Trent
He laid his head in my lap.
I sat reclined against the back of the couch with my feet up on the table and he was horizontal with his legs propped up on the arm.
Neither one of us bothered with shirts, and we’d both changed into basketball shorts with loose material instead of putting on jeans again.
I was wearing a pair of Drew’s. They were black and had a white string on the inside of the waistband. He’d given me a T-shirt, too, and though I was sorely tempted to wear it just because it was his, I opted to stay bare chested.
Since my shirt was, ah, dirty, we threw our clothes in the wash, then came back downstairs where we settled in to watch the third Terminator movie. When he flopped down and put his head in my lap, a lump formed in my throat.
This guy was turning me into a marshmallow.
Moments like these with him had been so badly wanted that getting even just one now was sort of like some impossible wish being granted.
I wasn’t an emotional type of guy, but this meant something to me.
We talked about the movie as we watched and about the stunts on screen. But never far from the back of my thoughts was him and how good it felt to have him right here.
Partway through he rolled onto his side so his cheek pillowed against my thigh. He tucked his arms around him and pulled his knees in a little.
“You cold?”
“Yeah,”
“I’ll turn on the fire place.” I offered and pushed off the back of the sofa.
“No,” he protested and pushed me down. “Don’t get up.”
When I settled back down he sighed and pushed a little further into my lap. The blanket was within reach so I pulled it down over him making sure his chest and arms were covered. Without a word he lifted the top up and invited me in.
I draped my arm over his side, across his chest and he let go of the blanket so it could fall back in to place. His hand reached for mine and we loosely linked them together.
“You gonna stop avoiding me?” he asked.
I guess I deserved that. The excuses I kept sending via text were pretty weak. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I just… It’s been a long week.”
“Ain’t that the truth?”
“Everything going okay with Joey?” I asked, wondering how much I missed.
“You should give her a chance. She’s a really good driver. She’s actually taught me some stuff.”
“Well, now that I know you’re not sleeping with her, I like her a little more.”
He laughed, then said, “Gamble’s her father.”
“No shit?” I swore.
He nodded against my leg. “Yeah, it kind of works against her, though. That and being a girl and all.”
“It must be hard being a woman in the world of racing,” I murmured, feeling like a dick for not giving her more of a chance. Truth was the second she stepped out of the Fastback, I was jealous of her.
Drew made a sound of agreement. “Having a father who could practically buy anything doesn’t help either.”
“How much longer is she hanging out?” I asked, mentally promising to spend some time with her, actually give her a chance.
“Not sure,” he replied. “She doesn’t seem in too big a hurry to leave. ‘Course that was before I took her to a street race that ended in a car chase.”
“Fucking Lorhaven,” I spat.
Drew jostled the cushions when he rolled onto his back to look up and me. Our hands stayed linked, and he rested them on his stomach. “I beat him again.” The rueful smile on his face made me grin.
“Hells yeah.” I released his hand to smack him in the chest. “That’s my guy.”
We were both caught off guard by what I said. I called him mine. But we’d never actually discussed that. I had no idea what we were.
Reluctantly, my eyes turned down to his face. The smile he was wearing was deep and proud. I was tired of resisting the dimple, so I ran my finger over it, caressing it softly.
“I like this dimple,” I explained, my voice low and deep.
“I like how your left front tooth is slightly crooked.”
I returned his smile and chuckled a little. “That drives my mother crazy. All that money on braces and my tooth still won’t do what it’s told.”
Drew covered my hand with his beneath the blanket and glanced away. I shouldn’t have brought up my mother. It intruded upon us. Somehow, we’d slipped into some private world tonight, where it felt safer to be how we really wanted to be together. The outside world, anything beyond what Drew and I shared, didn’t seem welcome.
I worried for quiet moments I’d burst our bubble and it was going to end prematurely.
“So guess what?” he said, looking up at me once more.
All my worries instantly melted away. “What?”
“I have a photo shoot and interview with GearShark on Monday.”
“No shit!” I exclaimed for the second time tonight.
Excitement sparked in his blue eyes. “Yeah, apparently, the calls Gamble has been making have seriously caused a stir in the racing world.”
“Well, in the world of speed, word travels fast.”
“Hopper might also have said some things to Gamble’s other drivers and dropped a few major hints to all the headquarter staff… People are talking.”
“The pro world is going to be steamed the indies are stealing their thunder,” I mused.
“This interview is basically going to be the first official announcement of the new racing division. Alongside my piece, Gamble is releasing a statement, and some of the sponsors he’s already got interested are all going to be mentioned.”
“Free press for them.” I nodded, thinking how smart Ron Gamble really was. “So where and when is the interview?”
“GearShark is sending a crew here to me. The guys down at the speedway are opening up the track for us, ten a.m. We’re going to do the shoot there at the track, and then I’ll sit down and answer some questions.”
“Pick me up early so we can get coffee on the way,” I said. Then I thought better of it. “No, I’ll just pick you up. I’ll probably have to drag your ass out of bed.”
“Yeah?” he seemed mildly surprised. “Don’t you have class?”
“Fuck class,” I drawled. “This is more important. Your first big interview and it’s with GearShark, no less. It’s a national magazine, dude. A bible to all drivers.”
“I’m so pumped.” I could hear the excitement in his voice. “That magazine is the bomb. My first interview and your first official job as my manager.”
“You ready to be famous?” I asked.
He scoffed at the idea, but I knew it was only a matter of time. The realization made my stomach twist, but I ignored it.
“So what’s been going on with you?” Drew asked.
“Con tried to get me tossed out of the frat.”
My hand was ripped away from his when he jackknifed up off my lap and slammed his feet onto the floor. “What?”
It was kinda cute the way he was all outraged. But it was unnecessary.
“What a douche,” I cracked. “Of course, it didn’t work.”
“He was that pissed you didn’t back him as the new president?”
I sneered. “Now he’s out of the election completely.”
“He still giving you a hard time?” Drew’s face darkened.
Oh yeah. But those details weren’t welcome in this moment, not in this bubble we created. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
“I got your back. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
Drew leaned back against the couch, our bodies pressed together from our shoulders all the way to our feet. He leaned his head on my shoulder, and it felt so good I drifted off, even though I tried to stay awake. I wanted to remember every moment of tonight, but I was just so fucking content and his steady breathing lulled me to sleep.
I didn’t know what time it was, just that it was very late, when he shook me gently.
“Yeah?” I said, blinking up as he leaned over me.
“C’mon, let’s go to bed.”
“Bed?” I echoed. Even half asleep, I was still surprised.
“You’re staying over tonight.” He held his hand out to me, a silent invitation.
I looked between him and his hand, then slowly surrendered mine. He kept hold of me the entire way upstairs and down the hall.
I hadn’t been in his room since that night months ago. But I was totally sober now.
He went in, and I hesitated on the threshold. He glanced back over his shoulder, giving my hand a slight tug.
“I’m not drunk this time.” I cautioned. “I won’t be forgetting anything in the morning.”
His hand slipped away from mine and my stomach plummeted. It was for the best anyway; better to know now before I fell even deeper in love with him.
Drew didn’t move away like I thought, though. He rotated back around, swiveled his hips in my direction, and stepped up close. It reminded me of the way I’d stepped up to him in the kitchen.
His eyes met mine. Neither of us had to look down or up. We stood level, on even ground. Drew curled his hand around my waist. His fingers crawled across my back and rested against my spine. He moved with agonizingly deliberate intent. I remained still and let him approach.
Our gazes remained locked together until just before our mouths touched. His eyes drifted closed first, and mine followed his lead.
Tender isn’t a word I would ever use to describe Drew, but that’s exactly what his kiss was. He fit his lower lip between mine so his mouth enclosed around my top lip, sucking the fullness in and then releasing to come back and do it again. Our lips brushed together, like they had their own personal handshake no one else knew.
It was everything in that moment, his lips, his breath, and the feel of his tongue slowly tangling with mine. His other hand grasped the other side of my waist and our chests came together.
It was the first time our skin touched like this, the first time we were skin to skin.
I loved the hardness of his body, the way his arm muscles flexed when he gripped me tighter. I lifted one arm and wrapped it around his shoulders so there wasn’t even a centimeter between us. Even though this was his kiss, I deepened it, and he growled into my mouth and followed my lead.
I could feel the pounding of his heart against my chest, and I reveled in it. I knew mine likely felt the same, and I hoped he knew it beat so erratically because of him.
Drew retreated from my mouth slowly, like it wasn’t something he wanted to do. Before pulling back completely, he sucked my tongue for one last taste.
His thumb swiped at my lower lip when he spoke. “So you’ll remember that in the morning?”
“I’ll remember that for the rest of my life.”
He grunted like my answer satisfied him. “Good.”
After that, I let myself be pulled into the room. It smelled like him in here, and I took a deep breath. He didn’t bother with the light, and I smacked my shin on the end of the bed.
“Shit!” I growled and reached down to rub the spot.
A small bedside lamp clicked on. “You okay?”
“Fine,” I grumbled and moved around to the far side of the bed.
Drew flung the covers back, and I crawled in. I was drowsy; sleep still had ahold on me. Or maybe it was just the way he kissed.
When my head hit the pillow, I sighed, and he laughed lightly. “Comfortable?”
“This bed is better than mine,” I murmured.
“That’s because I sleep in it.”
“Probably,” I said around a yawn.
The mattress dipped a little with his weight, and the blankets ruffled when he pulled them up and adjusted his pillow. The light clicked off with a distinct sound, and he settled against the sheets.
“Where’s your car?” he asked.
I rolled toward him, seeking out his face in the dark. “At Omega. I took a cab to the bar.”
“Don’t go back there, frat boy,” he whispered.
“Never.” I promised. I lifted my arm, turned onto my back. “Come here.”
He was soundless as he slid across the sheets. His body was almost as long as mine, and we pressed together almost completely. Drew’s head lay on my shoulder; the scruff on his jaw tickled my skin. I tucked an arm around him, keeping him close, and he tossed one leg up over mine, hooking us together.
“You know you can’t leave here until I drive you.”
My mouth kicked up in a half smile. “I’m in no hurry to leave.”
“I kinda want to stay here like this all weekend.” It sounded like a whispered confession.
“Me, too,” I whispered back.
The feel of his fingertips lightly caressing my abs was kinda blissful, and it made me hard (yes, again), but there was no rush to do anything about it. The last thing I wanted to do was move too fast with Drew and ruin what was happening.
But I didn’t want to sleep, it seemed like an awful waste of time with him, so I fought as gallantly as I could. Sleep came anyway; it pulled me down deep.
A little while later when he rolled over, my body followed his.
When morning dawned and I opened my eyes, I half expected to find his side of the bed empty, with nothing but a pillow indent to prove I hadn’t been dreaming.
Drew was still there. We spooned together with his ass nestled firmly against my front.
It was proof this really wasn’t a dream.
Even dreams couldn’t be this good.