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“That was…,” he started, then shook his head. “Okay. Wow.”

“Yeah,” Chuck agreed, fighting the urge to pull him back in. “For sure, wow.”

Niall laughed, the sound warm and nervous. “You’re gonna make me shoot in my shorts. I feel like a teenager again, making out on the couch and hoping my parents don’t walk in and ground me.”

“Well, Winnie’s at a sleepover, and I’m pretty sure your parents are nowhere nearby,” Chuck pointed out. “So you shoot anywhere you want, my man. I am here for your pleasure, if you want.”

Chuck sat back and let the offer stand. Niall’s call. He’d wait all night if need be.

“I want it so much,” Niall said at last to nix any confusion, and this time he was the one who initiated the kiss and slid his hand around the back of Chuck’s neck to pull him closer. “God, do I want it.”

They lost track of time after that, the kisses kindling a deeper heat, hands beginning to wander. Chuck found himself half on top of Niall, one hand tangled in his hair, the other under his T-shirt to feel the warm skin of his back and yank him closer.

“We should slow down,” Niall murmured against Chuck’s lips, even as his own hands were gripping Chuck’s hips, trapping him between his thighs.

“We could,” Chuck agreed as he trailed kisses along Niall’s jaw. “Or we could not.”

Niall laughed and choked. “This is why I should know better. No impulse control.”

“You dig it.” Chuck nipped at Niall’s earlobe and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath.

“Jesus, but I do.”

Niall stopped hedging. His hesitation vanished as he pulled Chuck firmly against him, his hands growing bolder, more demanding. Chuck responded in kind, reveling in the hidden power of Niall’s body moving beneath his, the small grunts he made when Chuck punished something sensitive with his teeth.

It was Niall who pulled back, his breathing ragged. “As fantastic as this feels, I’m too old to squirt on my couch like a high schooler when I have a huge bed over our heads.” He pointed at the ceiling.

Chuck grinned, his own heart racing. “Are you inviting me to your bedroom to smear your jizz on me, Mr. Ashworth?”

“Yeah.” Niall’s expression turned serious. “But I need to be clear. I’m not looking for a casual fling. I’ve got Winnie, and the store, and a whole life here that matters to me.”

“I hear you.” Chuck sat up to give them both some space to think clearly. “And I get it. I’m crappy when it comes to staying put.”

“It’s not personal. I can’t afford to be reckless anymore.”

“Being a parent does that, I guess,” Chuck offered, thinking of his sister and how parenthood had made her more deliberate, more mindful in her choices.

“Hundred percent.” Niall ran a hand through his hair, which was already mussed from Chuck’s fingers. “So… dealer’s choice.”

Chuck considered the question. He couldn’t promise forever—he wasn’t built that way, had never been able to see that far ahead. But he could promise honesty. Could promise to try.

“It leaves us taking things one day at a time,” he admitted. “I like you, Niall. A lot. More than I expected to like anyone when I came back to this town. I can’t tell you where I’ll be in a year, but I can tell you I’m not looking to hurt you or Winnie.”

Niall studied him, seeming to weigh his words. “One day at a time,” he repeated. “I can work with that.”

“Good.” Chuck leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to Niall’s lips. “Now, about that bedroom….”

Niall laughed, the tension broken. “I didn’t officially invite you there yet.”

“But you were considering it.”

“I was.” Niall stood, holding out his hand. “I still am.”

Chuck took the offered hand and allowed Niall to pull him up from the couch. “Lead the way.”

Chuck took the stairs slowly, one hand on the rail. He’d climbed plenty of strange staircases drunk and sure of nothing. He climbed this one sober and scared, right into the warm dark like it was waiting.

Niall’s bedroom was simple and uncluttered—a queen-sized bed with a striped navy comforter, an antique dresser, a small rolltop desk in the corner with a laptop closed on top. A single framed photo on the nightstand showed Niall and Winnie at the beach, both laughing as waves crashed around their knees.