Daniel couldn’t help but laugh as he slid his hands up Jensen’s sweater and wrapped his arms around his neck. “Yes, handsome, I’m sure.”
A smile overtaking his face, Jensen clasped Daniel’s hips. “I love you too. So much.”
“Are you sure?” Daniel teased, tugging at a strand of Jensen’s hair as his heart skipped a beat and butterflies took flight in his stomach.
“I have never loved anyone or anything as much as I love you.” Jensen wrapped his long fingers around Daniel’s wrist and moved his hand up to kiss his palm. “The earth could spin on for another billion years and no one would be able to match the love I feel for you. You restore me and make me want to be a better person. You’ve changed my life, and I can’t stand the thought of ever going back.”
“Who said anything about going backward?”
“Not me.” Jensen brushed his lips against Daniel’s palm again. “Never me. I can’t wait for the future with you.”
Daniel took his hand back and replaced it with his own lips. The kiss was gentle at first, just a soft meeting, until it wasn’t. All at once, the events of the past week slammed into Daniel—hell, the events of the past few months flashed through his mind—and he felt so alive. So alive and so fucking happy. It was like his life had restarted, like his heart had been sitting dormant for the past several years and had finally started beating again, pumping hot, fresh blood through his body and exciting him.
He tugged on Jensen’s sweater, forcing them closer together as Daniel parted his lips, deepening the kiss. If they were anywhere else, he might be concerned about getting in trouble for public indecency. The kiss, even as he tried his best to wrap himself around Jensen, was one of the least scandalous things he’d ever done in the hotel—maybe second only to giving a lost elderly couple directions to a nearby museum. And he really couldn’t care less if anyone happened upon him shoving his hand underneath Jensen’s clothes to feel how his stomach moved with each breath. How could he care about anything else in this moment?
All the burdens that plagued him had been cut down one by one, and even though his debt remained, everything was looking up. He now had a huge payout to put toward his refinanced cards and private loans and a job that would pay him enough to chip away at the rest. And on top of all that, like a cherry on a very satisfying sundae, he had Jensen, who had somehow forced Daniel to open up his crusted-shut eyes and finally see a way forward.
Daniel pulled away, his lungs screaming for air, his lips wet, and his dick beginning to press against his zipper. A thought occurred to him, causing his lips to quirk. “Think we can get a room here for old times’ sake?”
Color rushed to Jensen’s cheeks, and he shot Daniel a bashful smile as he pulled a key out of his pocket. “I didn’t want to be presumptuous, but well … we’re already checked in.”
Daniel threw his head back and let out a laugh that sounded like triumph and relief and coming home after a long period away. Chest nearly bursting with how happy he was, he couldn’t help but attach a deeper meaning to Jensen’s words.
In regard to his life and his relationship, Daniel was so fucking checked in.
Epilogue
Jensen stareddown at the sock that lay perfectly flat on the floor a few feet in front of the door. Its pair was several feet further into the house, also looking intentionally placed. It wasn’t the first time he’d found Daniel’s socks left out since they moved in together, but they were usually bundled up and discarded in less conspicuous places. And it was more often than not due to them fooling around.
Confused, he picked up both socks. Then he saw a dress shirt on the floor. That was quite unusual.
When he’d moved in with Daniel two and a half years ago, he worried they might drive each other mad with differing opinions on how their living space should be kept. Luckily, that wasn’t the case. They both could let things get a little bit messy when they were too busy or overwhelmed with other aspects of life. Their house was never actually dirty though. And Daniel had never left various pieces of clothing on the floor.
Especially not the nice button-ups he wore to the parties he oversaw for Butler Events. He kept them spotless and ironed. It was a point of pride for him.
Grabbing the shirt off the floor, Jensen grew more confused as to what might cause this behavior. He was about to call outto Daniel when he spotted a pair of black slacks in the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Now he was just exasperated. Jensen had had a bit of a long day at work, trying to fit seemingly every modern luxury known to man inside a client’s home who also wanted to maintain its historical look, and the last thing he wanted to do was clean the house.
After moving to Sevier, he had not become a full-time employee with Larsson and Fowl, but he did work with them quite frequently as a consultant or contractor. To keep himself busy, he had created accounts on a few social media sites that had taken off in a way his blog never did. Now he was hired by people across the country, and sometimes in other countries, to help them design and decorate their homes. He even occasionally worked with Daniel to curate fantasy-themed weddings and events.
He loved his job most days, but this week had been frustrating. Not to mention the chaos his grandmother had caused by announcing she would be coming to stay with his parents in Sevier for an entire month. And there was an outfit leading up to the bedroom for no reason. If Daniel was already going to their room, why wouldn’t he just put all his dirty clothes into their hamper? It made no sense.
Oh well. There were still times when Jensen could admit he didn’t understand his boyfriend. And that was part of the fun. They challenged each other, and Jensen felt like he was learning something new about Daniel each day. He hoped that never stopped being the case.
He reached their closed bedroom door to find Daniel’s boxers hung on the doorknob. That was … strange. It seemed a bit unsanitary and like it would have taken less effort to just throw them in the hamper. He would be having a talk with Daniel about appropriate places to store laundry.
Intending to put the dirty clothes in the proper place, Jensen opened the door to their bedroom. And promptly slammed it shut again.
“Did you seriously just close the door?” Daniel yelled out.
Jensen cringed and opened it a crack. “Yes?”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Daniel said with a laugh. “Get your ass in here.”
Jensen gripped the doorframe and let the door swing open.
Daniel rested against the colorful pillows on their four-poster bed, his legs splayed out on the quilt. His skin had a slight flush to it, which was only accentuated by the emerald-green lace he wore. The nearly transparent mesh started as thick straps on his shoulders, then parted to reveal his pink nipples, hairless chest, and toned stomach. Low on his groin, the opening ended at aV. Even though they were covered, his cock and balls bulged against the fabric, making it more obscene and tantalizing than if they were exposed.
Daniel’s hand ran up the side of his bare thigh, then hip, until he finally reached where the fabric started. “What do you think? The only elf costumes I could find were of the Christmas variety, so I had to improvise,” he said, then brought his hand up to his head.
