Page 23

23

AUSTIN

O h, this is stupid. So, so stupid. What the hell am I doing?

No big deal. Vaughn just flat-out told me he didn’t want me to visit this weekend—that I should stay on my own campus and study while he went out and partied with his football friends.

So what the hell do I do? I go to the costume store and grab and angel costume to match his devil. That’s totally smart, right? And now, I’m walking around campus, asking random strangers where the football team is tonight, dressed in all white with glitter makeup and a halo.

What. The. Hell?

I wasn’t kidding about Vaughn making me dumber. But I couldn’t help it. My heart sunk when he said he didn’t want to get together this weekend. It felt like I was losing him for the first time in our lives. Even moving to different cities didn’t feel quite that awful.

I hurt him. I know I did. Keeping him at bay like that when he’s so certain he wants to announce we’re a couple—it was a shitty thing to do. I was trying to protect my heart, but that wasn’t fair to him.

People treat Vaughn like he’s dumb—they always have—but he’s not. He knows what he wants and, for whatever reason, he wants to let everyone know we’re together. Wanted. I don’t actually know if he still feels that way.

I’d never seen him so resigned before—like I really, really destroyed him.

Finally, I track down the party that several people said most of the football team would be at. It’s, of course, a bigass frat house with far too many drunk people just standing out on the lawn and spilling into the house. I search around for a devil costume outside but see none.

Okay, it may be possible that Vaughn isn’t here. Hell, maybe he was here and wound up leaving with someone who actually deserves that big sweet man. I rub at my chest, the ache deep and painful—no, he wouldn’t do that. Vaughn is fiercely loyal, and there’s no way in hell he’d move on to someone else until he heard from me that I’m done.

And I’m not. I’ll never be done with him.

I gather up all my courage and walk through the front door of the house, walking into loud music and some shouting as if they’re playing some sort of game to my left. Someone bumps into me, spilling some beer. Fantastic.

But I don’t see any devil costumes.

Not for a while. But just as I’m about to give up, that’s when I see him. My Vaughn. His face, bare chest, and arms are painted red, and he’s wearing tight black spandex pants that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination, all topped off with horns on his head.

He looks positively sinful, and that’s even before he sees me. The sheer lust burning in his eyes as he looks me up and down, then crosses the room to come to me, is enough to make me weak in the knees.

“Austin?”

“Hey . . . uh . . . thought you could use a little angel to your devil.”

He’s grinning now, and it should look ridiculous with the paint on his face, especially now that I see his eyebrows are painted black. “You came?”

“I’m sorry. I was an idiot. A real idiot.”

“That’s usually my job,” he jokes, but I growl.

“You’re not an idiot.”

He smirks. “You couldn’t stay away again, huh?”

I should be embarrassed by how needy he makes me, but I can’t find it in me to care. “I never want to be away from you, Vaughn. I know I was an asshole last weekend. I was scared.”

He nods solemnly, crossing his big, bulging arms and making those veins that drive me crazy pop out, begging to be licked. “And you were afraid people would think we were together. But don’t you think they could guess when you’re looking at me like you want to eat me?” He waggles his eyebrows at me, and I shove him playfully.

He drops his arms, stumbling slightly but recovering fast. “Oh, I knew without a doubt if anyone saw us together, they’d know just how badly I want you. After years of hiding it, I don’t think I have it in me anymore.”

“I don’t want you to hide it. I like the way you look at me.”

“I know,” I say softly. “You’re way braver than I’ll ever be. But I don’t want to make your life any harder.”

“You don’t. If they can’t accept me, then I don’t want to be their friend. It’s as simple as that.” And the thing is, I know he means it. It really is that simple for him.

I take a deep breath. “Okay, introduce me to your friends then.”

His eyes light up. “Really?”

I nod. Even though I don’t feel sure about this at all, I need to trust Vaughn. He knows what he can handle, and I know he won’t ever lead me to harm. He doesn’t waste any time though.

He takes my hand and leads me over to a bunch of guys who are standing around, drinking and wearing costumes—big burly guys I’m almost certain have to be his teammates. They’re looking at us curiously.

Vaughn is smiling big though. “Miles. Jacob. John, this is my boyfriend, Austin.”

Okay, so I guess we’re just going to lead with that. My palm is sweating in his, but he doesn’t falter. He isn’t challenging them either. It’s like he’s not really asking for any sort of judgment. He’s just telling them how it is.

Jacob is the first one to speak, reaching his hand out for me. “Nice to meet you, Austin. Cool couples costume. My girlfriend wanted to do that, but we couldn’t agree, so she went to her sorority party instead.”

Miles snorts next to him and looks at me. “That’s because she can’t stand his ass but can’t quite cut the cord.”

“Fuck off,” Jacob says, but it seems lighthearted and fun.

Vaughn wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I instinctively lean into him. “Austin surprised me. I didn’t even know we’d be matching until I saw the angel in the room.”

“Gag, man. You’re one of those adorable couples, aren’t you?” John jokes, and they all laugh.

It’s like this huge weight is lifted off me. Maybe the world really has changed, or maybe it’s just because it’s college and it’s still people from all over, even if it’s more an agricultural, rural area. It still attracts all minds. But my guard remains up. There’ll be someone who will be a prick about it, there’s no doubt in my mind, and years of keeping watch for everyone around me doesn’t just go away.

We stand around and joke for quite a while, but it’s low-key and fun. Vaughn actually has to pull me away from the party to go back to his dorm, but when we get there, I’m done complaining.

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his soft lips, uncaring that I’ll likely get my glitter all over him and I’ll be covered in red paint. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him being inside me, and I’m going to get it again.

“Thank you for coming,” he says breathlessly, trying to get my costume off.

I toss my halo to the other side of the room—won’t be needing that tonight. “Thank you for not being upset that I ignored your request for a weekend off.”

“You’re insane if you think that’s what I actually wanted.” He finally gets me naked, and I start working on his pants, which are practically glued to him and even tighter with his cock as hard as it is.

“I’m sorry. I know I messed up.” But he’s not even hearing it, he just kisses the hell out of me and spins me around so I’m flat against the door. The wood is cold on my bare skin, but I’m burning up as he kisses my shoulders and my back, his firm lips making a trail down my spine.

“For the record, I always want to see you. Even if I say I don’t want you to bother... or I’m trying to be brave and strong, I want to see you.” He kisses one side of my hip and then the other as his knees hit the ground behind me. I look over my shoulder, and he looks up at me, his gaze intense. “I want you.”

I tremble, my whole body shaking as his hands grasp my ass, and he pulls the cheeks apart. I should feel a little embarrassed, being on display for him, but I’m not. I trust him. One hundred percent. I lean my forehead against the cool wood of the door. “I want you too. Always.”

I know... I know I need to protect my heart, but he’s making it really damn hard right now. And not just my dick. Although, holy shit, I’m hard. I’m going to start begging soon, but I don’t have to because just as I’m about to turn around and beg him to fuck me, I feel the wet warmth of his tongue making its way down my crack and over my hole, swirling around it and making me gasp.

“Oh, holy shit.” My fingers try to grab at the small door, looking for purchase, but all I can do is stand there as he slicks up my hole with his tongue, licking and probing and making me whine and whimper.

I’m absolutely shameless as I ride his face, one hand reaching behind me to grip his hair and hold him in place. My cock is leaking as I hump against the door. “Close. So c-close.” I tremble and shudder.

He doesn’t let up, his tongue pushing inside me, stretching me out. When I can’t take it anymore, I reach my free hand between my body and get one stroke in, just enough to take the edge off, but then his delicious mouth pulls away, and I nearly fall back.

“Nooooo. Don’t stop.”

He spins me around again, his hand grabbing the back of my neck as he slams his mouth to my lips and pulls me into a bone-melting kiss. I melt into him, and I must have missed when he finished getting naked because his hard cock drags against mine as he devours my mouth.

“Mine,” he says, wrapping a hand around us both. It’s so good. So damn good, I swear my eyes cross at the incredible friction, his big hand sliding over our cocks as they glide together.

He brings me to the brink again, but then the bastard stops. Again. “ Vaaaaughn,” I whine with not even a hint of shame. “Please. I need you.”

“You’ll have me,” he says, walking over to the bed and grabbing the lube.

“Oh, yes,” I say, licking my lips and watching as he slicks up his cock with a generous amount of lube. He tosses the bottle and walks toward me, that confident glide I’m so used to with him.

“Come. Here,” he says before he grabs me, With impressive strength, he lifts me up, his hands bracing my ass as I wrap around him and hold on for dear life. The movement startles me, but I quickly catch on to what he has planned, and I’m all for it. He uses the door to brace some of my weight as he adds one finger and then two, stretching my already relaxed hole to take him, and then deftly replaces them with his cock.

We both groan as I use all the leverage I can muster to take him fully inside me. “Yes.” I cling to him, closing my eyes and feeling like all is right with the world while he’s inside me. While we’re connected like this.

I kiss his neck and his shoulders, pretty much everywhere I can reach as I ride him, and he thrusts up into me over and over again. My body is already strung tight, and it’s not going to take much, but when he shifts just slightly and hits my prostate dead-on, once, twice, and then three times, it’s all over for me.

I cry out against the skin of his neck as spurt after spurt of warm cum splashes between us. It’s not long after that, that he goes over too, my ass squeezing him hard while he empties inside me.

I will never tire of this feeling.

I know tonight was a big step—him coming out to his teammates, and he didn’t even hesitate. I’m starting to desperately want to believe this can be more than a rebound.

That maybe, just maybe, Vaughn is my happily ever after.

But in order to get that, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to be braver than I’ve ever been before, and I just don’t know if I can allow myself to do it.