Page 27 of Level Up (Franklin U 2 #4)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jay

Today had been difficult.

But not for the reasons I had expected.

I made up my mind about going to Ryan’s big race before today. I knew it was something I had to do—not just for Ryan but for myself. It was time I conquered one of my biggest fears, and what better reason to do it than to cheer on my boyfriend? It wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve had to do, by a long shot, but it also certainly wasn’t the hardest. I had woken up feeling certain that I’d made the right decision, and seeing Ryan’s face beam the second he spotted me in the crowd only proved that.

It wasn’t completely free of fear, though. The drive to the lake had me second-guessing things a few times.

Seeing the water as I walked through the crowd made my stomach churn. Sweat poured down my back. My skin felt far too tight and my heart beat a little too fast. I thought back to all my therapy sessions after losing my dad and tried to use the tools I’d been given.

Ground yourself .

Breathe.

Affirm.

I traced the trail of oxygen through my nose, down to my lungs, out again. I envisioned it all happening over a beautiful bright green meadow. I looked up at the sky and pictured my dad watching me, smiling, cheering both me and Ryan on.

I love you, Dad.

Tears had slipped down my cheeks. Anyone glancing my way probably assumed I’d been staring at the sun for a few seconds too long.

But the tears slowed to a stop almost instantly. A sense of calm filled me. It was as if my dad was giving me an invisible hug, his warmth slaying the fear that had resided in me for so long.

I’d made the right choice. I’d done it. I conquered my fears, and I was there to see my baby cross the finish line first. It was beautiful. And not just the moment, but the lake itself.

It wasn’t the first time I’d been to Starwood Lake. My family had spent a lot of days out on the lake, coming back in for a picnic. I hadn’t been back since my father passed.

Still, returning to the lake wasn’t the hardest part of today. I realized under the fear was a simmering excitement that burned bright now that I was back.

“Okay, keep the blindfold on,” I said as I drove us to the first part of the surprise. It wasn’t too far from the lake, only about fifteen minutes. I kinda lived for this part of California. It was nice. Much calmer than San Luco and more inland, so the beachy vibes weren’t as strong here. I drove into a residential neighborhood clustered with beautiful Spanish-style homes, of all different kinds of sizes, with beautiful landscaping and expensive cars sitting in the driveway.

“Where are we headed?” Ryan asked, smiling.

“None of your business,” I teased. My hand was in his, my thumb making soft circles against his skin.

“Okay, I’m pretty sure that’s what a serial killer would say.”

“Probably.” I chuckled and lifted his hand up to my lips. I kissed him. But I didn’t stop there. I took one of his fingers into my mouth and sucked, swirling my thumb around him, tasting his salty-sweet essence. “Would a serial killer do that?”

“Honestly… yeah, probably.” Laughter filled the car before Ryan spoke. “Do it again.” I smiled as I listened, giving Ryan what he wanted as I slowly pulled into the driveway.

“Alright,” I said, already getting hard at imagining something else between my lips. “You know, when we first met I thought you were a serial killer for a second. That or straight.”

“And there I was thinking you were some celebrity’s secret son. You walked around like you were already famous.”

“Damn, now I feel bad.”

“You should,” Ryan said, sticking out his tongue in my general direction. “Apologize to me.” He opened his legs, clearly teasing me.

“I’ll apologize later,” I reached for his lap and grabbed a handful. “I promise.”

“Mmm, keep doing that.”

I slowed into a parking spot. “Oh look, we’re here. “ Ryan groaned as I took away my hand. “Keep your blindfold on.”

“Oh man, I’m scared.”

“You should be,” I said, putting the car in park. I hopped out and went over to the passenger-side door. I opened it and guided Ryan out of the car and to the front door of the house.

The key was left inside of a lockbox. I put in the passcode and grabbed the key. The street we were on was a cul-de-sac tucked away at the top of a high hill. The neighborhood was quiet, with a chorus of loud cicadas being the loudest things around. The street lamps were already beginning to click on as night started to fall.

I opened the door and led Ryan inside first before I turned the lights on.

My eyes went wide. Even I was surprised. “Okay,” I said, turning to a blindfolded Ryan. “You can take it off now.”

“Perfect,” he said, and started to unzip his shorts.

I laughed at that. “The blindfold. Although you can drop your shorts if you want.”

“Eh, fuck it.” He did exactly that, unzipping and letting his shorts fall to his ankles. He wore a sexy pair of all-black Armani briefs, his package making them seem full as fuck. He then went for the blindfold, untying it and dramatically taking it off.

His eyes opened as wide as mine had. “Holy shit,” he said, grinning wide.

We stood in one of the more difficult Airbnbs to snag. A home put together by a famous Palm Springs designer, merging modern art deco together with mid-century modern designs. All throughout were beautiful sculptures of naked and half-naked men, and pops of color from paintings that were likely more expensive than the car I drove here in.

But it was the banner congratulating Ryan on his win hanging on the wall, with the floor covered in purple and gold balloons that likely surprised him .

“Holy shit,” he said. “When did you do this?”

“I drove out a little early.”

“You said you had to go study this morning.”

I shrugged. “It was a bit of a white lie.”

“Wow… baby, thank you. Holy fuck. This is amazing.” He grabbed my hand and twirled me against him. “I wish I could celebrate all my wins like this.”

“I figured I wanted to do something outside of the dorm. That way, we can feel like we’re on vacation or something.”

“This is seriously”—he kissed me—“so”—again—“perfect.” And again.

I melted into him, resting my head on his chest. Even though we were miles away from home, it felt like we’d never left. It didn’t matter where I was in the world. So long as Ryan was by my side, I figured I would always feel at home. He was my North Star, my lighthouse in a stormy night, my sunshine after a rain-filled day.

Ryan was quickly and unapologetically becoming my everything.

“Come, the surprise isn’t over.”

“Alright, but you’re gonna have to match me,” he said, gaze dropping down to my still-on jeans.

“Fine.” I smirked as I followed suit, taking my shoes off first and then my jeans. My underwear was way more colorful than Ryan’s and also a little skimpier. The pink-and-blue briefs were tight on me, and I knew half my ass was hanging out.

So I gave a twirl. Ryan let out a “woosh” of a breath and slapped my ass. The sting was nice, making me jump. “Follow me,” I said over my shoulder.

Ryan did, walking down the hallway, past the marble statue of a man holding flower. It wore a purple and gold sash that said “Congratulations, Ryan!” I pointed to him. “Look, your number one fan.”

“I thought that was you,” he said, chuckling as we continued down the hall, streamers up on the wall.

Thankfully, he won because it could have been pretty awkward otherwise.

“Don’t worry, I plan on earning that title back from him.”

“Babe, I feel like you already have.”

That had me smiling like I’d won the lotto. I continued down the hall and made a right, entering the living room. There, the two glass doors were wide open, leading out to the serene yard. The flickering lights of tiki torches danced with the strung fairy lights. The pool changed colors, shifting from purple to blue to red.

“Jay, holy shit this is incredible. Look at the mini shells!” He went over to the pool, more excited than I think I’d ever seen him.

Floating on the surface were a few tiny rowboats.

“These are awesome,” he said as he picked one up.

I didn’t want to tell him I ordered them from a sketchy Etsy vendor, so I smiled and kept the magic intact.

Next to the pool was a beer pong table, already set up with red Solo cups and a couple of Coronas. On the other side of the pool was a long table full of fruit and cheeses and meats and olives and basically anything I could think that Ryan would like.

“I wanted it to be like the night we first met, but, you know, better. Classier. Less sweaty frat guy smell.”

“You seriously fucking outdid yourself.” He came from behind me and wrapped me up in his arms, kissing my neck, his thumbs hooking on the band of my briefs. He was so warm, so solid. I leaned back, rolling my head so he had more access. His lips were like velvet. I placed my hands over his and let this moment really sink in.

“Thank you, seriously. For everything.” Ryan kissed me again, this time aiming for my earlobe, nipping at me with his teeth. “Now, let me kick your ass at beer pong.”

“Who said you’re doing the ass kicking?” I pulled myself off him, surprised I had the willpower to even do so. “You’re not taking first place in this.”

We walked over to the table. I took my place at the opposite end, unable to stop myself from admiring Ryan’s juicy thighs and the way that sexy black snake tattoo wrapped around him.

“Why don’t we up the stakes?” Ryan asked. “Every shot one of us makes means the other person has to take off a piece of clothing.”

“ Work . Sounds good to me. I’m excited to get you naked first.”

“Hah. Sure,” Ryan said. We filled up our cups and made a show of stretching and flexing, as if we were prepping for a marathon. We were being silly, and it felt so natural, and gah damn did I love this.

We grabbed our Ping-Pong balls and locked eyes with each other. On three, we both shot the balls. Ryan’s bounced off the table, but mine went into a cup.

“ Perf , I go first,” I said. He rolled the ball across the table. I collected it and took a step back.

I lined myself up, elbow behind the table, shut one eye, and I took the shot and …

“Fuck yes!” I said, jumping into the air. The ball landed in one of the cups, which Ryan picked up and chugged. “Alright, take off your shirt.”

“So aggressive,” he said with a wink. He grabbed his shirt—a clean black tee he had changed into after the race— and tossed it onto the grass. He had a cocky grin on, likely fed by the gawking I couldn’t stop myself from doing. He was perfect. Like a Greek god meets a SeanCody model meets Tom Daley with a dash of Tom Holland.

Shit. It was going to be difficult getting shots in with that kind of distraction directly across from me.

Sure enough, I missed the next shot. He made his, and he went straight for the gold, asking me to take off my underwear first. I rolled my eyes and grinned as I gave him a little shimmy and pulled down my briefs. He let out a hungry hiss, shaking his head. Even when I was soft, it was clear he still wanted me. That was really fucking hot.

So hot, I didn’t stay too soft for too long. He took another shot, making it and getting my shirt off. He missed the next one.

“Good,” I said, standing there, wearing only my socks. “I have to get some more eye candy over here.”

“This isn’t enough?” Ryan asked, rubbing his six-pack and squeezing his pec.

“I can’t get enough of you, that’s the thing.”

“Fair enough.” He cocked his head and crossed his arms. God, he was so fucking sexy. “Take your shot. Get me naked.”

“Since you asked so nicely.”

And I did exactly what he (and I) wanted, making my next shot. He dropped his briefs, his meaty cock flopping out and immediately making my mouth water.

Welp. Guess the celebrations were about to really kick off.