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So what did that mean?

Sean searched his face, chuckling. “I think you’re probably wondering the same thing I am right now.”

“Is there anything we can work with, or is it just fucking,” Aidan said.

Sean nodded. “I guess we haven’t had a chance to figure it out.”

It was strange. They knew each other better than two people who’d gone on several dates, but he still couldn’t say if that meant anything. They were teammates and, finally, teammates who could work with and trust one another. But would that translate to more?

Aidan laughed softly. “Would it be weird to admit I don’t know how to figure it out?”

Sean looked down at his beer bottle, shrugging. “I might have an idea.”

Aidan cocked his head. “What’s that?”

Sean took a deep breath, eyeing his beer before setting it on the table in front of the couch. Aidan watched him, curious and then a little startled as Sean drew closer, his hand resting onAidan’s thigh. For a moment, Aidan was distracted by the warm grip before he realized Sean’s face was coming closer to his.

Oh, shit.

Aidan’s breath caught as he realized what Sean was about to do, his heart beating wildly. Without thinking, he set his beer aside, almost knocking it over in his haste to put it down. Before he could second guess himself, Aidan reached out hastily, taking hold of the back of Sean’s head.

It wasn’t the first time they’d kissed, though Aidan supposed a second time worked just as well. And like the first time, a fire lit in his gut, spreading through his limbs and sparking in waves of electricity. His gut tightened as he felt Sean’s body settle against his, strong and sure of himself, and the other man reached out to cup the back of Aidan’s neck.

Whimpering slightly, Aidan parted his lips, letting Sean’s tongue slide over his, tasting him. Aidan pushed against the other man, not quite ready to be buried beneath him but craving the sensation of his body against his, hard and ready. There was as much desire as the first desperate kiss in the alley but without the clumsy, blind desire to rut and fuck, fueled by conflicting emotions and lust.

There was passion, though, a heat shared from one body to another as they pushed against one another. Sean’s fingers curled against his neck muscles, pulling him closer, demanding and requesting permission. Aidan used his grip to pull the man down, laying against the arm of the couch and thrilled at the press of Sean’s body against his.

Aidan had known several partners and hadn’t gone without kissing most of them. Yet he could easily say none of them had kissed him with the same hunger and heat that was also tempered by something else, something measured and gentle. Where the hell Sean had been hiding this kiss, Aidan didn’tknow, but he did know he wasn’t going to let it slip away from him.

Sean broke the kiss, slowly backing away from Aidan as he panted. There was no missing the heat and burning desire in Sean’s eyes, but there was wonder and surprise as well. Aidan didn’t think either of them had been expecting the first kiss since they’d made their peace to be as good as it was. Deep down, Aidan thought maybe the passion and desire between them might have been a product of the mutual hate, as though that heated emotion had been what had dragged their shared desire along for the ride.

Aidan let out a long, slow breath. “I think...I might have got my answer there.”

Sean snorted, bowing his head. “Yeah?”

Was there enough for them to make a future? Hell, if Aidan knew. It was a good enough start in his mind that they could like each other’s company but still manage the same heat and desire without the burning anger. Whether that was enough to build something greater remained to be seen, but he was willing at least to see if they could try.

“I think...we’ve got enough to start with,” Aidan said, hesitantly running a hand down Sean’s jaw and over his shoulders.

It wasn’t a promise of forever, but Aidan didn’t think Sean was the type to look for one either. They’d both lived the past few years knowing there was no promise of tomorrow, let alone something years later. Perhaps it was good enough to start with just tonight and find out later what waited for them down the road.

Sean looked up, nodding. “I think you’re right.”

Aidan snorted. “Of course I am. I do that a lot, you know.”

Sean rolled his eyes. “I was about to ask if you wanted to stay the night, but apparently, you’ve decided to kill the mood.”

Aidan’s eyes widened, and he reached to grab Sean’s shoulders before he could pull away. “Stay the night, you say?”

“You were the one who made some comment about doing something to my ass. Figured, since this seems to be working out, you might want to follow through on that promise.”

Aidan’s eyes widened in delight. “You’d let me top?”

“I’m capable of bottoming!”

Aidan laughed. “I’m just surprised.”

Sean huffed, pushing up from the couch. “You have to promise to cuddle me afterward. I need to be held close and told I’m pretty after someone fucks me.”