Chapter 20
Chapter twenty
Drake
The rest of my shift passed in a blur, including a hefty dosage of relentless ribbing from my coworkers.
I didn’t give a fuck.
Claiming August in front of everyone felt damned right, and it only stoked the hope that he’d want a relationship too. And once we got a second to breathe, we’d have a talk. The talk.
I managed to finish my shift and drove to August’s house, which I hadn’t been to since we’d first met. When I’d burst in to put out a kitchen fire.
My heart thudded hard as I approached the front door and reached under the mat to find the promised key. I knew he had a roommate, but we hadn’t met. Hopefully he’d let him know I was coming over.
Granted, it was three in the morning, which was an awkward time to visit. I’d finished a little later than planned due to cleanup from the apartment fire.
I padded through the house, feeling like an interloper.
The shadows stretched, scraps of moonlight from the windows the only light in the main room.
I meandered toward a light coming from farther down the hall, trying not to stomp too loudly, even though my boots were heavy.
One of the bedroom doors lay open, and I peered inside to see August passed out in the bed, the moonlight spilling over his features.
The sight made my heart speed up. No one had ever made me feel like this, as if I was coming home.
Which was why I needed to find a way to keep him.
I stripped out of my boots, my pants, and my shirt, leaving me in just my boxer briefs as I stepped into the bed with a creak. He rustled, those sleepy eyes blinking open.
“Drake?”
“It’s still okay that I’m here, right?” I asked, wanting to double check.
“More than,” he said, patting the bed beside him. “C’mere.”
I slipped under the covers beside him, and his arms wrapped around me at once. When I glanced over, his eyes had already shut again, and his breaths were evening. I settled against the pillow, taking comfort in the warmth of his body, in his smooth skin, his regular breaths puffing against me.
I was out within minutes.
***
When I woke up, the sun was streaming through the blinds. The bright red numbers on the clock read ten in the morning, which meant I had caught some solid sleep. Hadn’t been hard with August by my side. I’d never slept so well.
Voices sounded from the other room, so I slipped on my pants and padded out of the bedroom.
August sat at the kitchen table while another guy perched on the counter.
When August’s gaze landed on me, he lit up with a smile that overtook his features. My heart skipped a beat.
A whistle sounded, and the guy hopped off the counter. “Rory,” he said. “I finally get to meet hottie firefighter.”
“Back off,” August grumbled. “You’ve got Wyatt.”
Amusement fluttered in my chest, and I offered a nod. “Drake, though I prefer hottie firefighter.” I closed the distance between me and August, and I dipped down to press a kiss to his lips. August melted into me at once, and I lingered there for a moment, enjoying the public claiming.
When I pulled back, Rory was watching us intently. He fit the tattoo shop vibe, dark hair, gauges, and covered in tattoos. He was a slender twink with a glint in his eyes, who looked like nothing but trouble, and I could see at once why he and August got along—complete opposites.
“I approve,” Rory said. “I’d give you the don’t hurt him speech, but you’re both consenting adults and can figure out your own shit.” He snagged his keys with a jangle. “With that, I’m off to let you fuck like bunnies.”
August opened his mouth in protest, and I placed my finger over his lips.
“Thanks.” I winked back, and Rory let out a bark of a laugh.
“This one’s a keeper, Auggie,” he called back as he headed for the door.
The second it shut with a click, I sank into the seat beside August. “As much as I want to fuck your brains out right now, I think we need to talk first.”
He straightened in his seat, his eyes growing wide.
“Nothing bad, I swear,” I said, lifting my hands. “In fact, the opposite of bad, I hope.”
“I’minlovewithyou,” August blurted out.
“Wait, what?” My brain tried to parse the words, not daring to hope they were what I thought I’d heard.
His cheeks reddened, and he ducked his head. “I’m in love with you.”
Butterflies erupted inside me, giddiness lifting me up like champagne bubbles. I tilted his chin up so his eyes met mine. “Well, then, lucky me. Because I’m in love with you too.”
“No shit?” He tilted his head to the side, those hazel eyes widening.
A laugh burst out of me. Fuck, he was so cute.
“Yeah, baby. In case it wasn’t completely obvious, I’m gone on you.
I thought relationships were too difficult to bother with.
That no one would be able to deal with me as-is, and you swept in and proved me wrong.
Everything with you is easy in a way I’m not used to.
You just get me like no one else has managed to. ”
“Are you sure I’m not too needy?” August asked. “It’s been an issue before.”
I stroked my thumb over his lower lip, and he let out a puff of air.
“Nah. You’re perfect for me. I didn’t realize how much I was missing out on until I met you.”
He swallowed hard and leaned in to press his lips against mine.
I savored the kiss, the sweetness that trickled through me like honey.
I wove my fingers through his hair, loving the way he responded, how he melted for me.
I climbed onto his lap, straddling him as I kissed the hell out of my man.
I loved that we were so close in size, that I could perch here without breaking him.
He wrapped his hands around my waist and returned every kiss with a ferocity that promised he meant everything he’d said.
When we broke for breath, the smile he gave me was radiant.
“So does that mean you’re my boyfriend?” he asked, chewing on his spit-slicked lower lip.
“Hell yes,” I said, pecking another quick kiss on his lips. Euphoria burst through me, and I couldn’t bother containing it.
He wrinkled his nose. “What are we going to tell your sister?”
I sucked in a breath. This was what I’d struggled with the entire time I’d been attracted to August and quickly falling, but I’d come to terms with it at last. “That you’re mine. Serena’s reasonable to a fault—if anyone could handle this news, it’d be her.”
“You’re not wrong there,” August said with a grin. “I think our breakup was the most chill thing from her end.”
“Yeah, that wouldn’t fucking happen with me,” I growled. “You’re not going anywhere, get that?”
He beamed back at me. “God, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
Those words sank right into the core of me. All the times I’d never felt like enough, second rate, the backup option.
But August treated me like a first choice. Like I mattered to him as much as he mattered to me. And damn, I was obsessed.
“Same,” I admitted, brushing my thumb against his pretty lower lip again. “I’m so fucking glad Serena sent me over here to bring your stuff back.”
“Well, if you hadn’t, who would’ve saved me from my kitchen fire?” he teased. “Though, as terrifying as yesterday was, you looked hot as fuck.”
“Given the amount of fire, yeah,” I said back, amusement bubbling in me.
He pinched me in the side. “Fine, you’re sexy as fuck.”
“Well, so are you,” I responded, trailing my fingers over his clavicle, along his side.
He was all slim muscle, tattoos, and a bright smile I couldn’t get enough of.
“Goddamn, I want to sink inside you. There was a moment yesterday when the stairwell caught fire and I had to reroute, and I wasn’t sure I’d make it back. All I could think about was you.”
August’s eyes took on a watery sheen, and he sucked in a sharp breath. “I was so fucking scared when I heard about the apartment fire. But I get why you do it. Why you need to. And I’ll be there to support you however you need it.”
If I wasn’t already sitting, I’d be knocked out at the knees.
My chest squeezed tight, acceptance hitting me square there. I hadn’t realized how badly I’d longed to hear that.
“I’m going to defile you now,” I murmured, nipping his ear. “Any problem with that?”
“Oh hell no,” he said, those gorgeous eyes gleaming. “I want that cock lodged in my throat, my ass, any way you can take me.”
“Fuck,” I growled, sliding off his legs to stand. In a quick movement, I scooped him up off the chair and carried him toward the bedroom. “I’m going to fuck you until you’re screaming my name.”