Page 37 of The Aster Valley Collection, Vol. 1

I chuckled and tightened my arms around him. “That was really nice.” Before he had a chance to think I meant the kissing, I continued. “Dinner with another couple, I mean. It felt…” I shrugged and felt my face heat. “It felt really normal and… I don’t know. Grown-up? Is that cheesy?”

Mikey stood on tiptoes to get closer to meeting my eyes. “Yes, but I agree. It kinda felt like a double date. I thought it would be weird, but it wasn’t. Makes me wish we lived here. Everyone’s so nice and welcoming.”

I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not, but I liked the idea we were of the same mind about it. Life here in Aster Valley was very different than our life back home, and I was grateful we had several weeks left to enjoy it.

Suddenly, I remembered how close Christmas was and how much Mikey adored the holiday.

Despite being in the middle of the season, Christmas was a big deal at our house back home.

Mikey usually decorated like a pro, setting up several trees around the house and twirling garland and lights everywhere.

If we happened to be home for Christmas Eve, he made a huge feast and invited everyone over.

“Let’s go get a tree tomorrow before the game,” I said excitedly. “We’ll pick up lights and decorations in town and put it in the kitchen near the fireplace so we can see it every night.”

His eyes lit up until he remembered something. “I told your parents we’d go there for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Your sister and the kids are coming over for brunch. There’s no reason to decorate this place if we’re not going to be here.”

I pushed his hair back from his forehead and dropped a kiss on the smooth skin there. “Don’t care. We’ll still do a tree here, okay? We can enjoy it until Christmas Eve.”

The idea of missing the game tomorrow made me itchy, but I tried not to think about it.

Winter had told me my arm and shoulder were doing better than expected, and I was in good shape to bump up a level on the conditioning.

My hand was another story, but we were working on it.

All I could do in the meantime was keep up my food intake and exercise, study the game film the coaches sent me, and be ready to return as soon as I got the green light.

“I’d like that,” Mikey said. “And Tiller?”

I looked down at his sweet brown eyes framed by his adorable, nerdy glasses. “Hm?”

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot today. Actually, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, and maybe that says something slutty about me, I don’t know—although, that’s not very sex-positive of me, so I take it back—but anyway.” He gasped in a breath. “Where was I?”

“Pretty much, I’m still back on the word slutty,” I admitted. He was clearly flustered. “Talk to me, Mike.”

We were still standing in the large entry hall, so I pulled him by the hand toward my bedroom. When we entered the large space, I sat him on the edge of the bed and squatted in front of him, holding his hands and meeting his eyes. “What’s going through your head?”

“I want to have sex,” he blurted.

I blinked at him. “Ah, maybe I’m an ass for making assumptions, but I sort of figured we’d get naked at some point tonight and…”

Mikey shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean. Fucking. Anal. Like… sex .”

He seemed so flustered. I hated seeing him dance around his words with me. “You want me to fuck you, or were you thinking?—”

His head snapped up. “Yes! That one. The first one. I want you to fuck me. And you don’t have to worry. It’s not that I don’t know if I’ll like it. I, um, I use a dildo and stuff at home. I just… I just haven’t been with someone I really wanted to do it with. But…”

He didn’t have to say it. Things between us were good. Really good. And I’d never felt more comfortable with someone in bed before the way I did with him.

“You sure?” I asked, smoothing my thumbs over the back of his hands. “Because you know I’ll be super fucking happy with anything we do. I don’t need?—”

“Stop talking. I’m sure. You’re killing me.” Mikey rolled his eyes and threw himself back on the bed. “This is excruciating.”

I stood up and crawled onto the bed over him, peering down at his closed eyes.

Dark eyelashes brushed the tender skin beneath his eyes.

I pulled off his glasses and dropped a kiss right there.

And then another on the other side. When I was done kissing his entire face, I carefully placed his glasses on the nightstand and began undressing him.

“Is this why you didn’t eat dinner?” I asked.

Mikey’s face flushed deep red, and it sent streaks down his throat. “Maybe. I was hoping you hadn’t noticed. Can we not talk about it, please?”

I ran a finger along the side of his neck and felt my heart kick up when he shivered beneath me. “Talking is important. I hope you know I’m not easily bothered by stuff.” I didn’t want to embarrass him, but I also wanted him to know I was on board with fooling around with him no matter what.

His neck tasted warm and sweet. I moved my mouth down to his chest so I could tease a nipple lightly with my teeth.

Mikey’s legs came up to wrap around my back, and his dick arched up into my sternum.

I leaned down and ran my tongue around the head, capturing the salty taste of him.

Naked Mikey was a feast for the senses. I loved the way he felt and smelled and tasted.

The sounds of pleasure he made hit me square in the groin, and watching his skin tighten into goose bumps ramped me up even more.

While I sucked on his dick, I reached for the bottle of lube on the nightstand and used it to quickly slick up my fingers.

As soon as I slid the first finger inside him, I knew we weren’t going to make it. He was so hot and tight, and the whimpers coming out of him were so fucking sexy, I had to reach down and clasp my own cock to keep from coming all over his leg.

“Christ,” I said, pulling off just enough to take a deep breath. “You’re so fucking sexy.”

“Flip around,” he said urgently. “Wanna suck you, too.”

Our height difference didn’t make it the smoothest, but we more than made up for the awkward position with straight-up enthusiasm. I’d never felt so free and open with a sexual partner before—that was a given considering I’d only had quick hookups in the past—and this was wild and thrilling.

I doubled down on my attempts to drive him out of his mind. My finger searched for his spot while my throat worked him over.

“Fuck!” As he came, he replaced his mouth on my dick with a tight, talented fist. The squeeze, coupled with the taste of him in my mouth, brought my climax screaming over me.

So much for our big sex plans. The orgasm wiped me out. I lay there panting like I’d just run for an eighty-yard pass and hauled ass to the end zone for a touchdown in double coverage.

“Sorry,” I said, even though I wasn’t.

He let out a breathless chuckle. “Pretty sure my brain is in a thousand pieces right now. No sorry needed.”

I moved around to face him on the bed and brushed my palm down his face. “We had plans for more.”

Mikey’s face relaxed into a tender smile as he turned to press a kiss in my palm. “I know where you live. I’ll take a rain check.”

My heart did a little spinny number at the idea I’d get more chances to have sex with Mikey V.

The very thought of pressing my dick inside of him made me almost get hard again, but I didn’t quite have it in me.

I was tired from the long day and ready to curl up around Mikey’s hot little body and lose myself to sleep.

“Thank you for today,” I said as I moved us under the covers of the large bed and arranged him the way I wanted him. His limbs were like jelly, and he stayed exactly where I put him.

Just as I was drifting into sleep, he murmured something against my chest.

“What was that, baby?” I asked in a soft voice.

“I’m really hungry.”

I laughed so loudly, I woke us both up again.

We finally got out of bed and made our way into the kitchen for a midnight snack where we spent another hour talking about what a nice time we’d had with Gent and Winter.

This “time out of time” in Aster Valley was so different from our lives in Houston.

It was bittersweet, because I could see Mikey thriving away from his family and among kind people who had nothing to do with football and who showed interest in who he was and what he enjoyed doing.

Aster Valley was good for Mikey, but it wasn’t until the following day it finally sunk in.

Mikey moving to Aster Valley wasn’t just an idle thought, but a distinct possibility.