Page 54 of Honorable Convictions
“Will you take me to bed, Mitch?” Pierson asked quietly, the humor of the past few minutes gone from his voice.
Mitchell managed to turn around, but Pierson didn’t release him fully, so he brushed their mouths together. “It would be my honor to make love to you, Blondie.
Chapter 27
Without resistance, Pierson allowed Mitchell to walk him backward through the small living area and into the bedroom which felt more shared than his own. That thought didn’t cause fear to flash through him—quite the opposite. Once his legs knocked into the mattress, Pierson concentrated on where his lips were locked with Mitchell’s. It was smugness that took root as Mitchell coasted his hands across every part of Pierson he could reach.
The enigmatic man who was so often the topic of gossip by coworkers who sighed over the masculine beauty of his face or wondered about his sexual prowess was Pierson’s mate. Fate chose him to be his other half, and there were no longer any bad elements associated with this pairing. As his blood heated and Mitchell pulled away long enough to tug off both their shirts with little assistance from Pierson, he was grateful that they’d warily built a relationship.
Waking in his arms, it was Mitchell who sprung to mind first, and anytime an idea popped into his brain, it was his mate he wanted to discuss it with. Mitchell sucked up a spot on Pierson’s neck, and he clutched his arms. It was impossible to superimpose anyone else in the role of his lover. A groan fell from his lips as Mitchell clutched his ass, and he could hardly bear the thought that his other half might take someone else to bed if things soured.
The intimacy of their lovemaking had unlocked the part of Pierson that he’d desperately tried to keep from their growing connection. It was Mitchell he longed to have an eternity with, and that conclusion caused his entire frame to lock in place.
“Pierce, what’s wrong?” Mitchell asked huskily, pulling away to search Pierson’s face for answers.What does he see when he looks at me?Pierson wondered. Was it possible that Mitchell had only Pierson in mind for his future?
“I don’t know,” he murmured, terrified of voicing his thoughts.
Mitchell’s hands went from grabbing him to increase his desire to soothing him with soft caresses. His expression was one of concern, but mostly it was frustration. “Why do you always have to shut me out?”
Unable to look him in the eye, Pierson forced himself to relax, and wrapped his arms around Mitchell’s neck. “Because I’m not brave enough to say what I’m thinking out loud,” he said and tried to quell any anger with a soft kiss to his ear.
“Dammit, why not?” Mitchell asked, putting several inches between them, allowing their gazes to lock again. “You keep refusing to let us move forward. Why can’t you understand how much that hurts me? For Fate’s sake, do you have any idea how much I care about you?”
“I’m not trying to hurt you.”
“You’re doing it anyway, Pierce. Do I have to come right out and beg you to be gentle with me?”
Closing his eyes briefly, Pierson wondered why he’d allowed the passion of the moment to bleed away into this tense discussion. If he’d kept himself from thinking, he’d probably have Mitchell buried inside him by now. But suddenly, having him physically wasn’t enough, and those careful walls he’d built around himself were tumbling fast and furiously. The crazy thing was, he hadn’t even felt the first one fall, so he had no idea how long ago it had toppled.
Mitchell released him and took two steps away from him. “I thought I could do this. I thought I’d wait you out, and you’d be ready someday to talk about us and what we mean to each other, but I might’ve been wrong. I don’t know that I can keep letting you twist me into knots by your refusal to see what Fate gave us.”
Forcing himself to breathe, Pierson tried to get some saliva in his too-dry throat. “I can’t imagine being with anyone but you.”
“Look at me when you say that,” Mitchell demanded.
Terror making his heart skip a beat, Pierson’s gaze drifted to Mitchell’s. The strength of emotion on Mitchell’s face should’ve made his fear worse, but instead it calmed him. “I don’t want separation papers.”
Mitchell’s grin flashed, and he closed some of the distance between them so he could grab Pierson’s hands. “Good, because you were never going to get them anyway.”
“How are you always so sure we can do this?”
“Because I’ve never wanted anyone but you.”
“It wasn’t like I ever had anyone else in the role of my mate.”
“We got lost, Pierce. One could argue that it was a single moment that changed things, but that’s not the truth at all.”
“I couldn’t figure out me, let alone us.”
“And I was too busy trying to compete with you.”
“I’m sorry,” Pierson managed, tears threatening.
Seconds later, he was pulled into Mitchell’s arms. “There’s no need for apologies. We both fucked up and allowed nonsense to come between us for far too long. But now I want it all, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that.”
“I think…no, Iknow…I…”
“You can do it. Tell me what you want,” Mitchell remarked, cupping his face.
