Chapter 48
Eric
We lay there for a long time, too exhausted to move.
Dmitri runs his fingers through my hair and holds me against him.
Everywhere his fingertips skate across my skin, goosebumps rise in a slow, tingling blanket over my limbs.
I shift with the tickle, feeling the sticky warmth between my thighs and the ruined fabric clinging to my skin.
“I’m filthy,” I remind him.
He snaps the band of my destroyed underwear with a lazy smile. “Oh, you are filthy, aren’t you?”
“Nice try,” I say with a quiet chuckle, “but I told you, I’m spent.”
His chest rises on a deep inhale, and he releases a slow, satisfied sigh. “Yeah, me too.”
“You gonna tell me what happened?”
He stiffens for a split second, his hand pausing in my hair before resuming its gentle petting. “It’s not important.”
“Dmitri…” I scoot away just enough to prop myself up on my elbow and glare at him. “No secrets, remember?”
“It is really hard to take you seriously when you’re sitting there in your trashed panties,” he says, then grins in triumph at my choked laughter. He pulls me back against him and resumes playing with my hair. “My parents are assholes.”
“You don’t say,” I deadpan.
He chuckles again before reluctantly recounting his conversation with his parents. He attempts to sugarcoat it and soften the blow, but I ask too many questions and force him to give me the details.
When he's finished, he scowls. “You're annoyingly thorough, you know.”
“Never heard you complain,” I tease before turning serious. “I’m proud of you for standing up to him.”
“Nobody talks that way about you and gets away with it, Eric. Not to me.” He smiles at me, a sparkle in his eyes that could give the devil a run for his money. “Even in your ripped-up undies.”
“Goddamn it!” I shout, rolling on top of him and pinning him to the mattress.
“You're just proving my point,” he says through a laugh. “Am I supposed to be threatened right now? Look at you.”
I glance down at myself and grimace at the wrecked state of my underwear, then flop onto the bed beside him and yank them off completely. “You like these so much? Go ahead and wear them.”
Dmitri shrieks as I lunge for his feet, scrambling backwards on the mattress. “No—no—Eric, don’t you dare!” He half-heartedly tries to fend me off, but he miscalculates and tumbles off the edge in a tangle of long, flailing limbs.
“Oh shit, are you okay?” I ask through my laughter, leaning over the side.
Dmitri scowls as he climbs off the ground, rubbing his elbow. “I can tell you’re really concerned about me.”
“I’m devastated,” I say, reaching down to grab his wrist and haul him back up. “My poor, delicate boyfriend just got defeated by gravity. I’m gonna have to write a song about this tragedy.”
He snorts, letting me pull him onto the mattress. “You’re an idiot.”
“And you love your idiot,” I tease, tackling him flat again and peppering his face with quick kisses. “Admit it.”
“Never,” he mutters, but his arms are already wrapping around me, pulling me tight.
A loud knock rattles the door, and we both freeze. “What the fuck is happening in there?” Tai demands from the other side.
Dmitri bolts upright before I can stop him, grinning like a maniac as he swings the door wide open.
“For fuck’s sake, D!” I shout, voice cracking with laughter. “We’re naked!”
Tai’s eyes go huge. He looks down, realizes I’m not joking, and his face flushes scarlet. Dmitri slams the door in his face with a blurted “Sorry!” then spins around and leans back against it, shoulders already shaking.
Our eyes meet, and we both lose it, doubling over and howling with laughter until tears stream down our cheeks. “Come… come here,” I wheeze, holding my arms out. He stumbles over and collapses into my embrace. I hug him tight, sides aching from the force of it.
The giggles finally sputter out.
“Fuck,” he mutters, still breathless. “Tai just saw my dick.” That sets us off again into another round of helpless laughter that takes a full minute to die down.
“Fuck, I love you,” I whisper with a few rogue giggles. “We probably need to shower.”
“Nah, let’s go jump in the pool.”
“That is a great idea, but I'm…” I gesture toward the questionable liquids on my naked body.
His wink is downright scandalous. “You know I like seeing you filthy.”
I snort a laugh and climb out of the bed, dragging him toward the bathroom with me. “Listen,” I explain, “if it was just the two of us, I might explore this marking kink you've clearly got going on, but Tai's already seen enough. Let's not traumatize him twice in one morning.”
Dmitri joins me in the shower before we head downstairs and grab a bite to eat.
Splashing and laughter carry inside from the pool, and we step outside into the sweltering morning.
Dmitri and I both stop, blinking at the giant unicorn floaty that drifts around the water.
Tai drapes across its back in his pink speedo while Theo straddles its neck, riding it like he’s charging into some sort of majestic battle.
“Where did that even come from?” Dmitri mumbles, scratching his head.
“They went halvsies on it,” Dante explains from a chair behind us, with a sheen of white sunscreen streaking across his nose and over his head.
“They got up way too early this morning and called an Uber to go buy it, then claimed they weren’t leaving the pool for the rest of our time here and named it Horny. ”
I snort into my hand. “Of course they did.”
Tai cranes his neck and lifts his sunglasses, glaring at the half-eaten banana in Dmitri's hand.
Dmitri follows his line of sight, then waves the banana in Tai's direction. “Sorry, man,” he calls.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Dmitri, put the banana down,” Tai hisses before dropping his sunglasses back over his eyes.
“Why?” Dmitri asks with a wicked grin. “Remind you of something?”
Dante chews on his lip before sighing. “I really feel like I'm going to regret asking, but what did I miss?”
“Dmitri flashed Tai his dick this morning,” I explain as I steal the last piece of the banana and pop it into my mouth. “It was a whole thing.”
Tai groans. “A whole thing? It was an assault on my retinas. I’m scarred for life.”
Dmitri laughs, loud and unrepentant. “You’re complaining about a free show? I didn't even ask for a cover charge.”
I elbow him. “Leave him alone. He’s already traumatized.”
Dante just shakes his head. “I knew better than to ask. I mean, I really knew better.” He glances between us, hesitation replacing his dry snark. “Listen, I want to apologize for the other night. The speakers should've been shut down already. That never should've happened.”
“None of it was your fault, Dante,” I insist.
“No, I know,” he agrees thoughtfully as his eyes drift toward the pool. “But if I hadn’t been… distracted…” He clears his throat, his head turning red in a way that has nothing to do with the direct Georgia sunlight. “I would’ve realized sooner and put a stop to it.”
Dmitri’s arm slides around me, but I’m stuck on the first half of Dante’s comment. “Why were you distracted?”
“Just… band stuff,” he mutters, but his eyes never stray from their small-bodied, blue-eyed target.
“There’s really no need to apologize,” I say as he finally focuses on me again. “It sucked at the time, but honestly? Leaving that mic on was probably one of the best things that could’ve happened. It forced me to get my head out of my ass.”
“Have you guys looked online at all?” Dante asks. “There’s been a lot of—”
“No,” Dmitri cuts him off with a growl. “No,” he repeats, pulling me into his side. “It doesn't matter what anyone is saying.”
“I think you’d be surprised—” Dante tries again.
Dmitri's hand flies up in protest and stops him a second time. “I fucking said no, Dante!” Theo and Tai turn in our direction at the commotion, both watching with open curiosity.
Dmitri sighs and lets his hand fall to his side. “It doesn’t matter what’s being said, especially not right now.”
“You don’t have to protect me from the world, D,” I say quietly, and he holds me tighter against him.
“Yeah, actually, I do. And fuck anyone who tries to say otherwise.”
Theo and Tai swim the floaty to the edge of the pool. “Alright, killer,” Theo says. “Know what will make you feel better?”
“Being at my own house, where I can sleep in my own bed with my boyfriend?” Dmitri challenges.
“You can be naked there without flashing anyone,” I add.
Theo chuckles. “Well, yes, but that's not an option just yet.” He climbs onto dry land, wobbly like a newborn foal for a second until he gets his footing. Tai follows him, rolling off the edge and dunking himself before making a very graceful ascent from the water.
Theo gestures toward the pool. “You guys wanna take Horny for a spin?”
Dmitri’s eyes meet mine, then he rolls them dramatically and sighs like the world is ending. He looks back at Theo. “Yeah, Theo. We’d fucking love to take Horny for a spin.”
“Such sacrifices you make for me,” I tease.
Dmitri grins, swoops me into his arms, and plants a hard kiss on my lips that draws a sharp whistle from Tai. “What baby wants, baby gets,” he murmurs against my mouth.
“Dangerous promise,” I whisper back, pulling him in for another kiss.
“Ugh, they’re so gross, aren’t they?” Theo says dreamily.
I glance sideways, lips still on Dmitri’s, to find him watching with a wistful smile.
He elbows Dante without looking. “That could be us if you’d pull your head outta your ass.
” Dante looks like he’s about to combust—veins popping and face beet-red.
He stutters and stammers, words completely failing him.
A victorious smile spreads across Theo’s face. “I know,” he drawls, glancing at his fingernails like he’s bored. “I’m the worst, aren’t I?”
Dante takes a deep breath, mutters something unintelligible, and marches inside.
“Uh… what, um, what was that all about?” I ask.
Smugness radiates off Theo as he shrugs. “I don’t kiss and tell, boys.”
“So, there was kissing?”
Theo just smiles wider, miming a zipper across his lips. “You’ve got ten seconds to claim Horny before I get back on.”
We give in and climb on, relaxing into the floatie as it drifts into the water.
Dante eventually rejoins us, but he doesn’t address what Theo said, and surprisingly, Theo leaves it alone.
We spend the rest of the day by the pool, alternating turns floating on the magnificent inflatable unicorn until we’re all crispy and exhausted from the sun.