Belle Morte Bites (Belle Morte 4.3)

Domestic Bliss

Modern Day (set before Jason and Gideon's wedding)

There was little that Gideon loved more than going into his bedroom, which had been such a quiet, lonely space for so long, and seeing his fiancé there. The sight of Jason, shirtless in bed, propped against a heap of pillows, focused on the book in his hand, damn near made Gideon's heart explode.

Every time he reminded himself that this amazing man had chosen to spend his life with Gideon, it was like a precious gift, being given over and over again.

Jason looked up and smiled. "Hey, you," he said.

"What are you reading?" Gideon asked, sliding into bed beside Jason, shoulder-to-shoulder. Jason's skin was warm against Gideon's.

Jason held up the book. The cover was bright with oranges and reds, the colours coalescing around a bare-chested man who stared out at Gideon with smouldering eyes.

"It's a romance about a fireman who falls in love with the guy he rescues from a burning building," Jason explained. He waggled his eyebrows. "It's pretty steamy."

He handed the book to Gideon, who started flipping through the pages, pausing every now and to read a paragraph.

"At first our hero is afraid to commit to someone because his job is so dangerous. He thinks that he can keep the man he's falling for safe by not being with him." Jason nudged Gideon. "Remind you of anyone?"

It was meant as a joke, but Gideon winced a little.

Before Jason had proposed to him, Gideon had broken Jason's heart when he ended their relationship. At the time it had made sense to Gideon. Jason being with him had attracted the attention of People Over Vampires, a group of extremists who hated vampires and anyone connected with them. They'd abducted Jason's sister in an attempt to get to him, and it had worked, until Gideon turned up to fight them off. Gideon had thought that if Jason was no longer with him, then no one would want to hurt Jason anymore. Instead he'd hurt Jason, more than anyone else had ever done.

A particular passage caught Gideon's eye, and his face felt suddenly warm.

"Oh, yeah, that's a good bit," Jason said, leaning in. "That's the first time they have sex."

"It's . . . very graphic," Gideon said.

"Told you."

Gideon couldn't help reading the passage again. The sex scene was graphic, possibly more so than anything he'd ever read, but the author had captured the growing emotional connection between the two men, along with the physical passion. It was surprisingly beautiful.

"If you're very good, maybe I'll read some of the other steamy bits to you," Jason said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

The thought of Jason reading aloud what Gideon had just seen in the book made his stomach churn, but in a good way.

He turned a few more pages, then paused again.

"Ah, the massage scene," Jason said, dramatically clutching his chest. "I do love a good massage."

"I know," Gideon said.

Jason had mentioned it a few months ago, expressing the hope that he and Gideon could get couples' massages together some time, and Gideon had to admit he was intrigued. He'd never had one before, and though part of him recoiled at the thought of being so vulnerable around a stranger, about letting that stranger touch him like that, another part wanted to know why Jason liked them so much.

Which was why he'd been doing something in secret recently. He hadn't been sure when it would be time to try it out, but that time had to be now.

He closed the book and put in on the nightstand.