Ryley gasped—but didn't resist.
His gaze went unfocused as he breathed Clyde in, lashes fluttering like his body was already sinking before he'd chosen to fall.
Instead of answering, his hands slid over Clyde's chest, unhurried, fingers tracing muscle and heat, traveling upward until they hooked lightly at the back of his neck.
"Real or not…" Ryley whispered, "I'm here..."
His mind was hazy, the world fading at the edges. There was nothing left but those ocean-blue eyes.
He pulled Clyde down into a deep, unthinking kiss, arms tightening as if instinct alone kept him alive.
It was like embracing the ocean—vast, endless, strong enough to drown him whole.
But instead of suffocating him, it set both his body and soul free.
***
Clyde could barely piece together what had happened when he woke.
For the first time in so long, his body—and his head—felt light.
