Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Shane and Van were sharp, clear, bright. But the background was slightly fuzzy, unfocused.
Shane ran his fingers over the image as Van said, “It’s the depth of field. I did this one a little more limited because—”
“We’re all that matters. Now,” Shane interrupted. “The past, everything else is in the distance, sort of fuzzy. None of that other shit matters. Just this. Just us.”
“Yeah,” Van replied, not surprised that Shane got it without him having to explain his reasoning.
“It’s incredible.” Shane looked over at him with glassy eyes.
“It’s us.” Van nodded. Because they were pretty fucking incredible, weren’t they? After all they’d been through, lived through, and with the past they shared, that they could be in the place together and in love.
They kissed as they stumbled their way to Van’s room. Removed each other’s clothes slowly. Made love messily and sweatily and passionately, the way they both loved.
They had a lot of shit to figure out. How they were going to make it work. What they would do. Van had an idea though. He missed Shane’s little house. Missed feeling like they were the only two people in the world.
He didn’t know exactly what kind of arrangement they would come to but as long as they were together, that was the only thing that mattered to him.
“Just wanna be with you,” Shane whispered in his ear as he slid their sweat-soaked bodies together, rubbing Van’s come between them.
“You read my mind,” Van replied and it was the only confirmation he needed that everything was going to be okay. They were both all in, and as long as they loved each other, everything would be okay.
EPILOGUE
“What do you want to do tonight?” Shane asked after he got out of the shower. It was a Friday night. He’d gotten off work a little while before and had gone straight to the shower to get cleaned up. Van had spent his day working on the addition they were making to the studio. He hadn’t been back in Last Chance but a few weeks when they realized it wasn’t going to work out for him to paint in the living room. Building a second room for him to use had been Shane’s idea and, well, it wasn’t as if he was going to argue with that.
Dinner was waiting on the stove and once Shane was dressed, they’d eat dinner together the way they did almost every night.
“How about you take that towel off and come here? I’d like to do you tonight. You be the outlet and I’ll be the plug. We’re electric together, baby.”
Shane snorted out a laugh at his cheesiness. He liked being cheesy for Shane.
“You’re a dork.”
“Am I?” Van asked.
“My dork,” Shane replied before flicking his towel open. He grinned at Van, grabbed a pair of underwear from the drawer and pulled them on.
“You’re a tease!” Van joked.
Shane sauntered toward him like an animal who had his prey in sight. Van had zero problems being under Shane’s attack.
He stopped in front of Van, stood between his legs and hooked his finger under Van’s chin before lifting his head. “Am I still a tease if I promise to put out tonight?” He bent over then and kissed Van before he could reply. He moaned into Van’s mouth, and Van could feel how much Shane wanted him in that kiss. How much he loved him.
The past three months had been the best of Van’s life and there was no doubt in his mind Shane felt the same.
He’d moved to Last Chance about two weeks after Shane had come for him. It was best for them to be here. He knew that and he was okay with it. It felt exhilarating in a way—taking this place back. Making happy memories in Last Chance. Making it his rather than what it had been growing up.
He still had his condo in LA, and the plan was he’d go back every few months as needed. He’d be going back for an exhibit in a month and Shane would be going with him.
They’d make it work that way. People traveled for work all the time.
He’d also had an intense conversation with Jonathan since coming back. Lines had gotten crossed somehow. When Jonathan and Van told on Caleb, Jonathan hadn’t known exactly what Caleb and Shane were to each other. He’d seen Shane come from the same spot in the woods but didn’t put the pieces together until now. He’d known he’d taken a friend from Shane, but seeing that Caleb got sent away, he realized there was more to it.
And Shane? Well, when Jonathan admitted they’d purposefully gotten Caleb into trouble, Shane had jumped to conclusions. He’d jumped to conclusions because he was scared.
They weren’t scared anymore.
They still weren’t quite sure how Caleb’s parents found out what Caleb had been doing in the woods. Maybe he’d admitted it because he’d thought they already knew, or hell, maybe he was just tired of lying. Maybe one day Caleb would come back, or Shane would find him, and they’d get those answers.