Page 92 of Hart's Redemption

“I just do.” I stepped back and searched his face. So much sadness harbored in his green eyes made that much darker by the gray circles beneath them and the low lights above. “You said before that you trusted me. Is that still true?”

He nodded quietly.

“Then trust me to know that you are a better man than the world has painted you.”

His mouth ticked up in a small smile accompanied by a light huff of laughter. “You’re such a scholar.”

I smiled back at him. “Would you have me any other way?”

His grin broadened. “No.”

“Good, because I don’t plan to stop writing essays just because you can’t remember who’s proud and who’s prejudiced.”

He chuckled, and the last of the sadness faded from his eyes. I recognized it for the momentary reprieve that it was, but took it nonetheless. “You’ve been sitting on that one a while, haven’t you?”

“Maybe. Now strip so we can cram ourselves onto that ridiculous bed and get some rest.”

“Elijah—”

“No. I’m sharing a bed with the man I love, and I refuse to wear clothes while I do it.” Lending credence to my words, I stripped down. Josh gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes and followed suit.

The bed was even smaller than it looked and by no means capable of fitting two grown men, least of all one of my stature. All that really meant was that we had to be practically on top of each other, a situation I was more than okay with. My skin ached to feel Josh’s again, and having our bodies pressed together was like bathing in aloe. Of course, it also had other effects equally born of being separated for so long.

Josh lay beneath me, as affected by the proximity as I was. His fingers trailed lightly through my hair and over my shoulders. I had no idea just how much I’d missed that delicate caress until his fingers picked up the pattern as if no time had ever passed.

“You comfortable?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

He made a noise deep in his throat, between a scoff and an agonized groan.

I placed an open-mouthed kiss on the starburst scar that proved he’d already evaded certain death once. His breath hitched, and I laid another and another. “We should do something about that.” I wriggled my hand between us to wrap my fingers around his erection, and was rewarded with a pair of fluttered lids.

“Elijah,” he gasped quietly. “Don’t for one second believe anything that is done or said in here is private.”

“Then you’re just going to have to be quiet.” I captured his mouth and the moan that followed.

He pulled his mouth free, his ragged breath filling the dark. “I’m not sure… you understand. The things… that are at stake.”

“I understand just fine.” I abandoned one prize in search of another. Maneuvering in the small bed wasn’t easy, and the lube I’d tried to sneak in had been confiscated. Thankfully, we were both so needy for each other that our dicks were steadily leaking precum.

Josh bowed off the bed and into my hand as I pressed my middle finger past the tight ring of muscle guarding his hole.

My eyes nearly rolled back in my head at the heat I found. “Stop arguing. Let me take care of you, moonbeam.” I captured his mouth once again and poured all of my longing into it. “You’re not the only one who needs this.”

He shuddered and opened a little more to me. His fingers fluctuated between tangling in my hair and digging into my shoulders, while his kisses mirrored my slow, measured pace. I slid another finger in, taking my time stretching him and getting lost in his small catches of breath.

By the time he was prepped enough for me to line up the head of my cock with his entrance, I knew there was no way I could possibly last. I breathed through the agony of pleasure and looked down at Josh’s flushed face. To my surprise, sorrow shone in his eyes.

“What’s the matter?” I whispered.

“Being with me has put a target on your back. I’m so sorry. I—”

I clamped my mouth down on his to stop the tide of apologies. I didn’t stop kissing him until I was positive he’d given it up. When I pulled back, his eyes were wet with unshed tears. “I don’t care.” I rested my forehead against his. Our breaths mingled asI laced our fingers together and slowly rolled my hips. “You’re worth it, Josh. You’ll always be worth it.”

His lips fell apart in a silent cry as he came undone.

I dropped my head and groaned into his chest. My fingers tightened around his, even as his entire body squeezed right back. “Josh,” I moaned when the sensory tidal wave crashed over me.

Time slipped by. We cleaned off in the pathetic excuse of a shower, then promptly returned to our tangle of limbs. Once again Josh’s fingers picked up their lazy trail across my back.