Page 86 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

Dear god, this man is precious. Gabe wants to keep him.

“Good.” Shifting his weight to one hand, Gabe’s fingers sink into Ellis’ hair, the action earning him a small whimper. “It means I get to discover it with you. You just have to let me in.”

And it means I’ll be the first person to watch you come undone, the possessive part of him adds greedily. He’s starting to realize Ellis has held himself back his whole life, in all ways. Fuck, Gabe can’t wait to be the one to show him everything. To see him open up to life and go for what he wants.

“Gabriel?”

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me.”

It’s the easiest thing ever to obey, his mouth descending on Ellis’ and taking it in a searing kiss. There’s no exploration, no tentativeness like before. Ellis opens up to him like they’ve done this a million times over, deepening the kiss when Gabe takes too long to do so.

Gabe half-laughs, half-groans, letting his teeth sink into Ellis’ bottom lip. Not much, just a playful nip that has Ellis gasping, wrapping his arms around Gabe and squeezing. Their chests press together, two erratic heartbeats beating out of sync, though it’s impossible to tell which one belongs to whom. Ellis’ blunt fingernails scrape across Gabe’s back, hips thrusting up like he can’t help it. The rough, sinful drag of Ellis’ cock against his sends a bolt of lightning through Gabe’s veins.

He can feel himself unraveling. The binds preventing his energy from unleashing are barely holding together. He forces himself to slow down, to withdraw himself from the intensity ofthe moment. His muscles grow tenser, his breathing deeper as the kiss loses heat and his body finally starts listening again.

Ellis makes an unhappy sound, something between a growl and a huff. He tries to deepen the kiss again, urging Gabe to follow suit as he licks into his mouth. This time when his hips undulate, it’s decidedly intentional. His desire pours into Gabe, warm and languid and too delicious to resist.

“Gabriel.”

There’s something unfairly sexy about that voice as it says Gabe’s name.

“Hmm?” He doesn’t trust himself to speak, afraid that if he gets even a little sidetracked, it’s all over.

“You don’t—you don’t have to control yourself.” There’s something desperate in Ellis’ voice. “Just let go.”

“I can’t,” Gabe says regretfully. “It could be…itwouldbe a lot. If I let go.”

“I can handle it. I want to feel what you feel.”

Fucking hell, this man will be the death of him. He’ll ruin him, Gabe just knows it.

“You sure?”

Ellis’ energy speaks volumes, needy and fervent as it reaches out to Gabe, wrapping around him like silk. But he needs to hear it, needs to make sure Ellis knows what he’s asking.

“I’m sure,” Ellis says, unwavering. He cradles Gabe’s face between his palms, thumbs stroking over his cheekbones. “Let go.”

It seems today will be a first for Gabe too. Never in his life has he thought he’d find someone like Ellis. Someone he could tell his secrets to without judgment, ridicule, or fear. Someone who wouldn’t ask him to make himself smaller, who wouldn’t want to tame him. Someone who’d want to see, and feel, all of him.

Any plan to do this slowly, to gradually untie the binds, goes to hell when their mouths find each other again. Ellis’ energy wraps around him, burrows itself under Gabe’s skin, and everything snaps.

Ellis makes a sound like it’s been ripped out of him and tears his mouth away. His body convulses as if zapped with electricity, gripping Gabe’s arms in a bruising hold. His eyes, wide with disbelief and something else, bore into Gabe’s.

“Too much?” Gabe asks, already working on drawing everything back in, but it’s harder than usual, Ellis’ own energy preventing him from shutting himself down.

“No. I mean, yes.” A trembling exhale leaves him, but otherwise he seems okay, despite having been hit with a freight train worth of suppressed emotions. “Do you really feel all that?”

“For you?” He smiles softly. “Yeah.” If Ellis thought that Gabe’s stupid smiles, malfunctioning filter, and off-handed ass comments were the extent of his feelings for him, this must be a hell of a shock.

“Show me.”

“What?”

“Show me.”

Show him what? He’s already opened himself up to his limit. Now Ellis feels what Gabe feels and there’s nothing—