Five
ZAK
When I wake up this time, the sun is not peeking through the curtains. The room is completely dark, and I think I’m alone in bed.
For a minute, I remain perfectly still and strain my ears to listen. I don’t hear Owen breathing, or the shower running in the bathroom. I don’t hear… anything.
I exhale deeply because I know I need to leave now. I need to. There’s only so long he’ll remain convinced that I’m a guy of his caliber. That I’m not a street urchin. Barely above begging for food.
Okay, I don’t do that. No matter how hungry I get.
As I sit up, I am aware of every single muscle in my body.
Including my toes. What kind of position did Owen bend me in where my toes ache?
! A stupid smile stretches across my face because fuck, do I feel good.
Oh, my ass borderline hurts. He wasn’t lying when he offered to fuck me until I can’t walk.
I’m not convinced I’ll be able to. If I can, it’ll be bow-legged.
Slowly, I manage to sit at the edge of the bed. That’s when the light in the hall flicks on and I see Owen coming back toward me. My heart races. With the light shining behind him like that, silhouetting him, I swear to fuck, he’s a god.
He smiles and I more than swoon. I almost pass out. Maybe that’s dehydration, though.
As if he could read my mind, Owen hands me a bottle of water as he takes a seat next to me. Gratefully, I drink it. All of it. Jesus, I could drink more.
“Ready to get clean?” he asks.
I nod. My skin feels crackly, like I have glue stuck to it. That weird feeling when you just want to peel a layer off. Like, after a sunburn when you start flaking dead skin. Yep, like that. Except, I’m positive that what I want to peel off isn’t dried skin.
Owen stands and pulls me with him. With my hand locked in his, he brings me to the bathroom and starts the shower. “There’s an extra toothbrush in the drawer if you want it,” he offers.
I nearly groan because fuck yes, I want a toothbrush.
I have very few possessions in life, but the one thing I have is a toothbrush.
Maybe I don’t have an actual place to live, but I always have a toothbrush with me.
On the occasions that I come into a bit of money, the first things I buy are a new toothbrush and toothpaste.
It’s honestly the little things in life that I appreciate most.
I brush my teeth, thankful for the clean feeling in my mouth. As soon as I’m done, Owen brings me into the shower. His hands move over my body, moving water over my skin, his mouth hovering over mine. Our eyes lock and once more, we’re sharing oxygen.
The squelch of something he pumped out of a container makes my lips twitch because all sorts of ideas spring into my head. But then his hands move with purpose. Lathering me up. Sudsing my hair. Cleaning me, just as he said he would.
I’m not sure he feels the same crackle of charged energy between us that I do. I so badly want to kiss him. To touch him. But I’m not sure if I’m allowed to. If I should. But then I’m pressed against the wall and his mouth is over mine.
I groan, especially when his fingers begin playing with my hole. My body tenses all on its own. I truly don’t think I can go another round right now. My ass aches. No matter how desperately I want to ride him again.
But his touch is gentle and I realize he’s cleaning me.
Cleaning all the lube from my ass. It’s not just his kiss and his touch that leaves me breathless.
It’s not just water from the shower in my eyes.
I don’t consider myself a slut or easy by any means, but I’m far from a virgin.
And never has anyone taken care of me like this after. Not once.
My ass might not be in any condition for another round, but my dick doesn’t get the memo.
Something that Owen doesn’t miss. With his hand still covered in soapsuds, he jerks me until I gasp into his mouth with my umpteenth orgasm in the last twenty-four hours.
Not even. I’m pretty confident that we haven’t reached midnight yet.
The end of the shower comes too soon and we’re out. He gives me a big fluffy towel that’s warm that I cuddle into until it’s cool to the touch. Then I finish drying.
I dress for the third time in my New Year’s Eve clothes. When I try to get out of the room without his hoodie, Owen pulls it over my head from behind, as he had in the kitchen. I grin and, while I argue that I can’t take his hoodie, I happily pull it on. He adds a beanie hat then, too.
This time, on my way to the door, I’m not distracted by anything at all. Owen shows me where it is. I’m not under the impression he wants me to leave. In fact, I’m pretty certain he’d let me stay if I so much as suggested it. Hinted at it.
I don’t. I don’t want to be here when he figures out that I’m as poor as he is rich.
“Can I have your number?” Owen asks.
My stomach flips because he wants to see me again. I fight the tears because that’s just not going to happen. Not least of all, because I don’t have a phone.
I shake my head. “I broke my phone and haven’t replaced it yet.” It’s an easy enough lie. One I’ve used many times.
Owen nods, believing it. I hate the feeling of that, though. I’ve never cared about the lie before. It’s not one that will hurt anyone. But this icky feeling inside me because I just lied to him? I hate it.
“Then I’ll give you mine. Call me. I want to see you again.”
This time, it’s not just my stomach that dances or my heart that flutters. Everything inside me reacts. I want that. A lot. But I can’t do it. I don’t belong here.
He hands me a piece of paper with his number on it and I push it deep into my pocket. I’ll keep it always. Even if I’ll never use it. I don’t tell him I’m not going to call him, I refuse to tell him I will. I’ve lied once and I can’t do it again. Not to Owen.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“Home,” I say, and internally wince because that’s a lie too. I don’t actually have a home to go to. Once again, I convince myself that there will be someone in the lobby that I can ask to borrow their phone so I can call Gravity.
Owen frowns at me and pulls his phone out. After a second, he hands it to me. “Put your address in. I’ll get you a ride.”
“No,” I say, backing away and shaking my head. “I don’t need that.”
“You don’t have a phone to call for one,” he points out. Not at all wrong. “And I dragged you all the way to my condo. I’m getting you a ride or driving you myself. Which would you like?”
I take his phone from him and quickly tap in Gravity’s address.
It’s not that I don’t want him to see where it drops me off, it’s just that I don’t want to have to face not inviting him in.
This decision also feels like I’m telling him I don’t want to see him again, but doing it now is less stressful than it would be on the other end.
“Here,” he says once he’s ordered the car. Owen hands me a paper bag. “I made dinner because you wore me out and I needed to replenish calories. Since I didn’t think I’d be able to convince you to stay again, I made you a to-go bag.”
This man is going to make me fall for him after a single meeting! I take it, choked up and unable to respond. I’m warm and well-dicked. Clean with clean teeth. I have a ride to Gravity’s and I’m holding a bag of food. If that isn’t enough, he also wants to see me again.
“Thank you,” I answer, hoping it didn’t sound as emotional as I feel. I’m barely keeping it together when his phone pings.
“Come on,” he says, pulling his front door open. “Car is at the gate.”
“You don’t have to—” I begin as he pulls me into the elevator. My words are cut off by another deep and consuming kiss. He kisses me until the doors open on the ground floor, leaving me too breathless to argue.
Owen walks me outside and opens the car door for me. Before I can climb in, he pulls me to his chest and hugs me. I’m like three minutes away from begging him to love me.
“Call me,” he says and kisses me one more time before I climb into the car. He waits until I settle before shutting the door. I watch him as the car turns and heads away from the condo.
It’s the first time that I actually see where he lives.
He’s on the opposite side of the city from where Gravity lives.
Fuck, I’d never have made it there without freezing to death.
His condo is in a gated community and we have to stop so they can let us out.
The guard takes one look at me and dismisses me entirely before opening the gate.
It’s a full iron gate. Not just a lift rod. If a car plowed into it, it would hurt the car more than the gate.
I watch the city as the car takes me away and wonder how much this ride is costing Owen.
Opening the bag in my lap, I find three wrapped items and pull one out.
It’s a cheeseburger and I gratefully eat it, nearly groaning at how good it is.
At this point, I think Owen could feed me sand and I’d still find it was delicious.
The car drops me outside Gravity’s. I don’t bother with the call box, instead using the code he gave me to let myself in. I take the stairs two at a time until I’m in front of his door. Owen’s hoodie is another layer and I’m insanely appreciative of it, but it’s still cold as balls outside.
Thankful that keys aren’t a thing that I have to face in my life, I use a second keycode to let me into Gravity’s apartment. There’s a chance he’s out on a job or he’s asleep and I don’t want to wake him.
But when I step inside and close the door as quietly as I can while kicking off my boots, Gravity peeks his head around the corner.
“Fuck, Zak,” he says and roughly pulls me into his arms. “I’ve been worried sick.”
I smile and close my eyes, hugging him tightly. “Sorry.”
“Come on. Tell me all about it.”
But I don’t want to. I’m not ready for that. So I shake my head and hold up my bag. “You tell me how the party was for you while I eat.”