Page 80 of Stubborn as a Shadow

In this moment, though, I was thinking ahead for the first time in days. And if Morgan came to his senses when we were away from here, this might be my only chance to be with him. And if that was the case, I wanted to revel in this moment. I wanted to experience everything with him.Givehim everything.

It was a risk. A huge one.

But if we did this, when the world intruded again as it eventually would, I’d at least have this moment. Hopefully that’d be enough to carry me forward. I could cherish the memory of his skin rubbing against mine. The taste of his sweat on my tongue. The sweet sound of his moans.

And if I treasured this precious gift, perhaps the memory wouldn’t fade with time like so much of my past had. Maybe I wouldn’t fade either. Because I’d need it to survive the long, lonely years ahead.

Was I being selfish? Maybe. Probably. But Morgan said he wanted me too. Said he didn’t care about what I’d done or where I’d come from.

“I will wait for you for as long as it takes,” Morgan said.

I pressed my face against his neck. I didn’t deserve him, but I knew he was speaking his truth. Morgan didn’t lie. He couldn’t. I’d forgotten about that when we were talking earlier.

I let out a shuddering breath.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I want you, Nelson. None of what you said changed my mind.”

And just like that, my objections crumbled away. “I want you too.”

He kissed me. And the kiss was everything. He showed me with his mouth and his hands and his body the truth of his words. Morgan accepted me. All of me. I needed to show him how much that meant to me.

“I’ll make it good for you, I swear,” I whispered against his ear.

He cleared his throat. “I… uh… I really want you inside me. I know I said it earlier, but if you hate that idea, you can tell me. We can try it the other way around…”

I met his gaze. “Anything you want.”

“Go,” he demanded. “Go get the lube.”

I rolled away and scrambled for my jacket. I’d thrown it on the floor when I’d returned from my trip outside, so it wasn’t far. I dug in my pocket and found the small tube of lube. It was cold, so I sandwiched it between my palms and blew on it as I walked back to the bed. Morgan watched me move, and I loved the appreciation shining in his eyes.

“We’ll have to warm it up,” I said.

“What if we put it in the warm water?” Then he shook his head. “No, never mind. I don’t want to wait that long. It’ll warm up when we use it.”

“I’m not going to put cold lube on you.” I rubbed the tube between my hands. Maybe friction would work faster than my breath.

“I won’t turn into an ice cube…” Then his eyes widened as if he’d just had a wicked realization. “Wait, don’t people use ice cubes during sexy times?”

I pinched his chin and pressed a kiss onto his lips. “We can try that another time. When we aren’t trapped in a snowbound cabin.”

“Deal,” he said quickly.

That was when I realized what I’d said. I’d implied we’d do this again. In the future. Somewhere warm. And Morgan had interpreted that as a promise.

Before I could correct him—although how I’d do that without making things wildly awkward I didn’t know—his lips were on mine again. And as his hands trailed over my body, I embraced both him and this chance to be with him. There would be time to talk later.

We lost ourselves in one another’s bodies. I caressed every part of him with my hands and mouth, from his toes to his inner thigh to the little patch of skin behind his ear. He tasted sweet everywhere. And Morgan wasn’t idle. He was just as greedy to explore me. I’d never had such an active and eager lover—although quick hookups were more about getting off as quickly as possible and less about real pleasure, so the bar wasn’t set very high.

And when I finally squeezed the semi-warm lube into my hand, Morgan was as ready as I was for what would come next. My finger dipped between his legs to find his tight passage. We both groaned as I pressed inside.

As soon as my finger breached his hole, magic blossomed through the air. I’d heard the rumors. I knew this was anothersign that we might be fated mates. But… I’d never imagined anything so beautiful.

Morgan whispered my name as he blinked at the magic swirling around us. His rainbows were there like bright ribbons snaking through the air, but the darkness of my shadows was there too.

And together… This was us. Morgan and I. Andwewere breathtaking.