Chapter 23
Dante
The sun cuts across the bed in a sharp slice from between the curtains, and I reach beside me to find cold sheets. I frown, but it vanishes the moment I catch the delicious scent drifting from the kitchen. I climb out of bed, pull on shorts and a t-shirt, and make my way down the hall.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Theo calls from the stove, wearing loose sweatpants and one of his long-sleeved crop tops. Bacon sizzles in one pan while pancakes brown in another.
“I could get used to this, you know,” I say as I walk over to him.
He hums a pleased little sound. “What’s that? Waking up to a pretty man in your kitchen every morning?”
I make a show of scrunching my nose. “What? No. Having someone cook for me.”
His laughter rings out as he whips around and swats at me with the spatula.
I wrap my arms around him, pinning his flailing hands to his sides. “You smell like cookies again.”
He leans into me for a moment before pulling back with a grimace that’s offset by the mischief in his eyes. “And you really, really smell like a man this morning. Go take a shower. I’ll have food ready when you’re done.”
“What if I’m hungry now?”
“Oh?” he asks with a lifted brow as he grabs the bad pancake off the stack. It’s the first one that always comes out misshapen and slightly burnt, and I try to back away. Before I can, he presses it against my mouth and pokes a piece between my lips.
“Can’t have you going hungry while I’m around,” he says with a giant smile. “Isn’t it delicious?”
I give up the struggle and allow him to shove the pancake into my mouth until my cheeks bulge. “It is the most delicious,” I agree around the mouthful.
His eyes light up as he pats my cheek. “You love it? Let me grab you another!”
I force a hurried swallow and shake my head. “Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly ask for more while you’re so hard at work.” I twist free from his grip and take a few steps back.
He wields the spatula like a weapon. “It’s no trouble, honeybun.”
“Oh, but it really is,” I drawl, backing into the doorframe.
“Go shower then, if you want some of the good ones.”
His quiet laughter follows me down the hall, and I lock myself in the bathroom with a giant grin on my face. My morning routine is quick, but I move with unusual purpose this morning. I shower, run a razor over my head, and toss on some clothes.
Theo is plating our food in the living room when I return. He’s peace this morning in a way I haven’t seen on him in a long time, and the expression doesn’t fade as we eat. It strikes me how incredibly easy it has always been with Theo.
Ever since the day I met him and he flashed me that beautiful smile, I’ve been completely smitten and wrapped around his little finger. He was only nineteen, walking into the room with the confidence of someone who knew he held the world in his hands. I was awed, and if I’m being honest… jealous.
Jealous of the sunny way he viewed the world, and jealous of the way the world loved him back.
It’s not in my nature to be attracted to someone at first glance, so I can’t even say that’s what pulled me to him.
He’s an anomaly—a piece of my life I’ve never been able to fit into my carefully crafted box.
From the moment he crashed into that practice session, something inside him has called to something inside me.
He never wanted me to change, and never expected anything from me except my trust and time. He’s the one constant in my life.
“Whatcha thinking about?” Theo sidles up behind me as I wash the dishes.
“You,” I say softly.
He wraps his arms around me in a tight hug. “Are we going to discuss last night?”
“We probably should,” I say.
His hold loosens just enough for me to turn until we’re face to face, his arms still anchored around my waist. There’s a quiet curiosity in the way he watches me. “You’re calmer than I expected.”
“What did you think would happen?”
“If we’re being honest, Dante? I had no idea. It wouldn’t be the first time you let me get close and pulled away again.” My lips purse as I glance the other direction, unable to refute the argument when we both know it’s true. “This felt different, though.”
I sneak a peek back at him, and those azure eyes are still locked on my face.
“It was different.”
He curls into me again, resting his cheek on my chest. “You claimed me.”
“I did.”
“Publicly.”
“Very much so.”
His hand settles on my stomach, drifting mindlessly. “Where does this leave us?”
I hesitate, drawing in a slow breath as I hold him close. “There’s no guarantee I won’t fuck this up, Theo.”
“Life doesn’t offer guarantees,” he says quietly. “But this? You and me? It’s the closest either of us will ever get to one.”
“Why do you have so much confidence in me?”
He tilts his face up, meeting my eyes and baring himself completely. “Because I know why you hide,” he whispers. “I know it’s from some misguided idea that you’re doing what’s best for me. But you aren’t. You’re what’s best for me, and the rest is just noise.”
Tears burn behind my eyes as I force myself not to look away as he continues.
“I’ve been trying to make you mine for years, and you’ve always turned me down.
I know you’ve got shit to work through… I know you’ve been hurt.
” His voice stays steady, but I can see the fractures beneath it.
“But you can’t keep living afraid, and you can’t keep pulling away every time we get close.
Don’t get my hopes up now just to take it away again. That isn’t fair.”
“I know it isn’t,” I say softly.
He nods, eyes never leaving mine. “Then answer me honestly. Do you want me? Want this?”
“More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”
Theo curls into my chest. “Does it hurt you to be without me?”
“It kills me,” I whisper, my fingers tracing mindless shapes across his back.
“Every day, you sacrifice your happiness because of this misguided belief that it protects me… like you’re saving me from getting hurt.
But you’re already hurting me.” My arms tighten around him as a sharp rush of guilt slices through my chest. “You hurt me every time you reject me. Every minute you drag this out gets harder. Don’t do this to me again, okay?
Don’t give me hope and then pull it away. ”
“I won’t.” My eyes squeeze shut against the tears still burning behind them.
“Stay,” he whispers, fingers fisting in my shirt.
“I’m here,” I whisper back. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He releases a heavy breath and yanks me closer. “It’s about fucking time,” he mutters, and our lips crash together.
There’s no time to recover from the heat of his kiss before he jumps into my arms. I scramble to catch him as his legs circle my waist and my arms band tightly around him. His fingers claw at my shoulders as mine dig into his thighs, and we become nothing but a frantic tangle of hands and lips.
I spin and set him on the counter, sending a plate crashing to the floor. When I turn toward the sound, he grips my chin with firm fingers and yanks my face back to his.
“Leave it,” he demands, voice rough.
A deep moan vibrates against his mouth as I surrender completely. His tongue pushes inside, licking and sucking as we devour each other. My mind goes blank, every thought narrowing down to the hungry press of his lips and the wet, needy slide of our tongues.
He rips his mouth away. “You’re mine now.” I nod, leaning in again because I’m desperate for more, but he stops me. “Say it. I need to hear it.”
“Yours… all yours. Always yours.”
“Good boy,” he murmurs, crashing his lips back to mine.
His hands roam greedily over every inch of my body as we fight to get closer, skin burning against skin.
Our bodies press flush together, his heels digging into my lower back, and a low groan tears from my throat when I feel his cock against my stomach.
I grip his ass and drive my hips forward, every nerve ending igniting at the friction.
When he pulls back, I chase his mouth. He smiles against my lips and nudges me away with a palm to my chest, then hops off the counter to stand in front of me.
“Can I touch you?” he asks, voice husky.
“I might actually die if you don’t,” I breathe.
He laughs softly and steps into my space.
Just as I think I could live off the sound of his happiness forever, he grabs the nape of my neck and drags our mouths back together.
He moans into the kiss, and when he cups my cock through my jeans, the rest of the world fades to white noise.
Static crackles up my limbs before plunging low to settle deep in my core.
I fumble on a breath and make a pitiful, desperate sound, like it’s the first time anyone has ever touched me.
And maybe it’s the first time it’s ever truly mattered.
The slow drag of his palm has me thrusting helplessly into his touch, that buzzing heat in my core spreading until my entire body burns with it.
We stumble into the living room, unwilling to separate long enough to do anything but fight to stay upright.
I’m desperate, floundering, and touching him anywhere I can reach because I need to stay grounded.
I need something to anchor me to this earth before I simply float away.
Theo guides me with steady, sure hands. It’s surreal, almost dreamlike, how he moves with such a confident, assertive way. There’s desire there, burning as hot as white flame, but it’s leashed and lurking beneath the surface. Crouched and ready to pounce.
Every ounce of my iron-clad control slips through my fingers, willingly surrendered to him. He’s in charge now, and instead of panic, all I feel is profound relief that it’s in his hands.
“On the couch,” he orders.
I drop into the center as he takes a few steps backward. I start to rise, to chase after him and pull him close again, but he raises an eyebrow and holds up a hand. “You be good and wait for me right there.”