Finding The One Box Set

Chapter 5: Under the Veil

Chapter 5: Under the Veil

Gus opened the office door, and his breath hitched when he saw Luca. Luca sat on the fake office lawn with his back to the door, a glittering white veil spilling from his head, covering his naked body. He was curled in on himself as if he was trying to make himself smaller. Goosebumps covered every inch of his naked skin, and as Gus stood there watching, Luca shivered.

Gus had only seen him like that once before, after a visit with his mother when Gus couldn’t go with him because of a shift change at the hospital. When he’d gotten home late that night, he’d found Luca lying on the floor, naked and curled into a ball. Not crying, not raging, just exuding quiet despair. Gus would prefer a tantrum, a dramatic screaming match, or even throwing things. This scared the crap out of him.

Without thinking, Gus kicked off his dress shoes and crossed the floor in a couple quick steps. He sank down behind his fiancé and lifted the sparkly hem of the veil with careful fingers. He ducked under it, scooted close, and let it fall over his own head, too.

He snaked his arms around Luca’s waist and pulled him into the V of his legs. A weight he hadn’t been aware of lifted from his shoulders when Luca relaxed and leaned back into Gus’s embrace.

Luca rested his head on Gus’s shoulder, and Gus tightened his grip. He caressed the smooth skin on Luca’s belly with his thumbs and burrowed his nose in his fiancé’s hair, inhaling the familiar scent, letting it calm his worried heart.

“I’m sorry.” Luca’s words were little more than a whisper.

“I love you.”

Gus’s voice cracked on the last word. He hadn’t realized how much the last minutes had affected him. He didn’t want to admit to the little nagging voice in his mind that had whispered What if? All he knew in this moment was that he was never letting Luca out of his sight again. Or at least not letting him see his mother without Gus being with him.

“Oh, honey, I didn’t mean to worry you.” Luca fidgeted and wiggled in Gus’s arms until he managed to turn around. He wrapped his long legs around Gus and threw his arms around Gus’s neck. The veil got caught between them and Luca moved to take it off, but Gus stopped him.

“No.” He freed the exquisite fabric from its trap, taking great care not to pull off any of the crystals. When the veil covered them both, he put his arms around his fiancé and spread his fingers wide on the small of Luca’s back. He rested his cheek against Luca’s and whispered, “I have no idea what happened, but I’m always on your side. Always.”

“I know,” Luca whispered back.

They didn’t move for several minutes. Gus’s hands wandered up and down Luca’s back, gentle fingers running over the spine. Gus’s heartbeat returned to normal, and they just sat there, breathing together. Inhaling and exhaling as one. In this moment, Gus didn’t care about a worried mother or the waiting guests. He just needed to be close to his fiancé.

Luca pulled away and looked into Gus’s eyes. He tickled the hairs on Gus’s neck before cupping Gus’s face and leaning in. Gus closed his eyes when the tip of Luca’s nose touched his own.

“Thank you.” Luca kissed him, and he moaned when Luca’s soft pouty lips touched his, making his body tingle from head to toe.

Luca’s tongue darted out and brushed against the seam of Gus’s mouth. Gus opened willingly, and warmth spread through his entire being when his eager tongue met his fiancé’s. It was almost as if he could feel the chemicals caused by the kiss being released in his body. They worked their magic, calmed him down, and made him feel closer to Luca.

His hands found their way down Luca’s back to his round ass, and Gus grabbed him and lifted until Luca rested in his lap. He squeezed Luca’s buttocks, and Luca groaned.

Luca undulated his hips, and his hardening c**k poked Gus’s shirt-clad stomach. From that first moment they’d met at the bar six years ago, a touch or a word from Luca was enough to make Gus lose his mind. And the feeling had grown stronger with every year, their connection had deepened until Gus hardly knew where he ended and Luca began. He hoped their bond would continue to grow stronger after they were married, becoming even more complex and intimate.

But no matter how much he wanted to make love to Luca here on the floor, this wasn’t the time. He broke the kiss and immediately regretted it when Luca whined.

“I know, my love,” he whispered against Luca’s kiss-swollen lips. “But the next time we make love, I want to be your husband.”

Gus’s words seemed to finally yank Luca out of his arousal.

“Oh, my gawd, we have to get back,” Luca exclaimed and tried to scramble off Gus’s knee.

Gus gripped his waist and kept him where he was. “We have another minute.” Gus glanced down at his watch. The ceremony was supposed to have started ten minutes ago.

“How?” Luca asked.

“I called Mom, told her I needed an hour. And you know her. No one, not even the President himself, would dare to argue with her when she sets her mind to something.”

“That’s totally true.” Luca giggled, and the happy sound made Gus’s own laughter bubble up. When their laughter faded, Luca pressed a light kiss on Gus’s cheek. “I didn’t run away from you,” he said, looking Gus straight in the eyes.

“I know.”

“I realize I need to tell you what happened, but—”

Gus put his index finger on Luca’s lips, stopping whatever he was going to say. “The only thing you need to do is get off this floor, get dressed, and marry me,” he said. “Everything else can wait.”

“Okay,” Luca whispered behind Gus’s finger, and tears welled up in his big chocolate-brown eyes.

Gus wiped away the moisture with the pads of his thumbs, and with clumsy fingers, he swept away Luca’s hair from his face.

“Are you ready?” Gus asked.

Luca smiled, untangled his limbs, and stood on wobbly legs. He held out his hand to Gus, who grabbed it and jumped to his feet. Gus retrieved Luca’s tux from the chair and moved to help him get dressed. Luca carefully lifted the veil off his head.

“The veil stays.” Gus was adamant.

“I promise. It’s just easier to get dressed without it.” Luca held it out to Gus, who took and caressed the silky whiteness with gentle hands. He loved the softness of it. It felt like it was made out of spun moonbeams, and the crystals were stars.

“It’s beautiful,” he mumbled and meant it, not caring if his thoughts contained more sugar than cotton candy. It was his wedding day, and he was allowed to be sappy. Besides, it would look amazing with the tuxedo he wasn’t supposed to see before the wedding.

The pants ended above Luca’s ankles, and the waistband sat low on Luca’s hips. Not low enough to show off Luca’s pubes, but enough for Gus’s eyes to be distracted by the sight and for his imagination to run wild. The jacket hugged Luca’s slender figure. He didn’t wear a shirt underneath it, and Gus could see a sliver of skin on Luca’s stomach in the gap of the jacket just above the waistband. The no-shirt-thing could have been tacky and tasteless, but the hints of skin were alluring and strangely decent at the same time. Gus had no idea how Luca could pull it off, but he did. It was perfect.

The enticing sight made Gus want to go down on his knees in front of his fiancé and lick the patch of soft, visible skin. And rip off the pants and—

“You wanna help me with the veil?” Luca’s amused voice interrupted Gus’s thoughts. He nodded, and Luca bowed his head, making it easier for Gus to reach.

“Wait,” Gus said when he remembered the lip gloss in his pocket. He took it out and handed it over to Luca. “You need this. All the kissing took away the…uh…” his voice tapered off. He gestured with his finger to his own mouth.

“Ah, of course.”

Luca pulled the wand out of the tube and duckfaced his lips. He swept the applicator slowly over them, winking at Gus, who couldn’t take his eyes off Luca. Gus licked his own lips, wanting nothing more than to kiss away all the cherry glossiness but forcing himself to not mess it up again.

Luca smacked his lips and said, “All done.” He bowed his head again, and Gus draped the veil over it, trying his best to make it perfect. When he was happy with the results, he took a step back and looked at his husband-to-be.

The sight before him took his breath away. The red glossy lips behind the sheer fabric were both sexy and virginal at the same time. Luca’s angled, masculine face was a sharp contrast to all the soft femininity. It made Gus’s heart skip a beat. His hand flew to his chest, and he blinked furiously to keep tears from falling.

His Luca. His beloved. He held out his hand, and Luca took it without hesitation.

“Are you ready?” Gus asked.

“I am.”