Page 45 of Good Friends
He drove off.
If it wasn’t for the way his ass was deliciously stretched and stinging, he’d almost believe he’d imagined the whole thing.
And as he lay there later that night and failed to fall asleep, one thing kept pulsing through his mind—I can’t lose him again.
Chapter Fourteen
Porter honestly didn’t know what choice Gavin would make and did his level best not to obsess about it too much overnight.
Still, he slept, but restlessly, and with nightmares sprinkled through what little he did get.
The next morning…
Gavin was waiting in the parking lot when Porter arrived at work almost an hour early. He saw Gavin climb out of his truck as soon as he spotted Porter’s approaching. Then he stood there, ready, when Porter parked.
Porter’s pulse pounded as his soul soared, hopeful.
I need a fucking win. Please?
Porter got out of his truck, stood there, and studied Gavin for a long moment. “Did you decide?” Porter asked.
“Yes, Sir,” Gavin said, sending Porter’s hopes soaring.
“And?”
Gavin took a deep breath. For a second, Porter felt certain he was about to have his heart gutted.
“Together, Sir.” Gavin blinked back tears. “Please,” he whispered, begging. “Together. I need you, Sir. I’ve missed you, and I love you, and I want you. Please?”
Relief swept through him, so sharp and sweet that it triggered tears in Porter’s eyes. “Marry me,” Porter said.
Gavin’s eyes widened. “What?”
“Marry me, dammit. You want proof I love you? Marry me. No other guys. Won’t even play with other guys. Just you and me.”
He watched Gavin’s throat work as he nervously swallowed.
Porter took a step closer. “Want me to drop down onto one knee right here? Because I will.”
“Wh-what’s the catch?” Gavin softly asked.
Porter shook his head. “No catch. You and me and no one else. I can’t do vanilla, but you already know that, so that’s not a shocker. Marry me and bemine. My husband, my slave, my everything. You set the date.”
He watched as Gavin glanced around, but there was no one in the parking lot with them right now.
“Time for you to put up or shut up, buddy,” Porter added. “If you mean it about how you feel for me, then say yes. If you don’t, then stop crucifying me over this, let’s shake hands, and at least try to figure out how to become friends again, because I fucking miss you. Should I have sat you down before you accepted the job in Costa Rica? Yes. I’ll own that. I was a dumbass. Have I had my head up my ass about my grief for Dane? Yes. I’ll own that, too.
“But you have to admit you’ve had issues of your own. And we wouldn’t be here right now had you simply looked at me and said, ‘I love you, and I won’t take this job if you love me, too, because I don’t want to be away from you for that long.’ Or had you simply said, ‘Hey, funny story. Jayce is trying to tell me you’re fucking him, but he’s full of shit, right?’ And I would have told you, ‘Absolutely he’s full of shit. When is your ass coming home from Costa Rica, so I can marry you andkeepyou here,withme, where youbelong?’
“If you marry me, Gav, I promise I’ll work on all of that, if you promise to work on your family stuff and your trust issues. You’ll be first and only in my life. I can’t give you more than that, because there isn’t anything above thattogive. If that’s not enough for you, I don’t know what else I can do to convince you how serious I am or how much I love you.”
* * * *
Gavin stared at him, stunned into silence.
Wasn’t this what he’d wanted?
Hadn’t he just spent months mourning what he’d had with Porter?
