Page 83 of Part & Parcel

“Was it . . . was it just you trying to gain forgiveness?”

Nick blinked at him, his lips parting. “Babe,” he said in shock. He brought a hand up to his mouth and swiped it across his chin, then glanced around the room and shifted back to his knees, crawling into Kelly’s lap again. He took Kelly’s face in both hands. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “That’s not why I asked for that. I’m sorry I made you think it was anything other than me wanting that from you.”

Relief flooded Kelly so fast he was almost light-headed. “You’re sure?”

Nick nodded. He ran his fingers down the side of Kelly’s face, and his expression morphed from one of sympathy to a hint of mischief. “You want it again?” he asked, voice lowered.

Kelly breathed out unsteadily. “Yeah,” he admitted. He gripped Nick’s elbow hard. “But not now. Right now I want you.”

Nick exhaled hard, like the words had physically made an impact. He closed his eyes and raised his face toward the ceiling. Kelly reached for him, and Nick reciprocated, somehow wrapping his arms and one leg around Kelly and flipping him. Kelly hit his back with a grunt, and the mattress complained as Nick stretched out over him. Kelly grabbed for him, kissing him urgently, grappling with him as they positioned themselves.

“I thought it’d be so fucking easy to get through the week,” Kelly said as Nick kissed at his jaw and neck. Nick’s hands were rough on his skin, and it felt like Kelly was on fire as he sought out more contact. He pulled at the back of Nick’s shirt, bunching it up around his neck, dragging his blunt fingernails up and down Nick’s back.

“Do you want me to stop?” Nick asked, and though he was obviously trying to sound like he was still in control, that tremble to his breathless voice gave him away. He pushed up to meet Kelly’s eyes, and Kelly stared, enchanted. There was passion and longing in them, and some pain, frustration, and melancholy as well. But there was also something Kelly had been longing to see return, something he’d begun to fear might have died inside Nick when Nick was too busy fighting for his life to save it: delight. Delight and amusement and glee andfunsparkling in those ivy-green depths, trying to rise to the surface like they used to so easily.

“Oh my God, Nicko,” Kelly whispered before he could stop himself. “You’re back in there.”

Nick cocked his head, brow furrowing in an almost painfully confused expression. “Not yet, but I could be,” he said, voice wavering with laughter.

Kelly grabbed his face in both hands, his excitement nearly overriding his lust. “I didn’t think I’d ever see that color again!”

Nick shook his head, looking even more confused than before. “Babe, you lost me.”

“Almost, yeah.” Kelly kissed him, scrabbling at his back with both hands to get him closer.

Nick groaned in a mixture of delight and lingering confusion, but he obviously intended to use Kelly’s giddiness to his advantage for as long as he could. He lapped at Kelly’s tongue, bit at his lips, kissed him from every angle he could manage as his fingers delved into Kelly’s hair and then tightened, holding his head in place.

Kelly couldn’t seem to get close enough, couldn’t manage to make his knees squeeze Nick’s hips hard enough, just couldn’t get a tight enough hold on Nick to satisfy the need to have him in his arms. He finally took a deep, shuddering breath when Nick raised his head for air, and he placed both hands on Nick’s chest to keep him from continuing. “We should stop,” he managed, blinking in astonishment at the fire in Nick’s eyes. “We’ve worked so fucking hard on these rules.”

Nick was resting on his elbows, close enough that his breaths were harsh against Kelly’s face, and with every heaving attempt for air his chest and belly pressed down into Kelly’s, stirring the need, fanning the flames Kelly didn’t really want to douse.

Nick’s phone, somewhere on the other side of the room, began to play a song, one Kelly recognized very well. He grinned as Nick cursed the phone up and down, and then grabbed Nick’s face to keep him from getting up. “I roomed with Sanchez for five years, babe. I know that song.”

Nick raised an eyebrow.

“That’s the song he played whenever I got kicked out of the room.”

“You saying that’s Eli’s favorite sex song,” Nick asked, his voice trembling with laughter.

Kelly bit his lip, pulling Nick as close as he could get him.

“I’ll follow your lead,” Nick promised, breathless and sincere. His thumb grazed over Kelly’s cheekbone as he cradled the side of Kelly’s head in one hand.

Kelly stared at him for several seconds, basking in the light of those green eyes, reveling in the discovery that Nick was finding his way home again, that the man Kelly so adored was still in there, still battling his way back to him. He shook his head, his fingers curling in the fine hair on Nick’s chest. “We’ve lost so much time, Nick. Wasted so much of the time we’ve been given. I don’t want to lose another second with you.”

“Neither do I.”

Kelly was silent, holding his breath, waiting.

“It’s worth breaking the rules?” Nick finally whispered.

Kelly grinned, and Nick mimicked the expression, the shadows playing off his laugh lines, making his smirk and sparkling eyes nearly sinister. Kelly heart thumped happily against his chest. The rest of his body responded to that menacing smile, too, and he shimmied his hips under Nick’s weight to show Nick exactly how worth it breaking the rules was to him tonight. He dragged his hands down Nick’s sides, shoving at Nick’s belt even though he knew damn well those pants weren’t coming off until he unwrapped his legs from Nick’s waist.

“Kels,” Nick breathed.

“Fuck the rules,” Kelly practically snarled, and Nick kissed him again as they started working together to try to get Nick’s jeans off him. “Hell, I think we can take that music as permission from Eli’s pervert voyeur ghost.”

“Agreed,” Nick growled as he pushed off the bed to disrobe. He went to his phone, turning the music off as he headed for the door. Kelly undressed as he watched Nick in confusion. Nick opened the hotel door as the phone happily played its music, and he tossed the phone out into the hallway. The music was still playing when Nick let the door slam shut and turned back to Kelly. “I’m not letting him watch, though.”

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