I tap my fingers on the side of the screen, then open the text thread.
Me: Here’s my address. I usually get home at seven. No one will be there but me.
He doesn’t reply, but he sees the text, and that’s fine. I know he wants me, and I want him. And hell, maybe if he’s willing to give me a chance, he can see that I’m worth the wait it’ll take before we can communicate properly. I know it’s not impossible. Robbie and Thom pulled it off.
They’re still working on it, of course. Thom has come a long way, but he still has a long way to go. Yet, Thom is happier than I’ve ever seen him in our lives, and Robbie doesn’t hide his secret smile meant only for my brother.
I want that.Fuck, I want that so badly I ache with it.
Rome might be the worst choice for me, but I’ve never made things easy on myself, so why start now?
I do not expect him to show up, and up to this moment, he doesn’t disappoint.
It’s almost midnight, and he hasn’t appeared, so I assume he decided to ignore my invitation. Maybe after the shower, he’s not interested anymore. Maybe he got me out of his system.
I feel worse than I thought I would at his obvious rejection.
Why the fuck did I put myself out there like that? It would have been better to pretend like nothing happened.
There’s no point in sitting around waiting for a man who isn’t going to show up, so I head to my bedroom to call it anight. Pulling off my shirt, I toss it onto a chair before shucking my pants. If I’m not going to be satisfied, at the very least, I can be comfortable.
But just as I get the waistband of my favorite pair of sweats around my ass, I hear a soft knock on the front door, and I nearly trip getting to it.
It has to be him. It has to be him.
God, please let it be him.
When I wrench the door open, I can’t contain the feeling of elation welling up inside of me.
He’s here.
He looks pissed, but he’s here.
His eyes slide up and down my naked torso, his cheeks reddening, his chest puffing in and out with his heaving breath.
His tongue peeks out and wets his lips, and he lets out a distressed sound, turning quickly to leave.
I can’t let that happen. I can’t let him slip away again. My hand flings out, and I grab onto his bicep, hauling him toward me.
He stumbles, then catches himself on my shoulders, his fingers curling against my bare skin. He’s so warm.
We breathe in tandem for a moment, and then something snaps between us. His lips slam down on mine, and I swallow the groan he gives me, his body pressing me desperately back into the door.
I’m terrified he’ll change his mind, so I yank him past the threshold and kick the door shut, wrenching his shirt off his head and tossing it aside as I lick up his neck. He arches, giving me more access, and fuck, I go for it.
If he’s offering, I’m going to take without a moment of hesitation.
I nip and bite my way up to his ear and let my tongue slideinside, feeling him shiver as I sink my teeth into his lobe. As I bite down hard, my finger finds the barbell in his left nipple, and I tug lightly, feeling the skin stretch before I let go.
The sound he makes has my cock hardening to full mast.
His fingers curl into my hair, wrenching my head backward as he slams his lips down on mine again. Our tongues tangle, a war of wills, but I’m okay losing this one. I’m just so fucking happy he’s here.
He pulls his mouth away after a short forever, breathing heavily as he knocks our foreheads together. He makes a noise in the back of his throat and then kisses me again like we’re magnets, like he can’t help it. Like he wants to try and resist, but the pull is too strong.
The struggle he’s going through is tangible.
And I know I should make it easier for him…so I do.
