Page 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Tobias

There is a little over a week before Christmas and I’m dreading it more than I ever have before.

Christmas has been hard since my father died.

The way he loved the holidays annoyed a lot of people, especially my family, but it isn’t just missing him that’s making it hard this year.

It’s the way Thanksgiving went with my mother and sister.

The way my sister hasn’t laid off at all, and instead is going harder at me.

I’m on the verge of exploding if she doesn’t back off. Things have never been this bad before.

I told myself I wouldn’t tell her what our mother did because she’d never feel the way I do.

Or she’ll think I’m lying. Either way, it’ll make me look at her differently.

I fear it’ll make me hate her. It’s bad enough I’m hardly hanging on to loving her solely because she’s my sister.

Seeing her react to what happened to our father would destroy me in ways I’m not ready to handle .

I’ve been so busy with work the last week, I haven’t had time to see Theo.

We’ve texted all week and even spoke on the phone a few times.

I’m heading over to his house shortly, and to say I’m excited is an understatement.

It’s weird that I’m looking forward to spending time with him.

That I, dare I say, miss him? It’s a strange thought, but I don’t hate it.

Though, maybe my excitement is over meeting this dog he got.

That was a random thing that happened. I wasn’t expecting to receive a ton of photos of a dog followed by texts telling me that he did a thing and adopted an animal.

She’s very sweet. I love dogs. Maybe if I were home more often, I’d get one.

I told him I was glad he chose her and not a cat, since I’m allergic.

He told me he doesn’t like cats anyway—their claws are too sharp.

It made me laugh. Maybe if I ever pull my head out of my ass and choose to have a family, a dog will be a part of that.

I dress in a casual pair of khaki joggers and a white thermal and order the car before fixing my hair.

When I get the alert that the car has arrived, I grab the bottle of whiskey I bought for tonight and head out.

Twenty minutes later, I’m walking up Theo’s front steps and knocking on his door.

I’m surprised when I don’t hear barking from inside.

The door opens, and they both greet me. Theo with a smile, and Biscuit with a wagging tail.

“Hey, girl,” I say, dropping to my knees the moment I’m inside. I put the bottle on the ground beside me and scratch her neck. She licks my face and practically sits on my lap.

“I think she likes you,” Theo says with a chuckle .

“I hope so,” I comment, nuzzling her face. “I love dogs.”

“You know, I was worried.”

I look up at Theo. “Seriously?”

Biscuit nudges me, looking for attention, so I keep scratching her as I wait for Theo to answer.

“Yeah, well… based off the first night we met, I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about pets.”

I roll my eyes. “I was working.”

“First impressions last.”

Getting to my feet, I grab the bottle of whiskey and hand it to Theo.

“What’s this for?”

I shrug. “We drink a lot, and I thought it was only fair.”

He grins, putting it on the coffee table as I sit on the couch. Biscuit jumps up and lays down on my lap, resting her head on the arm rest. “If I were a child, I’d be smothered.”

Theo laughs, sitting as close as he can and running his hand along her back while I scratch behind her ear.

“She’s a good dog,” he says.

“Seems like it. Good job picking her.”

“She picked me, I think.” He gives me a smile before saying, “So, are we drinking this?”

“Yes, but I was hoping we could play a game.”

“What kind of game?” he asks carefully.

“It’s called Break the Silence. It requires lots of drinking… on your part, probably. ”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asks, humored.

“You’ll find out when we play.”

“When is that going to be?”

I lean over, grasping his chin and pulling him in for a gentle kiss. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

We find a movie to watch, and the three of us cuddle on the couch and laugh at Adam Sandler as he goes back to Elementary school as an adult.

I try not to obsess over how easy this is, and how it shouldn’t feel so normal, but I fail too many times.

I should just let it be and enjoy that I’m happy, but… I can’t be with Theo. Not like this.

When the movie is done, Theo takes Biscuit outside to pee, then puts her in the crate to sleep.

“I hated doing it at first, but she’s been calmer and sleeps better.”

“That’s what it’s there for. Maybe as she gets more used to you and the house, she won’t need it.”

He nods. “I plan to let her settle for another month or so, then leave it open once she’s inside. Give her the option and see how it goes.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me.” I grab the bottle of whiskey and move toward his bedroom, turning on my heel to face him before going inside. “You ready to play?”

He eyes me warily but nods.

I crack the bottle open, putting the cap and the bottle on the nightstand .

“So, here’s how we play,” I start. “We both get naked.”

“I like where this is going already.”

I shake my head. “I’m going first, since I brought the alcohol. You’re going to lie on the bed, and you can’t make any sounds. I’m going to do whatever I can to make you—”

“Break the silence,” he says with a groan, his head falling back to show off his slender throat. “This sounds like an awful game.”

“Each time you make a sound, you have to take a shot. We each get two minutes.”

With a huff, he tears his shirt off. “I’m going to get so drunk.”

His dick bulges against his sweatpants, and I salivate as I watch it pop out from his pants.

I’ve yet to put him in my mouth for more than a second, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it.

We are friends with benefits, after all.

I can think these things now, without it being a problem.

It’s been busy so we haven’t been able to reap many of the benefits yet, but once the holidays are over, I will change that.

I forgot how nice it is to have someone to fuck consistently, even if we’ve only made out and messed around so far.

Knowing it could happen at any time, like if I called him at three am, is tempting.

I didn’t do that because I didn’t want to wake him, but if I had, he would have let me come over.

“Are you getting naked?” he asks.

“Not yet. ”

Theo gets on the bed, lying down in the middle and making himself comfortable.

“I’m going to make a fool of myself,” he complains.

“I won’t be mad if you moan the whole time,” I say, sitting on the bed to get my shoes off.

Theo makes a distressed sound, throwing his arm over his face.

“Please don’t laugh if I come,” he mutters.

My gaze goes from his face to his dick that is leaking pre-cum and harder than I’ve ever seen a dick before.

“I most definitely will not laugh.” My voice comes out husky, and I bite back a growl when his dick throbs.

I crawl onto the bed, settling between his legs. I lean forward, noting he’s already breathing hard. I lick his nipple. His back arcs from the bed and he hisses in a breath.

“Fuck.” He reaches for the bottle, but I grab his wrist. Moving his arm away from his eyes, he looks at me questioningly.

“I didn’t start the timer yet.”

“You’re torturing me!”

“Don’t act like you aren’t enjoying it.”

He frowns, and I pull my phone from my pocket. I put the timer up, drop the phone on the bed, and hover my finger over the large green circle to start.

“Ready?” I ask.

He nods, so I press the button, then lean down again to lick his nipple.

This time he’s prepared, and he doesn’t make a sound, but his body still jerks.

When I’d thought of playing this game with him, a game I completely made up, by the way, I considered my best plan of action.

I had a feeling I could make him come if I went right to sucking his dick for the full two minutes. But where is the fun in that?

Torturing him, as he called it, is better. So I’m going to take it slow. Tease him. Let him think it won’t be so bad. Maybe I’ll do this for two or three rounds before I go all out.

I slowly lick my way across to the other nipple, then place open-mouthed kisses along each of his ribs. His body moves against my mouth, but outside of his breathing increasing, he doesn’t make any sounds. My mouth never goes below his waist before the timer buzzes, which makes him jump.

“Look at that,” I say. “Not even one drink.”

“You were just being nice.” I grin as he sits up, gesturing away from the bed. “Get undressed. It’s my turn.”

I like him when he’s bossy. I get naked and get into place. His bed is warm, and it smells just like him. Setting the timer, I put my phone on the bed beside me.

“Press start whenever you’re ready,” I tell him.

He sits back on his calves, looking at me from head to toe.

“I can’t decide where I want to start.”

“For some reason, I thought you’d be shy in bed.”

He raises a brow. “Why?”

“First impressions.”

“I was nervous,” he grouses.

“You’re not now?” I ask .

“I am, it’s just… different.” He shrugs.

I nod because I get it. Things with Theo are easy. They have been since the very first moment, even if things were a little tense during our first date.

He leans over me, tapping the button on the phone to start the time. Then his green eyes meet mine, his lips hovering right above mine.

“I’m not as nice as you are,” he says just before crawling downward and swiping his tongue over the crown of my cock.

I lift my hips but grit my teeth and don’t make a sound.

“Didn’t expect you to be,” I grumble.

This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. When did he learn how to suck a dick? What he did last time wasn’t awful. For his first time, it was good, but you’d never think this was only his second time, unless…

“Have you been sucking dick or something?” I ask, lifting up on my elbows.

He lifts off me, scowling. “For that, I’m counting it as a sound. So, drink.” He jabs a finger at the bottle, and I think of arguing it, but my comment was a little rude. So I grab the bottle and take a swig. When his mouth comes back around me, sucking on the very tip, I groan accidentally.

Fuck.

He smirks as I reach for the bottle to take another swallow. How the hell is he winning right now ?

Thankfully, I make it through the rest of the time without any mishaps. When we switch positions, I say, “I’m not taking it easy on you this time.”

He grins. “Give me your best.”