Chapter 24
Avery
Showing up on Brandon’s doorstep was probably an impulsive decision on my part—which tracked for how this whole thing started between us anyway.
I’d driven straight from the hospital to here, stepping on the gas to an obscenely dangerous speed that I was lucky I hadn’t gotten pulled over for. I was chalking that up as a sign from the universe that coming over here to see him was what I was meant to do.
And who was I to ignore an approval from up top like that?
Seeing Brandon walking down the street alone with just the flash on his phone guiding him had me stumbling to my feet, startling him into stopping right at the bottom of his driveway.
I couldn’t see his expression from here but judging by the way his chest moved, he was preparing himself before coming up the rest of the way toward me.
I didn’t want to take that as a sign that bad things were to come. That I was potentially walking into a situation where I was going to go back to my family’s property with my heart shattered and Brandon’s words of regret ringing in my ears.
All of it was a very valid fear and one that I hadn’t exactly prepared myself to face when leaving the hospital. But so much could change in a matter of hours. Regrets could start worming their way in. Hell, sensibility could, too.
None of this was thought out in the slightest. Brandon and I were riding this damn rollercoaster by the seat of our pants and hoping like fuck we didn’t go careening off the ride on the way.
I stayed rooted to my spot as he drew near, stopping right at the start of the steps leading up to the stoop. He tilted his head back to look at me, slightly shadowed from the light he pointed at his feet.
“Hey... how did it go?” he asked.
My fingers itched to reach out and grab at him, pull him into my arms and bury my face in his hair. Fisting my hands at my sides was the only way to stop myself from doing that and being sensible for once in my life.
“Good. Carrie texted me on the way home that her daughter is awake and alert. The doctors said her vitals are looking really good. She came down with RSV.”
Brandon’s face morphed from shocked to sympathetic. “Oh. That’s a terrible thing for a kid to go through. I’m glad she’s feeling better, though.”
I nodded. “I left as soon as her dad showed up. Didn’t want to intrude.”
He smiled a little. “I’m sure they were all glad you could be there for as long as you were.”
I hoped so.
I wasn’t exactly looking for some grand ‘thank you’ or anything like that. But just some kind of memo that I hadn’t overstepped any boundaries and gotten myself in the middle of their family. That was the last thing I wanted to come across as doing.
In the future, I hoped Ryan grew to be less paranoid around me, because in a perfect world we’d all get along and could stand being in the same room together without some weird tension brewing between us.
“Where were you coming from?” I asked.
“Oh.” His brows pulled together. “It’s... a long story. Want to come in?”
Fuck yes, I did.
Not trusting myself to not make a fool out of me, I simply nodded and stepped back as Brandon fished his house keys out of his pocket and jammed them into the door to open it. A warm aroma greeted us as we both stepped inside, enveloping me like a gentle hug.
Brandon swung the door shut and locked it, eyeing me as he slipped off his shoes and hooked his keys back on the hook next to the door. I did the same, minus the keys, and watched him carefully. I’d never felt so needy in my life, wanting to touch another person.
Perhaps this was all remnants of our phone sex, or maybe I was becoming addicted to him in general. Either way, it felt fucking unhealthy and way too intoxicating not to lean into.
“I missed you,” I mumbled.
I hadn’t meant to say that, not so soon into him inviting me in, but the words were practically burning my tongue.
Brandon’s eyes widened slightly and then grew soft. “I missed you, too, Avery.”
Oh fuck it.
I reached out and cupped his face with my hands, used the leverage to back him up against the wall where I pinned him with my body. A soft sound escaped past his lips, drawing me in until all I could do to fight the urge to kiss him was to stop short of pressing my mouth to his.
Brandon bridged the gap between us anyway, tilting his head forward in my hold to slot his lips over mine in a chaste kiss.
It was fucking perfect and not enough all at the same time.
I’d been wanting this for so long and yet, now that he was right here with me, his mouth against mine, I needed it all.
My grip on his jaw tightened while I tilted his head back further to deepen our kiss. His lips parted with a short gasp, giving me the perfect opportunity to slip my tongue past and dive into his mouth.
He tasted slightly of something sweet and a bit bitter—coffee that he’d brewed right before he came home from the shop, most likely. I swiped my tongue against his, tasting more of that bitter flavor that had me rocking my hips into his.
Brandon jolted against me, his hands coming out to grab at my shirt—the one I was still wearing from our sort-of-date—and held it tightly in his hands. He drew me in closer until we were practically melded together. Our chests rising and falling in sync while I kept my hips locked against his.
My cock was growing so hard that it ached. With just a simple kiss I was ready to explode.
What the hell was Brandon doing to me?
I just about groaned when our kiss was ended entirely too quickly in my opinion. He wretched his head back from me with a soft ‘pop’ of our lips, a trail of spit lingering between us that I swiped my tongue at to break.
His throat bobbed twice before he said, “Bedroom.”
There was no hesitation in his voice. No sense of shy or bashfulness that I’d grown accustomed to associating with Brandon. He was taking charge and I was going to let him. I’d follow his lead to wherever the hell he was taking us and I wouldn’t complain one bit.
With one hand still fisted in my shirt, he dragged me down the hallway and to his bedroom—a room I blearily remembered from him taking me back here the night I’d showed up wasted at his shop.
When he let go of me, he moved across the room to where there was a pile of clothes thrown over the bed and a few pairs of pants haphazardly stacked next to them.
He gathered them quickly, tossing everything onto the floor in a heap at the foot of his bed.
I couldn’t help it, I laughed. “Bit of a wardrobe mishap?”
He shot me a look over his shoulder. “I’m not one for fashion. But I think we both knew that.”
That was a charming quirk about him. Brandon never much cared for looking like he stepped out of a magazine. He preferred to be comfortable and functional, two traits that I’d associate with him on any given day.
Me?
I unfortunately had an image to uphold most days. So, I’d gotten used to looking put together.
My footsteps were slow as I strode over to him. “How do you want to do this?”
For the first time since we stepped inside of his house, he looked uncertain. “That depends. How do you want to do this?”
I shook my head. “I want whatever you’ll give me, Bran.”
He blew out a short breath, his cheeks growing red. “Wow. Okay.”
“You lead us. I trust you.”
He nodded slowly, his gaze darting around his room again. “I think I should bottom tonight. Since I’ve done it before. We’ll work you up to it.”
My stomach clenched pleasantly. He was planning on this happening again.
Fuck, I loved the sound of that.
I meant what I said—I’d take anything he’d give me. I’d get on my knees or get off of them, whatever suited his fancy.
When he looked back at me, he asked. “I was tested a few months ago but nothing too recent. I’m also on PrEP.”
Oh. Right.
“Uh.”
Brandon frowned. “Avery, don’t tell me you don’t get tested regularly.”
This time, it was my turn to feel bashful. “Actually... I haven’t slept with anyone in a long time.”
“How long?’
“Like... since my divorce. Which was almost five years ago.”
His mouth dropped open. I could tell he was trying to search for the words to say something, but nothing was exactly coming out. Nothing coherent at least. Which wasn’t exactly helping my self-esteem here.
“Is... that a turn off?” I asked.
His mouth snapped shut. “No, not at all. I’m just surprised. You were so active in high school.”
I rolled my eyes. “Really? You’re comparing me to my horny teenage self who’d just discovered boobs for the first time?”
He shrugged at me. “So, no tests since then?”
“Is that a deal breaker?”
“No. I’ve got condoms. It’s fine. But we’re going to the clinic tomorrow.”
While I wasn’t exactly a fan of him having what seemed to be a healthy supply of condoms at the ready—my jealousy rearing its ugly head—I was glad that he was conscious about his health and taking care of himself. You never knew nowadays, and neither did anyone else for that matter.
The world was a scary place at times.
“On the bed,” he instructed.
The déjà vu sent a shiver down my spine that ended up going straight to the ache between my legs.
Falling back onto his bed, I watched him move about the room, shedding the shirt he’d been wearing and unhooking the button above his fly but not parting the flaps at all.
He opened his dresser next to his bed and rummaged around the top drawer for something, pulling out a large, clear bottle and a box of condoms—that I hoped to fuck were still full and not already half used.
Before coming back over to me, he turned and headed through another doorway right next to his closet, flicking on the light inside for a moment and then emerging with a small hand towel.
“I have a feeling we’re going to get messy,” he said, smiling.
Yeah, I fucking hoped so.
He tossed the towel and the bottle on the bed next to me and then ripped into the condom box, yanking off one from the sleeve with his teeth, which was the single hottest thing I’d ever seen him do.