Unbroken: A Love That Defies the World – by L.J. Hart – Chapter 3: The Hidden Spark
The air between them had shifted—thicker now, charged with something electric, something neither of them dared to name aloud. Ethan could feel it in his skin, his chest, in the heat spreading across his face. Every inch of his body trembled, not from fear, but from anticipation.
Nathan didn’t move away.
Instead, his eyes traced Ethan’s face with such intense focus that Ethan could barely breathe. It was a gaze that didn’t just look—it explored. His jaw, his lips, his throat. The kind of gaze that both stripped him bare and made him feel seen for the first time in his life.
“You’re beautiful, you know that?” Nathan whispered, voice low, intimate.
Ethan’s lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. The words were too much. No one had ever called him that. He wasn’t even sure he believed it. But hearing it from Nathan—he wanted to believe it. Desperately.
Nathan’s hand lifted slowly, almost testing the boundary between them. He hesitated just inches away from Ethan’s cheek, giving him a chance to pull back. But Ethan didn’t. His breath caught as Nathan’s fingers finally touched him — feather-light — brushing against his jawline, his thumb barely grazing his lower lip.
Ethan exhaled shakily, the contact sending sparks through his body.
“Tell me to stop,” Nathan whispered.
Ethan’s throat tightened. He couldn’t say it. He didn’t want to say it.
Instead, his eyes pleaded the opposite.
Nathan took that as permission.
The gap between them vanished. Nathan leaned in, and their lips met—softly at first, tentative, like both were testing forbidden waters. Ethan’s eyes fluttered shut, every nerve in his body alight. The kiss was nothing like he imagined; it was gentle yet consuming, unfamiliar but perfect.
Nathan pulled back slightly, just enough for their foreheads to touch.
“You okay?” he murmured.
Ethan nodded, breathless. “Yeah.”
Nathan smiled, his hand now cupping the side of Ethan’s face fully. “Good. Because I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I saw you.”
His lips crashed against Ethan’s again, hungrier this time. Ethan’s hands instinctively found Nathan’s shoulders, gripping the fabric of his jacket, pulling him closer. The kiss deepened, their mouths opening, tongues tentatively meeting, exploring each other for the first time.
The intensity built quickly, both of them feeding off the other’s desire. The months — no, years — of repression inside Ethan came spilling out all at once. This was everything he’d never allowed himself to imagine. Every forbidden fantasy, every aching need he had locked away now boiled to the surface.
Nathan’s hands wandered downward, gripping Ethan’s waist, pulling their bodies flush together. Ethan gasped softly into the kiss as he felt Nathan’s arousal pressed against him, awakening something deep, primal, inside of him.
His own body responded without hesitation. Heat pooled in his lower stomach, and for the first time, Ethan didn’t feel shame in it. He welcomed it.
They broke the kiss briefly, both panting, eyes glazed with shared hunger.
“Come here,” Nathan whispered, his voice husky, and guided Ethan toward the metal support beam of the bridge. With Ethan’s back against the cool steel, Nathan’s hands slid up beneath his shirt, fingers tracing the skin of his stomach, exploring every inch with reverence.
Ethan let out a small, involuntary moan at the contact, his nerves on fire. Every sensation was overwhelming—his shirt riding up, the rough fabric of Nathan’s jeans brushing against his own growing need, the cool air mixing with their shared body heat.
Nathan kissed his jawline, trailing downward to the sensitive spot beneath his ear, drawing out another breathless sound from Ethan. “God, you’re so responsive…” he whispered. “So fucking perfect.”
Ethan whimpered softly, his body betraying every bit of the control he used to live by. “Nathan…”
Hearing his name like that made Nathan groan against his neck. His hands continued to roam, fingers daring to explore lower, until they hovered dangerously close to the waistband of Ethan’s jeans.
He paused, searching Ethan’s eyes again for permission. For consent.
“Do you want me to stop?” Nathan asked, voice raw.
Ethan shook his head, desperate, unable to form coherent words.
That was all Nathan needed.
With one hand, he gently unbuttoned Ethan’s jeans, while his other continued caressing his side, grounding him. The new, intimate touch sent Ethan’s head spinning. Every nerve ending screamed with need. His breathing grew shallow, his pulse a wild drumbeat beneath his skin.
Nathan leaned in again, capturing his mouth in a deep, consuming kiss while his hand slipped further, finally closing around Ethan’s aching length, still shielded by the fabric. The sudden friction tore a desperate sound from Ethan’s throat — a mixture of pleasure, relief, and overwhelming sensation.
Nathan’s touch was slow, careful, yet filled with undeniable intent. “You feel so good,” he whispered against Ethan’s lips. “So warm. I’ve dreamed of this.”
Ethan’s body moved instinctively, hips subtly rocking against Nathan’s hand, craving more contact. His mind was a blur of sensation — he was flying, trembling, falling — yet for the first time, he wasn’t scared.
He was alive.
Nathan’s strokes grew firmer, drawing Ethan closer and closer to the edge. His moans grew louder, unrestrained, and Nathan swallowed every sound eagerly with his kisses.
“Let go, Ethan,” Nathan whispered into his ear. “I’ve got you.”
And Ethan did.
His entire body tensed, then unraveled in a wave of ecstasy he’d never experienced before. His back arched, his hands clutching desperately at Nathan’s jacket as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through him.
Nathan held him firmly through it all, murmuring soothing words as Ethan’s body finally relaxed, trembling slightly in the aftermath.
For a long moment, they simply stood there, tangled together, the world reduced to the sound of their breathing and the distant rush of the river below.
Nathan pressed a soft kiss to Ethan’s temple. “You okay?”
Ethan nodded, his voice hoarse but filled with something new — relief, freedom, trust. “Yeah… more than okay.”
Nathan smiled against his skin, whispering, “Good. Because this… this is only the beginning.”
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