Page 204 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

‘Wait.’ Lachlan pulls back to look properly at Kade.

‘I haven’t had sex or done anything or even kissed anyone, not till I met you,’ Kade tells him, not remotely ashamed, but the confession makes him soft inside, ticklishly vulnerable. ‘I never wanted it.’

‘Never?’

He shakes his head, rubbing his nose over Lachlan’s cheek, loves how he smells, wants to drown in it. ‘Never.’ His hips press up with lazy urgency and sensation warms his blood. ‘Is that OK?’

‘I…’

‘What?’

‘I’m not a good first.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I shouldn’t be… I’m not good at…’

Sliding his arms and legs around Lachlan like a happy, upturned octopus, Kade kisses his face, then his mouth. ‘You’re good for me.’

‘I don’t know if that’s true.’

‘You’re good enough for me, then.’ Kade’s hand slips between Lachlan’s legs, revelling in the thrill of what he finds there beneath layers of fabric. ‘We can stop if you want, I promise.’

‘I don’t want to stop.’

‘What do you want?’

‘Say it again.’

Kade smiles, kissing the word into him. ‘Bodyguard.’

‘Again.’

‘Bodyguard.’

Lachlan rewards him by setting tongue and teeth to his pulse.

‘Again, Jules.’

‘Bodyguard.’ Another hungry kiss, lower. This one leaves a mark that tingles. Kade’s fingers tighten in his hair. ‘Bodyguard.’

The name shudders through them both.

For the first time, Lachlan grinds down against Kade and oh, it’s fireworks in the dark and the thrill of a new addiction, dopamine and daydreams and a need so alive it’s making demands of its own.

‘Fucking God, I love you so much.’

Kade draws him back up and studies the face above him.

The familiar severity broken open by want.

Lips wet.

Eyes dark.

Every brutal instinct held in check by love.

‘I don’t remember how he touched you,’ Kade says.