Page 75 of Snow Storm

And Harley did. His head fell back, his hips stuttering forward into the circle of Claude’s fingers. He spilled and spilled, his body tensing with every pulse, and he heard the words tumble from his lips before he could stop himself.

“I love you. I love you, oh fuck. I love you.”

He meant every syllable, even if it was too soon and ruined everything. Claude went impossibly still behind him, and then as Harley lost his grip on reality, warm lips pressed to the back of his neck, and strong arms held him as he completely let go.

Chapter 21

Claude

His lover.His beloved.

Claude could say that now.

Harley was currently asleep. Or somewhere close to it. Once his breathing returned to normal, Claude had eased out of him and checked that his pulse wasn’t too fast. It was clear Harley had been pent up because he went completely boneless once he finished coming, and Claude had held him until the rise and fall of his chest was even and his eyes were closed.

He didn’t think the nap was going to last long. Harley’s body was already starting to twitch as he came around, but he did have a few moments to himself to think.

He would be a fool to rush into something that could destroy him, but he would be a fool if he put a stop to the best thing that had ever happened to him. The happy medium was what Harley had proposed: him moving closer and them taking the next steps as every other couple did.

But the thought of not having Harley in his bed was gutting.

He rarely slept well, but there was a comfort in rolling over and seeing this man beside him, face still and quiet. There was a sort of grounding peace to being able to reach out and touch him every time Claude began doubting that this was real.

Because how was he lucky enough to find this so late in his life?

He didn’t know if Harley really meant those words. Or if he’d remember them when he woke up. But it was something they needed to talk about. The weight of his feelings had been pressing against his chest, and with the snow melting and the holiday passing, Claude knew he had to get it out into the open.

Harley would have to leave eventually. Even if he would be back, there would be time and distance separating them. They had to do this right. Regardless if he wasn’t entirely sure what the right thing was.

Harley let out a soft noise, and Claude kissed the sound from his lips. He felt the flutter of Harley’s lashes, and when he pulled back, his lover was staring at him.

“Hello.”

The tips of Harley’s ears went pink. “How long was I out?”

“Minutes. No more than five. Are you alright?”

Harley closed his eyes for a second and took a breath. “I’m okay. That was…a lot. In a good way,” he added, like maybe Claude couldn’t tell that it had been the best either of them had ever had. “Did you?—”

He hadn’t. Not exactly. “It was enough for me.”

Harley glanced down to where Claude’s half-hard dick sat in his nest of dark curls. He licked his lips. Someday, Claude would order him to his knees—order him to take his cock in his mouth for long, lush, honey-thick minutes. But not now.

He cupped his hand around Harley’s jaw and drew his attention up. “I need to say something.”

“Is it about what I said earlier? Because I don’t want you to?—”

“I’m falling in love with you.” Claude wasn’t going to let him sit in his panic. “I’ve known you for a matter of days. Everyrational part of my mind is telling me this isn’t allowed. But I can’t ignore how I feel.”

Harley bit his lip, then carefully wrapped his arms around Claude and pressed against his chest. “I meant what I said. And I won’t take it back. But I also don’t want it to be too much.”

“How we feel and what we do with it are two different things. You have a life to sort out, and I will be patient waiting here for that to happen. And I hope that if I ever need time to work on myself, you’ll give that to me.”

“Of course I will.” Harley looked up at him through thick lashes. “God, are you even real?”

“I certainly hope so. If I’m a fantasy, I’d like to request a lot less pain.”

Harley snorted and nestled back against him. “Yeah, I feel the same. But I just…oh hell, I didn’t think it was possible you’d feel the same way about me.”

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