Better to Believe (Harrison Campus 4)

The truth stretched, weighted between them.

Coury came forward, tension rolling off him in thick waves. “Yeah, you remember this.”

Cool lips covered his warm ones and Coury slid his hand behind Liam’s head.

The kiss thrummed between them, full of frustration and need and impatience. Coury’s lips were hard on his, but the hand in his hair was so gentle.

Coury pulled back and looked at him.

“I meant everything I said.” Liam snaked his arm around Coury and kissed him back.

Their bodies molded together and his hard-on pressed against Coury’s. He moaned as a tongue pushed his lips open. His limbs tingled and he forgot everything except that he was finally getting the kiss he’d wanted for almost half his life.

“Excuse me while I turn up the heat,” Pop said behind them. “That way you two can argue and kiss with my front door wide open and the neighbors will be warm while they watch.”

Liam broke their kiss, flushed with more than embarrassment. He pulled an equally red Coury farther into the house and swung the door shut.

“Happy?”

Pop looked between them, and his smile twinkled in his eyes. “Completely. Coury, are you staying for dinner? I ordered enough for three.”

* * *

Coury

Coury uncoiled his limbs from the warm body laying against his. He hadn’t been sure what to do with Pop sitting there, but Liam ended that issue by snuggling in.

He didn’t remember much about the movie, and he’d seen it before. Ask him how Liam smelled or how his muscles felt, and Coury would ace that test. He didn’t want to get up, but he knew he should.

Pop left after the movie. They’d stayed stuck together while Pop took Slider for a walk, came back, and said good night. Alone, Coury wanted to kiss Liam again, but he hadn’t forgotten Beckett’s admonishment.

Their second kiss, spending this evening with Liam . . . it was worth it. But he walked a thin line. It would hurt them both when Coury left. Liam had worked his way into that spot in his heart reserved for someone special.

The way Liam adhered himself to Coury only compounded the feelings of affection. He was in so deep. And maybe Liam was, too.

Reluctantly, he stretched, and Liam moved forward, turning.

“I was so comfortable.”

“Me too.” He wrapped his arms around Liam and pulled him back. Liam laid his head on Coury’s chest. “I wish I didn’t have to go.”

“You could stay.”

He sighed. “I have PT first thing.”

“I thought it was in the afternoon.”

“It was, but now that practice has officially started, I switched it so I could watch. And . . .”

“And what?”

“I’m not trying to restart this, but I changed it so I’d have time to meet with my amazing tutor. Can I say how freakin’ hot he is?”

“You just noticed?”

“Nope, but I never felt like he’d welcome me saying it.”

Liam slipped his arms around Coury’s waist and hugged. “You never figured out I had a crush on you?”

“When we were kids you always wanted to hang around us. As we got older, I never changed my reasoning, I guess.”

“Well, I was trying to hide it, and Beckett sucks the air out of a room. I flew under the radar a lot.”

“I’m sorry.”

Liam sat up. “Don’t be. You were always nice to me, even when Beckett wanted me to go away. That might have been why the crush started.”

“Then I grew up.” Coury shook his head. “It’s like I never really saw you.”

Liam put his fingers on Coury’s lips. “Stop. Okay? You see me now. That’s what matters.”

He groaned and pressed their foreheads together. “It’s really hard to say no when you look at me like that. I want to give you whatever you want.”

“If I asked you to stay, would you?”

It would be so easy to say yes. He wanted to wrap himself around Liam’s naked body and . . . “That’s probably a bad idea. We don’t want to rush anything.”

“I get it. Tonight was really nice. Way more than I expected.” Liam smiled and stood. He held out a hand. “But a guy can be greedy.”

“You can.” Coury let Liam pull him up. He went with it and found himself wrapped in a hug he didn’t want to end.

Finally, Liam let go and led them to the front door. Coury’s coat was on the end of the bannister. With Liam hovering an inch away, Coury wrapped his scarf around his neck, zipped up his coat, and pulled his gloves from his pocket.

They reached an awkward impasse. Did he kiss Liam goodbye? Was a hug the wrong signal? He hated the weirdness of this stage of a relationship. And this one was more complicated than most.

He pulled Liam into a hug without saying anything. Closing his eyes, he tried to push away everything except how good it felt.