Luca put his head down and jogged up the hill.
Emerson was almost to the top by the time Luca reached him.
“Hey,” Luca said again, even though he wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to say next.I’m still here. Got nothing better to do anyway.Or,Aren’t you cold? Can I wrap you in a warm blanket?Or,Why in the world have you hidden that smile from me for so long?
As it turned out, he didn’t have to say anything at all.
Because the moment Emerson turned his head to acknowledge him, the old shitty sneakers Luca had thrown on before chasing Emerson out of the house slipped on an uneven patch of ground, and Luca went down.
Emerson shot out a hand to stop him. Luca, on instinct, grabbed back.
Except this was, obviously, a stupid move. Luca’s momentum was already too swift, too heavy. Luca barely comprehended Emerson’s body pivoting, another hand reaching for his opposite shoulder, a surprised stream of sounds from both their mouths, and then?—
Luca’s ankle twisted, flipping him around.
And they both went down together.
Luca’s back hit the wet ground, Emerson on top of him. Chest to chest, one of Luca’s hands still gripping Emerson’s elbow.
“Ah, shit,” Emerson said, winded, the essence of his rain-inspired laughter still infused in each breath. He moved to slide away.
But Luca’s instincts had a different idea.
Before he could even think, his fingers had fisted in Emerson’s shirt, on either side of his torso.
“Wait.” His voice also came out breathless, probably because Luca couldn’t breathe. The whole sequence of the fall had probably lasted two seconds at most, but Luca’sadrenaline was all over the place. The shock of the fall, and then?—
The weight. The heat. Emerson’s body on top of his was an anchor, and it felt so good, so solid and grounding that his hands clenched at Emerson’s t-shirt even tighter, pressing into his sides even harder, in an attempt to hold on to the feeling. To not let it escape.
Luca swallowed. Tried to get his wits back. When he said the word again, his voice was steadier. Lower. “Just wait.”
The rain fell on Luca’s forehead, dripped from Emerson’s chin to his own. Mud began to seep through Luca’s clothes, finally breaking through the adrenaline, cold and unsettling.
His fingers unclenched.
Fuck.Fuck.What was he doing? Holding hisbossdown on top of him while they both got drenched? Even if he was touch starved and lonely, this was beyond inappropriate. This veered decidedly into embarrassing territory, and Luca was tired of feeling embarrassed in front of men he was attracted to.
“Shit,” he breathed. “Sorry, I?—”
All he’d been able to focus on for the past however many seconds was the feeling of being held down, the solidness of it everywhere they touched—thighs, hips, chests—while the rest of his senses blurred. But finally, he blinked into Emerson’s eyes, which were staring straight at him, so directly that the breath stuttered out of him again. Luca couldn’t quite read what Emerson was thinking, but his eyes were surprisingly lucid, unlike Luca’s head. Bright, like a bit of that rain-induced euphoria was still crackling inside him like lightning. Even with the fall, even with the rain sliding into the creases of his eyes, dripping off his lashes.
“I’m sorry,” Luca forced out again, heart thudding in his chest so forcefully he was sure Emerson could feel it. He spread his arms to the side in a show of goodwill, hopefullycommunicating,sorry I clutched your t-shirt like I was drowning; you can continue sliding off me now.“We can?—”
Emerson grabbed Luca’s wrists, pinned them above his head, and kissed him.
It took Luca’s still-scrambled brain a second to understand what was happening.
If he had been a better person, his previous train of thought would have continued.His boss. Beyond inappropriate.
Instead, the only thought that flickered inside his suddenly-very-quiet head was that his first impression of Emerson at the bar that day had been correct.
Hedidhave very kissable lips. Soft but sure. Quiet but expressive.
Luca hadn’t pictured a kiss with Emerson occurring exactly like this; hadn’t been bold enough to believe it could be like this, hands pinned above his head, Emerson’s strong body pressed against his. But Emerson’s lips—they kissed likeEmerson. The exact way Luca would have expected. Restrained but beautiful, not cocky but so fucking competent. Luca felt wild with it, turned on and full of affection, never wanting Emerson to stop, wanting to make Emerson let go and turn wild, too. Like that smile he’d thrown over his shoulder, like laughter in the rain. Luca strained upward to properly meet his mouth, to push those steady lips open until their tongues could finally meet.
A groan rumbled from Luca’s chest when they did, the sound lost in the torrent around them but the vibration of it echoing across his body. Luca had had some good kisses in his day, but this—this was possibly the most erotic moment of Luca’s whole life.
And of course, no sooner had Luca thought this than Emerson pulled away.
