Lost Souls

by AJ Lange

  “Yeah?” Gavin grinned.

  “Fuck yeah!” Matt threw his arms around his idiotic boyfriend with a laugh. When he pulled back, he grinned sheepishly. “I—Can we wear them now?”

  Gavin’s eyes softened. “Yeah, Matt. We can do that.” He slid one of the rings on Matt’s finger, and Matt did the same with its twin. It caught on Gavin’s knuckle and Gavin exhaled in relief when it slid into place. They stood grinning at each other goofily until Drew cleared his throat.

  “Is that it? I rented a tux for that?”

  “Shut up, Drew,” Matt and Gavin said in unison. Matt laughed, joy bubbling up in his throat, spilling over until he could practically feel it radiating from his pores.

  Gavin glanced over at the clerk, chuckling when he saw she was dabbing at her eyes.

  “Oh go on, then,” she cried, waving a hand at them. “Kiss him already.”

  Gavin smiled broadly. “Yes ma’am.” He pulled Matt close, kissing him softly, keeping it chaste but with a promise for more later. His mom and dad were right there, after all.

  The whole clan, plus Drew, and the clerks now gathered at the window, began to clap and cheer.

  “Now let’s go eat!” Drew proclaimed. “My treat!”

  Everyone laughed and began to talk at once, Dom and Drew arguing over the restaurant choice, Gina and Antonia already making wedding plans. Matt hesitated, turning back to the window after a few feet. Gavin waited, their hands clasped between them.

  “Thank you,” Matt said sincerely.

  “You’re welcome, Mr. Paris,” the clerk said kindly.

  Moments later they stepped into the sunshine and Matt sighed deeply. He squeezed Gavin’s fingers. “Wow.”

  Gavin smiled down at him. “Wow,” he agreed. “Any second thoughts?”

  Matt shook his head. “Not on your life,” he murmured, reaching up to press their mouths together.

  “Would you two quit necking and come on, I’m starved,” Drew yelled from the sunroof of a stretch limousine parked in front of the courthouse steps.

  Gavin grinned. “I’ll be taking you up on that offer later, Mr. Paris.”

  “Deal,” Matt winked, content to wait.

  After all, they had the rest of their lives.

  Epilogue

  Six Weeks Later

  Matt walked barefoot across the cool tile of the patio, carrying happy-colored drinks with jaunty little umbrellas.

  Gavin was lying on a double chaise lounge on the lanai of Drew’s seaside Puerto Rican home, the sweet smell of plumeria wafting through the air, the peaceful sounds of the waves brushing the shores below them.

  “You just had to add an umbrella, didn’t you?” Gavin took the drink and lifted his face for a kiss.

  Matt lingered over his lips, breathing the warm, salty sea smell of Gavin’s skin. “Mmm, shut up,” he murmured, letting his mouth trail across Gavin’s cheek to the soft skin below his ear. “You love the umbrellas.”

  Gavin grunted, but he was smiling as he watched Matt settle onto the chaise next to him. They had been in Puerto Rico for seven days of their two-week honeymoon. He was seriously considering never leaving. Drew could do all the cold case work for Matt, and Dom could do all the detective work for Gavin. It was foolproof.

  “So how about we go into San Juan tomorrow and do a little exploring?” Matt sipped his drink, sighing in satisfaction. This really had been a perfect week.

  “What happened to naked Saturday?” Gavin complained, frowning petulantly.

  Matt snorted. “Well, for one thing, you’ve already had Naked Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I think you can afford to wear clothes for one day, Gavin, so we can get out of the house for an afternoon.”

  Gavin watched a seagull circle lazily over the pretty white sand before dive-bombing for fish in the lapis blue water. “I’m wearing clothes now,” he pointed out.

  Matt set his glass carefully on the lanai floor, then rolled over on top of Gavin in a whip-quick move. Gavin’s laugh rang out over the crashing surf.

  “Not for long,” Matt said, grinning above him.

  “Hey, watch it,” Gavin protested, holding his sloshing glass aloft. “Mmm,” he sighed, tilting his head so Matt had clearer access to that place on his neck that drove him crazy.

  Matt dipped one hand into the low-slung drawstring pants Gavin wore. He lifted his head, eyes sparkling with amusement. “Too much effort to wear underwear today?” His fingers searched, sliding lower until they found their target.

  Gavin’s eyelashes fluttered and he exhaled shakily. Sexy fucker with his magic hands. “I’m looking out for you, baby,” he whispered, leaning forward enough so he could tongue at Matt’s throat. “Just saving you some valuable time.”

  Matt wrapped his fingers around him and Gavin hissed, biting into the soft skin of Matt’s throat.

  “I don’t know why you even bothered packing a bag,” Matt murmured against Gavin’s hair, his hand finding a rhythm, his own nerve endings sparking with each sucking kiss Gavin placed to his neck.

  “I don’t know why you’re still talking,” Gavin replied huskily. He whimpered, breath faltering when Matt’s wrist executed a neat twist and pull.

  Matt smiled down at him, handsome and relaxed and eight kinds of sexy, and Gavin’s pulse beat even faster. He slid his palms into the back of Matt’s pants, encountering smooth, warm flesh. He squeezed, grinning wide.

  “Hey now,” he admonished. “Pot, meet kettle.”

  Matt dipped his mouth to kiss him, urging Gavin’s lips open until their tongues were teasing, darting together, then dancing away.

  When he lifted his head, Gavin was breathless and maybe a little starry-eyed. Jesus Christ, I love him, he thought, chest achingly full of things lost and things gained. “I love you.” The words escaped, soft and earnest, and Gavin reveled in the peace that he had no reason to try and protect his heart by withholding the sentiment ever again.

  The truth was, his heart had been lost a long time ago anyway, to the man who lay on top of him. They had been entwined so deeply into one another’s lives for so many years, survived so much, lost everything and found it again, Gavin thought it possible there was no longer a clear delineation between their two souls. Matt would never have to wonder how Gavin felt, because Gavin planned to tell him, now, later, and every day for the rest of their lives.

  “I love you too.” Matt pressed a gentle kiss against his cheek. “Now get naked,” he growled into Gavin’s ear.

  Laughing, Gavin obliged.

  Afterword

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for taking a chance on this story.

  I started writing this over 10 years ago. For a variety of reasons, I never quite found the rhythm. When I picked this story up to try to finish it in 2013, I experienced something I had never felt before. I was so invested in Matt and Gavin’s story, that I couldn’t sleep. I could barely eat. I was obsessed. I was getting up at 4 am to work on it, and then staying up until nearly midnight to work some more. I lost a little part of myself in the darkness of some of the subject matter; I felt like it was taking over.

  When it was complete, it was almost as if I was recovering from an illness. I was worn out, drained, empty. There’s still a a part of me that feels like Matt andGavin’s story isn’t over—that they have more to share with us. Maybe one day they will. I hope you’ll be here if they do.

  Please feel free to keep in touch via my Patreon page at patreon.com/ajlange. My regular blog posts and publishing updates are always public and free to read! I serialize a novel each month on Patreon, if you’d like to follow along! As always…

  xoxo,

  AJ

  About the Author

  AJ Lange authors romance and mystery novels in many sub-genres, but has the most fun writing m/m romance. She lives deep in the Southern Plains and when she’s not devising new ways to describe pectorals, she watercolors, reads, and naps.

  She spends way too much time looking up at the stars.


  Also by AJ Lange

  Freefall

  Past, Present

  Small Town Charmer