Chris rapped on Ant’s hotel door, a shopping bag in his hand and a happiness that had sustained him through a long day of primping with Brad. Not to mention the teasing he’d endured about finally giving in to his attraction to Ant.

He hadn’t told Brad about everything else that happened that weekend, though it was getting harder to keep it a secret. Maybe because it felt less awful and almost … good?

Ant opened the door, looking frazzled. “It’s not time to go, is it?”

Chris grinned. “No.” He took in Ant’s half-dressed state. “Unless you mean that as an innuendo.”

“What?” Ant looked baffled before shaking his head. “Get in here, you minx.”

Chris laughed. “Never been called that before.”

“Yeah? What do your lovers usually call you?”

Chris looked at him with a straight face. “Chris.”

Ant swatted his ass. “Very funny.”

Chris took in the room, eyes drawn to the clothes strewn over the bed. Setting down his shopping bag, he picked up a pair of dark jeans. “So, you do own something that’s not nylon.”

Ant came up behind him, slipping his arms around his waist. “Yes, smartass. Though nothing that would make me look as good as you.”

Chris turned, taking in Ant’s bare chest. “You look best in nothing at all.”

“Is that right?”

“Mm-hmm.” Chris stepped back. “Looks like you need some help getting changed.”

“Sure, I’ve always been crap at color coordinating—oh.”

Ant cut off with a sharp breath as Chris placed his hands on his hips, just above his shorts. He circled his thumbs over Ant’s skin, smiling as goose bumps rushed to the surface. He liked knowing he could affect him so completely.

Holding Ant’s gaze, Chris pushed his shorts down until they fell around his ankles, leaving him in boxer briefs stretched lewdly over his erection.

Chris’s gaze dropped, drinking him in. Ant’s golden skin stretched over defined muscle made his mouth water. As Chris looked his fill, he saw Ant’s stomach clench tight and his cock continue to strain the confines of his underwear.

“Just, uh, hand me the dark jeans,” Ant said, his voice unsteady.

Chris, a smile flirting with his lips, obediently handed over the jeans. As Ant stepped into them, he cleared his throat. “I have something to say.”

“Oh yeah?” Chris asked, his eyes watching Ant’s every move. “Is it about that hard dick you’re packing? Because there’s no way those jeans are going to be comfortable.”

Ant paused in the act of pulling up his jeans and glanced down at his huge boner. “Yeah, I know, but what can you do?”

Chris sank to his knees. Raising his hands to Ant’s waistband, he pulled out his briefs just enough for Ant’s cockhead to peek out the top.

“Whoa, I, uh ... ”

Chris leaned forward and licked over the head, and Ant groaned loudly, canting his hips forward in a silent plea for more. Chris hadn’t gotten the chance to return this particular favor, and saliva pooled under his tongue.

This close, he could smell Ant, a mix of musk and soap.

Chris dragged the material down until all of Ant was on display. He stood entirely naked, while Chris knelt before him in his jeans, button-down shirt, and sports coat, fully dressed for the wedding.

“Chris …”

“What baby?”

Ant blinked lust-heavy eyes. “There was something I wanted to say.”

“Yeah?” Chris was amused by Ant’s muddled state. He’d done a number on him, and he hadn’t even gotten started. “Let me suck off my husband,” he said. “You can tell me later.”

Ant made an unintelligible sound, and then Chris was taking him into his mouth. His lips stretched, Ant’s thick cock heavy on his tongue. He swirled his tongue, spreading saliva around Ant’s cockhead, and then pushed his head down to Ant’s pubes.

Ant groaned from deep in his chest. His hands landed in Chris’s hair. “Sweet Jesus.”

“Mmm,” Chris hummed around the cock in his mouth.

Chris reached around Ant’s body, squeezing his rock-hard glutes and then spreading them wide. He massaged him, teasing at the idea of ass play while he bobbed up and down his length. Ant was speaking gibberish.

“So good. Want it forever,” he panted. “You and me.”

Chris tried to tell Ant with his eyes that he already had him. He wanted them to start over. If Ant cared half as much as he seemed to, Chris would be an idiot not to try again. He sucked harder, telling himself that the tears burning at his eyes were from the abuse he was inflicting on his throat.

Ant came with a strangled cry, pulsing thick, salty cream onto the back of Chris’s tongue. He swallowed fast, needing to catch it all. Not only because he wanted it. He didn’t have another outfit ready for Brad’s wedding.

Chris pulled back, gasping air as Ant lowered his hands to Chris’s shoulders, leaning against him for support as he trembled.

“Damn, sweetness. You’re good.”

Chris tipped his head up, smiling. “Glad you married me now, huh? Well, I am an excellent catch.”

Ant’s breathing caught for a moment, and he caressed Chris’s cheek. “You really are,” he said. “But I haven’t caught you.”

Chris blinked at the serious tone. “What?”

“I should have told you sooner,” Ant said, wetting his lips. He looked nervous, and Chris couldn’t imagine why. Surely, he couldn’t have done something to betray Chris’s trust so soon. “You were just so happy and then so sexy, and then my brain leaked into my cock.”

“Spit it out.”

“That’s what he said.”

Chris, trepidation swirling in his veins, was in no mood for the jokes. “Tell me,” he ordered.

“We’re not married.”

“We’re not married?” Chris echoed.

Ant tried to smile. “Great news, huh? Just what you wanted.”

His insides quaked as he put on a good face. He wanted to believe that the state of their marriage wouldn’t matter one way or another. They’d planned to annul it, so either way, it would be irrelevant in a matter of weeks. But there was a part of Ant that couldn’t help wondering if Chris would have slept with him if he hadn’t believed they were married. After all, why not indulge after you’ve already made the huge mistake of a drunk marriage?

Ant hated that he thought this way. He wasn’t normally so insecure, and it wasn’t fair to Chris. But he couldn’t forget how hostile Chris had been right up until he’d seen that marriage license that seemed to seal their fate.

“An annulment doesn’t work that fast,” Chris said.

He looked bewildered, and Ant forced himself to take a step back and explain. Chris was listening to him. He had to make the most of that, and hope for the best.

“You don’t need an annulment if there’s no marriage.”

“We just confirmed we got a marriage license. Last night, remember? I was with you. Before we had mind-blowing sex.”

Ant gripped Chris’s hands, tugging him to his feet. He didn’t know the best strategy here. All he knew was that he’d regret it if he didn’t put everything out on the table. His pride, his ego, his heart.

“Chris, sweetness, it was the best sex of my life.”

“For me too,” Chris said.

“I care about you.” Ant yanked up his pants and gripped Chris’s hands to tug him to his feet. “But I can’t change facts. And the fact is, we’re not married. Getting a marriage license doesn’t mean anything if you don’t use it. Do you see what I mean?”

The penny dropped, and Chris sucked in a sharp breath. “We’re not married.”

“No, we’re not.”

“We were never married?”

“Right again.”

Chris tugged his hands free of Ant, staring at him with wide eyes. “But … how?”

Ant swallowed. “I was going to call the lawyer this morning to start the annulment.” The pinched expression on Chris’s face gave him pause. “I thought that’s what you’d want.”

“Well, yeah. We can’t stay married,” Chris said, attempting a smile. “That’s crazy, right?”

Ant saw it, there in Chris’s eyes. He wasn’t alone in his feelings. A wave of relief hit him hard, and he dragged Chris into a hug.

“I’m crazy about you,” Ant admitted. He pulled back just enough to kiss Chris’s lips, then his forehead, then the tip of his nose.

Chris pulled away. “Wait, I’m still confused. Start over from the beginning.”

Ant ran through his morning, from the moment he researched lawyers to the idea of checking with wedding venues.

“I just got this feeling, like I remembered something, but I couldn’t remember it.”

“That makes no sense.”

“I know,” Ant said, running a hand through his hair. “It was just a hunch, but I decided to call the venues we visited. None of them married us.”

Chris didn’t speak for several long minutes. He just stared across the room, eyes distant.

“Chris?” Ant said. “Say something. This doesn’t have to change anything.”

Chris barked a laugh. “Not change anything?” he said. “Of course it does! This whole weekend has been a huge cosmic joke!”

“It brought us together.”

“And tore us right back apart,” Chris said bitterly.

“Not if we don’t let it,” Ant said. “We can still be together. Hell, we can get married for real someday, if you want that. You’re it for me, Chris. Please hear what I’m saying.”

For a heart-stopping moment, it seemed like Chris wasn’t going to listen to him. That maybe he’d run again. Take this excuse and use it to sabotage their fledgling relationship. But something of Ant’s words must have gotten through.

“You feel that strongly?” Chris asked tentatively.

Ant felt incredibly vulnerable admitting the truth. With no idea how Chris would take it, it was really fucking hard to say the words. But he wasn’t letting Chris go again without a fight.

“I care about you. I always have.”

Chris gripped his face, kissing him hard. Ant could taste his own release on Chris’s tongue, a guilty reminder that he’d let the man give him pleasure before telling him the hard truth. Could he be blamed for wanting one last moment of intimacy, just in case it all went to hell? Probably.

Chris drew back. “I’m scared. That marriage was a mistake, but it tied us together.”

“There’s way more than that connecting us,” Ant said, kissing Chris again. “We have last night, and this morning—”

“And two minutes ago?” Chris asked with a smirk.

Ant flushed. “I’m, uh, sorry. I should have stopped you. It wasn’t fair to let you do that when you didn’t know the truth.”

Chris frowned. “Did you purposely keep it from me?”

“I wasn’t thinking that straight.”

“I’ll say,” Chris teased.

“You caught me by surprise, but still. Sorry I waited to bring it up.”

Chris waved away his concerns. “You’re right. We’re connected by more than a drunk marriage. I didn’t sleep with you because of that. I did it because I realized that you care about me, and you’re a good man. I did it because I’m tired of letting my fears hold me back.” Chris pecked his cheek, then added impishly, “And I did it because you’re hot as fuck.”

Ant laughed, so relieved he thought he might melt into a puddle. Chris turned away, grabbing the bag from the bed, and thrust it at Ant.

“Here, get ready. I’ve got to go fix my hair. I probably look like I’ve been blowing a guy.”

Ant smirked. “Maybe a little.”

“There’s a surprise in there. Put it on,” Chris said before darting into the bathroom to straighten himself up.

Ant pulled out the dress shirt, laughing under his breath. If he and Chris dated, it looked like he’d be getting a makeover.

“Is this what I have to put up with?” he called. “You telling me how to dress.”

“You’ll love it,” Chris said.

Yeah, he probably would.