Page 40 of Stay with Me
“The mini volcano and a glass of milk.” Drew wasn’t sure if his stomach was going to even accept something as non-spicy as pancakes but he needed to order something. He needed to release all the tension he was holding before anything would stay down.
“I’ll be back shortly, gentlemen.” The waiter checked their coffee carafe before walking away.
Drew watched Brody fuss with his coffee mug, not quite looking at Drew. Taking a deep breath, Drew started to talk. “First and foremost, I am sorry. I treated you very badly and I am beyond grateful that you’re sitting here with me. It was probably a good idea that Nicole was with her father when Nova got to me. Her vocabulary would definitely be way too colorful for a one-year-old if she’d heard her mother.”
Brody chuckled at Drew’s description of Nova dressing him down, which was a good thing. “I’m sure she didn’t pull any punches.”
“No one did. Well, after they all figured out that I was okay. Tris, Julia, and my cousins were the first line. We all watched when our dads or uncles would gather when one of them came back from deployment. They were the best support network for each other. Everyone assembled to help me get my head on straight. Then my parents, aunts, and uncles stepped in. Not going to lie, there were tears. Mental health isn’t an area that any of us studied. Well, unless you count Carter.”
“Carter? I don’t remember meeting a Carter,” Brody interrupted.
Drew shook his head. “Um, kind of a long story. Short of it, he served with Uncle Mackey and the heptad adopted him and his friends.”
“They just can’t help taking care of soldiers, can they?” Brody sounded a bit wistful as he asked his question.
“They don’t even try to not do it. They’ve pulled you into their sphere if you didn’t realize it.” The waiter approached and placed plates in front of them. He paused and when neither of them asked for anything, he left. Drew and Brody took a few bites of their meals before Drew started talking again. “Cal did a bit of research while we were all together and came up with mehaving an overdeveloped younger sibling syndrome. Watching all of them always, well, what I saw as always, succeeding in everything, gave me a sense of inferiority.” Drew stopped talking and took a sip of coffee. Looking down, he realized he’d shredded his napkin. Brody’s hand appeared in his line of sight, palm up. He took Brody’s offering and grabbed his hand.
“Time was a bit compressed for most of the family but I did get to spend time talking with all of them. I told them that I didn’t want to stay in the military. That I want to work search and rescue somewhere. I thought that my announcement would be met with denial and shock. They surprised me instead. Noah gloated about suspecting how I felt and how he should’ve taken bets. I drove Uncle Mackey and Uncle Scott back to Kentucky with Smokey.” In between bites, Drew told Brody about his dinner with Coop. Before he knew it, they were both done eating and they were just playing with their mugs.
“Come home with me?” Brody asked softly.
“Check!” Drew called out. His mother had not raised a moron.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The ride to his condo was quiet but Brody knew if he opened his mouth the only thing that would come out was begging for Drew to drive faster. Every minute, every second of breakfast had tried Brody’s patience. He’d spent the last eight days alternating between wanting Drew back and wanting to never see him again. After listening to Drew talk about his time with his family; everything they pointed out to him; the verbal smackdown that he received — Trish was right about that one. Brody knew that Drew’s sense of self-worth wasn’t repaired but he was on the path to believing in himself as much as his family believed in him.
Drew pulled into the parking spot and shifted the Jeep in park. Brody was out of the car before Drew could take his keys from the ignition. He rounded the Jeep and opened his door. Grabbing Drew’s hand, Brody dragged him behind him as he rushed to his condo. He jammed his key in the lock and threw open the door. He pushed Drew up against the wall before taking a kiss. It wasn’t an easy peck. Oh, no. It demanded Drew participate. That he give Brody what he wanted right now and Drew didn’t disappoint. Their tongues fought back and forth. Drew bit Brody’s bottom lip, almost drawing blood it was so sharp.
“Hey, I’m here and not going anywhere. We can slow down,” Drew said as he pulled back to close the door. “I’m sure it was a long shift for you. How about you take a shower and I’ll be waiting for you on the couch?”
Brody was shaking his head before Drew could finish his sentence. “How about you join me in the shower and we can take the edge off?” He grabbed Drew’s belt loop and towed him inhis wake. When Drew followed without a fight, Brody let go and tore off his scrub top, dropping it somewhere in the hallway. He really didn’t care where their clothes ended up; he wanted Drew naked and wet.
He started the shower and by the time it was hot, Drew was naked and pushing against Brody’s equally naked back. They stumbled into the water, neither one seeming to want to let go of the other. Drew pressed him against the tiles, making Brody hiss.
“Damn that’s cold,” he said as he shifted his weight to turn and face Drew. The water had plastered Drew’s hair to his skull, drops coating his eyelashes. Brody thought he was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen. The sense of urgency that had invade Brody settled. A sense of right, a sense of belonging, overcame Brody. He leaned in and ran his tongue along Drew’s bottom lip before he reached around him and grabbed a wash cloth and the body gel.
Brody positioned Drew out of the direct spray of water and began running the cloth over his chest. He paid attention to Drew’s nipples, making him moan. Brody splashed some water over Drew before licking at his nipples while running his cloth-covered hand to his hips and groin.
“Oh fuck,” Drew gasped. “Let me—”
“Nope. My show right now. You stand there and take it. I’m in charge for now,” Brody commanded before he let go of Drew’s cock to drop to his knees. The tile was hard but Brody ignored the slight discomfort to take Drew into his mouth. He ran his hands up and down Drew’s legs as he batted his tongue against the slit, cleaning up the leaking precum. He set up a fast rhythm, sliding his mouth down and up, applying a tight suction as he pulled back. He could feel the restraint in Drew’s body. He leaned back and gazed at Drew. When Drew met his gaze,Brody demanded, “Give me everything. Don’t hold back.” He didn’t wait for a reply, dropping his mouth back over the head. Drew grabbed his head and began thrusting. He could hear Drew talking but couldn’t make out what the words over the water. A minute? An hour? Brody lost track of time as he took everything Drew had to give him.
“Brode, you need to stop. I’m about to—” was all Drew said before Brody felt the cock in his mouth pulse, flooding his tongue with cum. He had to pull off the cock as Drew’s legs gave way and he collapsed next to Brody on the shower’s floor. Brody looked at his man and couldn’t stop the smirk from appearing on his face. Drew looked stunned.
Perfect.
Before he could do or say anything, Drew attacked. He pushed Brody backward and dove for his dick. There was no finesse, no soft touches. Drew sucked Brody’s cock into his mouth and set up a punishing rhythm as one of his hands slid between Brody’s legs, massaging his taint while the other reached to pinch his nipples. The multi-faceted attack pushed Brody over the edge so fast, Brody’s vision grayed. When he came to, the water was off and Drew was helping him to stand.
Drew wrapped a towel around Brody’s shoulders and asked, “Round two in the bedroom?”
§ § § §
Brody was slowly waking up. He knew he needed to get ready for work but he was so comfortable. He was snuggled up next to Drew and the past week seemed just a bad dream.
“Time to get up, sleepyhead,” Drew whispered before he placed a kiss on Brody’s head.
He snuggled closer, if that was possible, and refused to open his eyes. “Nope, I’m going to stay right here.” Brody felt more than heard Drew’s laughter.
