Page 102 of Midnight Ink

“This is how it’s going to be from now on.” Pleasure crawls up my spine. He starts to jerk himself. “You and me, baby. Every day. How it’s always been, but better.”

“Better?”

I moan, thrusting deep. “Better because I’m not afraid to admit how I feel.”

“How’s that?” He moans.

“That I love you, and I’ve loved you for a while now. It’s always been you, Jules. Always.” He tilts his face back to look at me while I drive inside his body. Over and over again until we’re both panting and breathless. “You and me, Jules. My best friend. You’re my everything. You’ve always been everything to me.”

I spread his ass and watch where we’re connected. The grip he has on me is insane. “Ugh.” Julian squeezes my thigh then pushes me back. I slip out and watch him drop onto his back. I enter him again, kissing his lips, breathing his air, and I don’t know how I could just have ignored this. I’ve fought this truth for so long, and giving in has never felt so sweet.

“You feel so good, Ian.”

“Same, baby.” I kiss his forehead, feeling his arms around me. “I mean it, Jules. I’m not running from this.”

His dark eyes shine on me.

He comes between us, his body tightening around mine. I pull out and jerk myself, coming onto his stomach. I lean back over him, dropping a kiss to his mouth then his forehead. “Wait here.”

I walk down to his bathroom and get a warm washcloth, smiling like a fucking idiot. It’s a weird feeling that follows me. For the first time I don’t feel weighed down. I feel light and free.

When I walk back in, Julian is still lying where I left him. Spent and beautiful. Fully sated and happy. I wash his stomach then throw the washcloth into the hamper and take the spot next to him.

We lie there quietly, just wrapped in each others arms and happy not to move. “Are you freaking out yet?”

I lift my head to look at him. “No more freaking out, Jules. I mean it.”

He exhales, long and slow, like he’s been holding this breath for years. He doesn’t have to anymore. My fingers trace lazy patterns along his tattoos. “Good,” he says finally. “I don’t think I could survive another round of overthinking.”

I huff a soft laugh. “Fair.”

His chest vibrates beneath my cheek. I feel a kiss press into my hair. It’s this right here, the steadiness and safety of being with him. Warm and soft.

We lie like that for a while. I don’t think we leave the bed much at all. Our world narrows to these four walls. Shared breaths. Tangled limbs. I feel different. Not fixed or magically healed by any means. Just at peace. Like I’ve been off balance for years and I’ve finally righted myself.

“So, what happens now?”

I lift my head to meet his eyes. There’s no fear in them. No edge, just curiosity. “Now?” I think about us and what I want. “Now we don’t pretend anymore. We move forward. Together. As a team.”

His smile is slow. “As a team.”

TWENTY-THREE

JULIAN

Iwake up to fingers tracing each tattoo within Ian’s reach. Slow and deliberate, as if he’s memorizing them. As if he didn’t put them there. I love the way he looks at me. Like he can’t believe he’s allowed to touch me.

“Morning.”

He rests his chin on my sternum, looking up at me, his soft red hair a little erratic from sleep. It makes my chest ache. “Morning.” He presses his lips to the center of my chest right over my heartbeat.

“Come here.”

Ian crawls up my body, kissing me hard. I wrap my arms around him and roll him onto his back. A low groan escapes me when his calf slides over my ass. “Can I fuck you?”

Ian opens his mouth, but it’s cut off by a knock that startles us both. “Are you expecting anyone?”

I shake my head. “Maybe Anna’s checking to see if you finally nutted up.”