Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
“You’re the only one who does,” Tor whispered, palm on his cheek. “I only exist with you.”
“Tor,” he begged, his heart aching.
“These stolen days when I come here, they’re the only times I’m me. Making dinner with you or fighting over the last slice of pizza. Watching whatever reality show you pretend you’re not into. Gaming. Hearing about your cases. You think that you don’t know me, but you’re the only person who knows me. Everything out there—” He waved his hand in the direction of the door. “I do for survival. None of that is real. None of that is me. The only time I exist is when I’m here with you, Jule.”
How the fuck was he supposed to respond to that. “Dammit, Tori.” He looked up at the ceiling and blinked away the moisture in his eyes. “You kill me.”
“I wish it could be different.”
When Jule lowered his gaze and looked at Tor’s face, he knew he meant those words. “Me too.”
Chapter 11 – Age 27
The grounding pressure of Tor’s hand on his hip had Jule’s lips tilting up. He had always done that when they slept. As kids sharing a small bed, it was inevitable, there wasn’t enough room for personal space. But even as the beds grew, Tor never stopped touching him while he slept.
The best time for him to consistently hit the gym was before work so Jule’s body was trained to wake up early. He turned his head to the side and watched Tor. It was an unusual experience because Tor was an exceptionally light sleeper so normally any sound or shift in their surroundings woke him first. His hair was cut short, a light stubble lined his jaw, and bruises in various stages of healing littered his flank. He felt wetness in his eyes. Tor was the best man he knew. To his core, without exception, he was brilliant and hardworking, dependable and determined, selfless and brave, and so much more. It destroyed Jule that this was the hand life had dealt him.
“Hey.” Tor’s sleep rough voice pulled him away from his morose thoughts. “You okay?” Tor skimmed his hand down and squeezed Jule’s thigh.
“Yeah.” He nodded and swallowed down his emotions. There was no reason to bring Tor down about something neither of them could control. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Are you going to your office?”
“No.” He shook his head and turned on his side, tucking himself against Tor. “I’ll work from home today.”
“Cool.” Tor wound his arm around him, wove his fingers through Jule’s hair, and kissed his forehead. “Julie?”
“Hmm?” He pressed his face against Tor and inhaled his scent.
“I have a plan.”
Even without him saying the words, Tor had picked up on his emotions. “I know you do,” he said, but realistically, he didn’t see what Tor could do at that point. His father was a ticking time bomb, he had an arrest record that would block him from most legal career paths, he had been all but a ghost for his entire adult life, and those were only the things Jule knew about.
“I mean it,” Tor said, not missing the skepticism behind his words. “I need you to trust me. I have a plan and I’ll make it happen.”
“Trust has never been an issue. Not between us.” He closed his eyes and clung to Tor. “I trust you more than anyone I know, more than I trust myself.” But could that trust be enough?
“You’ll see.” Tor held him tightly, one arm around his back and the other on his head. He kissed his temple. “Come on. You have work to do and I’m going to make breakfast.”
“My fridge is empty.” He sat up and stretched his arms behind his back. “I can order in.”
“I’m familiar with the state of your kitchen so I hit the store before I got here.” Tor rose beside him. “Picked up enough shit to make breakfast at least.”
“Yeah?” He smiled and shifted close enough that their lips almost touched. “Thank you.”
Tor pressed their mouths together and rasped, “Welcome,” against his lips. He cradled Jule’s head with both hands and deepened the kiss.
“Work can wait a little longer.” Jule slipped his hand between them and cupped Tor’s package.
He felt Tor’s smile rather than seeing it. “Let’s go.”
After taking another couple of kisses, he dropped to his knees and lowered his shoulders to the bed. Tor kept one hand on him, caressing lightly, as he reached for the lube they’d left on the nightstand. Slick liquid drizzled over his crease and Tor pressed it into his hole. He knelt behind Jule and flattened his palm against his back, keeping him steady. “Ready?”
He bobbed his head, face brushing against the sheets. He was always ready for Tor, couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t wanted him. Tor drove into him, slow, steady, hot, right. When he was full, he reached back blindly and grasped Tor’s hip, fingers digging into skin and muscle. “Fucking love this.”