CHAPTER 388: CHAPTER 388: LOVE IN THE MORNING

Trevor shifted again, his arm tightening slightly around the blanket, a quiet sound escaping him, something halfway between a sigh and a hum.

Lucas held his breath.

He shouldn’t have kissed him. He knew that. He should’ve been halfway across the room by now, pretending to read, or making tea, or doing literally anything that didn’t involve watching his husband sleep like some kind of obsessed teenager.

But the damage was done. His pulse was already betraying him, uneven and shallow, every breath tasting faintly of cedar and skin.

He forced his thoughts into order. ’Control it. You’ve lived through worse. This is fine.’

It wasn’t.

The faint warmth still lingered on his lips, and the air between them seemed to hum. The scent grew, filling the space until it felt less like oxygen and more like him. Lucas’s chest ached with the weight of it.

Trevor moved again, rolling slightly toward him, the sheet sliding down just enough to expose another inch of skin. Pale light spilled over his collarbone, the slow line of his throat, and the faint shadow where muscle met softness.

Lucas’s self-control snapped for a second, not enough to act on, but enough to think about it. His body leaned forward before his mind caught up, stopping just short of disaster.

He shut his eyes, exhaled through his nose, and muttered under his breath, "Not now. Absolutely not now."

Trevor’s next breath changed. It deepened, steadied, and then stopped halfway, an instinctive stillness that made Lucas’s stomach tighten.

When Trevor opened his eyes, they were darker, sharpened by his mates’ pheromones filling the air. His gaze found Lucas instantly, taking in everything: his disheveled hair, the faint color on his cheeks, and the blanket pulled too quickly around him.

Lucas froze, halfway between guilt and flight.

For a moment neither of them spoke. The morning light caught on the faint pulse at Lucas’s throat, the telltale shimmer of pheromones that had slipped free despite his efforts to contain them. Their sweetness hung in the air, subtle and maddening to Trevor.

Trevor’s jaw tightened. He sat up slowly, the movement smooth, predatory in its elegance. The blanket slipped down his chest, revealing the faint line of muscle and the soft mark of the linen made in his deep sleep.

"Morning," Trevor said, voice low and rough from sleep.

Lucas tried for normal. "You’re awake."

"I’d have to be dead not to be," Trevor murmured. His eyes swept over Lucas once more, the corners of his mouth twitching. "You look..." He stopped himself, the word unsaid but hanging there between them.

Lucas cleared his throat. "Disheveled?"

Trevor’s lips curved. "That’s one word for it."

He leaned back against the headboard, still watching him. The silence filled with a quiet hum, his own scent beginning to rise, grounding, steady, like cedar and storm air mixing with the sweetness in the room.

Lucas swallowed, his heartbeat too quick. "You should go back to sleep," he said softly.

Trevor’s gaze softened, but the edge of that awareness never left. "And miss the view?"

"Trevor."

"I’m not doing anything," he said, the faintest trace of a smile pulling at his mouth. "You’re the one glowing at six in the morning."

"I’m pregnant, not glowing," Lucas muttered.

"Mm." Trevor tilted his head, his voice turning quieter, closer. "Tell that to the air."

Lucas felt a flush creep up his neck, the heat of it a betrayal to his attempts at composure. He wanted to look away, to break the intensity of Trevor’s gaze, but he found himself unable to move, caught in the web of his husband’s attention.

Trevor shifted again, the movement intentionally slow, as if he were savoring the tension between them. The blanket slid further down his chest, revealing more of his skin, the faint dusting of hair, and the subtle play of muscle beneath. Lucas’s eyes followed the line of his collarbone, the curve of his shoulder, and the strong column of his throat.

Trevor’s smile was slow and knowing, a curve of his lips that promised both pleasure and pain.

"You’re making it hard for me to behave," he said, his eyes never leaving Lucas’s face. "Hard to remember that you’re not just a delicious snack but my husband and the father of my child."

Lucas felt his pulse stutter. He wanted to argue, to roll his eyes, to throw a pillow at him, or something, but Trevor’s voice had that edge, roughened by sleep and desire, the type that slipped beneath logic and made everything else blur.

"Trevor," he began, meaning to sound reasonable, but the sound came out softer, rougher.

Trevor tilted his head, like a predator humoring its prey. "Can’t what, love? Can’t admit you..."

"Shut up," Lucas muttered, and kissed him.

Trevor’s lips were warm and firm against his, the kiss deepening with a hunger that matched his own. Lucas melted into it, his body responding instantly, his mind finally giving in to the desire that had been building for weeks. He wrapped his arms around Trevor’s neck, pulling him closer, needing to feel the weight of him, the solidity of his presence.

Trevor’s hands found their way to Lucas’s waist, pulling him closer, their bodies aligning in a way that was both familiar and exhilarating. The scent of cedar and storm air filled Lucas’s senses, grounding him, making him feel safe and desired all at once.

Lucas pulled back just enough to look into Trevor’s eyes, seeing the same hunger, the same need reflected back at him. "I thought I was the only one who felt this way," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Trevor’s smile was soft, his thumbs brushing gentle circles on Lucas’s hips. "I’ve been trying to behave, to give you space, but you make it impossible," he said, his voice low and intimate. "You’re all I can think about, Lucas. You and our child. You and me."

Lucas felt a flush of pleasure at his words, a warmth that spread through him, igniting every nerve ending. "I love you," he said. "I love you so much it scares me sometimes."

Trevor’s eyes softened, his gaze holding a depth of emotion that made Lucas’s heart ache. "I love you too, Lucas. More than words can express. And I want you. I want to remind you of why we’re together, of why we chose each other."