Chapter 30
Dawson
“Damn, it looks bigger than I remember. Has it grown since the last time we were here?” Theo remarked as we pulled into the driveway of the two story, waterfront property.
“Yeah, I think my dad paid extra for that feature,” I replied sardonically.
Theo flipped me the bird as I climbed out to unload our bags from the trunk.
He’d argued that I didn’t need luggage because he planned to keep me naked all four days we were here.
As enticing as that was, our stretch of beach wasn’t private and we had one neighbor next door, so he’d begrudgingly agreed to clothes.
It had been a long two weeks waiting for my bye week to arrive.
The season was ramping up big time and I’d been exhausted both mentally and physically, leaving no real time to spend with Theo.
Of course, he’d been understanding each time I came over only for me to pass out within an hour, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t starting to wear on me.
I worried that it would eventually create a wedge between us, leaving Theo more vulnerable to the side effects of his medication.
But that’s what this getaway was for. Ever since Theo and I had started dating again, we hadn’t really had any time alone to reconnect, not without the stress of school or football or other people around.
I wanted to explore every new facet there was to him, to fill in every gap that existed between us, to bare every fraction of our souls to one another.
More than anything, I didn’t want to take this second chance for granted.
Especially not this weekend.
I took our bags up to the master suite we’d be using while Theo put away the groceries we’d bought. Our housekeeper had set up the room so everything was ready for us. I headed back downstairs, but Theo wasn’t in the kitchen or living room.
I was about to search the rest of the house when I noticed him outside on the deck.
Theo was leaning against the wooden railing, gazing out at the gentle waves that were tugging at the shore.
The late morning sun cast a halo around his honey blond strands and when he glanced over his shoulder, the bright smile he flashed me sucked the air from my lungs.
“You gonna stand there all day or come kiss me, Mercury?”
My feet moved of their own accord, drawn in by the magnetic gleam in his eyes.
I was powerless against it, inevitable as the tide being pulled in by the moon.
I crowded him against the decking with my chest pressed to his back, bracketing him with my arms. I brushed my lips over his pulse point, feeling it jump under my attention.
“Not exactly what I had in mind,” he taunted breathlessly, yet he tilted his head to give me better access. I sucked a bruise into the skin and his throaty moan filled my dick so fast I grew lightheaded.
“God, I’ve missed you,” I rumbled, nuzzling him behind his ear and drawing the scent of him into my lungs. “Fuck, you always smell so good.”
“Huh. Guess that bathing thing really works.”
I nipped at his jaw with a growl. “Smartass…”
“What was that about my ass?” He arched his back slightly, dragging his tight ass over my half-hard cock teasingly.
My breath hitched and I dug my fingers into his hips, desire ripping through me like a storm.
I whirled him around, grabbing his face and crashing my lips into his.
I shivered at the low whimper he let out, his hands diving into my hair and tugging me closer.
I swept my hands down Theo’s back and hooked them under his ass, hauling him up.
“Holy shit,” he sputtered as he clung to my shoulders. I started walking him back inside, pulling back a fraction to take in his blown out pupils and bewildered expression. “Well…that was new. And hot. And unexpected. But also really hot…”
“You said that twice,” I teased, biting his lower lip and pulling it out enough to make him chase my mouth. I pecked a quick kiss to his swollen lips before dropping him unceremoniously on his feet.
“What the hell?” he asked indignantly while I strolled towards the laundry room.
“I’ve gotta grab some towels. I want to head down to the shore and swim some before lunch.
” I threw a wink over my shoulder and grinned at the icy glare I got in return.
I adjusted myself in my shorts, understanding his frustration but also wanting to build the anticipation.
I had plans for him later that I didn’t want rushed.
I hunted down the beach towels and sunscreen and made my way back to him, but froze when I caught Theo staring intently at the calendar mounted on the fridge. He didn’t turn when I came up behind him, but subtly leaned back until my arms circled his waist.
“I hadn’t realized what this weekend was until I saw this,” he murmured. I rested my chin on his shoulder, my eyes pinned to the third weekend of October. It was the first time my bye week had fallen on this exact weekend, and it felt like some kind of sign.
“It was supposed to be such a big day for us,” he continued, voice tinged with sadness. “You would have been getting ready to meet me at Neverland about this time. I hated that I never got to see you in your suit and give you that stupid little flower thing.”
“A boutonniere?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said.”
I breathed out a small laugh, pressing my lips to his shoulder.
I had tried to ignore this weekend for a long time, finding it too painful to think about.
Four years almost to the day, I was left waiting for Theo to show up, not knowing that he was in the hospital or that I’d spend our Homecoming night crying alone at the barn after learning he was gone.
“I’m so sorry I ruined our day…our plans. If I hadn’t—”
I shushed him softly, sliding one arm across his chest and crushing him to me.
“I don’t want that to be what marks this day anymore,” I told him. “As far as I’m concerned, this day still belongs to us. We’re just a little late claiming it.”
Theo ducked his head, likely still beating himself up for mistakes long forgiven. I slid my hand across his jaw and turned his head towards me, those mesmerizing blues ensnaring me as always.
“You came home to me, Theo. That’s what I’m choosing to remember. I couldn’t ask for a better Homecoming than that.”
I captured his mouth in a soft kiss, soaking in how his lips moved against mine.
His tongue teased at the seam of my lips and I parted for him, feeding him a groan while he took over the kiss.
He twisted to loop his arms around my neck, raking his fingers through my hair before yanking the strands just enough to send zaps of painful pleasure down to my dick.
I released him before we could get carried away, and the wild look he gave me had me stifling a laugh.
“Are you kidding me? Again?”
“Don’t want to waste the daylight,” I tsked. I only made it a few steps outside before Theo barreled into me, pitching us both into the pool on our right. Theo’s bright laugh hit me when I resurfaced and he splashed me with another wave of water.
“Seriously?” I sputtered and coughed, but Theo only laughed harder, hooking me around the waist and reeling me in.
“You know what they say, beautiful; play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” he purred, biting my earlobe and sucking it between his soft lips.
The air was punched from my lungs and a growl escaped me.
I stole his mouth in a scorching kiss as he wrapped his legs around me.
I could feel his smile against my lips that I couldn’t help but return.
After several long minutes of lazy kisses broken up by helpless laughter, we raced each other down to the shore.
The minute we hit the water, shoving and splashing each other with childish enthusiasm.
Seeing Theo so uninhibited and happy filled my chest with an incredible warmth. I wanted to drown out every malicious voice and thought, chase away every shadow that plagued him. It wouldn’t work forever, but for now it was enough.
Between hours of swimming, talking, and laying out in the sun, I was pleasantly tired and happier than I’d been in weeks. Well, outside of time spent with Theo.
We’d finally called it a day and came in for dinner. I was no great cook, but I could whip up chicken and pasta easily enough, which was more than could be said for Theo whose skills stopped at pouring milk over cereal. However, I wasn’t going to turn down his offer to clean the kitchen instead.
I sauntered into the living room, eyeing the baby grand piano in the corner. Music had been running through my head all day, my fingers thrumming with need. I had barely touched my guitar in the last two months and it’d been even longer since I’d played a piano, leaving me unsettled and pent up.
The piano’s closed black lid was like liquid obsidian in the setting sun coming in through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls.
Dad had gifted it to Mom for their tenth anniversary because, like me, she could rarely go without the feel of the keys beneath her fingers.
I sat on the bench and my hands began moving across the keys fluidly as I lost myself in the music, the rich chords filling the room and my soul.
“That’s one I haven’t heard in forever. I always loved this slower version of yours,” Theo mused behind me. I smiled, continuing with the ‘Viva La Vida’ cover and eventually picking up with the lyrics. Theo slid onto the bench as I sang, leaning on me and sending sparks down my arm.
“You know, the looks and the sports talent were bad enough, but that voice of yours is proof that God plays favorites,” he quipped, kissing my shoulder.
I scoffed at his teasing and elbowed him. His laugh washed over me and even after hearing it all day, it made my heart thump erratically in my chest. I rested my forehead on his, breathing him in.
“I’m really glad we’re getting to do this.”