“Yeah, bud?” Jerry’s voice was frustratingly steady, while I felt clumsy and lightheaded. There was no way I could form coherent sentences right now.
“Can I go for a sleepover at Eddie’s house? He wants to binge all four seasons ofSupernovabefore the new season comes out.”
Jerry laughed. “Will there be any sleeping at this sleepover?”
“Nope,” Sam answered honestly, without a single bit of guilt. “So, can I?”
I held my breath as I waited to hear Jerry’s answer.
“Sure. Go pack a bag, and I’ll drive you over.” Sam ran back upstairs.
My legs felt like wet noodles at the anticipation for what that meant. More water spilled as I gripped the edge of the sink.
Jerry prowled closer and leaned back in, his body nearly covering mine entirely as he set his hands on the counter on either side of me. His breath was hot on my skin as he nipped at my ear. “You’re not sleeping on the couch tonight,” he whispered before he turned and walked away, leaving me aching.
“Yes, alpha,” I growled under my breath.
I drained the water from the sink. The dishes could wait.
14
Jeremiah
Iwasarule-follower,always had been. I believed they were laws for a reason, and it drove me crazy when someone flagrantly disregarded safety measures. But right now, in this second, with my jeans strangling my cock? My foot felt heavy on the gas, and I found myself nudging my SUV over the speed limit on the way back from dropping Sam off. My heart was thudding heavily in my chest, knuckles white on the steering wheel.
When I tried to remember the last time I’d felt like this… I just couldn’t. The answer was never. Sure, I’d dated before, but nobody had ever been important enough to take up space in my life long-term. At this moment, I wasn’t just racing home to maybe have sex. I wascoming home.
Just a few days ago, it was just me and Sammy, a family of two, and at the time, I never would’ve asked for more. It was enough—morethan enough. So quickly, though, with the appearance of a baby on my doorstep, everything had changed. My entire world had expanded to include not just Mia, then Lazlo, but alsoAugust. He felt like the final piece to the puzzle, the one that brought the picture into focus.
I pulled the SUV into the driveway and hopped out, giving myself a quick pep talk, tempering my expectations.Be cool, it’s no big deal. Maybe he’s already asleep…
It was certainly possible. The house was quiet when I stepped inside, the lights off—all except the one at the top of the stairs. It felt like a beacon, leading me to a safe harbor in a raging storm.
I kicked off my boots blindly, not worried about lining them up nicely on the rack—not today. I padded up the stairs, making every riser creak so Lazlo knew I was coming. Was his heart racing too? I couldn’t be alone in this giddy feeling.
Flicking off the hall switch, I could see light coming from under my bedroom door and knew he was waiting for me. I paused in front of August’s door, listening, but all was quiet, so I continued on to my room. Pushing the door open, I found Lazlo sitting on the edge of my bed. He looked like a beautiful disaster, with his hair mussed like he’d been running his fingers through it, his cheeks flushed, eyes bright. Half drunk off these emotions, just like I was.
My bedroom was like a world apart, and as I closed the door behind me, it shut out all the stress and chaos and uncertainty. This was my sanctuary, and having Lazlo here felt momentous. An invitation into not just my room but my life.
He stood up from the bed when I walked in. “Hi,” he whispered roughly. “I hope I’m not being presumptuous by being here.” I wanted to taste his smirk.
“Presume away.” I closed the distance between us, reaching for him, and he met me halfway, full of relief and more than a little enthusiasm. He practically launched himself at me, and I caught him under the ass and lifted him, his weight in my arms making everything more real.
Lazlo wrapped his legs around my waist, our erections trapped side by side, then he gripped my face between his palms and gazed down at me with such dark longing that I had to pause to catch my breath. We stayed there for a long moment, not saying a word but feeling it all the same. If we took this next step, there was a very good chance it was forever. There was no coming back from this.
He lowered his lips slowly to mine, giving me plenty of time to put an end to it if I chose to, but that was never going to happen. Now that I’d found him, I was never letting him go.
When he finally kissed me, it was deep and slow and heavy with our unspoken words. I licked through his mouth, thorough and searching, as if trying to taste every molecule of his DNA. I wanted to know everything about this gentle, selfless man. His hopes, his fears. His desires…
I nipped at his plump bottom lip, and he let out an obscene groan, his cock twitching against mine through too much denim. Oh, so he liked a little teeth, did he? I could work with that.
Without breaking the kiss, I took the few steps to the bed and tipped us carefully onto the mattress with him beneath me. I tried to keep my weight off him, but he hooked his legs at the small of my back and dragged me down flush. “I’m not going to break, Jer. I want tofeelyou. Trust me to be able to handle it.”
And that was the thing… I did trust him. Fully and completely. It didn’t matter that we’d just met; he’d simply strolled past every barrier I’d ever set to protect myself and my fosters. So, I lowered my weight slowly onto him, watching his reaction. He canted his hips, but I had him so thoroughly trapped that he could barely move. The way his pupils dilated, it was safe to say he liked it.
Taking it a little further, I captured his wrists and pinned them over his head in one hand. His breath shuddered as he tugged experimentally on my grip, finding it difficult to break the hold.A sultry grin spread on his lips. “You’ll take care of me, won’t you, Jer?”
“Always,” I promised, letting my free hand move down his body. I hiked up his shirt, exposing the expanse of creamy skin, his lean torso soft in all the right places. Skating my fingertips across his ribs, goosebumps pebbled, and he shivered. His nipples were peaked, and I took the opportunity to lave at one, sucking on it gently, before scraping my teeth over the sensitive nub.
