12. West
12
WEST
T he late afternoon sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the living room. I lay on the couch, my body pleasantly sore and thoroughly satisfied, with Drew draped over me, his arms wrapped around my back. Our legs were tangled together, skin on skin, as we basked in the afterglow.
We’d spent most of the night and day in each other’s arms. I’d lost count of how many times we’d made each other come. I’d fallen asleep with Drew in my arms, only to wake up with him spooning me and grinding his hard cock over the ridge of my ass.
After that first kiss yesterday, it was like something had been unleashed. Something we couldn’t control. I’d been so beyond needy for Drew it was a surprise we’d gotten up for breakfast or had showers in between the various rounds of sex.
Well, we’d had sex in the shower too. Another one of those moments I’d dreamed about and where reality had turned out to be so much better.
My laptop lay abandoned on the coffee table. We’d spent a few hours contacting the insurance company and figuring out the next steps for the Foundation. I’d worried the old part of the building wasn’t up to code, but the insurance company reassured me it was all still covered. I wasn’t ready to go back to the building, but I’d been informed it was secure and the main part hadn’t been damaged. The fire department was still investigating the cause of the fire, but if I had to place a bet, I’d say it was old wiring.
When it had all felt too raw and upsetting, we’d lost ourselves in each other again and again.
But we hadn’t talked. And that was bothering me.
I gazed into his blue eyes, mesmerized by the tiny flecks of green I’d never noticed before but now danced in the fading light. His light-brown hair was even more tousled than usual because I couldn’t stop running my fingers through it. A soft smile played on his lips as he leaned into my touch.
God, he was beautiful.
The comfortable silence stretched between us, filled with unspoken words and lingering touches. I traced lazy patterns on his back, marveling at how right this felt. How perfectly we fit together. Just like I knew we would.
I cleared my throat, breaking the spell. “Drew, I…” I started, then paused.
There was a slight tremor in his body and a quickening of his heartbeat.
“What is it?” he asked, propping himself up on my chest with his hands under his chin.
I took a deep breath as his eyes searched mine.
“We need to talk about this. I’ve wanted you for so long,” I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper. “You have no idea how many times I’ve dreamed of holding you like this.”
“Me too. The first time I popped a boner when we were messing around in the park, I thought I was a freak. You were my brother,” he said. “I hid it and never talked to anyone about it. Then it happened around other boys, so I figured I was definitely gay, but it was different around you. I hated myself for it.”
I cupped his cheek, overwhelmed by the vulnerability in his admission. “Oh, baby,” I said, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I felt the same way, and I was just as scared.” I pulled back slightly, my hand still resting on his cheek. “No, not scared. I was terrified,” I admitted, my voice low. “The thought of losing you, of ruining what we have…it paralyzed me.”
“I know. God, West, I was afraid I’d be taken away.”
I let out a shaky breath. “We’ve been through so much together. The foster system, all those nights wondering if we’d ever find a real home…” My voice cracked, and he rested his cheek on my chest.
“You became my home,” he murmured into my skin.
I nodded again and kissed his hair, fighting back tears. “Exactly. And the idea of jeopardizing that? It felt like the biggest risk in the world.”
“I hated your first boyfriend. I wasn’t that keen on the second one either. They had something I wanted even if I thought how I felt was wrong.”
I smiled. “We were just teenagers figuring ourselves out. I never felt for them an ounce of what I feel for you. The first blowjob I got, I closed my eyes and pretended it was you. When I came and opened my eyes and saw the other guy, I freaked out because I thought I’d cheated on you but also because wanting him to be you was wrong.”
“I lied about when I lost my virginity,” he chuckled, but it sounded like it was stuck in his throat. “I was twenty-one, and you had a boyfriend. The first one who sounded serious. I went to a club and hooked up with a random guy that looked like you. Tall, strong, curly hair.”
I never had a boyfriend that was serious. Or a boyfriend. Period. They’d just been hookups. Bodies to take the edge off so I could function again around the person I really wanted. Maybe I’d made them out to be more to protect myself from acting on my feelings and losing my best friend.
Drew’s hand reached for mine, and he laced our fingers together under his chin.
I met his gaze. “A long time ago, I made you a promise.”
“Foster brothers forever.”
“I fucking hate those words. Not at the time I said them. They were true, and regardless of what happens between us, you’ll always be my family, but I unwittingly put us in a box. I feel like maybe that was my fault, you know?”
“It takes two, West. We held on to the only thing that was safe. I don’t know about you, but River has been pushing me to tell you how I feel for weeks.”
I laughed. “So has Noah.”
He raised his head. “Really?”
I nodded. “It seems the only people unaware of how we felt about each other…was us.”
“What a pair, huh?” Drew’s expression suddenly turned playful, though I could see a flicker of vulnerability beneath it.
“What do you say we make a new start and redefine what we are to each other?”
“Does this mean I get to upgrade from brother status?”
I laughed. “Definitely? What did you have in mind?”
He pretended to consider it, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Well, devastatingly handsome lover has a nice ring to it.”
I snorted, swatting his butt lightly. “It’s not a lie. You are cataclysmically handsome. If only you knew how hard it’s been to keep my feelings to myself.”
Drew caught my hand, bringing it to his lips. “Hey, I’m just looking for a label that accurately reflects our new…situation.” His eyes danced with mischief, but I saw the genuine question lurking beneath.
“How about…?” I paused, my heart racing. “How about boyfriend? For starters, anyway.”
The smile that lit up Drew’s face was brighter than any sunrise I’d ever seen. “Boyfriend, huh?” he said, running his fingers through my hair. “I like the sound of that. Though I have to admit, I’ve got some bigger aspirations for us down the line.”
I grinned, feeling a flutter in my chest. “Oh yeah? Do tell, Mr. Ambitious. What’s next on your relationship checklist?”
Drew’s cheeks flushed slightly, but he held my gaze. “Well, you know…the usual. Boyfriend, husband, father. The whole package.”
My heart did somersaults. “That sounds absolutely perfect.”
Drew’s arms tightened around me, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. He glanced toward the hallway. “Why don’t we take this conversation somewhere a little more…roomy?”
My pulse quickened as I caught his meaning. “Lead the way, boyfriend.”
We untangled ourselves from the couch, Drew’s hand finding mine as we made our way to his bedroom. The air seemed to thicken with anticipation. We’d traded hand jobs and blowjobs, but we hadn’t taken it further. Maybe we’d needed to have this conversation before we were ready to give the last piece of ourselves.
The atmosphere shifted as he closed the door behind us. The familiar space now held a charge of electricity, of possibilities.
He turned to face me, his expression a mix of desire and tenderness that made my breath catch.
“So,” I said, aiming for casual but my voice coming out embarrassingly husky. “I’m new at this boyfriend thing. What is it exactly that boyfriends do?”
Drew’s laugh was low and warm as he pulled me closer. “Oh, baby,” he said, lifting onto his tiptoes until his lips brushed my ear. “Let me show you.”
I shivered at the feel of his breath against my skin, my hands sliding up his slim chest. “Show me.”
Drew’s response was immediate and passionate. His lips crashed into mine, hungry and insistent. I didn’t think touching him would ever be less intense. Our hands roamed eagerly, relearning familiar territory with a new purpose.
As we stumbled toward the bed, I winced slightly.
“Your leg okay?” he asked, breathless but concerned.
I nodded. “Never better,” I assured, pulling him onto the mattress. There was no way I’d let a little muscle pain get in the way of claiming his body.
I could tell he wanted to protest, to make sure I wasn’t pushing myself too hard, but when I put my mouth on his neck and sucked his perfect skin, his body sagged and his protests were lost.
“God, West,” he groaned, arching into me.
“Is it weird to say I want to live inside you forever? I want to always be touching you, kissing you?”
He chuckled. “If it is, then we can be weird together. After all the time I’ve wanted you from afar without being able to touch you, you can be mine now and I can be yours.”
I laughed, the sound turning into a gasp as his teeth grazed one of my nipples. He licked it and then did the same to the other.
My cock was painfully hard, as if I hadn’t had an orgasm only a couple of hours ago.
Drew paused, pulling back to look at me with such raw emotion that it took my breath away. “I love you,” he said simply, the words hanging between us like a promise.
I cupped his face in my hands. “I love you too,” I whispered, sealing the declaration with a kiss.
“I want you inside me, West.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. I want to ride you.”
I closed my eyes and swallowed. I was going to be so fucked.
What followed was a symphony of sensation—the slide of skin on skin, the harmony of sighs and moans, the crescendo of pleasure building between us.
Drew’s eyes gleamed with mischief and longing as he pulled back slightly, his breath ragged. “Let’s slow it down a bit,” he said, his voice rough with desire. “I want every moment to last.”
His fingers trailed down my torso as he reached for the nightstand drawer. He pulled out a condom and a bottle of lube, his movements deliberate, eyes never leaving mine.
I watched him intently, every motion charged with an erotic tension that made my skin tingle.
Impatient to feel him, I took the condom and rolled it down my length. I was so achingly hard I was glad when Drew covered his fingers with lube and reached behind himself, opening his hole for me.
“Next time, this is your job,” he promised through gritted teeth. His cock bounced against his abs, hard and leaking. I reached for it and wrapped my hand around his length. Drew gasped as he first fucked into my hand and then onto his fingers. “Fuck, feels so good.”
“You’re killing me, Drew.”
He scooted forward as he removed his hand from his ass and wiped the lube off on the sheets. With his hands on my shoulders, he lowered himself onto my cock. I held it until I was through the ring of muscles, and then I let him take over.
“God, you look so beautiful, Drew. The way you’re taking in my cock like you couldn’t possibly ever need anything else in your life?—”
“I don’t. You’re stretching me so good, baby. I’m going to ride you until you lose your mind.”
That wouldn’t take too long.
His hands gripped my shoulders and his blunt nails dug into my skin. I was pretty sure there would be marks on either side. I couldn’t wait to see them tomorrow.
As Drew settled onto me, every inch of him enveloping me, sparks of pleasure radiated through my entire body, making me shiver uncontrollably. He began to move his hips in a slow, deliberate rhythm, his eyes locked on mine.
“How does it feel, West?” Drew grinned down at me, his blue eyes sparking with a mixture of challenge and affection.
“So fucking good, baby.” Each downward thrust forced a shiver from me as he took me deeper, the heat between us building into something fiery and uncontrollable.
The room was thick with the heat of our bodies, the air pulsing with each thrust and retreat. Drew leaned down to kiss me fiercely.
“West,” he gasped, biting his lip as he threw his head back.
I wanted to take over, to flip him and go to town on his ass, but I knew there would be plenty of chances, and watching Drew use me like this was the best show on earth.
“Take everything you need, baby. I want to see you come.”
He wrapped his hand around his cock, and with just a few strokes, he came, calling out my name. Before he came down from his high, I put my arm around his waist and flipped us.
A couple of thrusts were all I needed to unload into the condom. My shouts of pleasure were muted by the skin on his neck.
The world narrowed to just us—the warmth of his skin, the rapid beat of his heart against my chest, the trembling of his muscles as aftershocks rolled through us. I held him tight, riding out the waves of pleasure together.
As our breathing slowly returned to normal, I lifted my head from where it had been buried in his neck. His eyes were suspiciously bright, a soft smile playing at his lips.
“You okay?” I asked softly, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead.
He nodded, leaning into my touch. “More than okay.”
I pulled out of him slowly and went over to the bathroom to dispose of the condom and clean up. I wet a face cloth and returned to Drew’s bed, where he still lay with a sappy smile.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to move for a week.”
I chuckled. “Come here.” I pulled him into my arms and covered us with the blanket at the bottom of his bed.
“You’re really good at sex,” he said.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
“I never had much of it before, you know? It didn’t feel right because it wasn’t you.”
I ran my hands over his back. “Me too, Drew.”
“I guess we can make up for all the lost time, right?”
A sharp knock on the door shattered our tender moment like a sledgehammer through glass.
“Hey, lovebirds, you decent?” Noah’s voice rang out, followed by the unmistakable sound of a doorknob turning.
“Shit!” I hissed, sitting up and grabbing the blanket. We barely managed to cover up properly before the door flew open.
Noah burst in, trademark grin plastered across his face, with Lex and Emery hot on his heels. “Surprise vis— Oh ho ho, what do we have here?”
My face burned hotter than the surface of the sun. Drew opened his mouth, but all that came out was a strangled squeak.
I recovered slightly faster. “Guys! What the hell?” I looked around for a piece of clothing—any piece of clothing—but we’d discarded them all over the bedroom and nothing was close enough to grab.
Emery, at least, had the decency to look embarrassed. “Sorry, we should’ve called first. We just wanted to?—”
“To catch you in the act, apparently,” Lex chimed in, his blue eyes dancing with barely contained laughter. “Mission accomplished, I’d say.”
Drew groaned, burying his face in my shoulder. This could not be happening. Maybe if I closed my eyes, they’d all disappear.
No such luck. Noah’s voice cut through my mortification. “So…I take it the ‘just friends’ thing is officially out the window?”
I peeked up to see Drew’s face had turned an impressive shade of crimson. “You could say that,” he muttered.
“About damn time,” Noah said, a warm smile spreading across his face.
“Guys, as much as we…appreciate…the visit, do you think you could maybe give us a minute to, uh…”
“Put some pants on?” Emery supplied helpfully.
“Yes. That.” I nodded vigorously.
Noah’s grin widened impossibly farther. “Aw, but where’s the fun in that?”
I lobbed a pillow at his head with surprising accuracy. “Out!”