"I love you."
They were curled up under the covers, Nashville absently running fingers along the dips and curves of Hartford's stomach. He was exhausted, aching in all the best places, a dorky grin creasing his lips.
Fuck, that had been good. He'd needed that. A hard, fast, no-apologies round of fucking was exactly what the doctor had ordered.
Life was too short and too damn stressful to not get laid as often as possible.
Stretching, arms over his head, toes pointed, Nashville gave Hartford a sly grin before reaching over him to find his pants. Wherever they'd been thrown. "Smoke?"
Hartford was giving him a look, eyebrows knitted together in a frown. Nashville couldn't resist the urge to lean down and drop a kiss to the crease in his forehead. The guy was adorable. And hot as hell. Which was not a combination Nashville would have thought would work together.
But Hartford...
Hartford definitely worked.
"What?" Nashville grinned as he sprawled across Hartford's chest, delaying his cigarette in favor of slow, deep kisses. Their tongues pressed together, Hartford's pushing into his mouth, stealing every breath. Nashville's moan was lost between them; Hartford's hands slipped up Nash's back, burying fingers in his hair. With a grin, Nashville nipped at Hart's lip. "Do you disapprove of my smoking after two very, very good orgasms? Because let me tell you, blondie, I--"
"I love you."
Nashville froze.
That was...definitely not what he'd expected.
What was he supposed to say?
Love just means that this is all going to hurt more.
You will leave because everyone does. Everything ends. Everything dies. Especially beautiful men with smiles like the sun.
Don't.
But he didn't. He couldn't. Because nothing he said was going to matter.
Instead Nashville dropped another kiss to Hartford's lips and grabbed his pack of cigs, sitting up to light one.
"Give me ten minutes and then we're having round two," he muttered around the cigarette between his lips.
That was better than love. Love faded. Love was ripped apart. But sex? Sex was a pleasure that could live fully in a moment.
No one ever had their heart ripped out over just sex.