Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 178(@200wpm)___ 142(@250wpm)___ 119(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 178(@200wpm)___ 142(@250wpm)___ 119(@300wpm)
Andrei hadn’t realized that he’d loosened his grip on Lucas’s arms until Lucas suddenly flipped them, putting himself on top of Andrei. A grunt slipped from Andrei’s parted lips before Lucas sealed his mouth over his. Their tongues slid against each other, wringing a groan out of Andrei. He drew Lucas tight against him. For a moment, the question was forgotten and there was only the fire that flickered into existence anytime they were in the same room together. It consumed everything and Andrei just wanted to get lost in Lucas’s touch all over again, to brush aside the worries that were starting to gnaw at him.
Lucas broke off the kiss before it could burn out of control. His left hand swept across the side of Andrei’s face in a feather-light touch before he threaded his fingers through his hair. Andrei met Lucas’s gaze and saw a tenderness there that instantly swamped him with emotions that had not a damn thing to do with sex.
“I won’t lie. I don’t fully understand the changes this is forcing in your life, but I’m thankful every day that you’re willing to try for me.” Lucas brushed his lips across Andrei’s in a sweet kiss. “For us.” He kissed him again on the corner of the mouth. “I’m here for you no matter what. When you need me.” Lucas pulled away enough so that he could look Andrei directly in the eye. “And not when it’s convenient for me. I’m sorry.”
Andrei struggled to breathe and it had nothing to do with Lucas’s weight pressing down on his chest. He cupped the side of Lucas’s neck, his thumb skimming along his hard jaw. “I want to give this a chance. I’m not used to being put on hold. I feel like we’re running short on time.”
A shadow passed over Lucas’s eyes and Andrei could feel the muscles in Lucas’s jaw jump under his thumb. He’d only meant that he’d be working soon and that took up a lot of his time. But Andrei had seen that expression often enough in the past week. Lucas’s mind had jumped back to that night when Lucas and his friends had rescued him. There were things about that night that Andrei still wasn’t willing to ask Lucas about, not yet. But he knew deep in his gut the lines that Lucas had crossed. And he was pretty sure that he wasn’t a good person for feeling the relief or pleasure that came with that knowledge.
He didn’t want the guilt to haunt Lucas any longer, so he did the only thing he could think of to distract him. Lifting his hips, Andrei rubbed his groin against Lucas’s, dragging a moan out of the man, putting the fire back into Lucas’s eyes.
“Went to the doctor today,” Andrei announced with a wide grin.
“Yes, I see you’ve lost a cast. Anything else to report?”
“I’ve been cleared for moderate activity. You got any suggestions of what I might do?”
Lucas chuckled, dipping his head to nibble along Andrei’s neck, working his way up to his earlobe. “I’ve got a few, though I’m sure not one will be what your doctor had in mind.”
“Fuck, I hope not. You’ve become a cruel tease recently,” Andrei complained. He turned his head, meeting Lucas’s wandering mouth in a blistering kiss that left them moaning and straining to be closer.
“Need to move,” Lucas declared on a snarl. He pushed upright onto his knees. “I need in your ass and I don’t have any supplies in here.”
A low chuckle rumbled up Andrei’s throat as he reached into the pockets of his jeans. In one hand, he pulled out three small sample-sized tubes of lube and the other hand a strip of condoms.
“You were thinking ahead.” Lucas started unbuttoning his shirt, revealing glimpses of skin.
Andrei pulled one condom off the strip and held it up. “I think I told you every room of your place.” He tossed one at Lucas, hitting him in the chest. “Kitchen. Living room. Dining room. Stairs. Office.” For every location, he tossed a condom at Lucas. “Everywhere you look, you’re going to remember how we fucked there.”
“Get up. Undress. Now.” Lucas shoved to his feet, shucking his shirt and dropping his hand to his belt.
Andrei’s heart beat out an eager tattoo. He remained on his back long enough to kick off his shoes before jumping to his feet to shove down his pants and boxers. Lucas seemed to hesitate for a moment, standing back with his hands clenched at his side, his breath coming in harsh bursts as his gaze roamed every inch of Andrei’s naked body.
“Touch me, Luc,” Andrei said, his voice as rough as sandpaper. “Touch me and you can feel for yourself that I’m healed.”
Lucas took that last step forward and reached out with trembling fingers, grazing lightly along a new scar on Andrei’s side. His other hand touched another that cut across Andrei’s chest near his heart. The scars were still red and ugly, but they no longer hurt and would soon fade until they were hardly noticeable. Didn’t matter. Andrei knew they haunted Lucas, painful reminders of how close Andrei had come to death. But Andrei didn’t want to think about that and he certainly didn’t want Lucas thinking about Andrei being fragile.