Rowan reached out slowly, waiting for Jesse to back away, but the guy just stood there. Like Rowan touching his cheek was no big deal. Jesse hadn’t worn his glasses today, so there was nothing between them except his intense gaze and Rowan’s need to lose himself in the younger man. Energy sparked between them when his fingertips met stubble, and Jesse shivered subtly. “I really want to fucking kiss you right now,” Rowan whispered, because insanity seemed easier than denying himself, even though this was crazy. Kissing this guy would be crazy. Kissing Flynn would be crazy.

Jesse held his gaze.

Rowan leaned in, watching the younger man’s pupils dilate, but he stopped just short of a kiss. He tilted his head past Jesse’s lips and whispered. “You’ve got me so fucking hard I can’t think, but there’s one more thing you don’t know about me.” He breathed the words into Jesse’s ear. The fresh scent of laundry detergent and warm male had him wanting to get closer. He wanted to crawl inside Jesse and never come up for air.

Jesse went from shiver to shudder, and then he reached out and grabbed Rowan’s biceps, keeping him in place when he went to step back. “I don’t think I care.” He inhaled shakily. “In fact, I know I really don’t fucking care what you think I need to know.”

Rowan grimaced as both magic and cock informed him that kissing his one true love was very much the next step he should take right the fuck now. “You might.” He grabbed Jesse’s wrists and squeezed, fighting for control. He couldn’t in good conscience kiss this guy unless he told him everything. This was the one person in the entire world he didn’t want to screw around with.

“What is it?” Jesse turned his hands and gripped back, hard. “Because I’ve been wanting to kiss you since I was fourteen, and I’m going crazy here.”

“Jesus. You don’t make this easy,” Rowan said, breathing harshly. He let go of Jesse’s wrists and forced himself to step back. He inhaled, then steeled himself. “I have magic.”

Jesse pursed his lips, obviously thinking it over. “Like, the kind of magic that everyone talks about, but no one actually believes is real?”

Rowan nodded, silently amused. Leave it to Jesse to hit the nail right on the head. “Exactly.”

“So?” Jesse’s eyebrows drew together. “Is that a deal-breaker? Because it isn’t to me.”

“You believe me?” Rowan couldn’t get over this guy.

“I already knew, man.” Jesse laughed. “I knew it when we were kids.” He smiled. “So you have magic. So what?” He reached up and cupped Rowan’s jaw like it was nothing. His hand was warm and slightly calloused. “I’ll say it once again: is that a deal-breaker?”

“You knew and never told anyone?” This guy. Rowan couldn’t believe it.

Jesse shrugged. “Wasn’t my secret to tell.”

Fuck. Me. Rowan knew he should explain more. He knew he should explain better, especially about Jesse being his one true love or whatever, but he couldn’t take it anymore. His cock had been hard for days, and he couldn’t think with the haze of magic clouding his energy, and Jesse was right fucking there. He leaned in again. “No. It’s not a fucking deal-breaker.” He curled his right hand around Jesse’s neck and tugged.

The moment their lips touched Rowan knew nothing would ever be the same again.

****

When Rowan licked into his mouth, Jesse’s entire world blew apart. He’d kissed other people, girls and guys both, but none of them had been Rowan fucking Clementine. Hell, he’d had sex before. He’d even tried being someone’s boyfriend for a hot minute one semester in college, but none of those experiences had in any way prepared him for this. He’d been wanting to kiss Rowan since the moment he’d seen the singer run his hands down a microphone stand on television eleven years ago. He’d imagined it a thousand times, but nothing in his imagination lived up to the reality of Rowan Clementine’s mouth slicking over his.

“Fuck,” Rowan said against his lips, and Jesse heartily agreed even as he swallowed the word.

Rowan tilted his head, and Jesse took it as an invitation to slide his hands over the man’s shoulders and hang on. He licked Rowan’s bottom lip, then bit it gently, desperate for something to sink his teeth into.

Rowan groaned, pushing closer. He sucked on Jesse’s top lip, then nibbled along the bottom before sliding his tongue inside. Jesse panted, then sucked on Rowan’s tongue. Somehow, his hands ended up in Rowan’s hair, clenching the strands.

“God, that’s fucking perfect,” Rowan said, kissing down Jesse’s jawline.

“Yes,” Jesse said, because he couldn’t think of anything else to say that embodied the right amount of awe and arousal he felt right at this moment. His dick was so hard it hurt, and they were out in the open, in a public park, where anyone could fucking see them, but he didn’t give two shits. So, he said it again. “Yes. Definitely yes.”

Rowan groaned, moving back up to Jesse’s mouth, but this time he pushed a knee between his legs, and the perfect friction of it made Jesse shudder like a teenager who didn’t know anything about sex.

“Fuck,” he muttered, hips snapping forward. His erection met Rowan’s hard cock, and even behind two pairs of jeans the pressure felt incredible. His skin felt too tight for his body, and prickles raced over him, like static electricity recklessly discharging. This moment was something he’d dreamed about for years. This one perfect moment. Everything felt fraught with potential, and Jesse couldn’t get enough.