“All right,” Adam said. “Now sleep, love. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Harry closed his eyes and let himself drift away, listening to the steady beat of Adam’s heart. He would worry about his bond and the consequences of his actions tomorrow. Right now he felt too good to worry about anything. He was in Adam’s arms, warm, safe, and cherished.
Nothing bad could happen.
CHAPTER 8
Harry woke up feeling good and happy. He sighed sleepily, burrowing deeper into his amazing-smelling pillow. His amazing pillow moved. Harry pouted and clung to it harder.
“Let go, Haz,” Adam said with a chuckle, kissing him on the temple. “I have to go to work.”
“Don’t go,” Harry murmured, nuzzling into Adam’s chest. He smelled so good. “It’s your birthday. You deserve a day off. I don’t have a shift today. We can celebrate.”
“I can’t,” Adam said, stroking Harry’s cheek with his fingers. “We can celebrate in the evening. Now open your pretty eyes for me.”
Harry forced his eyes open and rubbed at them. When his bleary gaze focused on Adam, his breath caught in his throat. Adam’s dark eyes held so much affection and warmth it melted Harry’s heart.
Then, he realized he was sprawled on Adam’s chest. Adam’s very naked chest. Adam’s very naked everything.
Harry felt himself flush. Last night seemed so surreal now. Had it really happened?
“Hey,” Adam said, his voice still deep and hoarse from sleep.
“Happy Birthday,” Harry said, feeling a little shy and bewildered.
“Thanks, love,” Adam said, gazing at him with hooded eyes. He looked so... good. Harry felt something tug low in his stomach, his lips tingling with the sudden urge to press them against Adam’s jawline. His cock twitched.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Adam said with a soft chuckle. “I really have to go to work, babe.”
Babe. Adam had called him love and babe again. Did that mean they were back to normal? Or had last night changed everything?
Harry rubbed his cheek against Adam’s chest, unsure.
What happened last night… was it wrong? It didn’t feel wrong.
But sex outside a marriage bond was considered wrong back home.
Technically, he wasn’t bonded at the moment.
But he was still promised to Leylen’shni’gul. There was a marriage contract and everything.
It wasn’t his fault the bond had dissolved.
Harry sighed, realizing he was arguing with himself like a madman.
“What’s with that face?” Adam said, tipping Harry’s face up to meet his eyes. His lips pressed together briefly. “Any regrets?”
Harry didn’t feel regret. And that was the problem, wasn’t it? Shouldn’t he feel guilty? Was what he’d done with Adam immoral? He wasn’t sure. A childhood bond was different from the human concept of romantic engagement. Harry didn’t feel like he’d betrayed Leylen’shni’gul. He hadn’t given her any promises—his parents had done it for him years ago. Harry supposed now he could understand why renegades thought that bonding children when they couldn’t give their consent was messed up.
Harry shook his head in response. “I don’t regret it. It’s just…you know about Leyla.”
Adam’s expression darkened. He opened his mouth but then glanced at the clock on the wall and rolled off the bed. “Fuck, I’m really late. We’ll talk when I’m back, okay?”
Harry nodded. He watched Adam get ready for work. Within ten minutes, Adam was ready to go.
“Goodbye hug?” Harry said uncertainly. He wanted more than a goodbye hug, but he felt a bit embarrassed by the wanton thoughts that crossed his mind as he watched Adam dress. He didn’t recognize himself, and it threw him off. Was he a different person without the bond? Did the bond change a person so much?
Instead of responding, Adam walked to the bed and pulled Harry to him.
Harry returned the embrace eagerly, his nipples tingling as they rubbed against the fabric of Adam’s suit. He parted his lips, wanting a kiss.
“How am I supposed to leave this room?” Adam said, sighing into his cheek.
Harry turned his face, and their lips met in a needy, wet kiss that made Harry dizzy.
He’d always found it curious that so many civilizations shared the custom of romantic kissing with lips. Harry had kissed his bondmate once—he’d been curious and she was similarly curious—but they both had found the experience awkward and pointless. It had felt nothing like kissing Adam. Kissing Adam felt as natural and necessary as breathing. He didn’t know how to stop.
By the time Adam stepped away, Harry’s knees felt like jelly and he was painfully hard again.
“I’ll be back soon,” Adam said, his cheekbones flushed and his eyes almost black as he stared at Harry with exhilarating intensity. “As soon as I can.”
As the door closed after Adam, Harry fell back on the mattress and stared unseeingly at the ceiling, feeling out of breath and hot all over his body.
What was this overwhelming feeling that made him want to run after Adam and glue them together? Harry wasn’t sure he liked it. It was the most intense—and scariest— thing he’d ever felt.