Snow Storm

Chapter 21

Claude

His lover. His beloved.

Claude could say that now.

Harley was currently asleep. Or somewhere close to it. Once his breathing returned to normal, Claude had eased out of him and checked that his pulse wasn’t too fast. It was clear Harley had been pent up because he went completely boneless once he finished coming, and Claude had held him until the rise and fall of his chest was even and his eyes were closed.

He didn’t think the nap was going to last long. Harley’s body was already starting to twitch as he came around, but he did have a few moments to himself to think.

He would be a fool to rush into something that could destroy him, but he would be a fool if he put a stop to the best thing that had ever happened to him. The happy medium was what Harley had proposed: him moving closer and them taking the next steps as every other couple did.

But the thought of not having Harley in his bed was gutting.

He rarely slept well, but there was a comfort in rolling over and seeing this man beside him, face still and quiet. There was a sort of grounding peace to being able to reach out and touch him every time Claude began doubting that this was real.

Because how was he lucky enough to find this so late in his life?

He didn’t know if Harley really meant those words. Or if he’d remember them when he woke up. But it was something they needed to talk about. The weight of his feelings had been pressing against his chest, and with the snow melting and the holiday passing, Claude knew he had to get it out into the open.

Harley would have to leave eventually. Even if he would be back, there would be time and distance separating them. They had to do this right. Regardless if he wasn’t entirely sure what the right thing was.

Harley let out a soft noise, and Claude kissed the sound from his lips. He felt the flutter of Harley’s lashes, and when he pulled back, his lover was staring at him.

“Hello.”

The tips of Harley’s ears went pink. “How long was I out?”

“Minutes. No more than five. Are you alright?”

Harley closed his eyes for a second and took a breath. “I’m okay. That was…a lot. In a good way,” he added, like maybe Claude couldn’t tell that it had been the best either of them had ever had. “Did you?—”

He hadn’t. Not exactly. “It was enough for me.”

Harley glanced down to where Claude’s half-hard dick sat in his nest of dark curls. He licked his lips. Someday, Claude would order him to his knees—order him to take his cock in his mouth for long, lush, honey-thick minutes. But not now.

He cupped his hand around Harley’s jaw and drew his attention up. “I need to say something.”

“Is it about what I said earlier? Because I don’t want you to?—”

“I’m falling in love with you.” Claude wasn’t going to let him sit in his panic. “I’ve known you for a matter of days. Every rational part of my mind is telling me this isn’t allowed. But I can’t ignore how I feel.”

Harley bit his lip, then carefully wrapped his arms around Claude and pressed against his chest. “I meant what I said. And I won’t take it back. But I also don’t want it to be too much.”

“How we feel and what we do with it are two different things. You have a life to sort out, and I will be patient waiting here for that to happen. And I hope that if I ever need time to work on myself, you’ll give that to me.”

“Of course I will.” Harley looked up at him through thick lashes. “God, are you even real?”

“I certainly hope so. If I’m a fantasy, I’d like to request a lot less pain.”

Harley snorted and nestled back against him. “Yeah, I feel the same. But I just…oh hell, I didn’t think it was possible you’d feel the same way about me.”

“I do. And we will leave room for change,” Claude told him. “We’ll take all the right steps together. But the important thing is we’re going to try. Yes?”

Harley looked up again. “Yes. Leaving you is going to suck. Like, really suck.”

Claude snorted. “Yes. It’s going to really suck. But we’ll talk. And you’ll come back.”

“As soon as it’s humanely possible. My brother’s helping me sell my condo as an apology gift, and as soon as I pay Darren his half, it’s done.”

Claude felt his secret weighing on him, but he wasn’t ready to spill it yet. With any luck, by the time Harley flew home, Darren would be dealt with, and Harley could take the money from the sale of his condo and leave his old life behind. His new one was waiting for him, after all, with warm, open arms prepared to never let go.

“And then you’ll be mine again?”

“I’m already yours,” Harley said like it was as simple as that.

Claude felt his heart throb in his chest, and he lifted Harley’s chin, dipping down to kiss him. “And I’m yours. But for now, before the distance, we have this. Days.”

“Another week,” Harley said. “I did book two.”

Claude grinned and nuzzled his nose into the top of Harley’s hair. “Another week. And then the rest of our lives.”

Within a few days, the first week was over, and the new year was upon them. He never had anything planned for Wrought Iron unless they had guests, but their holiday lingerers had gone just after the holiday had passed. Most of his employees went home if they didn’t live on the property, and Lyric and Aminah stayed quietly tucked away in their space.

He’d spent the day making sure everything was running smoothly. With the snow clearing, they were getting new reservation requests, and the week Harley left would be busy. But that was a good thing. At the very least, he’d be distracted.

He and Harley were in the lobby when his phone began to buzz, and he looked down to see Dorsey’s name. His heart kicked up a notch. “I have to take this, my love. Wait for me?”

Harley gave him a swift kiss. “I’ll be right here.”

By the time Claude made it to his office, the call had gone to voicemail, but Dorsey picked up the second Claude rang back. “You didn’t tell me this man was an absolute fuckin’ coward.”

Claude lifted a brow. “How so? And that was really fast.”

“I was ready to leave. My sister’s wains are…a lot. And this little fucker pissed himself the moment I got in his face. And that’s not an exaggeration. I took a photo and promised the world would see it if he even thought about bothering Harley again.”

A small part of Claude was afraid Darren would find some way to retaliate, but hopefully, he at least bought some time so when Darren finally got the balls to do anything about it, Harley would be safely within the confines of the small town near the ranch.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“Anything for you,” Dorsey said, and he sounded sincere this time. “I can’t wait to get home and meet him.”

“Hurry back.”

Dorsey chuckled quietly into the phone. “I might have found something to distract me for a bit, but I’ll be home soon. Have fun, you wild kids.” He rang off before Claude could say his goodbye, and it was with a smile on his face that he returned to the lobby to find Harley at the window, staring down at his phone.

“My love?”

Harley turned with a frown. “I just got a voicemail from my ex.”

“Oh?” Claude prayed to every god he’d ever heard of that Harley couldn’t read his face.

“He said he doesn’t want the condo. I can do whatever I want with it.” He hugged himself. “I wonder if he’s making a big show of it after writing that article.”

Claude wheeled closer and tugged on Harley’s hands. Closer, closer, he pulled him until he was forced to dip down and collapse on Claude’s lap. He cupped Harley’s cheeks and kissed him. “Who cares why he did it. The point is, he’s leaving you alone. All you have to do now is sell the condo and move here so I can have you all to myself.”

Harley closed his eyes and smiled. “I can’t wait.”

“Good. Now, let’s get back to the cabin before it gets too cold to bother. I have a warm blanket, and I want to hold you for a while.”

“Just that?” Harley asked.

Claude studied his face and could tell immediately that was all his beloved wanted. So he nodded and let him up, grabbing his hand at the last second to press a kiss to his knuckles. “Mm, and maybe a kiss at midnight.”

Harley’s face broke out into a gorgeous smile. “I can do that. Let’s go.” He walked off, and Claude followed.

“Are you disappointed there won’t be fireworks?” Claude asked him. They were curled up on the sofa under a heated, weighted blanket, Harley’s legs draped over his thighs, Harley’s fingers toying with his hair.

He had never been more content in his life. Never more comfortable. He thought maybe he’d felt this way with his ex once—long before it all came crashing down—but he wasn’t sure. They had never rested together.

Their lives had been busy and chaotic, and he had no idea how much he could love simply existing in someone’s arms.

“No, not really. Do you normally go see fireworks?” Harley asked. He had a mug of hot chocolate in his free hand, and he sipped it, giving himself a little mustache.

Claude grinned and leaned over, licking it off. “Mm. And no. But I don’t want you to feel like your life can’t have adventure, even with my limits.”

Harley snorted. “Trust me, this is adventure for me. I’ve never been that guy. I’d go hiking with you if you wanted to— small hikes,” he added with a grimace. “And I think I’d like to do some travel someday. But if you want an adrenaline seeker?—”

“Mais no,” Claude said. He quickly shook his head and squeezed down on Harley’s calf. “No, my love. I just worry I won’t be able to give you what you need.”

“ You’re what I need,” Harley said like it was that simple. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “I don’t want to spend New Year’s Eve at some party surrounded by people I don’t know, anxious and nervous with an upset stomach and biting back the request that you take me home.”

Claude laughed softly and kissed his hand. “I won’t ever do that to you.”

“Good, because this is perfect. This is enough. You, and hot chocolate, and a kiss at midnight.”

“Kisses before, during, after,” Claude told him, making good on his promise. Their lips didn’t part, even as he took Harley’s cocoa away and set it on the side table. When his hands were free, Claude pressed him into the cushions, laying his body carefully over Harley’s. In the background, he could hear people chanting on the TV. The countdown was beginning.

“Ten,” Harley said against his lips.

“Nine. Eight,” Claude said.

“Seven, six, five…”

“Four.”

“ Mm -three,” Harley managed.

Claude slipped his tongue between Harley’s teeth and said something like, “Two.”

They both missed one, but it didn’t matter. Their kiss deepened, their hearts pounding, hands seeking, feeling like nothing had ever been more right. Claude closed his eyes and lost himself to the feeling of his lover beneath him, knowing this was a start.

A beginning.

And while there would be an ending, because eventually there had to be, it wouldn’t be a pressing weight on their shoulders. It wouldn’t be a ticking clock. It would just be time. It would all be finished. And he’d have no regrets.

In a few blinks of his eyes, Harley was packing to leave. Time had gone both fast and slow—feeling like it would never end, but knowing that the time for Harley to leave was right around the corner.

He’d handled his PR crisis with a grace that Claude wouldn’t have had. His agent was replaced with a new one, and his publisher had sent him an email assuring him that his contract was safe and that they were sorry he was ever put in that position.

They even issued a public statement to readers about allowing authors to set boundaries regarding their personal lives.

Lyric was officially hired on as Harley’s social media assistant, and he spent the last afternoon he had at Wrought Iron making sure she had all his passwords and showing her the ropes of what it meant to handle his accounts.

Claude was a little jealous that he didn’t have all of Harley’s attention with just a few hours to go before it was time for bed—then sex, and sleep, and then the morning where he left. But he also realized that Harley was planting seeds that would eventually grow to become roots.

And that mattered.

He was useless for the day, so instead of busying himself with work, Claude set himself up on the sofa in his place, trying not to listen to how quiet it would be once again. He curled up with a blanket and the book Harley had given him for Christmas.

And it didn’t take long before he was completely immersed. It hadn’t been a stretch to imagine that Harley was good with words, but Claude hadn’t realized just how poignant and emotional his beloved was.

It wasn’t poetry, but it was the closest thing Claude had ever read, and he found himself turning to the last page just minutes before Harley walked through the door.

He was feeling emotions he couldn’t name, and he realized then he had an insight into the man he was in love with that only made that feeling stronger. This was who Harley was as a person—as a man, as a friend, as a son, as a lover.

The story was fiction, and the love interest was nothing like Claude, but it didn’t matter.

He could still see where he fit in Harley’s happily ever after.

And somehow, that was even better than having Harley make him promises that this was all going to work out.

“You home?”

Claude set the book on the table. “I’m here.”

Harley turned the corner, then stopped. His gaze flicked across the table, and his ears did the adorable thing where they turned all pink. “You read some of it.”

“All of it,” Claude said. “Come here.” When Harley didn’t move, he lifted a brow. “Do I need to say it twice?”

Harley crossed the room, his socked feet sliding over the wood. He hesitated an arm’s length away from Claude, then eventually let himself be drawn down beside him. Claude took Harley’s hand and kissed the fingers that had typed all those words.

“You didn’t hate it?”

Claude grinned as he lowered Harley’s hand. “I didn’t hate it.” That was an understatement, but he also knew how fawning made Harley uncomfortable unless he had him naked and in bed. Which sounded good, except his body was hurting, and he didn’t think he could perform well.

He wondered if Harley would mind—if that would change things. At some point, Harley would need to come to terms with the fact that their honeymoon phase wouldn’t be nearly as steamy as someone else’s. The pills could only do so much.

Claude still had bad days full of pain and fatigue.

And today was one of them, brought on by the stress of losing Harley—if only for a little while.

“You look upset.”

“I think you know why,” Claude said.

Harley leaned over and dropped his head against Claude’s shoulder, taking his hand and playing gently with his fingers. “I do. Lyric was distracting for a while, but I keep thinking about how I’m going to be in some hotel tomorrow night with a whole country between us.”

“Not a whole country,” Claude said, lifting their hands to kiss Harley’s knuckles. “And not forever.”

“No. Just until I sign the closing docs.”

A small part of Claude wanted to be irrational and ask Harley to promise he wouldn’t set eyes on his ex and want to reconcile, but that wasn’t fair. He trusted his lover. He trusted that this was real and that Harley had no interest in a man who had painted him to be the monster after everything he’d done.

“Then you’re all mine?” Claude asked instead.

Harley snorted and looked up at him. “I’m already yours. I just have some things to do. And while I’m gone, maybe you and everyone else can keep an eye out for me? For someplace I can stay?”

Claude wanted to keep him there—if not in his bed, at least on his property. But knew what Harley needed. He might be in love, and the relationship might have hope, but there were still pieces of himself that he could only discover while he was on his own.

Claude had been there. He’d done it himself, and he wouldn’t be where he was—the man worthy of Harley’s love—if he hadn’t.

So this was it. They had their plan. And it was a good plan too.

“Kiss me,” Harley said softly.

Claude lifted his chin and did exactly that. It lingered, on and on, past the point they both craved breath and only stopping when they had no choice. Harley knocked their heads together and clung to him. “Don’t let me go.”

“For tonight?”

“Forever.”

“Not on your life, my love. Not on your life.”