It had been two days without sex, and I was kind of going out of my mind. Judging by the heated, frustrated look Wasp gave me, he was, too. He grabbed my hand and tugged me away from the group.
“Where are we going?” I asked once we were alone.
“To Gramps’s house. I want to show you some things.”
His grandfather’s estate was one of the reasons we’d come back. We’d rented a truck because Wasp was planning on hitching a trailer to it and pulling back the motorcycle that was currently residing in his grandfather’s shop. But Wasp hadn’t been inside the house or the shop since his grandfather had died, and this was the first time since we’d arrived that he’d even mentioned it. Knowing this might be hard on him because of the close relationship he’d had with the man he lovingly called ‘Gramps,’ I followed him next door.
Wasp unlocked the door and let us in. It was a cute little cottage, decorated exactly as you would expect the home of an older couple to be decorated, floral couches, comfy-looking recliner in front of the television, god-awful wallpaper. The place smelled a little musty and unused, but not bad.
“I expected dust and cobwebs,” I said.
“Mom comes over sometimes and cleans,” Wasp explained. “She wants me to move home and live here.”
“Is that what you want?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It wouldn’t be so bad living close to family. Trent would have cousins to play with, and you’d have my sisters-in-law to talk about kids with.”
He hadn’t answered the question. “But what about you?”
“I could probably find an auto shop around here that’s hiring. I could tinker in Gramps’s shop. It wouldn’t be a bad life.”
“But it wouldn’t be a great one, either.”
He stared at me. “Don’t you like being around my family?”
“So much, yes!” I replied. “They are fantastic. They’re everything I ever wanted in a family. But they’re not your life, Drew. What you’re doing in Seattle… that’s important. You’re passionate about it, and it makes you feel fulfilled. People talk at the bar, and I hear the stories of how you guys have helped them. How they had nothing before they patched in. You’re doing something great, and although I’m amazed and honored that you would give that up for me and Trent, I would never want you to. I love you, because that guy who puts his friend into a treatment center and checks on him every day… that’s who you are. I wouldn’t take that away from you.”
His brow furrowed. “But all my family’s here. Don’t you want to be close to them?”
“Yes. On holidays. They’re great and everything, but honestly, they’re a little overwhelming. I mean, there’s like a hundred of them.”
He barked out a laugh. “I love you so much.” He pulled me against him and his lips landed on mine. He kissed me breathless before pulling away and taking my hand once again. “Come on, let’s go out back.”
He led me through the house to the backyard, where I was surprised to find birdbaths full of the same little gray and white birds Trent and Nolan had been chasing around.
“They’re mourning doves,” Wasp said, pulling me to a halt beside him. “They were my grandma’s favorite. She died when I was pretty young, so I don’t remember much about her, but Gramps used to call her his dove.” He paused for a second, letting that sink in. “I asked him why one time, and he said doves are resilient. He showed me one with gnarly feet, toes all missing from frostbite and shit. He said everyone associates them with death and loss, but they’re fighters. They represent hope and peace. My grandma fought cancer through most of her adult life, but she never complained, she laughed all the damn time, and when she died, she was at peace. He said she was his resilient little mourning dove. Just like you’re mine.”
Touched, I felt tears flood my eyes, but I was powerless to stop them. It was such a beautiful story. Every time I thought Wasp couldn’t make me feel more important, he somehow managed to prove me wrong. I loved him so much it hurt.
“That’s not supposed to make you cry,” he said, capturing my face in his hands so he could swipe at my tears with his thumbs. “It’s a sweet, wonderful, true story that’s supposed to help me get laid.”
It was such a Wasp thing to say, that laughter bubbled up out of my chest.
“What?” he asked, sounding offended. “That’s totally a fuck-worthy story. You should let me do butt stuff after that.”
“Ohmigod. Itwassweet and wonderful, but you’re ruining it!”
“Oh really?” He gave me a giant grin. “I love the sound of your laughter. Almost as much as I love the sounds you make when you’re coming.”
Heat pooled between my legs at the scalding look he gave me. A knowing smile stretched across his face as he grabbed me around the waist and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“What are you doing?” I asked, laughing and trying to wiggle free.
He smacked me on the ass. “Hold still. I’m taking you somewhere I can cash in on my sweet and amazingness.” Carrying me into a large shop, he set me down on the table and went right up my skirt to grip my panties.
“Where are we? What are you doing?” I asked, trying to smack his hands away.
“We are in Gramps’s shop, and I’m getting rid of this offensive piece of cloth, so I can ravage you properly.” He tugged my panties down and stuck them in his pocket. “Now… where were we? Oh, right. You were just about to let me squeeze into that sweet, tight pussy.”
