“I’m sorry I asked that question.” Luca forced the words out. Swallowed. “About the money. I don’t know why I did.”
“Because,” Emerson said softly, “you have parents who would probably lend you money the second you needed it. Or at least lend a helping hand, if they didn’t have the funds, however they could. And that’s okay. That’s good, Luca.”
“I know.” Luca swallowed again. Licked his lips. Stared at Emerson’s smooth chin. Emerson’s face was always so smooth, so perfectly shaven. “I just—” Horrified, he realized he was shaking the tiniest bit. He just couldn’t imagine—couldn’t evenpicture—toEmerson?—
Thefuck.
“It’s okay.” Emerson dropped his hands from Luca’s face to smother him in a hug, his strong arms gripping Luca’s back, his face shoved into Luca’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Luca.”
Luca released a shuddering breath. He dropped his head to shove his face into Emerson’s thinning hair. He knew, heknewthat things were backward right now, that Emerson should not be the one comforting Luca, but fuck, Emerson smelled so fucking good, whatever shampoo he always used combined with all the herbs in the kitchen. It was almost overwhelming. It was the best.
Emerson was the best.
All the tension Luca had been holding in his body seemed to drain away at once. He hugged Emerson back, rocking back and forth with the relief of it.
“Sorry,” he said again. “I’m okay now.”
“Good,” Emerson said.
But neither of them let go.
They held on, arms rubbing up and down backs and necks until a different sensation entirely started to take hold of Luca, one that wasn’t at all appropriate after one of them had just shared their fucking childhood abuse. But Emerson must have been feeling it too, because he was the one who moved his hands from Luca’s back to his hips, to the hem of Luca’s t-shirt, before slipping them underneath, trailing fingertips up Luca’s side.
A low rumble moved through Luca’s throat as he dipped his head lower still, lips aiming for Emerson’s neck.
God. He needed this. He didn’t want to think about his cabin or his bank account or the farm or Emerson’s parents or how a huge book deal would maybe solve all of it—at least, the solvable parts—but it never actually would. He wanted to drop to his knees and suck off Emerson right here on the kitchen floor. He wanted to pick Emerson up in his arms and march down the hallway to his bedroom and have Emerson fuck the shit out of him, or maybe just rub their bodies together for a while, anything where they got to be naked and alone and far from anything resembling reality.
A knock on the front door made Emerson jerk away.
“No,” Luca growled, reaching instinctively for Emerson’s t-shirt to pull him back. “Who the hell is that?” He rubbed his nose against Emerson’s neck. “Make them go away.”
Emerson huffed a slightly breathless laugh.
“I don’t—I don’t know.” He stepped away again. Luca opened his eyes in time to see Emerson swallow, run a hand over his head. Another knock sounded, making them both twitch. “But people don’t randomly knock on my door very often, so I should see who it is.”
With a deep breath and a shake of his arms, Emerson turned and strode from the room.
Luca stayed where he was, palms locked against thecounter behind him, turned on and angry and overall lost feeling.
“Oh,” Emerson said at the front door, just out of Luca’s field of vision. “Hello.”
His voice was surprised, but in a pleased way. Luca rapidly worked on thinking about spiders, and literary agents, and anything else that could make his erection go away.
And then Luca’s mother swept into the room.
Because of course.
“Luca! Are you okay?” Leah tilted her head once she reached her son. “You look like you’ve been crying.”
Had Luca been crying? He supposed it was possible, before Emerson’s erotic hug, during that whole moment when Luca lost control of his body even though Emerson was the one who had survived trauma.
“I’m fine, Mom.” He wiped at his eyes, just to be sure he was good. “Promise.”
“If you say so.” She gave him one of her exaggerated angry faces that always reminded Luca of those smooshed-faced cats. It made him laugh, like it always did.
He didn’t know why his mom was here, but he knew in that second that he had really needed that laugh.
“Ipromise.You can continue harassing Emerson now.”
