bruises than without by the end of the night.”
“Yeah, I was always pretty clumsy. Good job I grew out of it.”
“I did wonder how you coped on a mission—I half suspected you would have to untangle yourself from the plants before you could begin rescuing fair maidens.”
Mike’s warmth at his side made Robert’s mind regress back to being a teenager, their first kiss, here in this field, the first exploration of each other’s bodies with fumbling fingers and fevered curiosity.
Robert didn’t know if it was just the sense of nostalgia caused by sitting under the tree as they’d done uncountable times when they were younger, but he really needed to know if he was reading things wrong. “Mike, can I ask you something?”
“I hope there’s never a time when you couldn’t, Bobby,” said Mike as he turned and smiled.
“It’s still there, isn’t it? I mean what’s between us—it’s not just me being optimistic.”
“I don’t think it ever went away, at least for me.” Mike reached over and took Bobby’s hand. “We just need to make sure we’re both in the right place. While I understand that you needed to get away then, that you needed to stand on your own feet, I wouldn’t survive you leaving me again.”
“It wasn’t you I was leaving.” Robert reached forward and cupped Mike’s cheek, his thumb stroking across Mike’s cheekbone. “I love you.”
He leaned in and brushed his lips against Mike’s, still not completely sure if Mike would kiss him back or push him away. Mike’s dry lips moved under his, welcoming the kiss. Robert had imagined far too many times what it would be like to kiss Mike again. The long hours after a rescue when his adrenaline rush wouldn’t allow him to settle were filled with visions of Mike.
The drumming started in his chest, followed by a wash of warmth that flowed through his upper body.
Robert cracked open one eye and saw the golden glow enveloping the hand that cupped Mike’s cheek. He should’ve realized this was what he needed to make him whole. Mike had been the trigger all those years ago, and now he was here again, making Robert complete.
He kissed Mike deeper this time. A need burned within him; the blood raced in his ears, and Robert groaned with the twin sensations of desire and his powers flooding his veins. The rush of his blood and the pounding of his heart made Robert’s world spin, but nothing could make him pull away from Mike. He slid his fingers into the soft hair at Mike’s nape, anchoring himself in the silky strands, keeping himself focused on the single most important thing in his life.
They pulled apart, panting. Robert could see Mike’s eyes were wide open and sparkling, the irises a sliver of blue as he caught his breath. It was like he’d been transported back in time, remembering the lazy afternoons spent exploring each other, the tentative touches that grew bolder with every passing day. He knew what Mike tasted like, knew the noises he made as he spiraled into climax, and he wanted to relive every single moment.
“How am I expected to function when you kiss me like that?” murmured Mike as he leaned forward and rested his head in the crook of Robert’s neck.
Automatically, Robert’s hand came up to stroke Mike’s hair, and he couldn’t resist burrowing his fingers into the curls. “Just you wait ’til I get you into bed.”
Mike chuckled. “We never used to wait to get to a bed.”
“I thought you went off the idea of outdoor sex after landing in a patch of stinging nettles when we jumped over that hedge to stop us from getting caught by your brother.”
“And I seem to remember you landing on top of me and not getting so much as a prickle!”
Robert grinned at the memory. “I promise no nettles. Although I did enjoy helping you apply the chamomile lotion.”
“Any excuse to get my clothes off.”
“No denials from me.”
Robert reached down and gently ran his hand across a patch of springy moss
“Yeah, I was always pretty clumsy. Good job I grew out of it.”
“I did wonder how you coped on a mission—I half suspected you would have to untangle yourself from the plants before you could begin rescuing fair maidens.”
Mike’s warmth at his side made Robert’s mind regress back to being a teenager, their first kiss, here in this field, the first exploration of each other’s bodies with fumbling fingers and fevered curiosity.
Robert didn’t know if it was just the sense of nostalgia caused by sitting under the tree as they’d done uncountable times when they were younger, but he really needed to know if he was reading things wrong. “Mike, can I ask you something?”
“I hope there’s never a time when you couldn’t, Bobby,” said Mike as he turned and smiled.
“It’s still there, isn’t it? I mean what’s between us—it’s not just me being optimistic.”
“I don’t think it ever went away, at least for me.” Mike reached over and took Bobby’s hand. “We just need to make sure we’re both in the right place. While I understand that you needed to get away then, that you needed to stand on your own feet, I wouldn’t survive you leaving me again.”
“It wasn’t you I was leaving.” Robert reached forward and cupped Mike’s cheek, his thumb stroking across Mike’s cheekbone. “I love you.”
He leaned in and brushed his lips against Mike’s, still not completely sure if Mike would kiss him back or push him away. Mike’s dry lips moved under his, welcoming the kiss. Robert had imagined far too many times what it would be like to kiss Mike again. The long hours after a rescue when his adrenaline rush wouldn’t allow him to settle were filled with visions of Mike.
The drumming started in his chest, followed by a wash of warmth that flowed through his upper body.
Robert cracked open one eye and saw the golden glow enveloping the hand that cupped Mike’s cheek. He should’ve realized this was what he needed to make him whole. Mike had been the trigger all those years ago, and now he was here again, making Robert complete.
He kissed Mike deeper this time. A need burned within him; the blood raced in his ears, and Robert groaned with the twin sensations of desire and his powers flooding his veins. The rush of his blood and the pounding of his heart made Robert’s world spin, but nothing could make him pull away from Mike. He slid his fingers into the soft hair at Mike’s nape, anchoring himself in the silky strands, keeping himself focused on the single most important thing in his life.
They pulled apart, panting. Robert could see Mike’s eyes were wide open and sparkling, the irises a sliver of blue as he caught his breath. It was like he’d been transported back in time, remembering the lazy afternoons spent exploring each other, the tentative touches that grew bolder with every passing day. He knew what Mike tasted like, knew the noises he made as he spiraled into climax, and he wanted to relive every single moment.
“How am I expected to function when you kiss me like that?” murmured Mike as he leaned forward and rested his head in the crook of Robert’s neck.
Automatically, Robert’s hand came up to stroke Mike’s hair, and he couldn’t resist burrowing his fingers into the curls. “Just you wait ’til I get you into bed.”
Mike chuckled. “We never used to wait to get to a bed.”
“I thought you went off the idea of outdoor sex after landing in a patch of stinging nettles when we jumped over that hedge to stop us from getting caught by your brother.”
“And I seem to remember you landing on top of me and not getting so much as a prickle!”
Robert grinned at the memory. “I promise no nettles. Although I did enjoy helping you apply the chamomile lotion.”
“Any excuse to get my clothes off.”
“No denials from me.”
Robert reached down and gently ran his hand across a patch of springy moss
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