Page 41 of Bear the Burden

“Why?”

His expression softened. “Because you don’t need to see this, Wesley. Please.”

Wesley didn’t think he wanted to see it either. He turned his head, and Killian placed his large hands over Wesley’s ears.

Everything was muffled, but he could still hear the sound of bones crushing and a weak attempt at a scream. He shivered and closed his eyes, going to his happy place.

Which was the moment Wesley had looked up into smoky-gray eyes staring down at him as he sliced mushrooms, a whimsical expression on the gorgeous man’s face.

It was the exact moment Hyett had stolen his heart and taught Wesley how to truly live again.

* * * *

Hyett had Wesley pinned against the kitchen counter, his lips grazing along his mate’s neck.

“Can you please stop”—Wesley moaned—“before we get caught...” He struggled to catch his breath. “Making out.”

“Then I’ll just have to poke out the eyes of whoever sees us.” Hyett was starting to get an ache in his back. He grabbed his sexy mate by the hips and lifted him onto the counter. “Much better.”

“I’ll have you know five-feet-eight is average height,” Wesley huffed. “I can’t help it you shot up to six-six.”

Hyett nuzzled his mate’s neck. “It just makes things a lot more interesting.”

Wesley tilted his head back and moaned as Hyett continued to explore his sensitive skin. “You’re right. This is much better.”

“Are you sure you have to work this afternoon?” Hyett slid his hands around Wesley’s waist then under his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin and reveling in the sensations it caused.

“It’s been three weeks since I took the wrong pain meds. I can’t keep leaving Cyrus shorthanded.” Wesley scraped his nails over Hyett’s back. “My two-week honeymoon period is over. I can’t repay my boss’s generosity by calling off work.”

Then Hyett was dealing with limited time. “Hang on, sweetheart.”

Cupping Wesley’s ass, Hyett scooped him off the counter and hurried upstairs. Laughing, Wesley clung to him. His mate’s laugh was the most amazing sound in the world.

After everything Wesley had been through, Hyett would cherish every precious laugh, smile, and the way his mate glanced at him when Wesley wanted to be held in his arms.

As soon as they entered their bedroom, Hyett used the heel of his foot to close the door then headed for the bed.

“Hang on.” Wesley playfully slapped at his chest. “Is this why you came up here an hour ago?”

With his mate still clinging to him, Hyett slowly turned, showing off what he’d done for his mate. All twenty-something miniature jars of honey were strewn around the room, some hidden, some displayed on surfaces in their bedroom.

“It’s so…” Wesley blinked several times, and Hyett saw the man was holding back tears.

“So I can think about our day together when we got these.” He kissed just below Wesley’s ear. “When you have to go to work, all I have to do is look at the jars and feel closer to you.”

“You act like my job is halfway across the world.” Wesley cleared his throat. “It’s ten minutes from here to the pizza parlor.”

“Feels like a million miles away when I’m not with you.” Hyett lay his mate on the bed, extracted Wesley’s limbs from around his body, then pulled back. “I almost lost you too many times, sweetheart. Even this close is too far away.” Hyett’s voice was low and rough, as if caught on the edge of a growl.

He made quick work of stripping his mate naked then shedding his own clothes. Wesley panted as he looked up at Hyett, excitement coloring his cheeks, his lips kiss swollen.

Fuck, he was the most erotic sight Hyett had ever seen, and he was about to devour the guy whole. He grabbed the bottle of lube from the nightstand. “Are you sure you can’t call off?”

He wasn’t trying to make Wesley irresponsible, but he also wanted to make love to the man for the rest of the day.

“Stop trying to make me think,” Wesley replied in a breathless voice. “All I know is that I want to feel you pounding my ass.”

Hyett curled an arm around Wesley after he lubed his fingers and inserted two into his mate’s ass. That was where he wanted Wesley, wrapped around him, close, needing and wanting him.

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