shrugs, like it wasn’t a big deal. “I’ve dated, but it never got that far. I had two relationships, but they were short-lived, and I just couldn’t… I haven’t slept with anyone else.”
My brows furrowed slightly as I processed his words, my brain working to catch up.
“You haven’t…” I repeated slowly.He hadn’t been with anyone.“Ever?”
“No.” He shook his head. My gaze flicked over his face, searching for something—doubt, hesitation, or anything else that would make this feel less significant. “I’m not…. Maverick-sexual, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“That wasn’t what I was thinking, but now it’s what I’m thinking,” I teased. My hand came up without thinking, and I brushed my fingers through the hair at his temple as I held his gaze.
There were a thousand things I could’ve said, but none of them felt quite big enough to cover what I was thinking.
“I’m demisexual,” Harley told me. An array of pieces clicked into place with that information. Things that made Harley make a lot more sense. I could tease all I wanted, but I knew how important it was for him to understandthat. “And I’ve never… connected with anyone the way I have with you.”
“I love you.” I kissed him slowly. His lips parted, and my tongue swept through his mouth with a groan. My hips rolled against his, our dicks sliding together. A loud sound vibrated through him at the sensation. I did it again, leaking precum across his belly.
“Please…” he whispered as my mouth traveled across his jaw and down his neck, alternating between soft kisses and quick bites. His voice cracked with the plea while his hips rose against mine in search of more.
“Please… what?” I asked. When he tried to answer, I sank my teeth hard into the column of his neck. The sharp sound he let out shot straight to my balls. So did the way his fingers tangled in my hair—not pulling me away, but rather holding me there. I smoothed the flat of my tongue over the reddening spot. I kissedmy way down his neck and over his chest. His breath came ragged, and his body tensed beautifully with anticipation. “Use your words, princess. Tell me what you want.”
Again, when he started to answer, I sank my teeth into his pec. I bit down harder because I knew I could leave a mark if I wanted.And honestly, the idea of marking up Harley turned me on.His fist tightened in my hair, damn near pulling on the roots painfully, as his back arched off the bed. His hips thrust mindlessly against mine.
I held on until I was positive he’d be bruised. His body sagged on the sheets, gasping and panting. That blissful expression on his face was sexy as fuck.
