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“Don’t apologize for breathing it all in.” Cash leaned across him to unfasten his seat belt, and Nick took advantage of his proximity to nuzzle his nose against Cash’s neck. They stayed that way for a few seconds before Cash eased back with the seat belt in hand. “Let me feed you, then we’ll talk.”
“And then?” Nick prompted.
“We’ll see.”
The conversation seemed more significant than any test Nick had taken in his life, and he was not about to fail. Charles Snyder hadn’t come into his life until Nick was ten years old, but the business mogul had made a lasting impression. Cash opened the door for him, and Nick swung his legs out. They walked toward the blanket, where Patsy patiently waited for them. When Nick sat down, she belly crawled over to him and pressed her warm body against his. He stroked her fur just as he’d done that morning. The same sense of calm washed over him.
“First my clothes and now my dog,” Cash said when he sat across from them.
Nick wanted Cash closer but thought it might be wiser to keep the food between them.
“I didn’t consciously plan to steal your clothes that weekend,” Nick said. “I’d borrowed them for the one time we left your apartment, and I just never gave them back.” Nick remembered they’d sought a certain food that they couldn’t get delivered.
“Ah, the bagel run,” Cash said. “I remember the errand but not what you wore.”
“My tuxedo from the charity event would’ve drawn a lot of attention,” Nick replied. “Funny, I remember what I wore but not where we went.” An example of the way they completed each other.
“I’m curious about how they ended up with you in Virginia twelve years later. You said all this stuff came from your trip to Quantico, right?”
If Nick was to get what he wanted—Cash—then he would have to bare his truths. A part of him wanted to point out that Cash had promised to feed him first, and Nick didn’t have any food in his hand. But this conversation was twelve years late already. “Yes, I had them with me in Virginia, but I should probably start at the beginning. I took your clothes with me when I left your apartment in Denver. I intended to get them back to you but couldn’t part with them.” Heat spread up his neck. Nick knew his face was turning pink, but he held Cash’s gaze. “They’ve been with me on every trip I’ve taken and have become a security blanket. I put them on when I’m stressed, lonely, or just need to feel connected to you.” Nick inhaled a shaky breath and dug deeper. He wanted to give Cash a verbal field of sunflowers. “Seeing those clothes in the suitcase this morning was the epiphany I needed. You wanted me to be sure, and the evidence was right there in front of me. No what-ifs or maybes. I’ve been yours since we met.”
Cash’s lips parted, and his eyes drifted closed for a few moments. “But your career is in Denver.”
Nick knew his time with the FBI had come to a close; he just hadn’t severed the connection permanently. He had a few months of salary he could collect while he figured out his future…with Cash. Nick offered a wry smile and shook his head. “Listen, I haven’t figured out all the answers on my first day off, just the most important one. Maybe I would’ve solved all the mysteries of the universe if I hadn’t fallen asleep on your porch.”
Cash’s nostrils flared as he breathed in deeply. “Are you sure, Nicky? I can’t lose you.”
“I’m positive, and you couldn’t shake me if you tried.” Nick cocked his head to the side and said, “Now feed me or kiss me.”
There was zero doubt in Cash’s mind about which option he wanted to choose. Nick’s words and his expression were the signal he’d been waiting for to make his move. Yet he froze. Instead of sweeping the food out of the way and claiming what Nick offered, Cash’s brain was trying to figure out how long he’d been in love with his best friend. His single-minded focus came in handy with business deals, but it was mighty annoying just then. Still, once his brain locked on to the point, he couldn’t budge from it. Maybe there hadn’t been one big event but several important moments that had added to their bond. Their connection grew from a few delicate strands to a sturdy rope capable of—
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Patsy’s barking snapped Cash out of his reverie, and he blinked the present scene back into focus.
“There you are,” Nick said. He picked up an egg salad sandwich triangle and took a bite, watching Cash as he chewed. “I want it on the record that I wasn’t the one who interrupted your freak out.” He shoved the rest of the sandwich into his mouth and reached for another triangle.
Cash reached over and lightly smacked his hand. Nick would need that for other things as soon as Cash cleared the air. “I wasn’t freaking out.” His tight chest and racing pulse mocked him. Okay, so maybe his brain had kicked into analysis mode to distract him from scarier emotions.
“Saint,” Nick said, his disbelief stretching out the single word. “You trust me?”
“More than anyone.”
“Good.” Nick kept his gaze locked on Cash as he shifted all the food to one side of the blanket. “Because I’m coming over there.”
Cash stopped thinking and started reacting. By the time Nick crawled across the small gap, Cash was already shifting to a side reclining pose. He reached for Nick before he could stretch his long body beside him on the blanket. Their lips were tentative at first, curious and playful. That lasted until Nick nipped Cash’s bottom lip and tugged on it. Cash fisted Nick’s hair so he’d let go and took control, pushing his tongue inside Nick’s mouth. Cash relaxed his fingers and cupped the back of Nick’s head to make sure he didn’t escape. Nick growled low in his throat and sucked on Cash’s tongue, making him think of other things. It had been nearly two years since he’d been with someone, and he’d craved Nick for too long. Cash was dry timber to Nick’s spark. Arousal spread through him like a wildfire as his blood rushed south. Each twirl of their tongues stoked the flames higher and higher.
Nick used his good arm to roll Cash to his back and straddled his waist. There was no way in hell Nick didn’t feel Cash’s erection. It had been a long time since he’d been embarrassed about getting hard, but—
Nick broke their kiss and sat up. “You’re overthinking it again, Saint. That will make me question my prowess more than my ability to get fully erect right now.” Nick rolled his hips forward and created the perfect amount of friction where Cash needed it most. Leaning forward, Nick placed his hand on the blanket next to Cash’s head. “Don’t hold back. Let me have this. I want to kiss you everywhere and enjoy your body like it’s the first time. I need to hear, feel, and smell your arousal.” Nick continued to rock against him and lowered his head to Cash’s ear. “You’re so hard for me. Give me all of you.”
Cash emitted a soft whimper before Nick swooped down and claimed his mouth in a branding kiss. Then there was no capacity for worry because all Cash’s focus went to the pleasure building in his core. He reluctantly tore his mouth away from Nick’s. “I’ll come if you don’t ease up,” Cash whispered.
A wicked smile greeted his confession. “We can’t have that.” Nick stilled his hips, and Cash wanted the delicious friction back. Before he could complain, Nick sat up straight, untucked Cash’s T-shirt from his jeans, and rucked the material up to his armpits. “Christ, you’re sexy.”
Nick didn’t wait for Cash’s reaction before inching down and leaning over Cash’s chest. A breeze whistled through the field of flowers and brushed over his bared skin like a caress. Goose bumps popped up all over, and Cash’s nipples hardened. The heat from his lower belly expanded like a giant blush.
“Are you still really sensitive here?” Nick blew across Cash’s nipple, causing him to tremble. “That’s a yes.” He teased the tight bud with the tip of his tongue, then alternated between sucking and rasping his teeth over it. Cash hardly recognized the needy moans escaping his own mouth. He thrashed his pelvis upward, seeking the glorious friction he needed to find release. Nick ripped his mouth away and smiled down at him. “I’d planned for you to come in my mouth.” Nick snapped his hips forward, making Cash arch his neck. “But I can get you off like this.” The urge to close his eyes and just let the passion sweep him away was strong. But this wouldn’t just be anyone’s mouth on his cock nor would he be staring into any old pair of blue eyes. This was Nick—the man he’d loved since…forever. What did it matter when, why, or how Cash fell in love with his best friend? He would not squander the moment he’d ached for by living in his head instead of in the moment.
