Page 33 of Orlando
Liam shrugged.“Well, I tried.”
He sounded lighter than he had even this morning, and Orlando hoped it meant he’d made a decision.He wanted to ask, but he didn’t dare, not right now.
He scurried into the bedroom and closed the door behind himself.He dropped everything he was carrying on the floor by the door, then he looked around.The cat was on the bed, curled up, but he opened an eye and stared for a second before deciding that Orlando wasn’t dangerous and closing it again.
Orlando considered setting up on the bed, but it wouldn’t be as real as doing so on the floor, so he opened his dresser to grab the thickest blankets he could find.Lewis and Seymour had brought him food and candles, which was all he needed to set up a picnic.Hopefully, Liam wouldn’t think it was lame, but there was little else Orlando could do.
It would have to be enough.
* * * *
LIAM HESITATED AT THEdoor of Orlando’s bedroom, his hand hovering over the knob.The air felt heavy, charged with an unspoken tension that had been building between them for days.They needed to talk, but Liam wasn’t even sure how he felt.How could he explain it to Orlando?
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves.This was ridiculous.Orlando was just a guy.A guy who used to train to kill people, but still.Just a guy—and Liam’s mate.Liam knew how important that was for Orlando.
He pushed the door open, and his breath caught in his throat.
The room was transformed.The bed was pushed to the side, replaced by a soft blanket laid out in the center of the floor.Tiny fairy lights hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow across the room.A wicker basket sat open, revealing an assortment of cheeses, fruits, and a bottle of wine.Orlando stood at the far end of the room, his body silhouetted against the golden light.
“I thought we could talk,” Orlando said, his voice low and steady.“Without the...tension.”
Liam blinked, momentarily speechless.He’d been expecting the usual awkward silence, the careful distance they both kept between each other.This was something else entirely.Orlando had done all of this for Liam?
“You didn’t have to do this,” Liam finally managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.He hadn’t realized that Orlando had been paying attention to his complaints, but he should have.Orlando had told him more than once that finding his mate was important to him, no matter the circumstances.Of course he’d listened to Liam.
Orlando shrugged, a small, almost shy smile playing on his lips.“I wanted to.You’ve been through a lot.I thought that maybe this would help.”
Liam stepped further into the room.This was the kind of gesture that made his chest tighten.He’d known how much he’d missed the softness and the care behind something like this.This was what he’d missed about being in a relationship, but he’d been so focused on Orlando’s past and on the darkness that seemed to cling to him that he’d forgotten to see the man beneath it all.
Orlando was Liam’s mate.Liam might be human, but he could still feel the bond drawing them together.It didn’t care about Orlando’s past, and maybe Liam shouldn’t, either.
“It’s beautiful,” Liam murmured.“Thank you.”
Orlando’s smile widened, a flicker of relief crossing his features.“Good.I was worried it might be too much.”
Liam shook his head.“It’s not too much.It’s perfect.”It was.It was also unexpected, which made it even better.
Liam stepped closer, his eyes locked on Orlando.There was something in the air now, a spark that had been building since the moment Orlando had saved him from Cynthia.Liam had been trying to ignore it and push it down, but now, it felt impossible to resist.He reached out, his fingers brushing against Orlando’s arm.
Orlando hesitated, his eyes searching Liam’s face.“Liam...”
Liam didn’t give him a chance to finish.He leaned in, his lips meeting Orlando’s in a soft, tentative kiss.It was brief, almost chaste, but it sent a jolt of electricity through him.He pulled back, his heart pounding in his chest.He already wanted more.
“I’m sorry,” Liam murmured, his cheeks flushing.“I just needed to do that.”It had been easier than telling Orlando how he felt because he wasn’t sure.His thoughts and feelings were still all over the place, and he wondered if he’d be able to make sense of them before this mess was over.
Orlando’s gaze darkened.He reached up, his fingers brushing against Liam’s jaw.“Don’t apologize,” he said.“Not for that.”
Before Liam could respond, Orlando closed the distance between them, his lips crashing against Liam’s with a hunger that took his breath away.Liam gasped, his hands instinctively grabbing onto Orlando’s shoulders for support.The kiss was deep and consuming, and Liam could feel the tension between them igniting into something hotter, something primal.
He hadn’t expected it.Orlando had been careful since Liam had moved in with him.He’d given Liam space, which Liam had sorely needed, but he was starting to realize that he needed Orlando just as much.
Orlando’s hands slid down Liam’s back, pulling him closer until their bodies were pressed together.Liam could feel Orlando’s chest against his own, the heat of his skin seeping through the thin fabric of his shirt.His heart was racing, his mind spinning with a mix of fear and desire.This was it, wasn’t it?It was the moment they finally took the next and final step.
“Liam,” Orlando murmured against his lips, his voice low and urgent.“I need you to understand something.You’re my mate.I’ve known it since the moment I saved you.I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.I know you don’t like my past and what I did, but if I have to use what I learned while I trained to be a council assassin to save you, I will.”
Liam shivered, his fingers tightening their grip on Orlando’s shoulders.“I don’t know if I can accept that,” he admitted, his voice trembling.“It’s hard for me to think of you that way.”
Orlando nodded.“I know.And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to you that I’m more than that.But right now...”He paused, his gaze flickering down to Liam’s neck.“I need to claim you.To bond with you.I need to know that you’re safe even when I’m not with you.I don’t think that Cynthia will find you here, but I have no doubt that she’s looking for you, and while I hope I’ll be able to stop her before she hurts you, I can’t be sure of it.I need the bond as reassurance.I won’t force you into it, though.Saying no is fine.I just thought I’d explain.”
