Page 17 of Shredded Soul

Paine flashed him a proud smile. “Reed made it. I just watched. But now I know how to make it again, in case you want it at home.”

They reclaimed their seats.

Charon took a sip. “That’s amazing.”

“Reed sprinkled it with love.”

Charon chuckled. “Which part of it is the love?”

Alastair laughed. “That would be the Kahlúa.”

They all laughed. Charon couldn’t take his eyes off Paine. He couldn’t recall the last time he saw Paine laugh. His shoulders looked relaxed. He felt like he sat with his husband—no bad memories. Laughter-filled violet eyes flashed his way. Charon’s heart squeezed. They would have an amazing life. Paine would be just fine. Charon would ensure it.

It felt like the longest of days by the time Charon led him inside his high-rise apartment. A gorgeous view of the city from every corner of the place took Paine’s breath. He immediately dropped his coat and moved to stand as close as possible. There were so many lights. They were like stars.

“Beautiful.”

“Yes.”

The quietly spoken agreement had Paine turning. Charon’s gaze was locked on him.

Paine motioned behind him. “I meant the view.”

“I didn’t.”

He was the same boy Paine had fallen in love with all those years ago. Paine always saw peeks and glances of him. This was different. Paine stared at that boy. Unexpectedly, his eyes filled with tears.

“I’ve been trying so hard to find my way back to you. But I got lost.”

The distance between them vanished. Charon wrapped Paine in a tight hug, making him safe. “It’s my fault. I did that.”

He heard the tears in Charon’s voice. That made Paine cry harder. “We made it. Oh my God. I didn’t think we’d make it.”

Charon sniffed. “Fuck, Paine. I didn’t know what to do. All I knew was I couldn’t kill you. I spent every night plotting how to get us out of there, but they were watching me, expecting just that. You can’t know how it killed me. Then living without you and with the guilt. It’s like I died.”

Paine buried his face against Charon’s throat and breathed. All the times Charon had given him peace and hope washed over Paine. “I would’ve made the same choice. God help me. I’d rather slit my own throat than yours.”

The moment of absolute clarity had Paine pulling Charon in for a kiss. He cupped Charon’s face and wiped his tears. “My husband,” he whispered between kisses. He remembered exactly how he felt when they made those vows for the first time. Paine couldn’t describe the overwhelming emotions. He had his old Aron back. This was his other half. There was no one else.

Charon swept him off his feet like he weighed nothing. He kept stealing kisses as he carried Paine through the apartment. Charon climbed onto the bed and gently set Paine on the mattress. He peeled off his shirt. Charon straddled his body and slowly slid down the zipper on Paine’s kitty pajamas.

“I’d rather you two didn’t do this in front of me.”

In a flash, Charon pulled a gun from beneath the pillow and pointed it toward the voice. Paine recognized the sound of Snow’s voice. He didn’t react.

Charon turned on the bedside lamp. “Snow? What in the fuck are you doing here?”

Snow looked relaxed in the corner chair. He shrugged. “I had to stay somewhere. Since I took care of your little problem in Greece, I figured you wouldn’t mind.”

Charon returned the gun to its hiding place. “I don’t, but you’ll have to stay in the guest room.” He paused. “Have you been sleeping in my bed?”

A sad smile touched Snow’s lips—like he found the question humorous, but life had kicked all the happiness from him. “No. I was coming down the hall to get something to drink when you two walked in. I dipped in here to get out of sight.” His gaze flickered to Paine. “Are you here willingly?”

Paine held up his hand, showing off his wedding ring. “Yes.”

Snow nodded and stood. “I’ll let you two get back to it, then.” He walked out and shut the door behind him.

Paine and Charon exchanged a glance. “Did that kill the mood?” Paine whispered, in case Snow could hear them.

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