Chapter 10
Salvatore
I was starting to relax. Bit by bit, I found myself letting my guard down. It was the beginning of August. Several weeks had passed since I’d moved into the flat Dante had rented for me, and since I’d gotten my new IDs. The thought of being hunted wasn’t pressing on me like it once had.
Even so, I still felt like I was in limbo—like it was too soon to make plans, or put down roots, or take this thing with Arie to the next level.
It was ridiculous to try to claim we were casually dating. This had turned into a relationship, no doubt about it, and he meant the world to me. But when he’d tried to talk about it, I ended up stalling for time.
I just felt like I needed some sort of resolution to my predicament before Arie and I could move forward.
Dante was still digging into Ashcroft, with the hope of finding some sort of leverage to use against him.
If he didn’t find anything, I had no idea what I was going to do.
A man as rich and powerful as Ashcroft had unlimited resources.
If he wanted to make me pay for my part in ripping him off, there was no reason to think he’d call off his thugs and stop looking for me any time soon.
Not that I should be dwelling on that this weekend. I tried to push those thoughts out of my mind as I double-checked the address Arie had given me and pulled into a steep driveway.
I was in a beach city called San Clemente, roughly halfway between L.A. and San Diego. Up until now, I’d been the one to plan and pay for all of our dates. That was perfectly fine with me, of course, but Arie had wanted to take over this weekend.
I parked in front of a pretty, Mediterranean-style house, which sat off by itself at the end of a quiet residential neighborhood in the foothills. Arie had found it on a vacation rental site two weeks ago, and he’d been very excited about the two of us spending the weekend here.
As I started to walk up to the door with my overnight bag and a canvas shopping bag, Arie stepped onto the front porch. He tried to look stern as he asked, “What did we agree to?”
“That I’d let you pay for everything this weekend.”
He pointed at the shopping bag. “Then what’s that?”
“I brought wine, but that’s just me being a good guest and bringing a gift for my host.”
Arie grinned at me. “Leave it to you to find a loophole.”
When I reached him, I said, “This place is beautiful.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet!” He took the overnight bag from me, and then he grabbed my hand and towed me inside.
The interior was bright and pretty, with an open floor plan and lots of natural light.
As we cut through the house, he told me, “There’s a gourmet kitchen, a huge tub in the master bath, and a game room with a pool table and a bunch of other fun stuff.
But the very best part is right out here. ”
He put down my bag, and I placed the wine tote next to it before following him out the sliding glass door at the back of the house.
“There’s a pool and hot tub, obviously,” he said, as he gestured around the beautifully landscaped backyard, “and an outdoor kitchen, complete with a pizza oven. How cool is that? And look around! We have total privacy back here, which is very good news, because we also have this.”
Arie led me to an outdoor bed. It was made up with crisp blue and white linens, and it sat beneath a pergola covered with flowering vines. He turned to me with a look of anticipation, and I told him, “It’s amazing, like something out of a movie.”
That was exactly what he wanted to hear. He beamed at me and exclaimed, “I know! That’s what I thought when I saw it online.”
I sat down on the edge of the bed, and he straddled my lap and kissed me before saying, “I made us some cocktails, and I thought this would be the perfect spot for us to relax and watch the sunset.” He pressed something into my hand, and I looked down and saw it was a condom.
“I also thought of something we could do while we wait. The sunset isn’t for another hour and a half. ”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I want you to fuck me, Tory. You’ve been so patient, and I appreciate that more than you know. But I’m ready for us to take that next step. More than ready. It’s all I’ve been thinking about lately. But if you don’t think it’s the right time, then there’s no pressure.”
“I think it’s the perfect time.” I kissed him again, slowly and deeply, and he melted into me.
His nervousness was unmistakable when he sat up and told me, “I got here a couple of hours ago and got myself ready. I took a shower, and, um, did some other stuff to clean myself up. I’d been worried about all of that, the prep and whatever, but it’s done, and I really want to stop talking and start fucking. ”
I took off my glasses and put them on the end table beside an ice bucket, and he stood up and pulled my polo shirt over my head before doing the same with his T-shirt.
After he kicked off his flip flops, I made quick work of his shorts and briefs and swung him onto the bed.
He still looked nervous, but his cock was rock hard.
I leaned down and sucked it for a few moments before stripping myself and stretching out beside him.
It was a warm day, but a light breeze blew across our skin, rattling the leaves on the pergola and carrying the scent of flowers.
I kissed Arie again, and then he reached under the pillow and pulled out a large zip-top bag, which made me smile.
In it were three types of lube and maybe twenty condoms. I couldn’t help but tease him a little. “Are you sure that’ll be enough?”
He chuckled, and some of his nervousness drained away. “I wasn’t leaving anything up to chance. What if we got this far and then discovered I’d brought the wrong kind of lube? How sad would that be?”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“You have no idea. I’ve probably thought through this scenario two hundred times, and I needed everything to be perfect. That’s why it took me so long to get to this point. I had all that planning, worrying, and overthinking to do.”
I propped myself up on my elbow and traced the curve of his jaw as I asked, “What were you worried about?”
“All kinds of things, like being so clueless that I made it awkward. I also worried that it was going to hurt more than I could stand, so we’d have to stop. I’ve had all these fantasies about you fucking me, and if we try and I can’t do it, I’m going to be devastated.”
“It’s going to work, as long as you do three things—relax, trust me, and talk to me. And remember, this isn’t our one and only chance. If you decide you want to stop, we can always try again some other time.”
Arie nodded. “Okay.”
Over the last two months, we’d gotten each other off in countless ways. I knew him, and I knew his body. I put everything I’d learned into making this the best experience I possibly could for him, working him up while he encouraged me with breathy whispers, and gasps, and sighs of pleasure.
I knew he loved being fingered while I jerked him off, so we built from there. I worked him open gradually while sucking and stroking his cock. He started begging me to fuck him after just a few minutes of this, but I kept going until I felt him open up.
He was wild with desire by the time I put on a condom, slicked it, and pushed my tip inside him. But then Arie clenched his muscles and muttered, “Fuck, I don’t think it’s going to fit.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
“Don’t you dare! Tell me what to do.”
I talked him through it, explaining how to bear down while I stroked his hair.
When I felt him relax, I slowly slid the rest of the way in.
A laugh slipped from him, taking some of his nervous energy with it, and he said, “I’m pretty sure we just defied the laws of physics.
” I chuckled and began to move my hips. “We’ve made it this far,” he teased.
“I’m pretty sure I won’t break in half if you fuck me harder than that. ”
I still took my time and sped up gradually, to make sure he was okay.
That was always important, obviously, but now more than ever since it was his first time bottoming.
If I messed this up, he might never want to try again.
That would be tragic, since he told me he’d fantasized about doing this for years.
A change came over him when I shifted slightly and started nailing his prostate. He moaned and began jerking himself off, and I finally let myself relax.
I fucked him harder and faster, and Arie planted his feet on the mattress and started meeting each thrust with a rock of his hips.
That drove me wild. We fell into a quick, almost frantic rhythm, his body moving with mine.
He looked flushed and wild and gorgeous as he whispered, “Oh god, Tory, this feels so good.”
“Say my name again.”
“I’m yours, Tory. Only yours.”
Those words were like gasoline on a fire.
I fucked him harder still, claiming him with each thrust. He blurted, “Oh fuck,” as he shot all over his chest and stomach.
At the same time, his tight little ass clamped down on my cock, setting off my orgasm.
I groaned as I came, thrusting into him until my body had nothing left to give.
I held the condom in place as I slid out of him and rolled onto the mattress, gasping for air.
For a few moments, I couldn’t think or speak.
When I could move again, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, removed the condom, and tied it off.
Arie handed me a plastic bag and a pack of shower wipes and explained, “You can use the bag as a trash can, since there isn’t one near the bed. ”
“Way to think of everything.”
“I really tried.”
We both cleaned ourselves up, and then he poured us a couple of cocktails. “This is spiked lemonade, my own recipe,” he said. “You’ll have to tell me what you think.”