Page 41 of Bull's Boy

“His husband?” Malcolm repeated, eyebrows rising.

“Yes. Lukas is very happily married.”

“Oh,” Malcolm muttered, dropping his head and wrapping his arms around himself. “Fuck. This is embarrassing.”

Bull cupped his chin and raised his face. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’d feel the same way if I saw you hugging another man. Especially right now when things are new and… uncertain.” He debated whether or not he should mention that he and Lukas used to be a couple, then decided he didn’t want Malcolm to find out later and be hurt that Bull had kept it from him. “A couple of years ago, Lukas and I did briefly date, but it never got very serious. We’ve just stayed friendly.”

Malcolm winced. “I don’t know if that makes it better or worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, he’s really good-looking,” Malcolm whispered.

He didn’t mean to, but Bull laughed, then immediately felt like shit when Malcolm’s lips parted and hurt flashed across his face. “I’m sorry, baby, but you seriously do not have anything toworry about. You are gorgeous. Every time I look at you, I have a hard time looking away.”

A lovely flush grew on Malcolm’s cheeks, making his handful of freckles stand out. Bull wanted to trace the small constellations with his fingers and then kiss each one.

“I’m sorry I made a scene in there,” Malcolm said. “I kind of… lost my head.”

“I have to say, I’m a bit surprised,” Bull said slowly, studying his face. “Considering how you’ve been acting since your shift started, I didn’t think you would want to draw so much attention to us.”

Malcolm’s face scrunched. “What are you talking about?”

Sighing, Bull stepped back and ran a hand over the back of his head. “You were acting like it was any other day, so I thought you might not want people around here to know about what happened this weekend.” He lowered himself to the couch and tried to keep his voice neutral, not wanting Malcolm to feel pressured into doing things just to not hurt Bull’s feelings. “I understand if that’s what you want to do. You’ve got a lot to figure out, and I don’t want you to feel rushed.”

Malcolm cocked his head and closed the distance between them until he stood between Bull’s spread legs. He ran a finger over one of Bull’s knees, the light touch raising goose bumps on his arms. He was so easy for this man.

“I didn’t really think about it,” Malcolm admitted, his gaze on his finger tracing over the ridges. “It sort of felt like a regular day, so I just did what I always do. Plus, Dahlia already knows, so it’s not like it’s a secret. We were actually talking about it when we came in.”

“Is that why you were smiling when you got here?”

A shy grin spread across Malcolm’s face. “You were watching me?”

“I don’t know how else to say it, baby boy,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s no one for me but you, and there hasn’t been since I met you. You’re all I see the moment you walk into any room.”

Malcolm sucked in a breath. “Fuck, I love when you say things like that to me.”

Bull chuckled and scratched his jaw. “It’s just the truth. I can’t say I’m not flattered you got jealous over me talking with Lukas, but I’m not going to pretend like I haven’t been crazy about you for months. I’m sorry if that’s… too much or freaks you out.”

He was shaking his head and climbing onto Bull’s lap before he even finished talking. “It doesn’t. I like it,” Malcolm said in a hurried tone, clasping the sides of Bull’s face. “I like the idea of you maybe being a little obsessed with me. Even if that makes me a bad person.”

“Baby, I’m not a little anything,” Bull said, threading his fingers into the hair on the back of Malcolm’s head and holding tight. “My obsession with you runs soul-deep.”

Malcolm fell on him with a soft, keening sound that ripped at Bull’s insides. He tightened his grip on his soft hair and tilted his head, sealing their lips together. He threw everything he’d felt the last day into the kiss, all his worries and hopes and his achingly sweet relief. Malcolm wasn’t pulling back. He didn’t regret the things they’d done. He didn’t want to go back to how things had been.

He still wanted Bull, needed him.

Whimpering, Malcolm opened for him, letting him plunder his mouth and pour himself into every inch of his slender frame. He wrapped his arm around his body, tugging Malcolm forward so they were plastered together. His cock hardened at an uncomfortable angle, trapped by his jeans and Malcolm’s weight.

When he had to tear his mouth away to gasp for breath, he panted and stared into Malcolm’s glassy eyes. His pink lips were damp and flushed darker, calling to Bull like a fucking siren song.

But he wanted something else first.

Dipping down, he licked up the side of Malcolm’s neck, smirking as he rolled his hips against Bull. His boy’s neck was so sensitive, but there was one area in particular he’d discovered the day before that he zeroed in on. He sealed his lips around the erogenous spot and sucked, working the skin hard.

If Malcolm was going to doubt his devotion, he was going to leave a mark that could be seen from outer space. A reminder that there was no one for him but the sweet boy rocking in his lap.

“Fuck,” Malcolm groaned, slipping a hand behind Bull’s head and holding him closer. “I can’t believe you’re giving me a hickey.”

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