Page 28 of Distant Heart

“I’m yours. Only yours. Forever.” A flash of vulnerability entered his eyes. “Promise you won’t get sick of having me around.”

“Never.”

With that settled, Illya brought them both to orgasm.

In their bed.

And in their home.

Finally.

Epilogue:

“You don’t seem all that bummed.” Rexton filled his third box with stuff and waited for his best friend’s response. They were in his bedroom on Vitality, packing up his things for the move to Usurn.

He’d already settled his transfer with Guest Fine Arts Academy and was enrolled in the arts program at Sacrum Cor University. His first class was Monday, and he was a bit nervous to be starting fresh, but thoughts of getting to see Illya every day always dashed those doubts aside.

Aneski snorted and tossed the ball he’d been playing with at him. “You say that as though I didn’t see it coming.”

Rexton caught the ball and quirked a brow.

“Come on.” He was sitting in the center of Rex’s bed and kicked his feet out. “You’ve been dating the guy for years. It was always going to end this way.”

“He could have moved here,” Rexton argued, even though it was mostly to be difficult. “Or we could have broken up.”

“I suppose that last thing was possible, though unlikely. But him moving here?” Aneski shook his head. “Yeah, right. He’s a Black Hart with a position of power already ahead of him. You’re…about to be an even more starving artist. Doesn’t takea genius to see who would benefit most from moving and who would be—”

“I get it,” he stopped him. “You make me sound like such the catch.”

“You are.” Illya strolled into the room, Flix hot on his heels. He went straight for Rexton, running a hand through his hair as though he’d been thinking about doing it all day.

“Cut it out.” Rex slapped him away but didn’t bother to hide the smile. They both knew he liked to pretend to be annoyed when in reality he welcomed the other man’s touches. “Did you finish with whatever business you had?”

“He’s all yours,” Flix answered for Illya, plopping down next to Aneski on the bed. “Hey, Onus.”

“The deal with the Brumal has been concluded,” Illya captured Rexton’s chin and turned his gaze away from the scene on the bed, “yes. What about you? Are you almost ready?”

“That eager to take my best friend away, huh?” Aneski asked. He poked Flix. “Aren’t you going to at last try to stop him?”

“Why would I do that?” Flix sent Rex a wink. “Popcorn and I have never been that close.”

“Popcorn?” Illya scowled.

“Relax,” Flix reassured him. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“He thinks Rexton smells like butter and—” Aneski’s words turned muffled when Flix covered his mouth with a hand and then dragged him off the mattress and over to the door.

“We’ll give you guys room to finish up.” Flix pulled Aneski down the hall and out of sight, leaving the two of them alone.

“What about the rest of your friends?” Illya asked, moving to help carefully place folded items of clothing into the open duffle bag on the desk.

“They’re meeting us at the shuttle port.” Rexton had already said his goodbyes to them last night when they’d throwna party in his honor, but it was nice that they wanted to see him off. “Kage already bought his ticket. He’s planning on visiting us in the spring.”

“Sounds good.”

“I told him he could stay with us.”

“He can.”

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