Chapter 23 MATTY
MATTY
Somehow, instead of a date at the diner in town, we’d decided—in other words, I’d convinced Hudson—that camping at the lake was a better idea.
The moon was a thin silver hook in the sky, and our flashlights bobbed over the ground, lighting up the dirt path in front of us as we walked.
I hauled a tent bag over one shoulder, a cooler digging into my palm, and Hudson was carrying two pillows under one arm like we were headed to a slumber party instead of the great outdoors.
In the distance, the lake shimmered, black and still except where the breeze stirred it. Fireflies blinked between the cattails like someone had strung fairy lights for us.
Four years might have passed since we last did this, but the lakeside at night was just as beautiful.
“This is ridiculous,” Hudson muttered behind me like he was the one carrying most of the load. “We have a whole house. With a real bed. And walls. And no bears.”
I shot him a grin over my shoulder. “There aren’t any bears here.”
“You don’t know that. I’ve seen the size of the raccoons in Bristlecone Springs. Give ’em time. They’ll unionize and start demanding our food.”
“Well, who got greedy and insisted on making sandwiches? Chips would have been fine.”
“I can’t survive on chips after what you’ve promised to do to me by that lake, Matt. I’m gonna need all the sustenance I can get.”
“Drama queen.” I chuckled.
He stuck his tongue out at me.
God, being like this with him again felt so fucking good. Like my life had been derailed four years ago, and it was finally back on track.
We stopped a few feet away from the water. The air smelled like cedar and the faint sweetness of the wild mint that grew by the shoreline. I set down the tent and the cooler with a satisfying thunk and stretched my shoulder.
Hudson dropped the pillows and flopped down onto the grass, lying there like he was already calling it a night.
“You gonna help me set up the tent, or are you here to supervise?” I kicked the tent bag closer to him.
“I’m moral support. And comic relief. But mostly, I’m here to remind you that you’re the one who said, ‘It’ll be fun, Hud. Just like old times.’” He mimicked my voice badly enough to make me snort.
“You said you wanted to be close to Ivy in case she needed you, yet you wouldn’t sleep at the ranch house.”
“Because.”
“Because what?”
“Because for one night, I want you to fuck me loud. No holding back, no biting my tongue, no worrying about anyone overhearing how hard I love it. Just you, me, and every filthy sound you drag out of me.”
“Jesus Christ, Hud.”
“Now, you’re gonna make that tent or what? It’ll be hot watching you put it together.”
“At least hold the flashlight properly, so I can see what the hell I’m doing.”
“Ah, grumpy Matt is so fucking hot.”
“I’ll show you grumpy.” I dropped to my knees in the grass beside him, caught his wrists, and shoved them over his head. Then I crushed my mouth to his, swallowing his startled sound like I owned it.
He pushed back at first—more instinct than fight—but I didn’t let him win.
I kissed him harder, deep enough to steal the air from his lungs, tilting his head to get at him exactly the way I wanted.
I drove my tongue into his mouth, claiming every inch, grazing my teeth over his bottom lip until he gasped for me.
I drank that sound down too.
The longer I held him there, the more he melted. His muscles softened under my hands, his body went pliant, and his moans grew more desperate. By the time I eased back, he was breathing hard, lips wet and swollen, eyes glassy with that wrecked, hungry look that always made my blood heat.
I picked up the flashlight, pressed it into his slack hand, and grinned. “Be a sweetheart and hold this for me while I finish setting up our bed. You’ll need a comfortable place to pass out after you ride me hard tonight.”
He huffed but curled his fingers around the flashlight. I stood, brushing the grass off my knees, and unzipped the tent bag. The familiar clink of poles and soft crinkle of nylon filled the air.
I didn’t have to think about what came next.
Dad and I had done this every year since I turned eight.
For a while, Carter had gone with us but stopped when he was in high school.
At first, I only continued going because Dad looked sad after Carter said he didn’t want to go anymore, but once it was just Dad and me, it became a lot more fun.
My hands knew the motions. Stake the corners, slot the poles, snap them into place.
The movements were muscle memory. Hudson lay in the grass, watching me like I was stripping instead of assembling a two-person tent.
The weight of his gaze slid over me, hot enough to make the back of my neck prickle.
“Feel free to step in anytime to learn,” I said without looking at him.
“Why do I need to learn when I have a capable man who can do it for me? Plus, it’s more fun to admire the view from back here.”
I shook my head. “I’m gonna kick your ass when I’m done.”
“All I hear is you’re going to kiss my ass, and for that, I’m so ready.”
“All right, be lazy. You wait and see. When Ivy’s old enough, I’ll teach her, and then we can leave your ass at home and go camping together.”
Hudson didn’t fire back with another quip.
The silence stretched so long I finally glanced up from the half-raised tent. He was still on his back, the flashlight aimed toward me, but his eyes weren’t teasing anymore.
“Everything okay?” I straightened.
“You think about the future? With Ivy, I mean?”
The question hit me in a way I didn’t expect.
“Of course I do.” I set down a pole and leaned my forearms on my knees.
“I had a proper thought about it, actually, wondering what kind of dad I’d be to her, comparing myself to mine.
But listen, Hudson…” I dragged in a breath.
“I don’t think I can be as chill raising Ivy as my dad was with half the shit I pulled.
Of the two of us, you’re gonna have to be the reasonable daddy. ”
That got the corner of his mouth twitching. “I kind of figured you would be, but I love that for Ivy.”
I grunted. “She’s probably gonna hate my guts when she’s a teenager and wants to start dating. There are a lot of predators out there, and I’m gonna protect her from them.”
“That’s sweet. She won’t hate you. She already loves you so much.”
My heart swelled. “Yeah?”
“Hmm. Matt, Ivy deserves a second dad like you.”
“Do you plan to tell her about Heather?”
“Maybe not the whole truth. To be fair, I think Heather really tried, but she wasn’t cut out to be a mother.
Maybe it’s best that she realized that before she left lasting damage on our daughter.
Wherever she ends up, I hope she takes care of herself.
Maybe once Ivy is older, they will have a better relationship. ”
“You’re a good man to want that for them. You know me already and the grudges I keep.”
“I’m just glad she gave me Ivy. It’s enough. Now I have you.”
I gave the fabric one last tug and stepped back. “Yup, because you have me, you have a tent to lay your head tonight.”
“True, but if not for you, I wouldn’t even need the tent.”
“Sounds like someone forgot where they want my tongue to fuck them.”
Hudson sprang to his feet and stomped over to me, flung his arms around my waist and kissed my neck. “Ah, Matt, I’m joking. You’re a genius. This whole tent is a freaking genius.”
I slipped my fingers into his hair and pulled his head back. A sharp breath whoozed out of him.
“You like it that much when I rim you?” I asked softly.
He nodded. “I’ve missed it so much.”
“What’s the difference between rimming you and fucking you?”
He bit his bottom lip but said nothing.
“Tell me.”
“It feels more intimate,” he whispered. “Makes me feel vulnerable but also…” He shifted, his cheeks going a little pink.
“It’s hard to explain. Just that you’re so intense when you do it, so focused, the way you use your fingers and tongue…
like nothing else exists but me. I feel so open and… cherished.”
His gaze darted away for a second, then came back.
“And it’s more than just how it feels in the moment.
I’ll be walking around days later, thinking about it, knowing I’m carrying something you want.
Makes me feel”—his mouth curved shyly, like saying it out loud was too much—“valuable. Like I’ve got this thing you can’t get enough of. ”
My throat went dry, and I had to swallow before I could speak. “Get undressed,” I said, my voice low and hoarse. “I’ll roll out the bedding and turn on the lantern.”
He blinked at me like he’d forgotten how to move, then started on his shirt, fingers fumbling.
I crouched to unclip the sleeping bags and spread them across the tent floor, the nylon rustling in the stillness.
I dragged the pillows he’d carried inside, yanked off the plastic that had kept them dry, and tossed one toward the head of each bag, then adjusted them so they were close together.
The lantern I’d carried cast a soft gold light over everything as Hudson ducked inside, his shoulders brushing the opening. He kneeled beside the bedding, watching me with that quiet, unreadable look, then kicked off his shoes. The warm glow caught the blush high on his cheeks as he stripped down.
When he was bare, I jerked my chin toward the bedding. “On your front.”
Hudson stretched out, arms folded under his head, the muscles of his back shifting under the warm glow.
I stayed fully dressed, crawling up beside him. “I’m not stopping,” I murmured, leaning in close to his ear, “until I’ve made you come.”
The first kiss landed between his shoulder blades, soft and lingering. Another just below it. I traced my mouth down the line of his spine, slow enough to feel his breath catch and quicken. He shifted his hips, pressing into the bedding.