A few moments later, he’s still sitting there, looking shocked. Getting up, I step closer, pushing gently against his knees so I can stand between his legs. I cradle his face in my hands. I know this kind of up-close eye contact is hard for him, but I need to know he believes me.
“Dylan, I love you,” I whisper, pressing forward to cover his mouth with mine, desperately trying to pour all of my emotions into the kiss. After a few long moments, I pull back just enough to see his eyes. “I love you. I don’t want you to feel like you need to say it in return. I just need you to believe me. I love you so fucking much I don’t know—I didn’t know I had the capacity to love someone so hard.” I cup his cheek gently, forcing back the tears threatening to escape my eyes.
To my surprise, he closes his eyes, nuzzling into my touch like a cat. I love the way he’s seeking my hands on him, not just tolerating them.
Sliding slowly off the barstool, he moves to stand close enough so our chests are touching.
He looks at me so intensely it’s like he’s trying to see inside my soul. My breath catches in my throat. His eyes are full of raw, unfiltered love and acceptance.
“I love you too, Reed.”
Fireworks go off inside my chest as he presses his lips to mine in another gentle kiss. When I pull away for a breath, I bury my head in the crook of his neck. We stand together like that for a while, our hands lazily caressing each other, breathing each other in. I swallow down the golf-ball-sized lump in my throat while our coffees grow cold on the counter.
I feel like something has just shaken loose inside me. I know it’s silly; just saying those three little words to each other doesn’t change anything. Except that it does.
We still need to have the hard conversation about what happened at the pub, and we will. But for right now, right here, I’m going to bask in the glow of loving someone and being loved in return. I can’t believe how far we’ve managed to come in only a few months.
One of my arms is around his waist, keeping him pressed tightly to me, while my other hand caresses the nape of his neck, running my fingers gently through his wavy hair. It’s not long before I feel him hardening against me, and I smile, pulling my head back to see his face.
“Bedroom?” I whisper softly before placing another tender kiss on his lips. The corners of his eyes crinkle with his smile.
“Oh, fuck yes,” he says emphatically, causing us both to laugh as we turn to the stairs, literally racing to the bedroom.
We’re both laughing and out of breath when we get to my bedroom. I dim the lamp beside my bed, giving us just enough light to see the shadows playing across our skin.
“Wait right there, babe,” I whisper, running into the bathroom and returning to toss a big handful of condoms on the bed with a bottle of lube. My stomach flutters with excitement and anticipation. Tonight is going to be amazing.
Chapter 31
DYLAN
I’mstillstandingbesidethe bed when Reed comes out of the bathroom with a mitt full of condoms and a giant-sized bottle of lube, tossing them behind me. There must be twenty condoms in the pile, and I snort a laugh. “Whoa, someone has high hopes for tonight.” I cock my eyebrow at him.
“What?” He looks confused for a moment but then bursts out laughing, the sound giving me the best kind of shivers. He gives my chest a shove, following me down as I fall back onto the bed. “Shut up!” he says, still laughing as he throws one knee over my hips so he’s straddling me. “I was out of supplies in the drawer beside the bed, so I grabbed extra, if you must know.” He laughs. “Although that might be an interesting challenge…” He waggles his eyebrows suggestively.
I laugh, but an idea sparks to life in my brain. Something I’ve been thinking about recently.
Reed leans over, caging me between his hands on the bed, and nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck. He sucks in a deep breath and lets out a contented sigh, relaxing his body on top of mine and snuggling into me.
“Mmm, I love the way you smell.” He takes another breath, then proceeds to lick and nibble along the length of my neck, finally sucking my earlobe into his mouth.
“So, not that I don’t love a challenge,” I say, biting back a groan as he tongues the shell of my ear, “but it hardly seems fair, with a challenge of that size, to put it all on one person. How about we share the challenge?”
“Mmmm.” He makes a pleased sound as he switches to the other side of my neck, beginning to give it the same treatment, when he freezes. Jerking his head back, he looks down at me, shock written on his face.
I just grin up at him.
“Wait, what? Do you mean… Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he splutters, his eyes wide with surprise and his pupils huge and dark with desire.
Biting my lip, I look up at him through my eyelashes, giving him my best coquettish look. I’m acting silly, but it’s mostly to hide my nervousness.
“I want you to top me tonight.”
Reed’s breath catches, his eyes huge.
“You-you do? Are you sure?” he asks breathlessly.
I nod, looking up at him, all traces of the joke gone. “I’m sure,” I say gently. “I want you… I want to feel you.”