Chapter 12
JOHN
“Ican’t believe you’re buying Phil’s old place,” I grunt, staring at the large house that’s only minutes from mine.
“I love it already!” Chad announces as he hurries out of the passenger seat and toward the front door. I move to follow and end up accidentally slamming the door of his Range Rover.
I’m… in a mood.
Part of me is still riding the high of fucking Chad’s face last night because that entire experience was even better than I’d dared hope for.
But I also can’t believe I let it go that far.
There’s so much we should’ve discussed before we got naked, but he was so fucking eager and enthusiastic, it was easy to forget it was his first time with a man.
When I agreed to his proposed arrangement of just sex, no feelings, I told myself that I would stick to that normal hookup arrangement.
He wasn’t asking me to dominate him; Chad probably has no idea what that even means.
But apparently, I have absolutely no self-control when it comes to that man, because ten minutes later, I had him using the fucking stoplight system with his head hanging off the bed so I had a better angle to fuck his throat.
And he loved it.
Not everyone loves a mouth full of metal, but Chad obviously does.
He was so responsive, so quick to follow every little direction I gave him.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out Chad has a praise kink with the way he lights up at the slightest compliment.
And the way he looked when he submitted so beautifully to me, kneeling in front of me, gazing up at me with those big blue eyes like I hung the fucking moon, is going to make it so much harder for me to forget him when he inevitably realizes I’m not the perfect partner he’s looking for and leaves.
Losing Luke destroyed me. I’m not setting myself up to go through that again.
Not that this arrangement with Chad is comparable to the love that Luke and I shared, obviously.
And I was very clear with Chad that I could not offer feelings or a relationship, but still, losing anyone unexpectedly is difficult, so the more up-front he and I are with everything, the better it will be for us both.
If we’re going to hook up again, I need more rules in place. Space. We absolutely cannot treat this like a relationship. That means no more sleepovers. Hookups can’t happen two days in a row. I’m not his Dom.
Realistically, there shouldn’t even be a next time.
But I’m so bad at saying no to him.
As long as we stick to the rules, we’ll be fine.
I join Chad on the wraparound front porch where he’s not-so-patiently waiting for Phil to open the door. His excitement is obvious, leg bouncing as he peers in the window with a huge smile on his face.
“This place is older than my house,” I point out as I assess the chipped siding.
Chad shrugs. “It’s so cool! I feel like I’m in an old movie or something. It’s so pretty!”
“And did you intentionally buy the largest house in town, Princess? Or is that a coincidence?”
Chad takes a step back from the door, looking around both sides of the porch like he’s only now realizing this place is huge. “Huh. It is pretty big. I wonder how much it’ll cost.”
“You bought a house without even knowing the price?” I hiss, tone full of disbelief even though I’m not actually all that surprised when I think about it. He did make this deal at a wedding with a complete stranger, sight unseen.
After all, that’s why I’m here today. To make sure this is legit and Chad isn’t putting himself in any danger buying this old house. If he thinks my place is a construction zone right now, what does he expect to do here?
Phil finally answers the door. “Hey, Chad. Come on in. Oh, hello, John. I didn’t realize you’d be joining him.”
“Just checking out what he wants to update to pass on to my brothers,” I explain.
He nods. Everyone who lives around here knows about my family’s construction company, which my brothers have now taken over from my dad.
Their constant phone calls and emails nagging me to move home after their previous electrician retired was part of the reason I decided to buy my house, and I’m sure everyone in town heard about it when I finally agreed to move back.
Even though I’d said it as an excuse to give Phil a reason to not ask too many questions about why I’m here, as we tour the old Victorian, I realize that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
Chad is done living with me. We’ve already agreed on that, and I’m not taking it back now.
But spoiled trust-fund Chad also isn’t going to want to live in this house in its current state forever.
He has the money to fix it up. He could probably afford to restore it and make it into something really impressive. So he should.
Even if I don’t facilitate it, my brothers will likely be the best option around here for the job.
Which means Chad will no doubt know them soon.
Fuck.
Phil wraps up the tour. “I was just getting together some essentials. Your lawyer sent over the paperwork this morning and set up a meeting tomorrow for us to sign everything we need to.”
“Great! Thanks again!” Chad replies enthusiastically. “I love the house so much. This is going to be amazing!”
We get back in the car, and as soon as Chad closes the passenger door, he spins to face me. “I didn’t want Phil to judge me for not already knowing, but come on, John! Did you say you have brothers and you’re going to tell them about updating the house? I have sooo many questions.”
I shrug, turning to put on my seatbelt. “It isn’t a big deal. They’re contractors.”
“There are multiple brothers? How many? Are they really going to help restore my new house? That would be so amazing.”
I wait for him to pause to take a breath before I answer. “I have three brothers. If you’d like, you can hire their company to help with your house.”
“Obviously I want them to help! They’re your family. I can’t believe I didn't even know you have brothers! Were they at the wedding? Oh my God! Was that who you were sitting with last night while I was dancing?” I nod, and he somehow gets even more excited. “I can’t wait to meet them!”
I roll my eyes. “It’s not a big deal; it’s literally their job. Mine too. If you hire them, I’ll end up doing the electrical work.”
Chad adamantly shakes his head. “It is a big deal! Family is so important and meeting other people’s families is a huge deal. What if they don’t like me?”
“Everybody likes you,” I answer dismissively, focused on the road.
But even out of the corner of my eye, I can tell Chad is sitting up straighter now after my comment, and the pride in his tone is obvious as he replies. “Thank you for saying that. It means a lot coming from you.”
I shouldn’t be so attuned to his every movement, shouldn’t feel such an immediate sense of satisfaction when I think about how much he lights up under my praise.
We need rules.
When I park in my driveway, I turn to Chad, determined to establish the boundaries we both need. “Listen. This is your last night here, okay? No more sleepovers.”
He nods slowly, scrunching up his mouth to the side for a moment. “Is that a part of the arrangement?”
“Yes. If you still want there to be one, I think we need rules,” I explain.
He nods more quickly now. “Of course I still want there to be. Last night was amazing.”
I bite my lip and ignore the way his confirmation makes me feel. It was an orgasm, of course he enjoyed it. I’m not special. “Well, we said no feelings. This isn’t dating, so I think we should clarify our other expectations.”
“Like no sleepovers?” he checks, looking at me with wide eyes for confirmation. He seems far too pleased with himself when I nod.
“Another rule of mine is that we don’t have sex two days in a row. That would be too much like dating,” I add.
“But—”
“I’m serious, Chad. Those are my nonnegotiable rules. Take them or leave them.”
He licks his lips, glancing down at my crotch. “I’ll take them.”
“Do you have anything?” I check.
“Nah. I’m happy to go along with whatever you tell me.”
I take a deep breath. He did not mean that submissively, I remind myself as I finally get out of the car.
“Does that mean no sex tonight?” Chad calls out as he follows me to the front door.
“Jesus Christ, Chad, someone could hear you!” I scold. He shrugs, offering me an apologetic smile. “But yes, no sex tonight. You’re going to pack up your things, and we will sleep. That’s it.”
“So, tomorrow then?” he asks hopefully, waggling his eyebrows.
What the fuck have I gotten myself into?