Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
TIGO
I look up from setting down a crate of glasses to find Howie, Fitz, Oscar, and even Brady standing in front of me.
“Uh. Hi, guys. What’s up?”
“We’re staging an intervention,” Oscar says. “You have to stop moping around this place. You’re killing the vibe.”
I frown, shaking my head. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not,” Howie says. “We can all see it.”
“It’s already decided. Samson and I will cover the weekend,” Fitz begins, “while you drive to Phoenix.”
I pull my head back. “I’m not driving to Phoenix.”
“Uh, yeah, you are,” Oscar says. “You’re gonna go get your man.”
“That’s ridiculous. Cato isn’t my man.” Even though I wish he was. “What am I supposed to do? Show up at his front door and kidnap him?”
“Of course not,” Fitz says. “But what a show of commitment to go there. He’ll know you’re serious. He’ll love it.”
Brady nods. “Gotta agree, man. It was pretty obvious he was into you.”
“Guys, I appreciate it, but it was two days and nothing more.”
“What if it could be more?” Howie asks.
“Yeah,” Oscar adds. “If you could just get your head out of your ass.”
I rub my forehead, leaning against the bar. “What if he’s back home now and forgetting about me?”
“Didn’t he text you the other day to tell you to be careful because he heard about the rain we were getting?” Oscar asks. “That isn’t the behavior of someone who just had a fun weekend and got over it.”
“True. I guess it just seems a little crazy and impulsive to go after him.”
“Which makes it beautiful and romantic,” Howie says with a wistful tone. “If I were still a young man, I would do it in a minute.”
Fitz nods, but a rare bout of sadness clouds his eyes.
“Some people are lucky enough to find love many times in life. Others aren’t.
Whether you’re one of the lucky ones or not, love is worth going out on a limb for.
It’s worth being impulsive and a little crazy for.
It’s even worth getting your heart broken.
Because while it was there, while you had it… ” He shrugs. “You had love.”
His words go straight to my heart. I pull my apron off. “You’re right. I only have this one life. I’m going to get him.”
The guys clap and cheer around me while my head spins. I guess I’m really going to get in my car and drive to Phoenix, hoping Cato is happy to see me. We’ll have to decide what happens after that once I get there.
“Excuse me.”
I twist around in shock. No way. The guys move out of the way, and there he is. Cato. He’s holding a bag in his hand, his smile growing when he sees me.
“Hi, Tigo.”
“Cato.” I rush over, pulling him into my arms. “What are you doing here?” I ask into the crook of his neck.
He pulls back enough to meet my eyes. “Uh, I sort of moved here.”
My eyes widen as the guys scatter. Oscar gently shoos us toward the patio.
“You did what?”
Cato shrugs. “I gave notice on my apartment, packed up a few things, and drove to San Diego.”
“Why?”
“Because I was sort of hoping that the weekend we spent together meant as much to you as it did to me. I want to be in a relationship with you, and it seemed easier for me to come here.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “Wow.”
“Too much?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I was minutes from getting in my car and driving to Phoenix.”
“For?”
“You. I don’t know what I was gonna do when I got there, except tell you that I’m not ready to let this go.”
Cato cups my face. “I’m not either.”
“You’re really moving here?”
He nods. “I’m really moving here. I need to find a place and arrange for my furniture to be delivered. Maybe I can stay with you until then?”
“Absolutely. Fuck, babe. I’m so happy.”
Cato smiles. “Care to show me how much in private?”
Feeling overjoyed, I swoop Cato off his feet like a bride. “There’s nothing I want more.”
I carry Cato through the bar and out the doors as he giggles and people look on with amusement.
“My key is in my back pocket.”
Cato reaches behind me, and I dip us low enough that he can unlock the door without me setting him down.
“This is very romantic. An Officer and a Gentleman vibes.”
I laugh. “Never saw that movie.”
Kicking the door shut, I head straight for the bed, setting him down with a plop.
I pull my shirt over my head. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
Cato sits up, helping me with my shorts. “Nowhere I’d rather be.”
He reaches in my briefs, pulling my cock out that’s already hard and leaking for him. Cato wastes zero time, flipping onto his stomach to take me into his mouth. I exhale slowly, sliding my hands into his hair.
“God, I missed you,” Cato whispers, planting sweet, almost chaste kisses along my shaft.
“I missed you too.”
Cato rolls onto his back. “Show me.”
I climb onto the bed with him, kicking the rest of my clothes off while I push his shirt up to reveal his flesh.
I latch on to his nipple, sucking hard before moving back to his mouth for another fiery kiss.
Somehow we manage to get his clothes off, and once our bodies are touching, it’s all I can do not to come right then and there.
“I get off to your memory every night,” I murmur against his lips. “I wondered if I would ever get to feel this good again.”
Cato cups my face, studying my eyes. “You make me feel better than I am.”
Shaking my head, I smile. “No. I help you see how amazing you are.”
His cheeks bloom pink before he pulls me into another kiss. We rub together, increasing the friction between our legs until I force myself to break apart.
“Will you fuck me, Cato?”
He swallows so hard I can see it, but he nods eagerly. “Yes. Fuck. Yes.”
I roll to my side to grab the lube and condoms, gasping as Cato attacks my ass, biting and kissing my flesh.
I relax and let it happen, nearly drowning in happiness that he’s here again.
He releases these sexy little moans as he spreads me apart and tastes me there.
The guy loves to eat ass. Gotta love it.
I push him back and crash into his mouth again. My dick is so hard it’s throbbing. “On your back,” I whisper. “I want to ride you.”
“Fuck.”
Cato positions himself, and while I lube up and put the condom on him, I admire his body. He’s gorgeous, from the soft dusting of hair on his torso to the thick leaking cock between his legs.
“This is the last time we will use these. I want us to get tested. Feel you completely.”
Cato groans, stroking his dick. “Yessss.”
Grabbing his shaft, I steady myself over him and slide down. Since I’ve fucked or fingered myself nearly every day since he left, I’m loose enough, but not so much that I can’t enjoy the sharp sting burning through me. When he’s completely in, I exhale slowly.
“Jesus, babe. You feel so good.”
Cato has a stunned expression on his face, gazing up at me in awe. His pinched brow, parted lips, and wide eyes bring a proud smile to my lips.
“Good?” I ask.
“Un…unfuckingbelievable. It’s been so long.”
“Mm, for me too.” I lean forward, biting his bottom lip. “Now fuck me, Cato. Show me you missed me.”
A slow smile pulls at his lips as he settles his hands on my hips. Cato wastes no time showing me what he’s got, bucking into me and driving his cock as deep as it will go. I’m a moaning mess, tugging my hair, clawing my chest, and chanting how much I love his dick.
Cato is a thing of beauty beneath me. A sheen of sweat covers his forehead as he bites into his bottom lip. The affectionate look in his eyes makes me feel things that are way too soon but undeniable just the same.
“Fuck,” he moans. “You feel…amazing. I’m not gonna last.”
“It’s okay. We have all the time we need now.”
Falling forward, I plant my hands on either side of his face, rolling my hips to help him fuck the life out of me. I’m unbelievably stretched and full, but at the same time, I can’t get enough of him.
Our faces are close, and Cato lifts his head enough to kiss me then wraps his arms around me and pounds it out until both of us are praying to any god who will listen.
The friction of our bodies pressed together creates incredible tension until my trapped cock finally finds relief.
I spill cum between us, the hot sticky liquid binding us together.
Cato’s brow pinches, and he grunts into the crook of my neck, his cock pulsing deep within me. He twitches in my arms, whispering my name until we both come down from that incredible high.
“Wow,” I say after a few minutes.
I’m still on top of him, hot and sticky, but so spent and happy I’m not sure I can move.
“Yeah,” he agrees. “Wow.”
“Am I crushing you?”
“Yeah. I fucking love it.”
I laugh softly. “Me too.”
A few more minutes pass, and I finally pull myself off and roll onto my back, but I reach for his hand, clasping our fingers together.
“What should we do now?” I ask.
“Eat. I’m fucking starving.”
“Let’s get you fed.”
“Then we can take a shower and make love again.” He turns his head to face me. “Sound good?”
“Perfect, actually.”
After a quick clean-up and ordering room service, we settle on my bed to eat.
“Have you seen or heard from your ex at all?”
Cato nods, eating a few fries. “He brought my things that were still at his place back to me. Told me he wished me well and hoped that someday I wouldn’t hate him anymore.” He chuckles. “I told him I didn’t hate him and barely thought of him.”
“Burn.”
Cato nods. “Yeah. He deserved it.”
“He did. No regrets?”
“None. He did me a huge favor.”
“Crazy, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” He eats another fry, studying me. “My best friend Wes called me out on my bullshit. That’s how I ended up here.”
“He’s my second favorite person then.”
Cato laughs. “He’s not bad.”
“The guys called me on mine. That’s how I almost drove to Phoenix.”
“Good friends. Are we stupid or what?”
I laugh, rubbing his leg. “Maybe a little. Or maybe we were just afraid to want something that seemed so elusive for so long.”
Cato’s eyes soften. “That’s it. I was scared to want you like I do, terrified you didn’t feel the same, even though there were signs you did. I guess being cheated on can do that to a guy.”
“It can. All that matters now is that you’re here. We’ll figure it out together.”
Cato pushes his plate to the side, climbing onto my lap. “This turned out to be one hell of a room upgrade.”
“I’ll say.” I kiss his soft lips. “I have a feeling we’re gonna have a good life.”
“I have a feeling you’re right.”
Want to see how Cato and Tigo are doing a few years later? Be sure to check out Extended Stay, book 1 in the California Crush series. /2104657
Keep reading for an epilogue teaser for Extended Stay.