Chapter Eight #3
Emory had taken a step away from Graham and crossed his arms over his chest in a way that looked like he was hugging himself. The low light from the lamp on the nightstand made him look softer and younger, almost like he’d never been hurt by Carlyle. Graham wished that were the case.
“You’re not broken,” he said quietly. “You’re healing. There’s a difference.”
Emory’s expression changed, and he relaxed. “I want this,” he said. “I want you here. But I need you to know that I might—” He stopped and sucked in a breath. “I might need to go slow. Or stop. Or—”
“Hey.” Graham crossed the space between them, careful not to touch Emory yet in case he didn’t want him to.
“We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for.
I meant what I said earlier. I just want to be with you.
” He didn’t know when he’d become the most assertive between them, but he didn’t mind it if it helped Emory feel more comfortable, even though it made him feel slightly awkward.
Emory’s gaze searched Graham’s face, looking for something, although Graham didn’t know what. Graham let him look and kept his expression calm and open, even though part of him was freaking out.
After a moment, Emory reached out and grabbed Graham’s hand, linking their fingers together.
“I’m not used to this,” Emory admitted. “I loved Carlyle, but even before he revealed himself for who he was, I sometimes wondered if he really loved me or if he was with me because he needed a shield. There was always a reason for everything he did, you know? He always wanted something from me.”
“I want lots of things from you,” Graham said, because he wanted to be honest. Emory’s eyes widened slightly.
Graham squeezed his hand. He wanted to be honest, but he didn’t want to send Emory running.
“I want to hear about your day. I want to watch you fly, and maybe fly with you one day, when you’re comfortable with that.
I want to know what makes you laugh. I want—” He hesitated, then decided to be brave.
“I want to wake up next to you and know you’re happy I’m there with you. ”
Emory made a soft sound and pulled Graham closer.
This kiss was different from the other one.
It was slower, deeper, more certain, like Emory knew for sure that Graham wouldn’t push him away this time.
Graham let him control the pace, following his lead as they moved toward the bed.
There was no hesitation in him. He wanted this more than he could remember wanting anything else.
They started to take off their clothes carefully, with frequent pauses for kisses and quiet words. Emory’s hands shook slightly when he reached for Graham’s t-shirt, and Graham covered them with his.
“We really don’t have to—”
“I want to,” Emory interrupted. “I’m just, well, it’s been a long time since I’ve done this. I couldn’t trust anyone after Carlyle. I couldn’t be this vulnerable with anyone.”
Yet Emory was choosing to be vulnerable with Graham.
Graham understood and was touched. With Carlyle, everything had been tangled up in power and magic and control because of the bond between him and Emory, but also because of the person Carlyle had been.
This was just Emory and Graham because there could never be any kind of bond between them.
They were choosing each other without any magical bond creating a connection.
“I won’t betray you,” he whispered.
“I know. I like how real this feels.”
“Real is good,” Graham said softly. “I want this to be real.”
Something in Emory’s expression cracked open, and he kissed Graham again.
They fell onto the bed, and it was clumsy and sweet and hopefully nothing like what Emory had experienced with Carlyle.
It was better because it was real. Graham didn’t want anything from Emory except what Emory was willingly giving him.
And Emory was willing to give him a lot.
Graham couldn’t remember the last time he’d done this, and he had a moment of hesitation when Emory reached for his sweatpants, but it didn’t last more than a few seconds. The only thing Graham could read in Emory’s expression was desire. He really wanted Graham.
That shattered the last of Graham’s hesitation. He fumbled with the button of Emory’s jeans, his fingers feeling thick and clumsy. Emory just smiled and helped him, shoving the fabric down his thighs in one impatient movement as soon as it was open.
The cool air of the bedroom raised goosebumps on Graham’s skin, but it was nothing compared to the heat of Emory’s body pressing against his, skin to skin. Emory was all lean muscle and smooth skin, and his hard cock pressed against Graham’s stomach.
Emory’s lips found Graham’s again with renewed hunger, his tongue pushing into Graham’s mouth.
Graham groaned into the kiss, his hands roaming down the long line of Emory’s back, then over the perfect curve of his ass.
He squeezed, pulling him closer, grinding their hips together. The friction made his head spin.
Emory broke the kiss. He reached for the nightstand, fumbling in the drawer for a moment before retrieving a bottle. Graham didn’t have to recognize it to know what it was, and his entire body went hot.
Emory watched him, his lips parted. He poured a generous amount of lube into his palm while Graham watched back. The sounds they were both making were obscenely loud in the quiet room, and it didn’t get any better when Emory’s slick hand wrapped around both of their cocks.
Emory’s grip was firm, his strokes long and sure. Graham’s hips bucked upward, seeking more friction, more pressure, more of everything.
More of Emory.
Graham grabbed Emory’s hips, pressing his fingers hard into his skin.
Their foreheads pressed together, their breaths mingling.
Graham could feel the tension coiling deep in his groin.
He was already close, but the look on Emory’s face told him he wasn’t alone.
It had been so long for both of them, and not only the sex.
The intimacy of what they were doing made Graham want to cry.
“I want you inside me,” Emory breathed against Graham’s mouth, shocking him. “Now, Graham. I need it.”
Graham nodded, his throat too tight for him to speak.
Emory sprawled out onto the bed, his legs falling open, making Graham’s heart hammer in his chest. He moved between Graham’s thighs, trembling with anticipation.
He knew what to do, but he was afraid he might hurt Emory, and he never wanted to do that.
He took the lube, using it to slick his cock. He was moving in quick, desperate movements because he didn’t want to come before he gave Emory what he wanted. Hopefully, focusing on Emory for a bit would help.
Graham did everything he could to make Emory as comfortable as possible with his prep.
He knew how important this was to Emory after everything that had happened with Carlyle, and he wanted to erase those memories.
He never wanted Emory to think about Carlyle again, and while he knew that was impossible, maybe he could give him better memories to think about when he did.
When he pressed the head of his cock against Emory’s entrance, he paused to meet Emory’s gaze. Emory hooked his legs around Graham’s waist and pulled him forward, clearly impatient.
The initial pressure was intense, and when Emory gasped, Graham froze. “Okay?”
“Yes,” Emory hissed. “Don’t stop. Please.”
Graham pushed forward slowly. The heat was unbelievable. Emory’s body welcomed him, but he still moved slowly, and once he was fully in, they both went still for a moment. Graham was overwhelmed by all of it, but he’d also never wanted anything more.
He began to move.
He started with shallow thrusts, just in case, but Emory didn’t say anything to stop him. The slide was smooth, aided by the lube, but the friction was still there, a delicious, building burn. Emory’s eyes were shut tight, his head pressed back, and he was babbling.
He was beautiful.
Graham leaned down to kiss him as he drove into him deeper, finding a rhythm that made Emory’s whole body shudder.
Graham could feel the tight heat around him with every thrust, the way Emory’s body welcomed him and pulled him in deeper.
He pressed one hand next to Emory’s head, while he gripped Emory’s hip with the other, hard enough to leave bruises.
Emory was Graham’s whole world right now, something Graham could never have hoped for a few months ago. He hoped it never changed. He was willing to cherish Emory for the rest of his life, and he hoped Emory would want that.
He reached between them, wrapping his hand around Emory’s cock. Emory shouted, his hips jerking off the bed. “Fuck, Graham!”
That was all it took. The way Emory’s body tightened around Graham was like a fist, coupled with the spill of him coming all over Graham’s hand, sent Graham over the edge.
He lost all rhythm and buried himself to the hilt as his own orgasm ripped through him.
He came inside Emory, Emory’s name on his lips.
Graham collapsed forward, catching his weight on his elbows, and pressed his forehead against Emory’s shoulder. They were both sweaty and panting, but the intimacy was everything Graham dreamed of. For a long time, the only sound was their heavy breathing as they both calmed down.
They couldn’t stay like this forever. Graham carefully pulled out and rolled onto his side, taking Emory with him, unwilling to break the contact. He dragged the blanket over their bodies, and Emory immediately curled against him.
They lay tangled under the covers, Emory’s head on Graham’s chest and Graham’s fingers trailing patterns along Emory’s shoulder. The castle was quiet around them, but Graham could hear the distant sound of the lake outside.
“Thank you,” Emory murmured.
“For what?”
“For staying. For coming back. For being patient with me.”
Graham pushed back a strand of dark hair from Emory’s forehead. “You’re worth the patience. You’re worth everything.” Maybe it was too soon, but Graham was sure of that.
Emory pressed a kiss to Graham’s collarbone. “Stay,” he whispered. “Not just tonight. Stay.”
Graham’s throat felt tight. He knew what Emory was asking. “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised. “You’re stuck with me now.”
He felt Emory smile against his skin. “Good,” Emory murmured, sounding half-asleep. “That’s good.”
Graham lay awake a while longer, listening to Emory’s breathing as he slipped into sleep. For the first time in years—maybe for the first time ever—Graham felt like he was where he was supposed to be. He pressed a kiss to the top of Emory’s head and let himself relax into the moment.
Tomorrow, they’d figure out what this meant, how to be together in a castle full of powerful mages and dragon shifters—some of whom hated Graham. But tonight, Graham let himself simply be happy.