Chapter 51

“I’ll get it!” Anton called to Aunt Kerry, who was doing something she called cooking and he called nuclear warfare in the kitchen. Lo and behold, Jude was on the doorstep, grinning with a fading black eye, and Anton stared. “Holy shit.”

“Good, innit?”

“And you expect me to believe you got that from rescuing a cat?”

“Fell out of the tree, didn’t I?”

“You said it was a shed roof.”

“Must’ve been the concussion talking.”

Anton shook his head. Jude just beamed that big, beautiful smile, and rocked forward on his feet to kiss Anton sharply. His mouth was cold, but soft.

“S’pose you ought to come in, then.”

“Please, I’m freezing. Any colder, and I’ll be the girl.”

Anton laughed, the joke not prickling like it once would have done, and shut the door on the chill as Jude shed his layers on the mat. There were not-quite-frozen raindrops in his hair, which Anton brushed out before offering Jude another kiss. He felt…oddly fluttery. Anxious and calm all at once. Like…