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“Bed,” Hudson answered honestly, his voice thick with need. He wasn’t even hungry anymore, though he knew calories were a good idea.
Peyton licked his lips, then nodded, snatching the plates from the counter and hurrying down the hall. Hudson took his time, coaxing Pancake back onto his shoulder, then he took him back to the office and shut the door, promising to make it up to him later. Knowing his vicious bird, the little shit would end up biting one of them in the balls if he let him have free rein while they were fooling around.
When he made it back to the bedroom, Peyton was sitting cross-legged near the headboard, leaving a wide space for Hudson. The covers were pulled back and the plates were arranged carefully so he could slide into the bed without tipping anything over.
It was a small, easy thing that most people wouldn’t have thought twice about, but it made Hudson warm all over. Maybe it was just because Peyton lived the kind of life where he was never allowed to go about his day without thinking of his body. Or maybe he’d always been that kind of person.
But for all that Hudson had been running from his feelings, he was starting to realize he never had any chance of escaping the profound impact Peyton was about to make on his life.
Bzzt!Bzzt!
Hudson’s hands froze where he was pressing them to the seat of his chair, and he bowed his head.
“Do you need to get that?” Peyton asked.
Hudson let out a breath, then shook his head. “No. It’s either fuck-face or it’s my mom, and you couldn’t pay me to deal with either one of them right now.”
Peyton let out a short laugh as Hudson finally transferred to the bed, then used his hands to fold his legs so he could get to his plate. He really did want to fuck Peyton again. He wanted to make him repeat all those gorgeous noises from the night before.
But his stomach was reminding him he had other needs.
“Has, uh…has Austin been bothering you?” Peyton asked quietly as Hudson pulled his plate close.
He glanced over at his lover and saw the troubled frown on Peyton’s brow. “He can’t bother me if I don’t give a fuck about him,” he answered honestly. “He’s sent a few texts I think, but I blocked his number. There’s nothing he could say that would make me speak to him ever again.” He brought the burrito up to his lips, then paused. “Has he tried to contact you?”
“A few texts, but I ignored them. I also deleted my dating profile,” Peyton said in a rush. “That’s um. That’s why I took a little longer to get back.”
Hudson’s brows flew up and he felt his chest constrict. He wasn’t really sure how that made him feel. Terrified, maybe, because he didn’t want Peyton to torpedo his life for something this new. And yet he was thrilled because he wanted to be possessive and force Peyton to promise that there was hope for a future, even if they were still barely out of the stranger phase.
“Sorry if that’s too forward,” Peyton said softly.
Hudson shook his head then shoved a bite into his mouth because if he didn’t, he was going to give up eating and make sure Peyton stopped making that sad face. “It’s not,” he said, tucking the bite into his cheek. “I really like you. And I like this. I want to see where it goes.”
Peyton’s smile was so soft and sweet, Hudson felt his whole body hum. “Thanks. Me too.”
With a slight laugh, Hudson forced himself to eat half his food before he was satisfied, then he took both plates and set them on the nightstand. He still had the faint hum of desire under his skin, but when he leaned back, Peyton quickly curled against his side, and he realized this was good too.
No. Fuck that. It was even better.
He remembered the way Peyton had said he liked this. He liked cuddles and forehead kisses, and he wanted those things without taking away from the fact that he was a sexual being, and it made Hudson want. Austin had never wanted any of those things. He’d never wanted anything but rough, powerful sex.
He never wanted affection.
He never wanted Hudson to indulge in his softer side.
He got off on Hudson being a cold asshole, and Hudson realized he’d spent far too long buying into that idea of himself.
Turning his head, he buried his nose in the top of Peyton’s hair and breathed in the sweet bakery scent of him. “I’m sorry he hurt you.”
His lover quickly shook his head. “He bruised my pride and my ego. He reminded me that some of my fears about dating were real.” Peyton pulled back and looked Hudson in the face. “But that doesn’t really matter now, does it?”
Hudson tried to laugh, but the sound was more strangled than anything because fuck, he wanted this man. He knew it was just early days—that eventually they’d settle into something easier where he didn’t want to rip Peyton’s clothes off every two minutes. But this was nice, because before that moment, he wasn’t sure that feeling would ever come again.
“No. It doesn’t matter. Now kiss me.”
Peyton obeyed without a second of hesitation, turning to face Hudson and pressing their parted lips together. At first, it was just sharing breath, but after a moment, Peyton’s tongue teased at his lips, then slid in past his own.
He tasted spicy and warm like his breakfast, and his skin under Hudson’s palms was smooth and perfect. “God, I love your body,” Hudson murmured, his hand slipping under the back of Peyton’s shirt.
