When Anthony slowed down once more, withdrew almost all the way, and started the game from the very beginning again, Samir closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. The tension was nearly unbearable. Feeling Anthony’s weight and strength and heat almost resting on him felt anchoring, protective, and fierce, all mixed into an emotion he couldn’t quite pinpoint. It wasn’t just passion or lust, though there was plenty of each.
They belonged together like this, and there was a beauty and strength to it that washed everything else away—fears and worries and the deluge of success and fame. The sex was amazing; Anthony was amazing, and everything he did was to support and take care of and enable Samir—and that was what lovers and partners did, right? With every roll of his hips, every slide and thrust, Anthony gave him more than pleasure—care, need, tenderness, love. Samir took it all in, strangely passive in this position, but it was okay because it was Anthony and there’d be time for payback and to explore whatever fantasies they might have, maybe go bareback, and try out everything from sex in front of the fireplace to sex in the office, kitchen, shower.
As urgent as the sex was, as tense as his body was with pure arousal, he was completely at ease emotionally. They knew each other, anticipated each other. As unlikely as the whole relationship was, it made perfect sense. Samir could surrender himself to Anthony rocking him and the bed and float into that blissful state where nothing mattered but sensation and complete trust.
Anthony’s thrusts grew harder, winding the tension tighter in Samir’s body, and Samir’s cock kept rubbing against the covers, close, closer, even closer, and his orgasm hit him with huge, blinding force—right then, Anthony’s fingers entwined with his, and Anthony lay still on top, coming too. Their sweat mingled and they were skin to skin, breath to breath, and all Samir could do was turn his head enough so Anthony could kiss him.
“I think you might be right,” Anthony slurred against his lips.
“About what?”
“If we’re under the same roof, we might not get anything else done.”
Samir laughed. “I don’t even care.”
“Neither do I.” Anthony kissed him again, then pulled out and lifted himself off Samir. “Come on. Let’s grab a shower.”
Samir wanted nothing more than to lie there and breathe, wet spot under him be damned, but the thought of sharing a shower with Anthony got him out of bed and on his feet. On wobbling legs, he followed Anthony into the bathroom.
Under the warm water, Anthony wrapped his arms around Samir, and Samir let himself get lost in that sheltering embrace. They kissed lazily—not quite enough to send them back into the bedroom to start over, but more than enough to keep Samir’s heart beating rapidly.
Anthony touched Samir’s cheek with damp, hot fingers. “Things will settle down eventually. I promise.”
“I know. I think it’ll be easier to get my head around everything now that ...” Samir lowered his gaze.
“Now that, what?”
Samir swallowed. “Now that I know where I stand with you.” He looked up again. “I think?”
“You think?” Anthony caressed his cheek. “I’m not sure how much clearer I can make it.”
“You’ve made it clear.” Samir shook his head and reached up to brush a few strands of wet silvery hair off Anthony’s forehead. “It was me, not you. You’ve done everything right. When you were Ulfhedinn, and now.” He drew Anthony down, and just before their lips met, he whispered, “That’s why I love you.”
Anthony didn’t miss a beat. He startled slightly at the words, but pulled Samir closer and returned his kiss as if he wasn’t the least surprised at what Samir had said. Maybe he wasn’t. Now that he thought about it, Samir was only surprised it had taken either of them this long to say it.
Anthony broke the kiss long enough to murmur, “I love you, too.”
Samir smiled, and only stopped because his lips were doing more important things.
They kissed under the shower until the water started getting cool, and then dried off and retreated to the warmth of Samir’s bed. Lying under the covers together, they faced each other, and Samir wondered if they’d have one of those heartfelt conversations about feelings, the future, what all this meant, where it would go.
But before long, they were kissing again. And Samir was on his back.
As they let themselves get carried away again, he realized there’d be time for all those conversations later because Anthony wasn’t going anywhere. And though there’d be time, maybe they wouldn’t even need to happen, because Samir knew where he stood with Anthony at last. He knew how Anthony felt.
He had no idea what the future held.
Only that SirMarrok’s future was with Ulfhedinn.
The End
Acknowledgement
Many thanks to all my patrons on Patreon for their support and patience, Lady Tiferet for the amazing cover, and Jennifer for super-quick beta-reading of the manuscript.
Also by Aleksandr Voinov
Scorpion (Memory of Scorpions #1)
Lying with Scorpions (Memory of Scorpions #2)
A Taste for Poison (Memory of Scorpions #3)
Nightingale
Skybound
Dark Soul, Volumes I-III
Gold Digger
Burn
Deliverance
Return on Investment (Return on Investment #1)
Risk Return (Return on Investment #2)
Broken Blades, with L.A. Witt
Unhinge the Universe, with L.A. Witt
Witches of London – Lars
Witches of London – Eagle’s Shadow, with Jordan Taylor
Witches of London – Shadows Watching, with Jordan Taylor
Dark Edge of Honor (Doctrine Wars), with Rhi Etzweiler
Incursion (Doctrine Wars)
Exile (Doctrine Wars)
Quid Pro Quo, with L.A. Witt (Market Garden #1)
Take It Off, with L.A. Witt (Market Garden #2)
If It Flies, with L.A. Witt (Market Garden #3)
If It Fornicates, with L.A. Witt (Market Garden #4)
Capture & Surrender, with L.A. Witt (Market Garden #5)
If It Drives, with L.A. Witt (Market Garden #6)
Payoff, with L.A. Witt (Market Garden #7)
On the Clock, with L.A. Witt (Market Garden #9)
The Lion of Kent, with Kate Cotoner
For a full list, go to www.aleksandrvoinov.com/bookshelf.html
About the Authors
EPIC Award winner and Lambda Award finalist Aleksandr Voinov is an emigrant German author living near London, where he works as a financial editor. His genres range from science fiction and fantasy to thriller, historical, contemporary, and erotica. His books were/are published by Random House Germany, Samhain Publishing, and others.
If he isn’t writing, he explores historical sites, and meets other writers. He single-handedly sustains three London bookstores with his ever-changing research projects. His current interests include special forces operations during World War II, the history of chess, European magical traditions, and how to destroy the world and plunge it into a nuclear winter without having the benefit of nuclear weapons.
Website: www.aleksandrvoinov.com
Blog: www.aleksandrvoinov.blogspot.com,
Twitter: @aleksandrvoinov
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/71jNz
L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut.
&nb
sp; Website: www.gallagherwitt.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @GallagherWitt
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