I nipped at his jaw with a growl. “Smartass…”
“What was that about my ass?” He arched his back slightly, dragging his tight ass over my half-hard cock teasingly.
My breath hitched and I dug my fingers into his hips, desire ripping through me like a storm. I whirled him around, grabbing his face and crashing my lips into his. I shivered at the low whimper he let out, his hands diving into my hair and tugging me closer. I swept my hands down Theo’s back and hooked them under his ass, hauling him up.
“Holy shit,” he sputtered as he clung to my shoulders. I started walking him back inside, pulling back a fraction to take in his blown out pupils and bewildered expression. “Well…that was new. And hot. And unexpected. But alsoreallyhot…”
“You said that twice,” I teased, biting his lower lip and pulling it out enough to make him chase my mouth. I pecked a quick kiss to his swollen lips before dropping him unceremoniously on his feet.
“What the hell?” he asked indignantly while I strolled towards the laundry room.
“I’ve gotta grab some towels. I want to head down to the shore and swim some before lunch.” I threw a wink over my shoulder and grinned at the icy glare I got in return. I adjusted myself in my shorts, understanding his frustration but also wanting to build the anticipation. I had plans for him later that I didn’t want rushed.
I hunted down the beach towels and sunscreen and made my way back to him, but froze when I caught Theo staring intently at the calendar mounted on the fridge. He didn’t turn when I came up behind him, but subtly leaned back until my arms circled his waist.
“I hadn’t realized what this weekend was until I saw this,” he murmured. I rested my chin on his shoulder, my eyes pinned to the third weekend of October. It was the first time my bye weekhad fallen on this exact weekend, and it felt like some kind of sign.
“It was supposed to be such a big day for us,” he continued, voice tinged with sadness. “You would have been getting ready to meet me at Neverland about this time. I hated that I never got to see you in your suit and give you that stupid little flower thing.”
“A boutonniere?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said.”
I breathed out a small laugh, pressing my lips to his shoulder. I had tried to ignore this weekend for a long time, finding it too painful to think about. Four years almost to the day, I was left waiting for Theo to show up, not knowing that he was in the hospital or that I’d spend our Homecoming night crying alone at the barn after learning he was gone.
“I’m so sorry I ruined our day…our plans. If I hadn’t?—”
I shushed him softly, sliding one arm across his chest and crushinghim to me.
“I don’t want that to be what marks this day anymore,” I told him. “As far as I’m concerned, this day still belongs to us. We’re just a little late claiming it.”
Theo ducked his head, likely still beating himself up for mistakes long forgiven. I slid my hand across his jaw and turned his head towards me, those mesmerizing blues ensnaring me as always.
“You came home to me, Theo. That’s what I’m choosing to remember. I couldn’t ask for a better Homecoming than that.”
I captured his mouth in a soft kiss, soaking in how his lips moved against mine. His tongue teased at the seam of my lips and I parted for him, feeding him a groan while he took over the kiss. He twisted to loop his arms around my neck, raking his fingers through my hair before yanking the strands just enough to send zaps of painful pleasure down to my dick.
I released him before we could get carried away, and the wild look he gave me had me stifling a laugh.
“Are youkiddingme? Again?”
“Don’t want to waste the daylight,” I tsked. I only made it a few steps outside before Theo barreled into me, pitching us both into the pool on our right. Theo’s bright laugh hit me when I resurfaced and he splashed me with another wave of water.
“Seriously?” I sputtered and coughed, but Theo only laughed harder, hooking me around the waist and reeling me in.
“You know what they say, beautiful; play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” he purred, biting my earlobe and sucking it between his soft lips.
The air was punched from my lungs and a growl escaped me. I stole his mouth in a scorching kiss as he wrapped his legs around me. I could feel his smile against my lips that I couldn’t help but return. After several long minutes of lazy kisses broken up by helpless laughter, we raced each other down to the shore. The minute we hit the water, shoving and splashing each other with childish enthusiasm.
Seeing Theo so uninhibited and happy filled my chest with an incredible warmth. I wanted to drown out every malicious voice and thought, chase away every shadow that plagued him. It wouldn’t work forever, but for now it was enough.
Between hours of swimming,talking, and laying out in the sun, I was pleasantly tired and happier than I’d been in weeks. Well, outside of time spent with Theo.
We’d finally called it a day and came in for dinner. I was no great cook, but I could whip up chicken and pasta easily enough, which was more than could be said for Theo whose skills stoppedat pouring milk over cereal. However, I wasn’t going to turn down his offer to clean the kitchen instead.
I sauntered into the living room, eyeing the baby grand piano in the corner. Music had been running through my head all day, my fingers thrumming with need. I had barely touched my guitar in the last two months and it’d been even longer since I’d played a piano, leaving me unsettled and pent up.
The piano’s closed black lid was like liquid obsidian in the setting sun coming in through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Dad had gifted it to Mom for their tenth anniversary because, like me, she could rarely go without the feel of the keys beneath her fingers. I sat on the bench and my hands began moving across the keys fluidly as I lost myself in the music, the rich chords filling the room and my soul.
