Chapter Eighteen

Dante

Basking in the afterglow, Dante held Seth in his arms. Staring into Seth’s beautiful green eyes, he refused to let his lover go. This was what he had been craving.

Dante had never given himself to another as he had with Seth. Even the times when he had sex with others, Dante was always the top. He readily took the position, and it seemed to have always been given without question. To him, being the bottom was an act of trust, an intimacy he hadn’t wanted to share with another. It wasn’t something he could give easily, even though the angels he had slept with had happily bottomed for him. Dante understood that this was unique to him and not all angels felt the same way he had. Everyone was different.

As far as he was concerned, he would only bottom for someone whom he loved deeply, cared for enough to give every part of himself. No one had ever been any of those things to Dante.

He wanted to give all of himself to Seth. If Seth had wanted to top, Dante would have willingly given that to him. When it came down to Seth wanting him inside him, Dante’s heart soared. In his mind, he took that as much of an act of trust as it would have been if he would have bottomed.

Dante understood why Seth hadn’t let anyone close. He’d done the same thing for different reasons. For the first time, he felt as though he could allow someone else in. Dante wanted Seth to be a part of his existence, to let him behind the walls Dante had kept up for so long. He didn’t want that for the fleeting moments they were stealing simply to be together now, but for eternity. He wanted to love and be loved by Seth, to give the beautiful, determined man who he held in his arms everything he had never had during his short life.

The blush that tinted Seth’s cheeks then spread down his neck made Dante’s heart flutter. He was so damn gorgeous. The sweet blush simply made him that much more endearing. With that heat, Seth was seared into Dante’s soul further.

“I love you, Seth,” Dante said quietly. His voice nearly cracked with emotion. A sense of melancholy raced through Dante. He hadn’t wanted Seth to leave him before. Now, it hurt on a very real and deep level to imagine a life without him.

“W—what did you say?” Seth stammered, his eyes went wide.

“I said I love you,” his voice was stronger this time, the words spoken more articulately. “If I need to scream it from the top of this mountain, I would gladly do it. Hell, I would want to, so that everyone would know.”

A smile replaced Seth’s incredulous expression. Seth’s arms tightened around him. With Seth held firmly in his embrace, Dante kissed him. Their lips pressed together with such sweet passion, they could have melted the snow around them.

“I would love to lay here with you in my arms all day, but I should let you go. I do have to recharge a bit,” Dante frowned. He didn’t want to let Seth leave his embrace. At the same time, Dante wanted to be completely upfront with him. Seth needed to know that Dante would take care of himself and not expend any more of his energy, and that he would take the time to recharge if he needed to.

“Good thing it’s a sunny day for recharging your energy with the power of solar panels.” Seth cracked up, Dante joining him.

Seth’s joking and laughter were infectious. Dante touched Seth’s arm before he went incorporeal. When Seth solidified again, he smiled.

“I still have enough energy left for you to get dressed. I wouldn’t want you roaming around naked where others could see you. Plus, having you naked around me wouldn’t make me want to recharge either. You’d get me worked up again then we’d end up having sex again.”

“So this was a one-time thing then?” Seth raised his brow at Dante before grabbing his jeans and tugging them on.

“It won’t be. Maybe not in the next five or ten minutes, but I absolutely want to do this again, and more than just once or twice,” Dante grinned wickedly.

Dante had only kept his hands on Seth long enough for him to finish getting dressed even though he wished he could have maintained contact with him longer. Dante had never worried about draining his energy like he was now. Then again, he had never had a reason to worry. It wasn’t until Seth died that Dante chose to use his energy to keep Seth flesh.

Once Seth was clothed, Dante collected his things then got dressed as well. Stretching out on his back with his hands behind his head, Dante looked up at the brilliant clear blue sky. Moments of silence passed between him and Seth. The quiet was comfortable without being awkward. Dante’s thoughts ran away from him, returning to their fate, and he felt the same pang of loss he had earlier. Dante rolled to his side and looked at Seth hovering over the ground next to him. It had appeared as though he were laying facing him. Seth was just as sexy dressed as he was naked. The taste of Seth’s lips still lingered on Dante’s. He tasted of strawberries and sweetness. Dante could still feel Seth’s body surrounding him. The way his ass constricted around his cock when they reached their mutual orgasm lingered in his thoughts. A shiver of pleasure rolled through him.

Dante restrained himself from reaching out to touch Seth’s cheek. They both needed to recharge in their own way. While he was drained physically from using his energy, Dante could only imagine that Seth was drained emotionally.

“I don’t want you to leave me,” Dante said quietly.

“I know. I don’t want to leave you either. There’s nothing we can do is there? Once I’ve made sure the Doctor is brought to justice...” Seth’s words drifted off; they both knew exactly what would come to pass.

Dante growled in frustration. While he hadn’t wanted to bring any sadness into their time together, he couldn’t stop himself from admitting that he wanted Seth to stay with him.

“I might have an idea, Seth. It’s a slim chance, and I’d have to talk to Killian about it, but it’s an idea nonetheless.”

Dante hadn’t wanted to get he and Seth’s hopes too high. If what he was thinking worked, then there could be a way they could stay together. Any venture, even if it was a long shot, was one that Dante was willing to take. Hell, he was already in hot water anyway, not that he would let Seth know. Dante didn’t want him to be upset or feel guilty about their time together or their love for each other. He might as well go full force with this. It would be worth anything to make sure he and Seth could stay together.

“Killian?” Seth said. Confusion and surprise laced in his tone. “Why would you need to talk to him?”

Leaning toward him, Dante brushed his lips against Seth’s in a soft lingering kiss. A smile graced his face while looking into Seth’s beautiful face. And yes, he would describe him as beautiful. Hot as fucking hell, sensual and beautiful all wrapped up into one perfect person that was meant only for Dante.

“Don’t worry, handsome. You’re the only one for me,” Dante said, his smile brighter. “Killian may be an ass, but he’s a relatively harmless one. Even if I do want to beat on him for the way he treated you.”

And when did I get so protective and possessive? Oh yeah—when I fell in love with Seth.

“You can go talk to Cal while I’m up talking with Killian. Take down two birds with one stone. We’ll meet up again anywhere you want; your choice this time. I want to show you the world and for us to be together as long as we can.”

“Wherever you want to take me, I promise, I won’t dare close my eyes.”