Leo’s heart stopped and restarted again. The hope surged so loud it drowned out every other sound but Renn’s voice.
Renn stopped pacing and faced him. “I should’ve told you this a while back, but I needed time to settle into this new reality—with my sister, with returning to the band and tour, with having my entire life changed by a single man.”
“How is your sister doing?” Leo asked on instinct.
“She’s in a rehab facility. It’s going to be a long road if she ever does regain her mind, but she’s safe. I have you to thank for that,” Renn murmured.
Leo nodded. “After my mother was left comatose for years, I can understand a little of that road.”
Renn shook his head, blowing out another breath. “No distractions, asshole, or I’m never going to get this out. Look, Leo. I fucked up. I wanted to tell you how I felt for a while now, but every time I got the chance, I pushed you away. I’ve never met anyone who cares the way you do, or who just knows me without question. And in all the time we spent together, fuck, you’re incredible, whether it’s your Batman sense of vigilante justice, your strength even when you want to fall apart, or simply the fucking way you still believe deep down that there’s hope.”
Leo tried to hide the smarting at his eyes, even though he couldn’t ignore the steady thump of his heart. After so long feeling like he’d have to forever wander this world alone, Renn showed up and found a way to walk with him. The satyr would never know what a gift that was.
Renn sucked in a shaky breath. “I should’ve told you I felt the same way that night, because that was the honest truth. I know I’ve never been the commitment type, but I want to try, because Leo Kincaid, I’ve fallen head over heels in love with you.”
Leo’s heart lodged in his throat as he rose from the seat and closed the space between them. “I love you too,” he murmured, the words coming out husky.
He’d been yearning for this, hoping for this impossibility for such a long time he could barely believe this could be real. He brought his hands to Renn’s hips and dragged the man flush to his chest as he closed his mouth over the other man’s in a consuming kiss.
Renn tasted like whisky and salvation he’d never believed he’d find. His heart thundered in his chest loud enough that he couldn’t hear anything else. All he could feel was the perfect fit of the man in his arms, the heat that flared between them, and the surge of joy that lifted him so high he never wanted to come down. He couldn’t stop kissing him. Never in a thousand years would he have believed he’d find someone willing to stand by him.
After all, he’d long ago understood the path of the revolutionary was a lonely one.
Yet Renn had descended like Dorothy to Oz, crash landing in his life and opening his eyes to the potential happiness waiting out there to be claimed. When he’d left Renn at the Black and White diner, he had believed their chapter had closed. That he’d be returning to the solitary life from before.
The idea he could have both—the revolution he’d been chasing for so long and the man who sparked feelings deeper than desire in him—it was enough to knock the breath from his chest.
Renn pulled back, his shoulders heaving as his hands reached for Leo’s belt. “Just so you know, celibacy fucking sucks.”
“Three weeks,” Leo murmured, letting the man reach for the buckle. Already, his cock grew hard at the insistent touch. “Poor baby.”
“I could’ve died,” Renn responded, clapping a hand to his chest.
Leo let out a snort, grabbing the man by the waist as he bit into his neck. Renn let out a throaty moan in response. “Drama queen,” Leo murmured before sinking his teeth back in.
“Whatever, you like it,” Renn shot back, his gaze softening.
“Yeah, I do,” Leo’s voice came out in a low rasp. “And trust me, sweetheart, I’ll make sure all your needs are met.”
Renn brought his zipper down with a snick. “I don’t know,” he responded, a teasing look in his eyes. “I’ve got to say, I’ll still miss threesomes. All that concentrated sexy is like downing a carafe of coffee.”
Leo shook his head, unable to hide his wide smile as he placed kisses up Renn’s neck. “Who said we can’t add a third once in a while?”
“Oh, goddamn, babe,” Renn purred, his voice raspy. “Anyone tell you that you’re fucking perfect? I was an idiot to think I could walk away from you.”
“You’re here now,” Leo said, “so why don’t you show me how much you missed me?” Before Renn could go further, Leo placed another kiss on his lips, drinking in the taste of the man. Renn melted into his arms. Truth be told, even if the man never said the words, he felt his promise, he felt his care in every stroke, every touch, and every kiss between them. They’d always communicated better with their bodies.
“I think we’ve got a couple minutes at least before the band comes crashing in,” Renn murmured against his mouth. “They kicked some sense into me when we left.”
“While I’m forever in their debt,” Leo responded back between kisses, “right now I just want to enjoy this time alone with you.”
Their world was in the middle of a massive upheaval, he had stressors and new challenges coming in on all sides, but in this moment here and now, a pristine joy washed over him. Renn wanted him—not the CEO, not the leader, not the casual lover—just Leo Kincaid. And that meant more to him than anything else.
Whatever challenges came their way, they’d face them together.
The End
www.katherine-mcintyre.com
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