Chapter Twenty-Two
Twenty-Two
Reece
It was easy enough for me to hide away for a weekend.
But Cyrus? Not so much. With Fallon as his overbearing, overly involved roommate, there was no way his absence would go unnoticed, so Cyrus had crafted some lie about going out of town for the weekend to check out a new gallery.
He’d purposefully picked a weekend that Fallon worked so he wouldn’t offer to accompany Cyrus on his trip.
I tried not to feel guilty about it, but with each week that passed, the web of lies Cyrus and I were weaving got more intricate. I just hoped things wouldn’t snap before I got to a place where I felt comfortable telling my sister the truth.
While I waited by the window for Cyrus, my body buzzed with excitement—either that or the two cups of coffee I’d slammed in preparation for the four-hour drive ahead of me.
By some stroke of luck, I’d found an Airbnb with last-minute availability.
When I booked the place, the host messaged me, saying we should head out early to avoid traffic on the bridge into town and that he’d let us check in early—free of charge.
I appreciated that, and not because it lowered the chances of Cyrus and me getting caught but because it meant we could spend as much time together as possible.
It wasn’t every day that we had an opportunity like this. I wasn’t going to waste it.
A pair of bright white headlights lit up the street, and my breath hitched. There was only one person who it could be, and I was already raising the garage door by the time Cyrus pulled into the driveway.
Just the sight of him made me smile so wide, my cheeks hurt.
“Were you waiting for me?” Cyrus asked the moment he shuffled out of his SUV.
“Maybe,” I said with a shrug. I was trying to play it cool, but I was already moving closer to him, sliding my hand over the smooth skin of his waist and pressing a kiss to his soft lips.
It didn’t take long for things to get heated, his tongues swirling against mine, and his tentacles wrapping around my arms and my legs, applying gentle pressure that rushed straight to my cock.
I let myself grind against him for a second, showing him just how much I missed him.
He laughed, cupping my face and staring at me with his deep blue eyes. The smooth pad of his thumb swept across my cheek affectionately, making me lean into his touch.
“I take it someone missed me,” he whispered against my lips.
I nodded because it was the truth. We’d trained together yesterday morning, so we’d only been apart for less than twenty-four hours, but somehow it felt like an eternity. The old me would have been freaked out by those types of feelings for someone, but with Cyrus it just felt right.
I gave him one last peck on the lips before I pulled away. As turned on as I was, I wanted to hit the road before traffic picked up.
Cyrus yawned, wiggling the tips of his tentacles like he was trying to wake them up.
It was fucking cute.
“Tired?” I asked.
“Mm-hmm,” he hummed. “I was so bloody excited that I couldn’t sleep. I ended up painting most of the night.”
I’d been so restless, I’d only managed a few hours of sleep myself. “I wish you could have stayed over,” I admitted.
“Me, too. But we’ll get to spend the next few days together to make up for it.”
“Did Fallon give you a hard time?”
Cyrus shook his head. “He thought it was odd, especially since I was leaving so early, but it didn’t seem like he suspected anything.
Honestly, he’s probably excited to have the apartment to himself for the weekend.
It’s easier for him to bring women home when I’m not there.
I did tell him that if he has a party, I’ll pluck his feathers out one by one. ”
“He’d do that even though he works this weekend?” The guy was in his thirties. Wasn’t he a little too old for that sort of thing?
“Do you think that work would stop someone like him? His best friend is his boss.”
I chuckled. “Good point. I’ll let you know if I hear anything about a party from Javier.”
The two of them had been hanging out quite a bit since the engagement party.
And by hanging out, I meant getting blackout drunk and picking up people at bars.
I wasn’t sure Fallon was a good influence on my friend, but Cyrus swore it was Javier who was the bad influence. We agreed to disagree on that one.
“What about you?” Cyrus asked. “Did you say anything to anyone?”
“Nope. It isn’t like my sister and my mom check in on me or anything.
If they come by, they’ll just think I’m not home.
And if they call, I’ll just feed them some bullshit excuse.
” Surprisingly, I didn’t have any anxiety about the trip.
I was going to spend an entire weekend with Cyrus, and I wasn’t going to let anything kill my vibe.
“Perfect.” The way he looked at me when he said it made my stomach flip.
“Are you ready?” I asked, moving toward the door.
“Just a second.” He opened the back door of his SUV and pulled out a duffle bag.
“What’s that?” I asked.
He didn’t wear clothes. Hell, he didn’t even carry a wallet…
“I brought some supplies for sketching and painting. You said we were going somewhere beautiful. Thought I could work on some sketches or watercolors while we’re there.”
Watercolors.
That was perfect for where we were going.
Cyrus followed me out the side door of the garage to where my car was parked on the street. I took his bag and set it on the back seat with my things, as well as the cooler full of food I’d packed for the weekend.
“It smells nice in here,” Cyrus said when he tucked himself into the passenger seat.
Because I had a normal car and not an SUV, it was a little cramped with him and all his tentacles.
I hoped the long drive wouldn’t be too uncomfortable for him.
If things continued to progress, I was going to have to get a bigger vehicle.
That thought made me pause for a second. Because it meant that I saw this going somewhere. That I thought of a future with Cyrus in it.
My chest felt tight and my heart fluttered, a confusing mixture of fear and excitement hitting me all at once.
Was this what it felt like to be—I couldn’t even bring myself to think it.
“T-thank you,” I stammered, remembering that Cyrus had just made a comment about how good the car smelled. “I had it detailed for our trip.”
“That was sweet of you.” He clicked his seat belt and tapped his phone screen. “Do you want me to play some music?”
“Sure.” I already knew what I was in for with Cyrus’s taste in music. It would be some sad croony ’80s shit, and even though I played it off like I was humoring him when we listened to it, I secretly liked it.
While Cyrus got the music going, I typed the address for the Airbnb into the GPS.
“Don’t look,” I told him, using one hand to shield the screen. I’d given him an idea of how far we’d be traveling, but I didn’t tell him exactly where we were going. I wanted him to be surprised.
Cyrus yawned again, showing off that mouth full of sharp teeth. I had to really be into him if I let those razor blades near my cock.
“Fuck,” he said. “Why am I so bloody tired?”
“Just lay your seat back and sleep.”
“I can’t do that. I want to keep you company.”
“I’ve got music, and I had some caffeine. I’m good.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Don’t make me tell you again,” I said sternly.
He laughed and gave me a sleepy smile. “If you get tired, crack a window or wake me up, and I can drive the rest of the way.”
“Okay,” I said, even though there was no way I was going to do that.
Cyrus reclined the seat and one of his tentacles slithered across the center console to rest on my leg. By the time we hit the highway, he was already asleep.
—
After four hours on the southbound interstate, I pulled onto the narrow two-lane bridge that led to the peninsula where we were staying.
It was your typical tourist town, with kitschy boardwalk attractions and overpriced vacation rentals built around the beach.
This was one of the last warm weekends of the summer, meaning it was going to be absolutely packed.
The drive across the bridge felt like it took an eternity, and I let out a sigh of relief once my tires hit solid ground.
It wasn’t that I was afraid of bridges; I’d just never been on one quite that long.
As I drove deeper into the peninsula, the trees lining the road tapered off into rolling sand dunes covered with long stalks of beach grass.
According to the GPS, we were getting close to the Airbnb.
I couldn’t wait to see the look on Cyrus’s face when he finally got to swim in the ocean.
It was rare that I did nice things, let alone romantic things, but I hadn’t let anyone in like I’d let Cyrus in. With him, it was so easy—well, easy after our first encounter together. I was going to have to live with that embarrassment for the rest of my life.
Cyrus had to be tired, because he spent the entire drive asleep in the passenger seat.
As exhausted as I was, I was happy that he actually did what I asked of him.
He was constantly doing shit for me: Training me for the triathlon.
Treating me to coffee. Making me come undone.
The least I could do was make sure he was well rested for the first day of our trip.
I cracked open my window and let the salty sea air drift into the car.
Goose bumps pebbled my arm, and a tiny shiver raced down my spine.
Even this far down the coast, there was a noticeable chill in the mornings and in the evenings now, the last bits of the summer heat fading to the cool temps of fall.
It would be time for the triathlon before I knew it.
The end of my training sessions with Cyrus.
What did it mean for our relationship after that?
Cyrus stirred, eventually setting his seat in the upright position.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I said, taking my eyes off the road for a second to stare at him.