2 Days Later

Excerpt

2 Days Later
CM Corett © 2016
All Rights Reserved

Nate fumbled with the lock of his apartment door. Only a few minutes past midnight on the second day of the year and already exhaustion dragged at his shoulders as if he’d stayed at the club until the early hours of the morning. In the past, he’d thought nothing of working until three in the morning and then heading elsewhere in search of entertainment and companionship, but now… He sighed as the lock released. Thirty-two years old—going on sixty-two.

Damn.

He pushed the door open. Instead of the usual dark and lonely silence, low murmurs and the flickering light of the television filled the apartment. Justin lay sleeping, curled up on the couch, clutching the remote to his chest like a security blanket.

Warmth settled in Nate’s chest. Had coming home ever felt this good?

Home. With Justin in it, his sparse apartment seemed more like a home. He leaned against the door, closing it with a quiet snick.

Justin stirred. “Is that you, Nate?”

“Yeah, it’s just me.” He walked across the room and perched on the couch beside Justin’s outstretched legs, his hip pressing against Justin’s knee. The smell of sleepy, warm male teased his senses. He wanted to bury his face in the crook of Justin’s neck, taste the pale, smooth skin, and inhale that intoxicating aroma. And he craved another of those mind-blowing kisses. Instead, he removed the remote from Justin’s grasp and muted the television before placing it on the coffee table. “You didn’t have to stay on the couch; you could have used my bed.”

“The couch is okay, and I wasn’t sure…” Justin bit his bottom lip.

“I’m good with you being in my bed.”

“Really?” Justin placed a tentative hand on Nate’s thigh.

“Ah, no. I didn’t mean it like that.” He cleared his throat. “I meant it’s okay for you to use my bed. When I’m not here.”

“Only when you’re not here?”