Page 19 of One Hot Summer

Chapter Nine

ADAM

T he next morning, I woke up to a half-empty bed and a note on the nightstand that said, “Out for a run. Be back soon. -G.” It felt like the sun was rising inside my ribcage.

I lay there for a few minutes, just letting myself grin like an idiot, every ache in my body proof reminding me of the night before.

I dragged myself to the shower, turned it to as hot as I could stand, and stood under the spray, letting the water work out the knots from my muscles but it did nothing to calm the worries floating around in my head.

The world was about to come roaring back. Sooner than I’d like, we’d have to return to New York. Griffin would go back to work at his company, and I’d go back to my college classes and my ratty little apartment. With Dalton. My best friend and the son of the man I was fucking.

When that happened, Griffin and I would have to figure out what we were going to be to each other going forward.

Would he simply go back to being my best friend’s dad, acting as if we’d never seen each other naked?

Would we continue as secret lovers? Acquaintances with benefits?

A fond memory we’d recall from time to time of that one hot summer? The possibilities made my head spin.

Mostly, I worried about Dalton. What he’d say if he ever found out, how pissed he’d be, how much it would hurt him, whether he’d ever talk to me again.

I couldn’t imagine my life without him, but I also couldn’t imagine letting go of what I’d found with Griffin.

I didn’t know if that made me selfish or just human.

I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair and started on the body wash, trying not to overthink it.

All that mattered for now was that I felt more alive, more wanted, more connected with another human than I had in my entire life.

I’d never even dreamed of this—being with someone who made me feel safe and wild and wanted all at the same time.

The bathroom door creaked open, and I nearly dropped the loofah. A moment later, Griffin’s shadow filled the shower curtain. “Room for one more?” he called.

“Always,” I said, and tried not to sound like I was vibrating with excitement.

He stepped in, completely naked, sweat beading off his chest and shoulders, and wearing a sexy smirk. There was a new hickey on his right pec and teeth marks under one rib. The sight made my heart do weird, swoony things I refused to interrogate too closely.

“Good morning,” he said, voice rough and warm. He reached around me for the soap, his arm brushing my back.

“Good morning,” I echoed, a little breathless. I’d grown fully hard, and judging by the way his eyes dropped to my dick and then back up, he noticed.

“Did I wear you out last night?” he said, working a lather between his hands, gaze never leaving mine.

“Not even close,” I shot back, and reached for him.

The shower was plenty big enough for both of us, but we pressed together chest to chest, the spray pounding down on our shoulders.

I liked the feel of his skin, the prickle of stubble, the way he crowded me up against the tile.

I liked knowing he was thinking about me.

About this. About us. I wanted him. Badly.

Griffin tilted my chin up and kissed me, slowly at first, then with a hunger that made my knees go weak.

I let him take the lead, loving the way he sucked on my bottom lip, the way his hands roamed down my spine to cup my ass and haul me closer.

My cock was trapped between our bodies, grinding up against the hardening length of his.

Keeping my eyes locked on his, I went to my knees, the tile cold and rough on my skin. I wrapped my hands around his thighs and looked up at him. He stared down, eyes dark, jaw tight, the vein in his neck throbbing. “You don’t have to—” he started.

“I want to,” I interrupted, and took him into my mouth. He was already half hard, but as soon as I wrapped my lips around him, he grew heavy and full against my tongue. I slid him deep, letting the tip hit the back of my throat, savoring the way he gasped and fisted his hand in my hair.

“Oh, fuck! Just like that, baby,” he groaned, his hips jerking forward. He tried to hold back, but I wanted all of it—the heat, the salt, the way he shook with the effort not to lose control. I bobbed my head, hands steady on his thighs, loving the way he swelled and throbbed in my mouth.

“That’s—fuck, Adam—” He bit off a curse, fingers tightening, and I knew he was close already. I hummed around him, just to drive him insane, and he nearly buckled.

He pulled out suddenly, breath coming in short, ragged bursts. “Up,” he ordered, voice low and ragged. “Come here.”

I stood, shaky, and was immediately pinned between his chest and the wall. He pressed hot, wet kisses up the side of my neck, nibbling at the tender skin and making me squirm. I could feel his heartbeat, could hear the need in his breath. “Want you,” he whispered, right in my ear.

“Have me,” I said back, and I meant it.

He quickly poured a bit of soap in his hand and began jerking us off together, cocks sliding against each other, his fist wrapped tight around both. I leaned my forehead against his shoulder and let him work me, the sensations sparking down my spine like lightning.

“God, you’re perfect,” Griffin muttered, and I shivered at the words. “Look at you, so fucking hungry for it.”

I was hungry. For him, for the way he made me feel, for everything I’d been missing my whole life. He stroked us faster, hips grinding, his dirty talk spurring me on. “You love this, don’t you? You love being used, being wanted. Nobody’s ever really given you what you need, have they?”

“O—Only you,” I managed, already on the edge.

“You want to come for me, Adam? Want to show me how much you need me?”

“Yes. Please.”

He twisted his wrist just right and I exploded, groaning so loud the sound reverberated against the tiled walls.

My cum spattered against both of our stomachs.

He continued fucking into his own fist and followed a second later, spurting hot cum over his fingers.

I watched its descent as it dripped down his stomach and onto his balls, eventually landing on the floor.

We stood there, breathing hard, the water sluicing away the mess. He leaned his head against my shoulder blade and kissed it, soft and lingering. “God, I love the noises you make,” he said, voice muffled by my skin.

I laughed, half delirious. “I love everything you do to me.” He was still hard, cock bobbing against his thigh, and I stroked it lazily while he pulled me in for another kiss.

“I could stay in here all day,” he murmured, hands sliding up and down my sides.

“Yeah,” I said, and I believed it.

For once, I felt safe. Not because the world had suddenly gotten less terrifying, or because my problems had disappeared, but because when Griffin wrapped his arms around me, it was like being anchored to the ground. Like I belonged somewhere.

Eventually, the water ran cold, and we washed each other off, laughing when Griffin accidentally got soap in my eye and I had to bury my face in his chest while he apologized.

He kissed the sting away, his lips gentle and warm against my eyelid.

We dried off together and he wrapped a towel around my waist, tucking the end in with unnecessary care.

“Breakfast?” he said, like it was just another ordinary morning.

I grinned. “Yeah. Breakfast.”

We dressed in silence, but it was the kind of silence that vibrated with energy.

Every time I caught his eye, I had to bite back a dumb smile.

He looked so good in nothing but a towel, hair damp and lips swollen, that it took me three tries to button my shorts correctly.

He noticed, of course, and instead of teasing, just grinned and did it for me, his fingers quick and sure.

It felt ridiculously domestic. I wanted to get used to that.

Downstairs, I started the coffee while Griffin handled the eggs and bacon.

The kitchen was filled with the sizzle and pop of frying food, the air thick with the smell of coffee and smoke and something indefinably his—spice and cedar, maybe.

I sliced up bread for toast, feeling like we’d been living together for years instead of weeks.

The table was set, the food was plated, and we were just sitting down when someone knocked at the door. It was a single, heavy-handed knock, followed by the door creaking open. Whoever was on the other side clearly wasn’t going to wait around for an invitation.

Griffin shot me a look, brows knitting. “You expecting someone?” I shook my head, nerves prickling at the base of my spine.

Jumping up, he headed to the living room with me hot on his heels. I heard a familiar voice before I saw the face: “Surprise!” Dalton stood there, a duffel slung over one shoulder, sunburnt and smiling like he’d just won the lottery.

“Dalton?” Griffin blinked. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“We finished the work we’d been doing, so they sent us home early,” he explained.

“I was going to head back to the city, but then I got your messages saying you both were here. It’s not every day that I get my two favorite people in the same room together, so I thought I’d come surprise you, hang out with you both for a couple of days. ”

Griffin tried to play it casual, but his whole body went rigid. “Wow! Well, I’m happy to see you. You just caught us off guard, that’s all.”

Dalton dropped his bag and spotted me over Griffin’s shoulder. “Hey, nerd!” he shouted, and came in for a hug. It was a hard, back-slapping, genuine one. “Damn, it’s good to see you. Life has been way too normal without your weird ass around.”

“Back at you,” I said, laughing as I hugged him. He smelled like airport and sweat and the cheap shampoo they use in hostels.

Griffin closed the door and stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the chaos. “Did you eat already?”