Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 67966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Yes, I know.
Jonah’s knees weakened. He wanted but knew he’d never have. This was torture.
“Jonah…will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
Jonah’s eyes widened before he shook his head, tears pricking. He couldn’t eat in front of a man like this. He couldn’t.
“N-no. I…I can’t. I’m sorry.”
He turned away, choking back the sob building in his throat.
He had to leave. This was stupid. Thorn couldn’t erase years of him being put down. He was leaving Belladonna first thing in the morning.
“Thank you,” Jonah whispered hoarsely, eyes blurring before he bolted toward the door.
“Don’t run, Bear. It took me a long time to find you.”
Arnold’s voice, his tone, that name, halted Jonah mid-stride.
It is him.
Jonah forgot how to breathe, his pulse pounding in his ears.
He turned around just as Ross’s mask hit the floor.
Jonah could only stare, unblinking, trembling. He stared at the love of his life before his mind dared to believe it was really him.
“Ross?” he rasped, the single word emerging as a question and a prayer.
He was taller now, broader, beard thicker, and jaw sterner.
Ross took one step toward him, and Jonah’s world collapsed to only the space between them.
He tore his own mask off before they collided like magnets that’d been waiting years to snap back together.
The force rocked Jonah back on his heels, but Ross’s arms were like steel around him, holding him tight as if he were afraid he’d threaten to run again.
Not a fucking chance.
Jonah buried his face in the scent that’d been so recognizable—the woodsy cologne and clean earthiness Ross had smelled like since they were teenagers.
“Bear,” Ross groaned against the shell of his ear, the old nickname wrapping around Jonah like a well-built wall of protection.
Jonah’s knees buckled, but Ross held him tighter, lifting him off the ground as though he weighed nothing.
Jonah clawed at Ross’s back, clinging, terrified to let go, and risking Ross vanishing again and leaving him with more years of loneliness.
Tears streamed down his cheeks, soaking into Ross’s tux. He rubbed his wet face against Ross’s beard, gasping, trying to take in every inch of him at once: the rough scrape along his skin, the warmth of his neck, the sound of his breath.
“I found you,” Ross whispered, repeating it over and over like an affirmation. “I finally found you.”
Jonah choked on a sob, his chest convulsing as years of buried longing ripped their way free. “Why’d you take so long?” His words were muffled in Ross’s big shoulder, and he answered with a fierce shake of his head, his mouth pressed to Jonah’s temple, his cheek, then jaw.
“It’s been so long…I-I thought you wouldn’t want to see me.”
Jonah scoffed. You idiot.
“I’m sorry, Bear. I’m so fuckin’ sorry.”
They rocked together, still clutching like drowning men who’d just crashed back to the surface.
Jonah’s hands trembled as he ran them through Ross’s hair, tugging, needing to confirm he was real, Ross mapping every line of his body with strong hands, as though refamiliarizing him all over again.
Jonah’s sobs turned to frantic little laughs, then back to tears. Ross’s heart was pounding to the same ragged rhythm.
“Don’t let go,” Jonah whispered, begging, pleading, his soul filleted open.
“Never again,” Ross vowed against his mouth, their lips brushing but not quite kissing.
Jonah was too caught up in the desperate relief of simply being in his arms again.
If this is a dream, don’t wake up, please, don’t wake up.
Belladonna Mansion
Masquerade Ball ~ Ballroom
Virginia Beach Oceanfront
February 1st, 11:59 p.m.
Thorn wasn’t in the mood for dancing, not when Lucas was stalking him. His hazel eyes burned behind his mask, assessing and calculating. Before he knew it, he and Lucas were playing a sexy game of cat-and-mouse, weaving through the crowd of hidden faces.
Thorn lost Lucas on the other side of the room. He left out a side door and came in from the other side, but he still couldn’t find him. His bulk and height should’ve been easy to spot, as should his unique mask covering from the bridge of his nose to his brow.
Every time he caught a flash of royal blue in the crowd, Thorn’s cock pulsed. It wasn’t just the game that thrilled him. It was the way Lucas hunted him—with intent, and hunger, as if every step Thorn took in his direction was at his own peril.
He was enjoying himself. It’d been a while since he’d had such fun. He turned the corner, ready to search the hall, and ran into a solid chest and strong arms.
“Caught you,” Lucas growled in his ear.
“I wasn’t trying to evade you.” Thorn laughed as Lucas bit and teased his neck with kisses.
“Thorn, you did it again, good friend! I haven’t had such a good time since your last party!” Lucas’s friend, Oliver, who’d referred him to Belladonna, was all smiles. “We hate to leave when things are just getting good, but TJ wants to swing by a friend’s party before it gets too late.”