Rhett

“Where are you from?” Ayla sits up in bed, propped on her elbow as she studies me.

I can’t stop touching her, and I can’t imagine ever getting sick of seeing her naked in my bed.

“Grew up in Toledo, Ohio,” I say. “You?”

“Grew up all over the place,” she says. “Mom settled in southern California when I was in high school. You have a big family?”

“Just a younger brother,” I say. “Mom and Dad are still married. Dad’s a retired used car salesman. Mom stayed at home. Grew up in a modest little ranch house with a one car garage and a tree fort in the backyard.”

“Idealistic childhood?”

“Hardly.” I place my hand on the bend of her hip, where minutes ago I gripped her flesh as she came on my cock. “My parents were weird.”

“How so?”

“Controlling, never let us have friends over, wouldn’t let us stay go anywhere without them…” I say. “Want me to go on?”

Ayla wrinkles her nose. “Why were they like that?”

“They were just paranoid that something bad was going to happen, I guess?” I shrug a shoulder. “I don’t know. It’s how they were. I don’t even think they knew why they were like that half the time.”

“So you were sheltered?” she asks.

I bite my lip. “Yeah, I guess. Only time I left the house was for school or hockey. Only took up hockey so I had an excuse to be around other kids. Turned out I was really fucking good at it.”

She smiles, laughing through her nose. “So it all worked out.”

I nod. “Yeah. What about you?”

“It was always just Mom and me,” she says. “We moved a lot. My mom is the most free-spirited person you’ll ever meet.”

“I bet that was rough, moving so much?” I pull her into my arms, letting her body heat meld with mine.

She nuzzles against my shoulder. “Yeah. I was always the new kid. Didn’t help that I was extremely nerdy and all I wanted was for people to like me, so I let them walk all over me. Made me an easy target. Kids can be such little shits sometimes.”

“I’m sorry.”

She blows a breath past her lips. “I’m over it. Now. It got better once we settled outside of LA and stopped moving around so much. I had some nicer friends in high school. Even got me a boyfriend.” She nudges me, teasing. “It worked out.”

“I’d have dated you in high school. I’d have dated the shit out of you.” I kiss her forehead. “But my parents would’ve probably chaperoned.”

She laughs.

The door to my apartment slams, followed by the sound of Locke calling for me.

I groan, and Ayla sinks back into the bed, releasing a frustrated breath. I thought we had all afternoon.

“Rhett,” Locke calls out again, his voice growing closer. He must be on the other side of the door.

“One sec,” I call out, slipping my clothes on.

He’s pounding on the door, ignoring my request for patience. “Rhett, I got the deal. They’re buying my app. Five million, baby! Let’s go celebrate. Drinks. Right now. On me.”

I zip my fly, fasten the button, and yank the door open, keeping it closed enough so he can’t see Ayla.

“You have someone over?” he asks.

I give him a look that says, “No shit.”

“That girl?” he asks. “The one from the other day?”

I nod.

“Come on Rhett’s girlfriend, let’s go grab some drinks. I just made five million bucks,” Locke says, trying to press his face through the opening in the door.

“Fucking weirdo, get out of here,” I say, shoving him back.

“You guys coming or what?” he asks from the now-closed door.

I turn to Ayla and she shrugs, trying not to laugh. “Sure.”

“Yeah,” I call out. “We’re coming.”