It was so comforting.
Gene pulled the comforter over them, and they stayed curled together under it.
When Ethan sighed, Gene was curious.
“Was that a good sigh or a bad one. I can’t read sighs,” he admitted.
“It was a‘I wish we could stay in bed like this all day and cuddle together until we wake up from a nap’sigh.”
Gene was feeling that.
To.
His.
Bones.
“I mean, I offered to go skiing in a lodge where we could cuddle by a fire. If I remember correctly, you turned that down,” he joked.
That’s when it hit him.
He had turned it down. Ethan had been in his feels, and not good ones, and he’d actually declined a moment where he and Gene could take time for themselves.
What the hell had he been thinking?
It also occurred to him that turning that down likely hurt Gene in some way.
Yeah, he did that a lot.
So, he did a one-eighty and made it right.
He wanted to live in the moment, not hide from the joy like he’d always done.
“Okay. Let’s do it. Fuck it. You, me, cuddling on a bear rug. You’re the bear rug. I’m the cuddler.”
He snorted.
“Sold. I’ll be your bearskin rug any day. What kind of lunatic doesn’t want you lying on them?”
Yeah, someone knew the right thing to say at the best times. That was for damn sure.
Ethan ran his hand through Gene’s chest hair, enjoying the way it felt against his fingers.
Now, Gene had to ask.
“You better?” he inquired.
Ethan actually nodded.
“Yeah, I feel much better. You nearly getting shot, and everything else helped me refocus. I feel human again. Thank you for helping me through it.”
That was Gene’s pleasure.
“I’m your partner, and now that you’ve given me your heart, it’s mine to protect. I will always help you refocus.”
Ethan was honest.
“I want to be that person for you. How do I learn to be a better partner?” he asked.
