Page 68 of Full Split

Eventually our laughter calms down, and I have a moment of pure, unadulterated peace. The fun banter and casual humor after the most intense, emotional, life-changing sex of my life is the perfect balance. It’s us.

“Wyatt?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re the only one to ever come inside me. I don’t know why, but I want to let you know that.”

He groans. “Seriously, I cannot get hard again right now. I might actually die.”

He kisses me deeply and hugs me against him. “I love you,” he says.

“I love you,” I say back. “And I trust you. More than anyone. That’s why.”

He holds me like that for a long time, until I’m almost drifting off to sleep.

“Come on,” he says, tapping me on the butt. “Let’s go get cleaned up.”

I groan. “But I’m comfortable.”

“You should pee.”

“What? I’m not really into?—”

“Get up, you brat. I read you’re supposed to pee after vaginal sex.”

“Why is it sexy when you get all clinical like that?”

After we get cleaned up and I pee like a good boy, I figure I should probably go back to my own room. It’s not yet dawn though, and I don’t want to leave.

So I stay for a little while longer, and I end up falling asleep wrapped in him.

Happy and safe.

Like nothing outside his arms exists.

CHAPTER 20

WYATT

Morning comes too soon. Not just because there wasn’t much sleep to be had last night, but because I’m not ready to leave this bubble.

Niles is sleeping with his back against my chest, holding my arm against him like it’s a stuffed animal. My other arm is under his head.

I press my nose into the nape of his neck and brush my lips against his warm skin. He stirs, shifts slightly, and smiles. There is no part of me that wants to wake him up, to remind him that this thing we share is secretive and illicit and considered wrong by the rest of the world and he has to run and hide before my son wakes up and finds him missing.

Why can’t we just exist here? In this impossible, perfect moment.

Niles turns his head and captures my lips.

“Happy Birthday,” I murmur into his kiss.

Impossible, perfect.

He slowly turns to face me, his eyes soft and heavy-lidded from sleep. His hair is a mess. He looks wrecked in the best way.

I lean in and kiss him, pulling him against me. It’s soft and sweet and sleepy. We move lazily, entwining our legs together. There’s no urgency in the way we touch each other. In the way his fingers trail down my spine. I press my thigh between his and he rocks against me gently.

It’s all so easy now. There’s no second guessing or hesitation. Just love. Just us. Like it was always meant to be this way. Impossible and perfect.