Page 23 of Promised Secret (Promises, Promises #3)

Chapter Nineteen

DAN

“What was he doing here?” Clay asked as he pulled off his police hat and hung it by the door. Small beads of sweat slid down his temples.

I wanted to lick it away for him. He looked so fucking hot in his uniform. Who was I kidding? He was hot regardless of what he was wearing…or not wearing.

“Dan?” Clay prompted, and I remembered he’d asked a question.

“He brought our boys a pool,” I said, gesturing to said pool. The boys seemed like they’d had enough swimming and were now sitting on the toy, grooming each other. “I should get a towel.”

“Let me,” Clay said before I could leave the playpen. He disappeared down the hall and reappeared a minute later with a couple of hand towels and joined me inside the pen.

Clay picked up Captain to help dry the rat while I did the same for Hook. Captain made more happy noises as he tried to rub his wet body all over Clay’s lower jaw, which made Clay laugh.

I’d been fully prepared to take care of the rats myself when I decided to adopt them. Clay acted like he didn’t even want them around at first, and yet he was the one patiently teaching them tricks. Hell, he’d even become Captain’s favorite person.

I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t jealous, but I guess it was only fair since I was Hook’s favorite person. I picked up my boy and smiled when his curled tail immediately wrapped around my fingers.

He licked my palm as I took my time wiping all the water droplets from his body.

“What were you and Frederick talking about?” Clay broke the silence and asked. He’d finished wiping Captain and had placed him on his shoulder. It was Captain’s favorite place to chill.

“Nothing much,” I replied. I didn’t like keeping things from Clay, but this wasn’t my secret to spill.

Clay didn’t seem to like my answer and pouted. Or at least he did something with his lips that looked more like a pout than I’d ever seen them.

“He totally has a thing for you,” he muttered and reached up to pet Captain, probably to comfort himself.

I laughed. “While I’m honored you think everyone has a thing for me, I’m actually not that popular.”

He eyed me. “That’s not what your track record says,” he grumbled. “You’ve probably dated all the eligible men and women in all the neighboring towns.”

His frown deepened, and I went to kiss it away. “Those were just dates, and nothing more. Besides, you’re the reason I went on all those dates.”

He looked utterly confused, and I laughed again. I didn’t blame him, because honestly, my actions baffled even myself. They say you do the craziest things when you’re in love…and I was living proof of that.

“I only dated those people so that I could pretend to be heartbroken, so that you’d comfort me,” I admitted softly. I watched Hook sniff around my palm, too ashamed to look at Clay. “I was so desperate for your kisses, I was willing to lie to you for them.”

I finally peered at him when I was met with silence. Clay’s mouth was hanging open so wide, Captain tried to stick his head inside of it.

That shocked him back into action as he grabbed the naughty rat to his chest. Captain let out an angry squeak at the sudden movement, but he was easily quelled with a treat and was put back into his cage. I grabbed a treat for Hook, too, before settling him with Captain.

As soon as the boys were safely back in their home, Clay spun me around and smashed his lips against mine.

“Clay, what are you—”

He took my lips again and shuffled me backwards. He released me only long enough to push me onto the couch. The air left my lungs at the sudden action, and before I could catch my breath, Clay was on me again.

I was loving the sudden enthusiasm, but he was stealing the very last breath out of me. I pounded on his back when the suffocation was too much.

Clay finally gave me a break, but his lips didn’t leave me. He nuzzled his head into the crook of my neck and softly nibbled on the tender skin there.

I sucked in precious air and rubbed his back, because it felt like he needed the comfort.

“You’ve loved me all this time?” he asked in a hushed tone.

“I loved you since before our parents told us they were together,” I admitted.

Then, with bitterness in my tone, I added, “One of my biggest regrets is not telling you I loved you before they told us about their relationship. I’ve wondered so many times how different things would be now.

Would you have accepted my feelings, or would you have broken my heart?

Sometimes, I’d even think that either of those options was fine.

Closure would have been better than not knowing. ”

He lifted his head to look at me, and I was surprised to see the pain in those gentle greens.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“For what?” I asked, genuinely shocked by the apology. He hadn’t done anything that warranted one.

“For not realizing sooner and putting you through pain all these years.”

I smiled and swept a hand through his soft hair. “You realized now, so it was all worth it,” I told him.

“And just so you know, I wouldn’t have rejected you or broken your heart,” Clay murmured.

I smiled, knowing he was just saying that to comfort me. Fifteen-year-old Clay probably didn’t see me that way.

He took one look at my smile and instantly knew I was faking it. I didn’t expect anything less from someone who was always watching me.

“You’re my entire world, Dan, even back then.

I might not have realized what that really meant until recently, but that’s because I was so focused on just being near you that I wasn’t thinking about anything else.

But my feelings for you probably started from the first time I’d met you, and it just kept on growing. ”

I didn’t know what to say to that. The fact that Clay could have liked me even back then? That made the kid inside me giddy. Who wouldn’t feel that way when their first crush felt the same?

My childish crush had come true and matured into a love we could nurture and grow together.

Clay took my hand, his grip so tight it almost hurt.

He looked vulnerable as he said, “I hated you being with other people, you know? It drove me crazy when you went on those dates. I’d pace our college apartment, wondering if this was the person who’d take you away from me.

I’d be so relieved when you came home sad.

I hated seeing you unhappy, but I was so fucking relieved that you were still mine and I’d get to comfort you. ”

“If it makes you feel any better, I wasn’t really sad about the failed dates. I just wanted your kisses,” I confessed.

He smirked and plopped a kiss on my lips. “You can have them. When you’re sad, happy, and all the emotions in between, they’re yours. I’m yours,” he said, and that healed something inside of me.

I’d wanted him to be mine for most of my life, and now hearing him say he was? The pieces of my heart that chipped away over the years mended themselves.

Clay smiled and kissed me again. “I love you,” he murmured ever so softly, and I definitely didn’t feel a teardrop slide down my face.

Clay didn’t point them out. He kissed each of my eyelids and licked away the remaining wetness before finding my lips again.

The slightly salty flavor on his tongue made me crave more of him until all my limbs were wrapped around him. I was an octopus clinging on to him for dear life. He could wear me like this every day if he wanted to.

Clay snorted out a laugh that broke the kiss. “I can’t touch you like this,” he said.

Although very reluctant, his words made sense, and I was craving his hands on me. He planted a sweet kiss on my nose. A reward for listening, perhaps? If he kept giving me rewards like these, I’d do whatever the hell he wanted.

I loved it when Clay was a good boy for me. Maybe he felt the same.

I thought Clay would touch me the same way he did in my minivan. He pushed up my shirt so he could access my chest. Most of my shirt bunched up around my shoulders.

He was especially fond of caressing my pecs, which made sense. Clay was into women, and I had pretty big pecs from working out, if I did say so myself.

So, color me surprised when his exploration moved further down. His hand left a burning trail of need as he played with the sparse gathering of hair on my lower belly, and it was absolutely burning when he cupped my bulge.

His fingers hooked into the top of my pants and tickled the tips of my pubes. My hand covered his before he could go any further.

“You don’t have to force yourself,” I told him. “I’m already more than happy with you touching me like this.”

The look he gave me scorched more than his hot hands. “You think I’m forcing myself?” he asked incredulously.

“Yeah? I mean, dick doesn’t do it for you. You’re not attracted to men.”

Clay was quiet, almost pensive. “You’d be okay with that? If I never touched you?”

“You are touching me,” I pointed out.

“I meant here.” He emphasized his point by squeezing me through my pants. I wasn’t proud of the whiny, needy noise that slipped from my lips.

Clay smirked and continued to fondle me over the thick layers. I wanted to strip down so I could feel him without anything separating us, but my fears kept me frozen still.

“It might disgust you,” I whispered.

Clay’s eyes softened as he leaned down and landed a kiss that was meant only to console me.

His lips were warm against mine as he spoke.

“I never really considered my sexuality because I’ve been too focused on you, so I can’t tell you if I’ll like other men.

But what I can tell you is that I’ve watched Dan Yao for most of my life, and there isn’t a single thing about him I don’t like. He’s nice all over.”

Clay didn’t date around much, and maybe that was a good thing, because that smooth mouth of his? Yeah, women would be falling at his feet. Then I’d have to fight through them all to get to him.

“You promise?” I asked cheekily.

He kissed down my cheek and nibbled on my prominent collarbone while his hand groped my pec and teased the stiffened peak there.

“Dan, I’ve been dying to see you since the first time. You better not take the chance away from me again,” he said hoarsely.

I was still wrapping my head around his words when I noticed he’d expertly undid my button with one hand. Then, in one skilled movement, he pulled off my jeans and yanked my underwear down my legs.

My cock bounced against my abs and left a sticky trail of precum before rocking back into the air.

“There you are,” Clay said throatily. I clenched my bunched-up shirt and could only watch, helpless, as Clay palmed me again, this time without any layers between us.

I watched him without blinking, wanting to commit every single detail of this moment into memory. I’d dreamed about Clay touching me since I learned what masturbating was, and now he was actually doing it. Clay’s hand was on my dick! And I was probably going to blow any second now.

“I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted to see you like this, so hard, so needy for me,” he said, and I whimpered. “And just like I told you, everything about you is so. Fucking. Nice.”

His hand emphasized each word with a firm pump. I was coming before he could finish sounding out the last word.

My back arched, causing Clay to pump my sensitive dick again. A white haze covered my vision for a moment as I labored through the orgasm Clay gave me.

When my senses returned, he was looking at his cum-covered hand. Fuck, was he disgusted with having another man’s sperm on him? I quickly tore my shirt over my head to clean him up, but was once again surprised by what this man would do.

His finger slipped into his mouth, and he lapped up my white essence. If I could have, I would have gotten hard again. I probably could have come from that visual alone.

“Not what I expected,” Clay casually said, like he hadn’t just blown my mind. “It’s bitter, but still nice.”

Now I knew he was just saying shit to butter me up. I’d never heard anyone describe the taste of sperm as nice, but before I could argue, Clay popped the button of his jeans open and pulled out his own erection.

The thick vein that ran the length of it was an angry red. I wanted to feel it throb against my tongue. But I didn’t even get a chance to play with his dick, since Clay took matters into his own hands.

Literally.

He used my cum to ease the glide, and if that wasn’t the most wickedly sexy thing ever, then I didn’t know what was. His teeth caught on his lower lip, and with one last stroke, Clay was coming. His sperm mixed with mine until they blended together in his hand.

I was once again so fucking thankful Clay hadn’t been interested in dating till now. Even just the thought of someone else getting to see this side of Clay had jealousy coursing through my blood. I wanted to be the only one to see him like this, now and forever.