“What’s that?”
Emerson walked behind him, propped his head against Luca’s shoulder to read the note from Ben.
Luca - Thank you so much for letting us stay here. It was the most perfect, most peaceful place to wake up as husbands for the first time. It’ll be part of our best memories of this weekend always.
- Ben
PS. When you see Emerson next, Alexei would like if you could please pass along his sincere apology for kissing him
“Alexei kissed you?”
Emerson laughed, the sound soft and tired against Luca’s t-shirt.
“Just on the forehead. I hope he’s not actually embarrassed about it. I think he’d had a bit to drink.”
Luca smiled, wishing he’d been there to see it.
“You do have a very kissable forehead.”
“Right, well. As we’ve established, there’s so much of it. And it’s so easy for you to reach.”
Luca turned, his smile deepening as he wrapped his arms around Emerson’s back.
“And as we’ve also established, both of those things are good things.”
“Sure, sure. Come on, show me the rest.”
Luca laughed. “You can already see it. The rest’s all here.”
Still, Emerson disentangled himself, walking around the rest of the open room. He stuck his headinto the bathroom, trailed his fingers along Luca’s bedspread. Luca leaned against a wall, watching him.
“It’s wonderful,” Emerson murmured, taking a last look around before padding to where Luca stood. He wrapped his arms around Luca’s waist, eyes soft. “It’s so you. Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for introducing me to your family. For being there during the interview earlier. Thank you for going to that brewery that night and sitting next to me when I was sad. Thank you, Luca, for everything.”
Jesus.
Luca looked down at him, the words trembling on the edge of his lips.I love you. I love you so fucking much it scares me.But he didn’t want to feel scared when he said it the first time, and they had literallyjustdecided they were even fucking dating, and he was so overwhelmed he was terrified. So he leaned down to kiss him instead.
Emerson’s lips were soft, ready for him, so perfect and careful and Emerson, and for a while, Luca didn’t want anything more. He only wanted to kiss Emerson King until their lips were swollen, until they fell asleep like this, breathing the same breath, their mouths only for each other.
But of course, then Emerson’s hands drifted up his shirt, and soon enough, Luca had once more forgotten any interest in sleeping.
“Emerson,” he murmured after a time, when things had started to get sloppy and out of control, “want you to fuck me right here, but I took all my supplies to your house.”
Emerson’s hand was in Luca’s unzipped jeans, palming him over his underwear while Luca bucked into him.
“Let me blow you here,” Emerson said into Luca’s neck. “And then we can still do all the other stuff at home. You’re young, Luca. You can come twice for me.”
“Fuck,” Luca said, not about to argue. But also—“I’m not that young. I’m thirty-three.”
Emerson laughed into Luca’s jaw.
“Get back to me when you’re almost forty.”
“Iwill,” Luca said, and it came out aggressive, far more aggressive than he had been intending. For a second his heart wobbled, worried he’d shown his cards too much, that Emerson could hear what he’d meant:you better still fucking be with me when I’m forty.
But of course he was showing all his cards. It had been the most emotionally exhausting day of Luca’s entire life. He had no idea what he was doing. He was so raw at this point, so wide open, that Emerson could barely poke him and all his insides would come spilling out.
Emerson pushed him even harder into the wall before he dropped to his knees. He tugged Luca’s jeans down before placing his open mouth over Luca’s briefs, sucking him through the fabric, and Luca released a reedy, needy noise.
