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“Yeah, it was. I’d tell you if it wasn’t.” That was about as honest as he could get right now. He knew there was more he should say—that they were moving faster than they should, that he wasn’t the right guy for this, that Remy was surely going to need more at some point than he could give—but also, that he’d never wanted to be with anyone more. Maybe he could have this for a little while without overthinking it.

Since Remy still looked concerned, he added, “Remy, you have to know it was so much better than okay. I can’t even remember the last time I came so hard. Your mouth is unbelievable. You are unbelievable.”

“Good.” Remy dropped his eyes to Jed’s lips and tilted his head back invitingly. Fuck, Remy looked so into this, like he was already ready to go again. Jed needed to get him outside.

“But,” Jed continued, “I need a break. So, you’re gonna keep your promise now. And since you seem to have so much energy, I think we should do the three-mile loop instead of the two-mile loop I had planned. Unless you tell me it’s going to make your injuries worse.”

“No, yeah, I can do that.” Remy smiled at Jed again, still so open, and something in Jed’s chest twisted. “Just let me have some coffee first, eh? Then I’ll get ready, and you can show me how it’s done.” With that, Remy gave him one more kiss on the cheek, got up, and headed to the door.

“Better get going,” he added over his shoulder as Jed sat where he was, eyes on Remy’s ass. “I’ll be ready in ten, and I’m not waiting.”

Jed rolled his eyes at that, and Remy laughed in response, and then Jed was laughing, too. He sat there for a good minute, feeling some kind of no doubt stupidly besotted smile on his face, before he headed to the kitchen to make Remy his coffee so they could head out to the trail.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

REMY

Remy was lightheaded with both desire and relief as Jed showed him how to strap on the snowshoes and use the poles he’d pulled out of a giant walk-in closet next to the gym downstairs. Part of him wished they were still in bed, because holy hell, he’d thought he’d had good sex before, but he had never felt like he had with Jed—completely out of control and safe at the same time.

But it also felt pretty fucking good that Jed wanted to spend time with him outside of bed, too. It was invigorating to hike through the snow with the sun gleaming off every surface. The air was still and quiet except for the crunch of their steps. Jed didn’t say much, so Remy didn’t, either. He tried to keep up while he admired Jed from behind—his athletic pants fit nicely, even if his ski jacket covered his ass.

Remy wondered when he’d get to see Jed naked. The glimpses of his thighs that morning had made his mouth water, before Jed had fed him his cock and Jed’s furry abs had taken up his entire field of vision. Jed wasn’t cut like some of the younger guys—like Remy was, to be honest—but he didn’t need to be. Jed was huge and solid, and Remy wanted to bury his face in him.

And yeah, he was definitely going to get hard again thinking about it. Jed losing some of his control this morning had pretty much been the hottest thing ever, hotter even than how Jed had held him so carefully while bringing him off last night.

Remy was fully hard and extremely uncomfortable now, wishing he could stop to rearrange things without letting Jed know that his dick was ready for nonstop action. Jed didn’t seem to have the same problem, because he was keeping up an easy pace and looking around like he didn’t have a care in the world.

So Remy tried to do the same. Mindful snowshoeing. That sounded like a thing Jed would be into. Focusing on the cold air and the sharp sounds and the fresh, piney smell of the mountainside.

“How’s your foot holding up?” Jed asked eventually, pausing for a moment at the crest of a hill. His cheeks had some color from the wind and the exercise, and Remy wanted to warm his face in Jed’s beard and then kiss the tops of his cheekbones.

I have it so bad, he thought to himself. So, so bad.

“My foot’s holding up fine. And this is pretty cool, actually. I’m okay to keep going.”

Jed smiled a little then. He looked pleased, like it mattered to him that Remy was enjoying this. “Let’s finish the loop, then,” he said and started leading them further up the mountain.

By the time they got back to the house, Remy was both exhausted and refreshed. He’d missed getting a real workout the last few days, and now his heart rate was up, and he’d gotten some sun. Jed was looking nice and relaxed as they took their gear off and stowed it away and went back upstairs. The silence between them felt easy as Jed pulled a couple of glasses out of a cabinet, filled them with water, and handed one to Remy.

“Thanks.” Remy drained the glass and set it down. “Hey, I’m gonna take a quick shower, and then I need to get downtown to meet Lily and Petey and Jake for lunch. You’re coming, right?”

“Yeah, if you want.”

Remy paused, because he’d noticed this last night. Jed asking what Remy wanted, like that was all that mattered.

“I mean, yeah, I would like you to come, but what about what you want?”

Jed looked surprised. “What do you mean?”

“You keep asking what I want. I wanna know, what do you want?”

If Remy didn’t know better, he’d think Jed looked taken aback. Maybe even embarrassed. He wasn’t sure why.

“I’d like to have lunch with you,” Jed said after a moment. “Is that okay?”

“Yes, it’s okay. Why wouldn’t it be okay?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you want time with them alone.”