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He rubbed his chest with the memory because it still felt like being stabbed when he thought of it, and quickened his steps down the stairs. He hated the thought of Ian freezing on the floor somewhere.
Normally, Hollis slept with his arm or leg over Ian, and he awakened fast when the man started scooting for the edge of the bed. And sometimes, Ian slept fully stretched out on top of him, sprawled half between his legs, with his face in Hollis’s neck.
Fuck, Hollis loved that.
Plenty of moonlight filled their open living area and kitchen and he scouted the hardwood as he padded across the room toward the laundry. He knew Ian worried Hollis wouldn’t feel like this place was his home, but he did. Ian had happily moved anything that hadn’t been destroyed into the townhome and made Hollis feel welcome. Hell, just his damn smile made Hollis feel that way. He hugged his arms close as the chilly air raised goose bumps, missing the warmth of their bed.
A low laugh stopped him in his tracks and he spun around to find Ian curled up on the couch under a throw blanket, the faint light from his e-book reader revealing his face. “Looking for me?”
He walked to stand in front of Ian, relieved to find him awake and aware. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I just couldn’t sleep so I came down here to read.” He slowly looked up and down Hollis’s body. “Like the view, but I bet you’re cold. I think we need to have the heater checked.”
“I’ll look at it in the morning. I’m not scheduled for anything with Shane until ten.” He eyed his boyfriend, looking for stress and finding none. Relief relaxed his shoulders. “You can read in bed. That bit of light won’t bother me. You not there beside me bothers me.”
“I give you enough reasons to wake at night—don’t you think?”
Amusement pulled up one side of his mouth. “Most of them are good reasons.”
Ian turned his reader, aiming the light at Hollis’s naked crotch. “Looks like you’re thinking of one of those now.”
Hollis smirked down at his inevitable hard-on. “GQ, I am always thinking of those reasons when I’m around you. And a lot of the time even when I’m not.”
Ian turned off his reader, set the throw to the side, and stood up on the cushions. He wore only boxers that rode low and Hollis’s hands automatically came up to hold his hips. He stroked both thumbs over the sexy hip bones that drove him crazy. Ian leaned over, wrapped his arms around Hollis’s neck, and melted right into him. He was warm and his lean body felt so good against him. Hollis slid his hands around to cup Ian’s ass and hoist him all the way into his arms. He ignored his cranky hamstrings and started toward the stairs—Ian’s arms and legs tight about him.
He adored this side of Ian. The man oversaw that restaurant with skill, was quick to set employees straight, and he was unbelievably strict about the quality of every dish that left the kitchen. His belief in his abilities was something to behold. Hollis loved that confident side of him, the bold one—that Hollis partially attributed to him half growing up around Lucas and Snow. But he was also generous. Then here, when it was just the two of them, Ian let himself be something else entirely. He wasn’t afraid to show his affection. He liked that he was smaller than Hollis, liked that Hollis could carry him or hold him down in bed. He cared for him, spoiled him rotten at times, and occasionally irritated the shit out of him. But that was good. All perfect all the time would mean no fire.
And together, they burned.
Ian kissed his jaw, his neck. He opened his mouth and sucked flesh between his lips and Hollis picked up speed. The soft chuckles against his neck made him shiver. When Ian pulled back enough to fasten his lips to Hollis’s, he nearly ran him into the wall. More laughter spilled from Ian and he ran his fingers through Hollis’s hair.
“I’m so glad you let it grow back out. It’s so soft. So wonderfully messy.”
“You just like using it as an anchor.” Not that he minded. Fuck, he was ready for Ian to pull his hair now. And normally, he’d be all over Hollis, pulling and tugging, sucking and biting. His capacity for passion blew Hollis’s mind and kept him in what felt like a permanent state of arousal. But he could tell that Ian was in the mood for something else tonight. It was in the way he’d melted against him downstairs, in his soft laughter, and in the tender way he was running his fingers through Hollis’s hair.
This side—this gentle, sensual side—made Hollis’s heart swell. It made him almost stupid with the desire to be everything this man needed because he wanted to keep him forever. And he was pretty sure one lifetime might not be enough time together.
