Free Letters to Julian (A Cupid Inc Novella) by Zayne Michaels

the floor and stared up at the elf while his heart hammered against his ribs. “I can explain.”

    Chapter Six
    Julian wished he could be mad, but as it stood, he had to bite down on his tongue to keep from smiling. He’d been on bad dates before, but never anything so ridiculous as the one he’d just endured. Harris Hastings was a self-absorbed moron, but Julian had dealt with men like that in the past. This was the first time he’d ever had to contend with a jealous not-lover, though.
    “Okay, explain.”
    “I…” Still kneeling on the cold, wooden floor, Ridley trailed off and pressed his lips together in a frown. “Well, I don’t rightly have an explanation, as it were. You can do better than that jerkoff, Julian.”
    Pulling the frozen rose from the breast pocket of his coat, Julian held it up and arched both eyebrows. “Like you?”
    “Not to put too fine a point on it, but yes.”
    “You are an idiot, Ridley Dragos.” Placing the flower on top of a stack of boxes, Julian lowered himself to the floor in front of Ridley and took both of his hands. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
    “I believe you nailed it on the head, love.” He brought Julian’s hands to his lips and kissed both sets of knuckles. “I’m a bloody idiot, and frankly, you terrify me.”
    “I terrify you?” Julian couldn’t scare away a church mouse. “Cheese and crackers, Ridley, how on earth can I scare you?”
    “Not you, Julian, just what I feel when I’m around you. I’ve lived a long time, love, but I’ve never been in love before. You made it so easy, though, as simple as breathing, and by the time I realized what was happening, I was already in too deep. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t handle it well.”
    “ You didn’t handle it well,” Julian repeated in a quiet mumble. “You ran, Ridley. You got scared, and you ran. Then, instead of just telling me how you feel, you followed me tonight and tormented my date.”
    “You didn’t seem to mind.”
    Julian snorted. “That’s beside the point.” Okay, it had been pretty funny, but he needed Ridley to focus. “How do I know you’re not going to push me away and go—” His eyes widened, and he squeezed Ridley’s hands until his knuckles turned white. “You said you love me.”
    Chuckling nervously, Ridley rose to his feet, pulling Julian with him. “You caught that, did you?” He threaded his fingers through his hair and blew out a long breath while he bobbed his head. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. You just sort of s nuck up on me, to be honest. Thinking back on it, though, I’m pretty sure I’ve loved you from the start.” His smile returned, and he stepped forward to wind his arm around Julian’s waist, pulling him closer until their chests pressed together. “Like I said, love, you make it easy. Well, say something,” he added when Julian continued to stare at him.
    Moisture pooled in his eyes, and a lump formed in his throat, making it impossible to convey all the things he wanted to say. Words were overrated anyway. Jumping into Ridley’s arms, he locked his legs around the man’s hips and slanted their mouths together, pouring every ounce of emotion he felt into the kiss.
    “We talk too much,” he mumbled against Ridley’s lips. “No more talking.”
    Turning abruptly, Ridley pinned him against the wall, attacking his mouth in hungry, desperate kisses as he pawed at Julian’s clothing. His coat disappeared first, followed by his dress shirt, and Julian laughed when the entire row of buttons popped off and bounced across the floor. He toed his shoes off behind Ridley’s back, and though it took a little more work to get his slacks off, Ridley managed without setting him back on his feet.
    By the time the last scrap of clothing hit the floor, Julian’s cock throbbed, jutting out from his nest of blond curls and begging for attention. His hole clenched and relaxed, greedy and aching, desperate to be filled. A slow burn started in