Page 94 of Wanted
Liv wished to bask in the radiance of Knox’s approval, to be the only one who got it, and hoard it all like a dragon. And in the future, once Knox was as healthy as he could be, Liv could make it his job to get Knox anything he dreamed of. Gadgets Knox didn’t need but wanted, a big-ass TV, as many cool jackets as he wanted, and hell, maybe even a fancy new car.
“We’ll come over tomorrow,” Liv said, because three was definitely a crowd right now.
Jag turned around and left without much of a goodbye, but Liv wasn’t complaining. He wanted Knox all to himself. They’d been all over each other since their first non-pretend kiss, so this unintended break in closeness had felt like forever. And, somehow, all the arguments and revelations made Liv’s need for Knox more urgent. As if only Knox’s touch could heal the bruises on his heart.
Knox turned to him with a thoughtful expression. “You think I could grill it?”
“You can do whatever you put your mind to, babe,” Liv said and gave him a kiss. He opened the trailer, letting his hand linger on the small of Knox’s back. “I considered carrying youpast the threshold, but this door is way too narrow. We are not risking your arm today.”
Knox snorted as Liv held the door for him. “I’m on pain meds, I’ll be okay. Wow, it’s so nice and warm in here.”
“Are you saying youwantto be carried? Should we be practicing for the day when we tie the knot?” Liv asked, surprised by how easy those words left his mouth. He’d always been the kind of guy who’d rather not mention the M-word and who proclaimed his desire to play the field for as long as possible, but Knox and he had lived together for so long that being with him forever seemed… natural.
Future had always been a vague concept for Liv, but it became so clear now with an unexpected element that completed it—this new kind of relationship with Knox.
Knox raised his eyebrows, but a flush crawled up his neck. “If you joke about it enough times, I might just take you up on the offer.”
Who says it’s a joke?Got stuck in Liv’s throat like a bit of food that might end up choking him, but he swallowed it down and smiled. “I’ll just leave you to imagining me in a dress and veil,” he said, shaking his head because the moment he saw it in his own mind, laughter rose in his chest and spilled out.
Knox snorted, and his eyes seemed to sparkle as he watched Liv. Even now, tired out after all the scary shit they’d been through, he was like a Calvin Klein model with his tousled blond hair and pouty mouth. Liv just needed to learn to navigate what it meant to be another guy’s boyfriend in the long-term. But he’d get there. He might not be the smartest person, but he had the will to be the best partner Knox could imagine. That had to count for something.
Knox pulled on his hair. “Shouldn’tIbe the one in a dress with hair like this?”
Liv scowled, putting away the food at record-breaking speed. His hands were itching for Knox’s warmth, and he was right back as soon as the fridge shut. He really did like Knox’s long hair, the softness of his features, which had so often been criticized by Knox’s dad, but there was nothing wrong with being a pretty boy with a nose ring.
“Nah. If I wanted to marry a girl, I’d have married one, right?” he asked, placing his hands on Knox’s sides.
Knox leaned into him as if they’d always shared this kind of closeness instead of expressing affection with silly shoves and pats on the back. “Well, you’re gonna have to wait until I can afford a suit. Unless I go with atracksuit. Seriously though… is my hair too long? Or can I pull it off?”
Adorable.
“It looks really hot on you. Like you’ve just casually let it grow out,” Liv said, dropping into the sofa and pulling Knox into his lap. This was where his hot new boyfriend belonged. “And I like playing with it, if you couldn’t tell.”
He loved the smile spreading Knox’s lips. Joking around and poking fun at each other had always been a big part of their friendship, but Liv felt they were stepping into something new. A relationship which needed to make room for tenderness.
“I kinda… like it long. Always did. I think I’d like to grow it out. But you gotta tell me if it starts making me look baby-faced.” Knox wrapped his arm around Liv’s neck.
“You don’t look like a girl,” Liv said to cut his worries short, and rubbed his thumb over the blond stubble growing on Knox’s chin. Ah, how did he never realize how hot this scratching sensation could be? “You’ve got angular cheeks, abs for days, and a dick I love.”
Knox leaned down to kiss Liv. “And I loved seeing it in your mouth.”
Oh fuck.
Liv’s stomach melted at the intensity in Knox’s voice. The raw desire was thicker than Ezra’s fancy hot chocolate. He sank deeper into the seat and tightened his arms around Knox, as their mouths got reacquainted.
This was a new kind of kiss. One that didn’t need to lead to a sweaty tumble. Soft and so sweet. Liv found himself wrestling a strange emotion. Almost painful, the sensation spread in his chest, like the ache from a shard of glass that would kill him if he ever dared pull it out.
Liv had always watched Knox’s back and made sure he wouldn’t endanger his health too much, but what he’d learned about his boyfriend’s condition at the hospital made Knox seem somehow… breakable. He’d never say that out loud, but he already knew he was ready to doanythingso that Knox would thrive.
If only he had a clearer idea of what that anything was.
Money. They needed money.
But that could wait until tomorrow. For now, he let his hands slide to Knox’s ass while their kiss deepened.
Liv closed his eyes, giving in to everything Knox wanted to bestow on him. This was about so much more than sex. Knox melted into him and shivered a little when Liv slid his cool hands under his T-shirt. Tender feelings stirred deep inside him as he pressed his cheek to his lover’s warm neck, reminding himself that the worst was over, and that for now, they were both safe. And while he’d previously only showed this part of himself to the girls he’d been with, the things he felt for them were a shadow of the intense satisfaction of holding Knox.
The sterile smell of the hospital lingered on him still, but the trace of the lemon shampoo Knox had used two days ago was a reminder of the good times before the storm. Liv tuned into his warmth and closed his eyes, knowing that he could sit and make out like this for hours.
