Page 115

Summer

Connor falls into bed with me, nearly glowing. “Thank you for planning this whole thing and coming with me, babe.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, smiling up at him.

Connor leans down, brushing his lips over mine. The kiss is soft, but I’m tugging at his shirt, trying to pull it off, needing to touch his skin. Connor sits up on his knees and rips his shirt off, tossing it aside. I slide my hands over his thighs, and his eyes dilate with lust. He tugs at my clothes with the same urgency I feel. I moan and shift beneath him, sliding my fingers over the growing bulge beneath his jeans. A loud bang comes from downstairs, and we both freeze. Connor looks over his shoulder at the door.

“It’s probably nothing.” He looks back at me. “The walls are pretty thin.”

I moan. “Right, so maybe we should… wait until we’re back on campus?”

Connor glances at my lips. “But?—”

I kiss him again, cutting off his protest. He groans and slides his hand beneath my shirt. His fingers glide over the dip of my waist, and I can’t hold back my moan when he cups my breast and gently squeezes. I open the button on his pants and am working on lowering his zipper when there is another loud bang from downstairs, followed by someone running up the steps.

“Zach, you’re a moron!” Zane chides as he chases Zach.

I sigh heavily and drop my hand from his throbbing length. My core pulses with need, but a theoretical bucket of ice water has been tossed onto my libido.

Connor groans and rolls off me. “Movie?”

I nod and turn my head to look at him. Connor looks at me, and we burst out laughing at the absolute absurdity of the situation. Once we get ourselves back under control, we both get up to put on our pajamas. As I remove my clothes, I try not to watch as Connor strips down and pulls on a pair of gray sweatpants. Inhaling deeply, I steal one of the t-shirts from his bag and slip it on.

We snuggle back into bed, and Connor turns to look at me, his expression soft. “I couldn’t have… felt normal without you here,” he admits, watching me.

I curl my pinky finger around his, linking our hands.

“It’s hard to act…” He pauses for a beat. “Tofeelnormal after?—”

I roll to face him, cupping his cheek. “My big guy.”

“You ground me,” Connor says, closing his eyes and relaxing into my touch.

I lean in, brushing my lips over his again. There is no intent behind it this time, only care and affection. I lie back down, and Connor opens his eyes, looking at me.

“My parents love you.”

“Yeah?”

Connor nods.

“I have no idea what being loved by a parent feels like.” The words slip from my lips, resonating heavily the moment they hit the air between us. My smile slowly falls, and I blink as the grief of them sits heavily on my shoulders.

Connor brushes the back of his fingers along my cheek. “My parents are more than happy to show you.”

I try to smile, attempting to accept the comfort he is offering me with his words. I hope I can at least make him think I’ve found it, but I can tell I’ve been unsuccessful when he pulls me close.

“Babe.”

I brush my fingertips along his cheek. “What movie do you want to watch?”

Connor watches me for another moment before he sits up, grabs his bag, and pulls out his laptop. He lies back down and chooses a movie at random. I barely pay attention, unable to ignore the grief from the lack. I didn’t even understand what I was missing until I saw what a family is supposed to look like.

“I’ll be your family. If you want me to be,” Connor whispers into my hair, not turning his attention away from the movie, allowing me the space if I need it. Affection bubbles up inside of me, and I can’t help but grab his face, kissing him hard. Connor groans and opens eagerly. I climb on top of him, straddling his hips. His hands grip my waist, digging his fingers in to hold me to him. The desperation came out of nowhere, my body responding to his words with overwhelming need.

“You’re going to have to be quiet, big guy.”

Connor groans. “Fuck, okay.”