“No bullshit.”
“You won’t back off the second it gets ugly?”
“No.” My throat burned. “I already know what happened the last time I backed off when it got ugly. I’m not doing that to you again.” I slid my hand to his face and held him there, my thumb brushing his cheek. “I want people to know you’re mine,” I said. “I want them to know you matter to me. I’m not ashamed of this, or of you, or of us, and you should’ve had that from me from the start.”
“You really mean that?” he whispered.
“Yeah.”
“You’d claim me in front of everyone?”
“Yes,” I replied. “I would.”
His eyes closed. When he opened them again, it was all there on his face. Relief. Hurt. Hope. All of it at once. “You have no clue how much I needed to hear that.”
My thumb brushed his lower lip. “Then hear it again. I don’t want to hide you. I want everyone to know you’re mine, and I’m yours.”
A tear slipped out and he chuckled softly as he wiped his face. “It was always you.”
That did it. I cupped the back of his neck and kissed him before I lost my nerve, slow and careful, and filled witheverything I should’ve been saying for years. He kissed me back the same way, one hand sliding to my face, the other braced against my shoulder as he leaned into me.
When we pulled apart, neither of us went far.
“I love you,” I admitted.
His attention moved over my face, and I watched the words land.
Not because he didn’t know.
Because he did.
“I love you too,” he whispered back.
I pulled him in tighter and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
No more hiding.
No more making him guess.
No more letting fear decide who he was to me.
“Now what do you want to do?” I asked.
A sly grin formed on his lips. “I want you to fuck me again.”
“I was hoping to make love to you instead.”
He swallowed. “I’ve never done that before.”
“Me either.” I winked.
“Good. I’m glad we have another first.” He reached into his nightstand and pulled out a new condom and set it next to the lube that was still there from earlier, then lay down beside me.
I lay down too, so our bodies were angled toward one another. He reached over to cup my face and pull me into a kiss. My hands roamed over his body, exploring every curve and plane with a reverence that spoke volumes. His skin prickled under my touch. Even though we’d had sex not long ago and I’d poured my heart out, I was still in shock that I was touching him—that I was the one making those goosebumps appear.
As our kiss deepened, I could feel my body responding, my erection growing hard and insistent against his thigh. I broke the kiss, my breath ragged as I reached for the lube and condom onthe nightstand. My movements were deliberate, my eyes never leaving his as I tore open the wrapper and rolled the latex on.
I poured a generous amount of gel onto my fingers, warming it before I reached over his hips and started to prepare him. His breath hitched as he hooked his leg over me, and I gently circled his hole, slowly working my way in.
