Epilogue

FIVE YEARS LATER

Letting myself into the house as quietly as I could, I crept down the hallway. I'd managed to get an earlier train back from my week-long work conference, and I couldn't wait to surprise my boyfriend. I'd missed him so much.

"Bennett."

"Yeah?" I peered around the corner of the kitchen door to find Niccolò sitting cross-legged on the kitchen island, his laptop open in front of him. He was frowning down at the screen, his curls falling into his eyes as he chewed on the end of a pen. A wide grin spread across my face as I took him in.

"Nic? What is it?"

He blinked, and then his head rose. His eyes widened, his mouth falling open. "You're really here!"

I dropped my bag to the floor and entered our kitchen, crossing over to the island. "You didn't realise? You just said my name."

"I was trying to manifest you being here, and look at that! It worked."

Laughing, I shook my head. "If you say so. Come here." Reaching out, I ran my hands up his bare legs, over his shorts and onto his hips, and then pulled him across the counter to me. He screeched, flailing for a moment before he found his balance. Unfolding his legs, he wrapped them around my waist as his arms wound around my neck.

"Hi," he breathed, burying his head in the crook of my neck. "Missed you."

I slid my hands under his football shirt—or more accurately, my football shirt that I normally wore in my casual five-a-side league games. Stroking up the warm skin of his back, I pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "I missed you too. As much as I love my job, an entire week of a sustainability engineering conference is way too much. Especially without you. I'm never going to do that again—or if I have to go, you're coming with me. Not only that, but being away from you just reminded me that phone sex is nowhere near as good as sex in person with you."

Niccolò lifted his head, giving me a dirty smile. "I know you loved the private cam show I did for you. It was like a throwback to the days when you used to wank over my old FanBoyzOnly account."

"Nic…" Despite my warning tone, I couldn't help my grin widening at the mischievous expression on his face. I really had missed him so much.

"Don't deny it." He gave me another bright grin and then darted forwards to lick at my dimple.

"Stop that!"

"Stop smiling, then. You know I can't resist your dimples when you smile."

"I guess there are worse things to be obsessed with." Pulling back a little, I kissed the tip of his nose. "You know I'm obsessed with you, anyway."

"I know." Unclasping his hands from around my neck, he ran his blue-tipped fingers up my arm. "You look sexy in this suit, but do you know what? You'd look even better out of it."

My brows rose. "How long have you been waiting to say that line?"

"Ever since I saw you packing your suits for the conference," he admitted, but then his smile faded. "I do want to get you naked, but I…" Trailing off, he bit down on his lip.

"Hey, what is it?" I withdrew my hands from his shirt and tilted his chin up. His eyes were huge, his long lashes fluttering as he blinked back—were those tears? What the fuck?

"Nic? What's wrong? Baby, talk to me."

"Nothing's wrong. I just…" He took a deep breath, and then the words came tumbling out in one long string. "I was all alone and the bed was empty and I love you so much and you weren't there and I missed you. I-I know it was only a week, but we've never been apart for that long before." His voice faded to a whisper as he looked up at me with brimming eyes. "It's stupid— I'm sorry— I?—"

"Hey. Baby." Scooping him into my arms, I staggered into the lounge, dropping onto the sofa with him straddling me. "It's not stupid. I missed you too, okay? More than anything. I love you, Nic. Nothing's the same without you."

"I just want to hold you," he said, his voice muffled from where he had his face buried in my neck again. "I had all these plans for when you got back. Daddy K gave me a recipe to try, and I was gonna impress you with it. And then I had my presentation on my laptop that I spent all of yesterday working on. I wanted to show you the concepts I came up with for the new TV show we're filming next month. I'm getting to work on the set design, and the costumes, and I even sweet-talked the casting director into letting me have a small walk-on part. I know I said I didn't want to act, but you should see the sets!"

Pausing, he took a deep breath. "But none of that matters now you're here. All I want to do is this." Hugging me tighter, he sighed, and my heart swelled, so fucking full of love for this amazing, talented man.

"Just when I think I can't possibly love you any more than I already do, you prove me wrong." I stroked across the back of his neck and up into his hair. "I love you so much, and I'm so happy to be home with you."

"Love you more. I'm so glad you're back." A soft kiss pressed against my throat.

"How about we get a takeaway tonight and watch TV? Then tomorrow you can show me your presentation, and you can cook for me. Or we can cook together."

"Okay." He lifted his head and kissed me, his mouth sliding across mine in a way that never failed to give me butterflies, even after all this time.

* * *

Hours later, empty takeaway boxes strewn across our coffee table and the TV playing softly in the background, I glanced down at my boyfriend. He was curled up in my lap, under a blanket, his body relaxed in sleep. He was so fucking beautiful. Sometimes I couldn't believe he was mine.

Glancing down at my phone, I groaned under my breath. I needed to get us both to bed, before I fell asleep here too, and I knew from experience that if that happened, I'd wake up with a crick in my neck and a grumpy Niccolò.

There was no way I could move without waking him, and I just hoped he'd fall asleep again quickly. "Nic." Shifting on the sofa, I ran my hand up and down his arm over the blanket. "We need to go to bed."

His eyes blinked open, and then he yawned widely, rubbing his hand over his face as he straightened up. The blanket fell from his shoulders. "Did I fall asleep? What's the time?"

"You did, and it's almost one in the morning."

"My legs are still asleep. I can't walk. Carry me to the bedroom," my little drama queen demanded.

"Of course they are." I smiled at him. With a bit of manoeuvring, I managed to get us both off the sofa and into the bedroom. When we were finally ready for bed, I lay my head on my pillow, pulling my thick, soft duvet over me. I'd missed my bed. And I'd missed my bed companion most of all.

"I wanted us to fuck tonight—no, make love. Like people in love do." Niccolò pressed his body up against mine, laying his head on my shoulder as he traced a finger down my stomach. Another wide yawn overtook him.

"Me too. Either option." I pulled him into me. "But guess what?"

"What?"

"We have tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. We have all the tomorrows. Me and you. Together."

"All the tomorrows." He lifted his head, and even in the darkness of the bedroom, I could see him smile. "I like the sound of that."

THE END