Never Will I Ever

Epilogue

Avery

Eight Months Later — June

“You’re gonna make us late if you keep this up.”

I glance up from where I’ve been swirling my tongue around the tip of Kaleb’s cock for the past ten minutes—seizing the opportunity to make use of his morning erection—and shoot him a wicked smirk.

“So you’re gonna be a stickler for the rules this summer, too, hmm?” I ask, giving him another lick to the spot below his crown.

“Only during working hours.”

I hum softly before taking the head between my lips with a gentle suck. “Good thing those don’t start for another fifteen minutes.”

His fingers tighten in my hair, and he lets out a soft moan. “You only have five to make me come.”

With the way I’ve been teasing him this morning? Piece of cake.

“Set an alarm, then,” I mutter between licks. “But I don’t think I’ll need more than two.”

He chuckles softly, but then the asshole reaches over and actually grabs his phone.

“Five minutes,” he utters, a flare of heat in his gaze when he drops it back to the mattress. “And…go.”

I can’t stop myself from laughing softly as I take him back between my lips, diving deeper this time but still only taking a few inches of his length. He slides over my tongue with ease as I torment him with my mouth, flicking and swirling some more before scraping my teeth along the underside of his shaft.

“You look so fucking perfect with my cock between your lips, baby.” My gaze lifts, meeting his while his dick slides farther between my lips, and he lets out a soft curse. “God, the things you do to me.”

I smirk as best I can with him still between my lips before finally giving him what he wants—my mouth wrapped around him all the way to the hilt. My hands grip the outside of his thighs, holding him in place as he starts arching into me, and his hands tighten in my hair.

There’s nothing I love more than making him lose control; coming undone from my touch. And that’s exactly what I’m going for right now.

He twitches between my lips, pulsing as he slides over my tongue all the way to my throat, and I know he’s close. From the soft pants leaving his lips, he’s gonna be at the peak of ecstasy any second, ready to jump. All he needs is the slightest push.

“Shit, baby. I’m right there. I’m—”

His words are cut off by the blaring sound of the alarm going off, scaring the shit out of me and breaking my concentration. My movements falter, and he notices because he’s trying to force me back onto his length.

“Don’t stop, don’t stop,” he begs, arching for more, but I’m already pulling off him to silence the godawful sound coming from his phone.

“Sorry, babe,” I pant, tapping his screen. “I’m just following your lead with the whole working hours thing.”

He sits up, leaning against his elbows to glare at me. If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under. Or tossed in the middle of the lake. Or thrown off the ledge of Lovers Leap.

Of course, it only makes me smile.

A sharp scoff leaves him. “You’re evil, you know that?”

“Ah, but you love it.” I lean in and press a kiss to his jaw before tacking on, “And me.”

“God only knows why some days,” he grumbles before pushing me off him. Unfortunately for me, he pushes a little too hard, sending me tumbling off the bed to land on the floor with a thud.

His face appears over the edge above me a second later. “Shit, are you okay?”

I shift to stand up and wince. Apart from the bruise I’m sure to have on my hip and elbow, I’m fine, so I nod. That’s when Kaleb bursts into laughter.

At least he waited until after he knew I was okay, I guess.

“Dickhead.”

That only makes him laugh harder as he grabs his boxers. “I think that’s instant karma for edging your boyfriend before work, Aves.”

I roll my eyes. “As if I won’t receive the full wrath of your retaliation tonight.”

In reality, I’m looking forward to it, as well as picking up where we left off last summer. Minus the whole mental gymnastics of fighting our feelings for each other, obviously.

But I’ll admit, the sneaking around part will definitely be fun.

We both dress quickly, donning our green camp counselor shirts, khaki shorts, and sneakers before setting out for the parking lot. Despite him being still slightly irritated with me about leaving him hard up, we’re all laughs and stupid smiles when we finally reach Colin waiting near the activity board, clipboards in hand.

He spots us immediately, waving us over to where he was talking to a few of the new counselors-in-training starting this summer. “There you both are. I was starting to get worried.”

Kaleb and I share a sheepish look, barely managing to rein in our smirks as Colin hands Kaleb the clipboard with our list of campers this summer. He dismisses the CITs before returning his attention to us.

“Am I gonna have problems with the two of you this year?” the director asks while my gaze travels over the list, looking for one name in particular.

“I can’t make any promises for Avery, but I’m always on my best behavior,” Kaleb chimes in beside me.

I scoff and shoot a glare at him. “If I remember correctly, you were the one causing most of the problems last summer.”

His hand rests on his sternum, a look of mock horror on his face. “Me? I’m offended by that insinuation.”

Colin lets out a long sigh, not amused in the slightest. “Don’t make me regret pairing you together again, you hear me?” He turns to walk up the steps to the lodge, then pauses to pin us with a disapproving look. “And do me a favor: Keep your escapades out of the kitchen this summer. We still have to pass inspections by the Health Department, you know.”

Kaleb and I gape at each other, dumbfounded, as Colin ventures back into the lodge and leaves us reeling from this revelation.

“I didn’t tell him,” I say the second he’s out of earshot, raising my hands in surrender.

“Well, obviously, I didn’t either.” He frowns, worry in his eyes when our gazes collide. “You know I’m letting you do that on your own time. I don’t wanna—”

“Oh, no,” I cut in, shaking my head. “He knows we’re together. I meant I didn’t tell him about the pantry.”

Kaleb’s jaw drops a little, gaping a little as he stares at me.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Reaching toward me, he slides his palm into mine and links our fingers. “You just never fucking cease to amaze me. You know that?”

This again?

I roll my eyes and pull from his grip to head off to the parking lot. If I stick around, he’s sure to turn into a pile of sappy, mushy goo.

Of course, that doesn’t stop him from calling out, “I’m proud of you, baby!” after me.

The reality is, I’m out in the capacity that I wanna be; the people who need to know, know, and the rest… Well, it’s not really any of their damn business anyway. At least, that’s what my therapist has instilled in me over the past eight months I’ve been seeing him, so that’s what I’m going with.

Oh, yeah. It turns out, my dad could throw money at this problem after all.

By some act of God, he found a therapist who specializes in working with the queer community, and more specifically, clients overcoming repressed sexuality and internalized homophobia.

More often than not, I leave those sessions feeling more raw than I’d like, but I know it’s just because it’s working. No one said this kind of healing would be easy. But having Kaleb as a support system really does make it a little more bearable.

And my dad? Well, he does his best. I dread the days I have to go home after a session and talk to him about something specific, per my therapist’s request. The conversations are almost always strained or awkward and sometimes painful as hell. But he listens. He hears me, and it’s more than I expected from him.

That has to count for something.

The kids start arriving shortly after, and it’s when Kaleb’s hauling bags for two new campers over toward the cabins that a familiar truck pulls into the parking lot. The back doors swing open instantly before the LaMothe twins come barreling out like bats outta hell.

“Colton. Dayton,” I greet my boyfriend’s brothers with a smile. “Good to see you guys.”

“Hey, Avery! I didn’t know you’d be here this summer,” Dayton says brightly, a big grin on his face in return.

He’s been a lot easier to convince of my intentions, both with Kaleb and in general, so I’m not surprised by his warm response to my presence.

“You really came back,” Colton notes, studying my face.

I cock my head to the side, narrowing my eyes inquisitively. “Of course I did. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather spend the summer.”

Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true. The location itself wasn’t what brought me back—that was all Kaleb. I’m happiest wherever he is.

“Did you leave your boat shoes at home this time?” Colton asks almost immediately.

Even if it’s meant to be a dig more than a joke, I don’t let myself get perturbed by it. After all, I knew I’d have to put in some work with him, and that’s one of my main goals this summer. So I just smirk and reply, “I left the boat shoes at home. Figured they’d be better use to me after camp.”

“After camp?” Dayton asks, slipping back into the conversation.

I glance between the twins, weighing my options for a moment before dropping my voice. “Well, as long as you can keep a secret…I’m planning to take Kaleb sailing once we head back to the city.”

Dayton’s eyes bug out, but it’s Colton’s head that cocks to the side, studying me skeptically. “You have a sailboat?”

“What do you think the boat shoes are for?”

Colton shrugs. “Being a douchey prep boy?”

“Colton Thomas!” Kaleb’s father calls, drawing all our attention over to the truck. “That’s uncalled for.”

When I glance back at the twin in question, I find his gaze cast down at the ground, and he mutters a disgruntled “I’m sorry” under his breath.

Dayton, on the other hand, is completely enamored by this new information, eyes lighting up when he asks, “Can we go sailing when you take Kaleb?”

“You’d want to?”

“Uh, duh. Cole’s more into boats than me; I prefer planes.” He pauses, eyes becoming two hazel saucers before he asks, “Wait, do you have a plane too?”

I let out a sharp laugh. “Uh, no. Sorry to disappoint.”

He simply shrugs. “Boats are still cool.”

“Well, I’ll tell you what.” My attention shifts between the two of them, a smile pulling at my lips. “I’ll take you guys out in August. But you’re not allowed to say anything to Kaleb about me taking him. Deal?”

Dayton’s all for it before he’s hustling off to find Kaleb, meanwhile Colton doesn’t do more than nod slightly before joining his twin.

Into boats, my ass.

I don’t have more than a second to linger on the thought, though, because their father is rounding the truck and handing off one of the duffles.

“Avery. Sorry about Cole,” Mr. LaMothe greets, offering me his hand. I slide my palm into his, but I’m not prepared for the quick half-hug he pulls me into. “It’s good to see you.”

Mr. LaMothe has been nothing but kind to me since Kaleb brought me to Bend over spring break. Both of his parents were welcoming, actually—despite their knowledge of my and Kaleb’s rocky past—and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.

“Nice to see you too, Mr. LaMothe.”

“Eric,” he corrects with a knowing grin as he hands me the other bag. “Give Cole some time; he’ll come around.”

Both Kaleb’s parents, as well as Kaleb, keep saying the same thing, and while I’m going to give it my all, I’ll admit, things aren’t exactly off to the best start. But rather than being a Debbie Downer, I nod and give him a tight smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

From the way his grin spreads, he must read the apprehension all over my face. Thankfully, he doesn’t comment on it, and just offers me a friendly nod.

“Well, hey, I’ll let you get back to working. Don’t be a stranger, all right? Teresa and I are hoping you’ll be back over at some point once camp is over.”

My chest swells a little, knowing, at the very least, I have their approval. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Perfect. Tell Kaleb to keep those two in line for me, all right?”

I laugh, shaking my head. “I think I can do that.”

He’s gone after a few more parting words, hopping into the truck and pulling out of the parking lot before I have the chance to drop the twins’ bags off with one of the CITs.

I’m in the middle of telling them what cabin the twins are in when my name is called from somewhere behind me.

“Avery!”

Turning on my heel, I find Elijah barrelling toward me at full speed, no signs of stopping. I brace myself for impact, and it’s a good thing too, because he slams into my chest with a bear hug moments later.

“You came back.”

“I only told you I was about eighty times,” I remind him with a laugh.

With permission from Dean Marshall, Elijah and I have remained in touch over the past few months. I was worried he may not let it happen, all things considered, but I think his perspective of me changed when I turned down my place at Foltyn. He even mentioned something about being a good example for Elijah, which blew me out of the water to hear.

But the kid’s become something of a little brother to me, and I know there’s so much more I can learn from him.

Elijah finally releases me and shrugs. “I know you said you’d be here, but you could’ve changed your mind.”

“From where I’m standing, it seems like you’re the one who changed yours,” I return, giving him a dubious look.

One of the last times we spoke, he said he wanted to tell his father that he didn’t want to come back to camp this summer; he’d rather go to some nerdy tech camp instead. Yet, from his obvious presence here, it seems that didn’t go very well.

Or he chickened out on telling him; it’s a toss up at this point.

He lets out a soft sigh. “He said I can do it once I’m a little older. Something about ‘being a kid and spending time outside’ or whatever,” he mutters, imitating his father’s voice as he quotes him.

Laughing, I shake my head. “Hey, that’s a decent compromise, right?”

“I guess.” His brown eyes flash from me to something behind me, and I turn to find the LaMothe twins and Kaleb talking to each other. He lets his gaze linger there for a moment, as do I, before he asks, “How are things with Kaleb?”

My stomach fills with those stupid butterflies that never quite seem to settle these days. Especially when I’m looking at him. “They’ve been pretty great, honestly.”

“Good. Glad you got your head out of your ass.”

“Language!” I say, chuckling some more. Mostly because I can’t fault him for that particular opinion. I’m pretty happy with the decision myself.

Elijah completely ignores my reprimand and tries to glance at the list in my hand. “Who am I bunking with this year?”

I glance down, reading it over until I find his name.

“Liam and Max,” I reply. There’s a brief hint of disappointment that crosses his features before he shakes it free, but it doesn’t stop me from calling him out on it. “Is that not okay?”

“No, it’s fine. I just thought I’d be with Cole and Dayton again.”

Arching a brow, I ask, “You want me to see if we can swap it?”

That gets his expression to light up a bit, and he nods. “Can you do that?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” I murmur, chuckling. “But, hey, why don’t you head over to them and catch up while I see about getting your bunking arrangements changed.”

He nods, grinning like a fool before racing over to where Kaleb and the twins are. The three twelve-year-olds start talking excitedly between themselves, and my boyfriend quickly takes that as an opportunity to sneak away.

A huge grin pulls at my lips as I watch him approach, matching the one he’s giving me. My hands find his waist as soon as he’s within arm’s reach, dragging him as close as I dare with kids and coworkers milling around.

After all, Kaleb wants to remain professional, or whatever.

He doesn’t seem all that strict on it, though, because he reaches up and links his arms around the back of my neck.

“So I just heard something interesting,” he muses, both his brows hitched up in a teasing fashion.

“And what might that be?”

“You’re taking my brothers sailing in August.”

“That secret lasted all of five minutes,” I gripe, rolling my eyes. “Remind me to tell Dayton that he’s not allowed to steer if he can’t keep his trap shut.”

“Actually, Cole was the one who said something.”

Curiosity piqued, I murmur, “Really?”

He nods, his thumb scraping lightly through my hair. “Seemed pretty excited about it too.”

I damn near let out a sigh of relief. It’s not much, but it’s progress, so I’ll take it. Of course, the second Kaleb sees my anxiety start to disappear, one of his stupid fucking smirks appears. One I know all too well.

Just like I know what almost always comes after it.

I pin him with a warning look. “Don’t fucking say it.”

“What?” he asks, blinking at me innocently. “I wasn’t gonna say anything.”

“Uh, huh. Sure you weren’t.”

His grin grows as he leans in like he’s going to kiss me, only to whisper his favorite saying softly against them.

“I told you so.”

THE END