Chapter 18 #2
I could be wrong, but if I had to guess, his friends aren’t good people, and in order not to be an outcast or be picked on himself, he went along with their homophobic bullshit.
“Leave my brother alone. You hear me? If I hear any more about you or your friends fucking with him, we will be pressing charges. Got it?”
Laden nods frantically.
“Get the fuck upstairs,” Liam barks, now furious, but I see the hurt in his eyes. I know he’s close with his brother. So to have him betray him like this, it’s gotta suck.
Maybe if this were another situation, I’d feel bad about it, but not now.
“I’m sorry about what happened. I’m gonna deal with Laden, okay?”
“Good.” I scrub a hand over my face. “If it wasn’t for my brother asking me not to make a bigger deal out of this, I’d have told my parents, and they would be pressing charges.”
“I know. And I thank you for not doing that.” Liam steps forward, his hand on my arm. “I’m so sorry, Bennett.”
I take a step back, frowning.
Liam sighs. “Don’t pull away from me. I didn’t do this to your brother.”
“I didn’t say you did.”
“Then why are you looking at me like I’m the enemy?"
What is he going on about? “I’m not looking at you like anything, Liam.”
“You used to look at me with love. With lust. But never this cold.” Liam bites his lip. “Give me a chance to change, please.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I bark out a laugh. “I came here because your brother and his friends hurt my brother. And you're gonna use this as an opportunity to try to get me back?”
His brows furrow in anger. “I know you’re not with Roland. So why are you fighting this so hard?!”
“Fighting what? There’s nothing to fight.
We broke up a while ago. I don’t have feelings for you.
And I’m not going to give you a second chance.
You hurt me, and I don’t care if you’re sorry.
You did what you did, and there's nothing you can do to change it. What we had at the time was nice while it lasted, but people grow, people move on. And it’s time you move on, too.
Just not with me. You and I will never be a thing again, and you need to get that into your head.
The same way your brother needs to get it in his head to leave my brother the fuck alone.
This is my last warning. To the both of you. ”
Turning around, I storm down his front step towards my car.
“How did it go?” Easton asks as I get into the driver's seat.
“I think they got the message.”
“They?” Easton’s brows furrow.
“Liam,” I mutter, starting the car up and pulling away.
“What the hell did he do now?” Easton growls.
“Tried to get me to come back to him.” I snort, shaking my head. “That guy really has no shame. It’s sad. Don’t worry, I told him there was never going to be a chance for us again. Hopefully, he leaves it alone now. If not, maybe I’ll get a damn restraining order.”
“Or I can kick his ass,” Easton grumbles.
“And get kicked off the team? Not fucking happening. My man is going to the big leagues. We’re not letting some asshole fuck that up.” I cast him a grin.
He smiles, shaking his head. “Your man. It’s so weird to hear you say that.”
“Is it a bad thing?” I ask, raising a brow.
“No.” He shakes his head, taking my hand in his. He brings it to his lips and presses a kiss to the back of it. My heart flutters. This man always seems to bring out the big emotions in me.
When we get back to the house, we change into sleep clothes, and both squeeze our way into Easton’s single bed.
“I’m just realizing that I was robbed. Why did you get a queen and I got a single?”
“My parents bought it for me,” I whisper guiltily.
We’re lying in his bed on our sides, faces inches from one another.
“It’s a good thing we don’t need my bed anymore then.”
“No? Why is that?” I grin.
“Because after last night and the best sleep of my life, there’s no way I can go back to sleeping alone.”
My grin grows wider. “You like sleeping with me?” I wiggle my brows.
“Shut up.” He chuckles.
“Well, I like sleeping with you, too.” I reach up, brushing some hair from his eyes.
“The only person I’ve slept in a bed with was Taylor. It’s different with a guy. You run way hotter than she did.” He snorts.
“Really? Only with Taylor? No one else?”
He shakes his head slowly.
“Not even other girls you’ve slept with?”
“Ah. Babe, I’ve never been with a girl. Gay guy here. I mean, I considered trying with Taylor, but I learned real fast that I only got hard for guys. Well, more or less one guy.”
“Me?” I grin.
“Yes, you, you idiot.” He laughs.
“Wait.” My brows furrow. “If you haven’t been with any girl before, and I was the first guy you’ve been with, that would mean...”
“I was a virgin before you, yes. Can we please not make a big deal out of it?” he grumbles.
My mouth drops open. “Make a big deal? I think it’s a huge deal. Babe, you suck cock like a pro, and the way you fucked me.” I groan, rolling my hips, letting him feel how hard I am just at the thought of it. “Mind-fucking-blowing.”
“You’re full of shit. That was a moment of anger and emotion,” he grumbles.
“You’re telling me you didn’t like it?”
“No. I liked it. I just feel guilty.” He sighs.
“Why?”
“Because I was rough. A little mean. I don’t know. I just took.”
“And I didn’t ask you to stop. You didn’t take anything from me that I didn’t want. And being rough? Yeah, I’m into that. I’ve never bottomed before, so I was always the more dominant one. Had no idea I liked being manhandled.”
“Wait. You’ve never bottomed before?” Easton’s eyes flick between mine. “So, that was your first time?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Fuck,” he hisses. “I’m so fucking sorry. If I had known, I’d never have done it.”
“Hey.” I cup the back of his head, pressing a kiss to his lips to keep him from spiraling. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m not mad. I liked it. And I’d like it to happen again.”
“You would?”
“Oh yeah.” I grin against his lips. “But, I’d also like to know what it feels like being inside you.”
Easton groans. “Stop. You’re making me hard, and your little brother is sleeping on the other side of the room.”
“Yup, that did it. Boner killer.” I sigh.
“Good.” He laughs.
“Easton.”
“Yeah?”
“I love you. You know that?”
“Bennett.”
“Yeah?” I huff out a laugh.
“I love you, too. You know that?”
“Brat.” I laugh, kissing him again.
“I think it’s safe to say we’re both brats in this relationship.” He chuckles.
He’s not wrong.
“Go out on a date with me this weekend?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. We can take a drive to a few towns over, where no one knows us. We can do everything boyfriends would do, and no one would be the wiser.”
His face slips into a big grin. “I’d like that.” He nods.
“Good.” I kiss him. “Also, you have to come to my game this weekend. You’ve only been to one hockey game this year.”
“Fuck,” he mutters.
“And I’ve been to most of your games.”
“Okay, okay.” He laughs. “I’ll come watch your dumb sport.”
I gasp. “Says the man who plays an even dumber sport.”
“I don’t think this is going to work out.” Easton sighs. “I’m dating a man with the worst taste in sports. I think it’s a deal breaker.”
“No. The deal breaker is those nasty socks. Like, babe, hot garbage.”
“Okay, well, at least my socks hold my feet; your balls have got to hang out of those boxers. And the hole in the back, the one on your ass. Do you even need to pull them down to take a shit? It’s big enough to fit right through.”
“You are such a fucking asshole.” I laugh, shoving at his shoulder.
“I might be a fucking asshole, but I’d much rather be fucking your asshole,” he teases.
I snort a laugh, burying my face into his chest. “That was so fucking corny.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“But I loved it.” I look up. “And I love you.”
“I love you, too. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For seeing the broken pieces of me and not running.”
“Baby.” I grip his chin between my finger and thumb. “Every single broken piece is beautiful. It’s what makes you, you. And I love all of them.”
He pulls me into his arms, burying his face into my shoulder. We hold one another, soaking in the feeling of just how right this is.
We were meant to be more than just friends. It just took a while for us to realize that.
I’m glad we did. Because having Easton back in my life has been the best thing to happen to me in a long time. And I plan on making sure it stays this way. No matter what.