“Come to my place after?” I asked. “I’ll leave a key under the doormat.”
Drake’s eyes crinkled with his smile. “Fuck yes. That sounds perfect.”
He gave my nape one more squeeze before separating from me and then waved as he jogged over to the rest of his coworkers—who now knew something was going on between us.
I’d been nervous before, but the fact he’d publicly claimed me like that gave me hope that he wanted more too.
I brushed my fingers against my lips, still sensitive from those bruising kisses, then headed off in the direction of my car.
Tonight, I’d make this real.
Chapter twenty
Drake
The rest of my shift passed in a blur, including a hefty dosage of relentless ribbing from my coworkers.
I didn’t give a fuck.
Claiming August in front of everyone felt damned right, and it only stoked the hope that he’d want a relationship too. And once we got a second to breathe, we’d have a talk.Thetalk.
I managed to finish my shift and drove to August’s house, which I hadn’t been to since we’d first met. When I’d burst in to put out a kitchen fire.
My heart thudded hard as I approached the front door and reached under the mat to find the promised key. I knew he had a roommate, but we hadn’t met. Hopefully he’d let himknow I was coming over.
Granted, it was three in the morning, which was an awkward time to visit. I’d finished a little later than planned due to cleanup from the apartment fire.
I padded through the house, feeling like an interloper. The shadows stretched, scraps of moonlight from the windows the only light in the main room. I meandered toward a light coming from farther down the hall, trying not to stomp too loudly, even though my boots were heavy. One of the bedroom doors lay open, and I peered inside to see August passed out in the bed, the moonlight spilling over his features. The sight made my heart speed up. No one had ever made me feel like this, as if I was coming home.
Which was why I needed to find a way to keep him.
I stripped out of my boots, my pants, and my shirt, leaving me in just my boxer briefs as I stepped into the bed with a creak. He rustled, those sleepy eyes blinking open.
“Drake?”
“It’s still okay that I’m here, right?” I asked, wanting to double check.
“More than,” he said, patting the bed beside him. “C’mere.”
I slipped under the covers beside him, and his arms wrapped around me at once. When I glanced over, his eyes had already shut again, and his breaths were evening. I settled against the pillow, taking comfort in the warmth of his body, in his smooth skin, his regular breaths puffing against me.
I was out within minutes.
***
When I woke up, the sun was streaming through the blinds. The bright red numbers on the clock read ten in the morning, which meant I had caught some solid sleep. Hadn’t been hard with August by my side. I’d never slept so well.
Voices sounded from the other room, so I slipped on my pants and padded out of the bedroom.
August sat at the kitchen table while another guy perched on the counter.
When August’s gaze landed on me, he lit up with a smile that overtook his features. My heart skipped a beat.
A whistle sounded, and the guy hopped off the counter. “Rory,” he said. “I finally get to meet hottie firefighter.”
“Back off,” August grumbled. “You’ve got Wyatt.”
Amusement fluttered in my chest, and I offered a nod. “Drake, though I prefer hottie firefighter.” I closed the distance between me and August, and I dipped down to press a kiss to his lips. August melted into me at once, and I lingered there for a moment, enjoying the public claiming.
