He flops down next to me and I sling an arm around him for two reasons: I need to steal some of his warmth, and I can’t get enough of being close to him.
“I love it when you get feisty,” Erik says, and I snort.
“Be careful what you wish for.” I’m quiet and too relaxed to keep going, so I fall back into silence with Erik. We let the sundry us off before heading into the sauna, and the heat slams right into me. If getting sick from temperature changes was a real thing, I’d be in the hospital at this point. My entire body flushes, but the feeling settles, and I lean back on the bench next to Erik who’s naked and hotter than, well, a sauna.
He fans himself, and it’s clear that between the two of us, Erik has a much lower temperature tolerance. While the heat is starting to get to me, Erik is already sweating like a faucet and panting.
“Why the hell are you still dry?” he asks.
I raise an eyebrow. “Are you annoyed that I’m not sweating?” There’s no response, but Erik avoids my gaze. “Ooh, youareannoyed.”
“You look good when you’re sweaty,” he mumbles, and the two of us laugh.
“Then you’d better make me sweat.” I speak before I can stop myself, and I curse. With a sly expression, Erik shuffles over and puts his hands on me, which still lights me up all the same. He traces across my torso before following the trail of hair along my stomach and reaching further down, and I break. It’s like a dam bursts, and my skin prickles with moisture. I knock Erik’s hands away and glare at him.
“You happy now?” I ask, blinking to keep drops out of my eyes.
“Uh huh. More than happy.”
“Well, you and your happiness can wait because I’m not having sex in a sauna. My national insurance is still processing, so I want to avoid fainting and racking up a hospital bill.”
“Yeah, good idea.” Erik and I settle next to each other and relax for as long as we can before the dehydration hits, and we emerge sometime later into the cold, dark twilight. There’s no point in staying outside anymore, so we head back to unwind.Erik lights a fire while I’m showering, then I cook while he’s cleaning up, and we eat dinner as darkness takes over the sky.
To thank me for cooking, Erik plants a kiss on my lips which is supposed to be quick, but quick isn’t really in our shared vocabulary. One kiss turns into two, which turns into making out and breaking in his bed. Once we’re fully sated and partially dressed, we sit down on the couch for some subdued cuddles.
Erik falls asleep with his head in my lap, my hands still drawing slow patterns in his hair. The fire burns low, leaving the table lamp as the only source of light in the living room. I can’t bend down enough to kiss Erik anywhere, so I give him a gentle scratch on the head instead, and he lets out a sleepy, satisfied sigh.
Calm washes over me like an extra blanket. The peace I feel when I’m with Erik is almost overwhelming, and being together with him in a place like this makes things ramp up tenfold, consuming every cell in my body.
My head falls back as I fight sleep, and I quickly give up, letting it take me. Tomorrow will be here before I know it, and it’ll be another day I get to spend with Erik, hanging out with him, enjoying him, and loving him. The day after? It’ll be more of the exact same thing, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.
Love is both a choice and a feeling. With Erik, the feelings are all there—steady, undeniable, and ever-present. Maybe they won’t stay as fiery and intense as they are now, but if the glowing fireplace in front of me is any indication, embers still give off more than enough heat to keep us toasty.
And the choice to love Erik? To be with him, to be there for him, to be his guy the same way he is mine?
It’s hardly a choice. It’s just the way things are, and the way they’ll always be.
EPILOGUE
ERIK
TWO YEARS LATER
MAY
“I’m sorry, Erik. If the Tax Agency sends me another request for information, I’m moving to Denmark.”
That’s an extreme reaction, but I don’t say it. He’skiddingabout living with the unserious enemy, so I let it slide.
I rise off the sofa and greet Luke with a gentle hug. “So, I take it your appointment went badly?” I ask, avoiding the itch at the back of my brain and tossing him a much-needed beer.
“Oh, no, it was fine. It’s just annoying going there in person.”
Chuckling, I join him on the sofa. “Well, you lived to tell the tale. I’d count that as a win if I were you.”
Luke cracks the beer open and takes a sip. “I guess. They didn’t even switch to English this time, either.”
“Fuck yeah,” I say.
