his pretty face before the wedding photos. He’s…he promised he’d make me sorry for it.”
Julian blinked twice, then sat back and laughed. The sound came straight from his chest, booming, hoarse like he hadn’t done it in so long. The smile that came with it lit up his face like a supernova, bright and terrible and glorious and beautiful as it threatened to consume him. Everything about Julian was so much, so good, so worthy, and Archer wanted to take everyone who had ever wronged him and bash their heads until they finally fucking understood what a gift they had in him.
But before he could let himself think on that any further, Julian had him by the face. His fingertips pressed harder than before, possessive like the heat in his eyes. Then he was on him, kissing him, full lips and warm tongue as he pressed Archer into the mattress.
All thoughts of right and wrong, of propriety, of morality flew out the window as his arms wrapped around Julian and he allowed himself to give in to the intense want and desperation that had been simmering since their first fake kiss. He turned his face into it, let his body arch up against Julian’s pressing chest, let his fingers dig into his skin that he hoped would leave bruises behind so he could press into them and feel them hours later.
Julian let out a needy, throaty groan as he opened his mouth fully and tasted every inch Archer was willing to give. His tongue was sweet, and a little bitter from coffee, and his breath was hot as it rushed from his nose. Archer’s hands dug into his shirt, pulling until it lifted up along his back, and he ran his fingers over Julian’s soft curves and delighted in the feel of him.
He was whole, he was gorgeous, he was everything.
Archer had done this out of pity, and somehow tripped and fell heart-first into something more. He was matter and Julian was a black hole, distorting his reality, stopping time, pulling him apart atom by atom until nothing else existed except the places where Julian’s power held him in orbit.
It wouldn’t be long before he was fully undone.
“Will,” he groaned against Archer’s ear, and that was the one thing that stopped him.
If there ever was a magic word that could slam him back into reality, that was it. The stark, cruel reminder that Julian still didn’t know who he was. He softened his kisses, pulled back with gentle ease because he wasn’t going to rip himself away. He wouldn’t destroy this fragile moment because he would tear his own heart out before letting himself hurt Julian with rejection.
“We should,” he said softly, digging his fingers into Julian’s hair as he eased back. “We should…wait?”
Julian blinked, his eyes clouded, but he was coming back to himself. Clearing his throat, he pushed back faster than Archer wanted to allow, and he adjusted himself though it was impossible to hide the raging erection that Archer had mirrored in his own pants.
“That was…I’m sorry. I should have…”
Archer reached for him, and this time Julian avoided his touch with a graceful dodge. “Please don’t. I know this is unconventional, but it’s not because I don’t want you.”
“This isn’t what I paid you for,” Julian said flatly.
Archer felt that like an actual stab wound, and he tried not to wince. “Right. Well.”
Julian looked immediately apologetic. “I’m…this is uncharted territory for me. You’re making it very difficult not to like you. More than I should,” he added.
Archer swallowed thickly. “We should talk. Okay?”
Julian nodded stiffly, then moved toward the door. “I only stopped by to tell you that we’ll be riding with my parents tonight. I promised to help my dad, so I’m going to…” He stopped again, then shook his head like he was trying to clear it. “Meet me over there at half past six.”
Archer’s mouth opened to argue, to beg him to stay, offer to confess every single one of his sins, but Julian was gone before he could make a sound. He sagged back onto the bed, palming himself, eyes squeezed shut, and he felt frustration and self-hatred threaten to overwhelm him.
He couldn’t think of a single scenario where he would have turned Julian down, but if he’d confessed his situation sooner, it might have stopped Julian from initiating it in the first place. His head felt too heavy on his still-hard cock, and he knew Julian wasn’t coming back, so he pushed