I wanted to heal her.
But Ashton, like the goddamn tornado he is, swooped in and scooped her up.
I’m happy that they’re happy, I am. But I have to wonder how long this happiness will last. How long until Ashton fucks it all up and Mia is sad and crying again.
After the meet, I tried to keep busy at my office going over plays, but I was too pissed to focus and eventually came home. Maybe I can drown the noise in my head with rum instead.
There’s a knock on the door, so I set the bottle down and go answer it. I swing it open and standing on the other side is Brayden. I was shocked as shit to see him at Ashton’s meet. This entire week I’ve been avoiding the apartment. When I’m not at practice, I’ve been bouncing between the office and Mia’s place, so I had no clue how close Brayden and Ashton have gotten.
Fucking Ashton.
Fucking Brayden.
How is it that Ashton fucks everything up and still gets the girl and the guy?
“Ashton’s not here.”
Brayden glares. “I’m not here for Ashton.”
“Oh, sorry, I just assumed since you’ve apparently been hanging out with him all week that you were.”
“What the fuck is your problem?” Brayden hisses. “I know you’re not really pissed that, while you’ve been avoiding me all week, I’ve been hanging out with Ashton.”
“The guy you kissed,” I correct.
“The guy who’s now with Mia,” he volleys.
I scoff. “It’ll never work out.”
Brayden’s brows hit his forehead. “Is that what this is about? Mia? What happened this week between you two?”
“I comforted her… You know because the guy she was supposed to be dating kissed her best friend.”
“And now they’re together.” He shrugs nonchalantly.
“Until he hurts her again. Kisses another guy… fucks another guy.”
Brayden eyes me for several seconds, like he’s trying to figure me out. Good luck with that, buddy. Not even I know what the hell is going on with me. “You’re not worried about Mia getting hurt again…” he finally says, shaking his head. “You fell for her.”
“What?” I splutter, thrown off guard by his statement.
“You. Fell. For. Mia. The same way I did. The same way Ashton did. And now you’re pissed they’re together and you’re alone.”
“I guess you failing your classes makes sense,” I spit, trying to deflect. “Since you apparently don’t pay attention.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Brayden asks, stepping over the threshold and into my face.
“It means, I don’t want Mia—”
“Bullshit.”
“I want you!”
My words echo around in my heart for the longest second known to man and then Brayden pounces. His mouth crashes against mine, forcing me to stumble back. He slams the door shut and pushes me up against it. “You want me?” he taunts. “Then show me.”
His mouth is back on mine, his tongue slipping past my lips. He kisses me hard and deep, and I kiss him right back, giving myself completely over to him. It’s been too damn long since the last time I touched him, tasted him, and I’m jonesing for a hit.
As he reaches for my pants, I remember where we are. “Wait,” I murmur against his lips, grabbing his wrist. “I don’t want to rush this.” The last time we were together, in the hotel room, it was rushed. We were both angry and desperate. This time, I want to take our time. He demanded I show him that I want him, and I plan to do just that.
Brayden pulls back, misunderstanding me, confusion and hurt swimming in his eyes. “Let’s go to my room,” I clarify. His eyes light up at my words, and I vow to make sure Brayden is always happy, so he never looks sad again.
The second we’re in my room, Brayden is on me. Placing kisses along my jaw. His lips are firm yet soft, and every kiss is filled with intent and passion.
“Wanna know why I was here every day?” he asks, nipping at my bottom lip.
Our eyes meet and I wait for him to tell me.
“I was hoping to run into you,” he says. “Yeah, I wanted to be there for Ashton and somewhere along the way we actually became friends, but we could’ve hung out anywhere.”
He pulls my shirt over my head and places a kiss to my left pec, swirling his tongue around my nipple. The sensation shoots straight to my dick, forcing me to let out a groan.
“Every day I kept waiting for you to show up,” he says, kissing my right pec. “But you never did.”
He licks my nipple, then bites down on it, and I groan louder, silently wishing for him to never stop touching me.
“I was at the office and Mia’s place,” I choke out, trying to focus on what he’s saying but distracted by the way he’s licking my nipples.
“Do you want her, Drew?” he asks. “Do you want her to be the one kissing you?” He kisses my lips. “Do you want her to be the one sucking on you?” He runs his tongue down the side of my throat and sucks on my neck. “Do you want her to be the one licking you?” His tongue laves at my left nipple.
I swallow thickly, unsure how the fuck to answer those fucking questions.
“You do, don’t you?” he asks, grabbing the button of my jeans and undoing them.
“I want you,” I choke out. “I came here for you.”
He pushes my pants and boxer briefs down my thighs and then he drops to his knees. “You might’ve come here for me,” he says. “But you want Mia too now. What about Ashton?” he asks, taking my hard as steel dick in his hand. “Do you wish Ashton were the one stroking your dick right now?”
I shake my head, but I can’t speak. I can’t answer him. I can’t lie to him. It’s all fucking confusing.
“I want you,” I tell him again. “I came here for you.”
Brayden nods. “But you fell for them too, didn’t you?”
He releases my dick and stands, taking my face in his strong palms. “I did too,” he admits. “I fell for them both too.”
“It doesn’t change how I feel about you,” I tell him. “I came here for you.”
“I know,” he says, “and it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
“And how is that?” I ask, needing to hear the words. “How do you feel about me?”
“I love you. I always have,” Brayden says, and then his mouth is back on me. He steers us over to the bed, where we both scramble to take our clothes off between kisses.
Once we’re both naked, we drop onto my bed. Brayden pushes me onto my back and then kisses along my neck and down my chest and torso. He settles himself between my legs and takes my dick in his hands. “I’ve imagined what it would be like to do this for years,” he says, licking the swollen head. “But I never thought it would happen.”
My heart clenches in my chest, an overwhelming pain spearing straight into it. He didn’t think it would happen because I ran. I wasted eight years running from him instead of to him. We could’ve had this years ago.
Brayden slowly licks his way up my dick, from root to tip, and I momentarily close my eyes, enjoying the feel of his mouth on me. “Open your eyes,” he demands, stopping his ministrations.