Page 82 of Lust

“Thank you for that,” I say.

“I should be thanking you. That was amazing.”

It was.

But as I glance up at him, I see the worry has returned. As wonderful and necessary of an escape as it was, we both know what this means.

“Now that I’ve had the Moment,” I say, “we need to—”

“No,” Brad says, stroking my cheek. “Not tonight. Tonight, let’s just make this about you and me. We can deal with everything else tomorrow.”

I like the sound of that, but I know it won’t be that easy. There’s too much at stake. Still, I’m determined to make the best of it, so I rest my head against his chest, tugging him close. Clinging to him the way we plan to cling to tonight.

22

BRAD

The air’s thickwith tension as I strip down.

“This is creepy,” Luke says.

Already nude, he sits on the edge of Cody’s bed.

The day after he experienced the Moment, we arranged a meeting with the Sinners. Unsurprisingly, Seth fought against this as much as he could.

“It’s too soon.”

“We don’t know what will happen.”

“I want you guys to know I’m totally against this.”

Despite his adamant objections, in the end, he was outvoted. We’ve come this far, and if there’s a chance this could work, it’s worth the risk. I only hope I still feel that way once Luke and I finish.

“At least Cody put on fresh sheets,” I say, trying to make light of the situation as I finish removing my pants and briefs.

Do I want to fuck Luke in my friend’s bed? No. But considering why we’re doing this, we can’t afford to be interrupted by Alexei or Matteo, so this is for the best.

I stack my clothes beside Luke’s and grab my phone, checking to see if Seth or Cody have messaged. Once Cody’s prepped at the old church, he’ll give us the go-ahead.

And we’ll begin.

As I sit beside Luke, he has a far-off look in his eyes. I hook my arm around him, resting my head against his shoulder.

Last night with him was perfect.

Heavenly.

Not just how good he fucked me, but as hard as it was to hear what he was going through, I was honored to be the guy there for him when he needed someone. He’ll never understand how much I respect him for what he went through, what he endured to get through that. Just like he can’t understand the feelings I’ve developed for him over this short time we’ve shared.

“I feel like a sacrificial virgin,” Luke says.

“Don’t worry. I worked hard to make sure you’d never feel like a virgin again.”

He chuckles.

To think that, even with everything on his mind, he’s able to laugh, it’s some kind of miracle.

I pull my head away from his shoulder, and he turns to me. “That first vision wasn’t too bad,” he says. “Cody talked me through what to do, so we’ll see if I can get a handle on this enough to figure out something that will help us find this thing and stop it from hurting anyone else.”

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