Page 89 of Dirty Martini
All the space. All the air. Rhys owns every ounce of it. And now, I finally feel like I own every ounce of him too.
Throwing myself into his arms, I accidentally knock him in the nose, but he just laughs the pain away. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” he says, rubbing my back, the sway of the boat moving us in perfect synchrony. “I told you. Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
I nod against his shoulder, still struck by this perfect moment. Well, close to perfect. There’s just one more thing that needs to be done for this picture-perfect movie moment to come true. “We need to talk to Elton.”
He pulls back suddenly. Holding me by the back of my neck, he shakes his head. “We don’t have to if you’re not ready. I can wait?—”
“I don’t want to wait,” I rush out, shaking my head as a sort of calm settles over me. “I love you, Rhys. I love you so fucking much. Elton is a part of our lives, and he deserves to know. You deserve to be recognized. And…” I let out a deep breath as I smile to myself. “I deserve it too.”
Rhys’s eyes soften as he leans forward and kisses the tip of my nose. “I’m so proud of you, baby.”
In fear of bursting into tears, I don’t say anything, just bring him in and hug him close. Although a part of me is scared, the greater side of me is brimming with anticipation.
Because by telling Elton, only then can our future begin.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Rhys
I never realizedhow fucking great life can be when you’re in love.
Although we still haven’t told Elton about us, that hasn’t dimmed the fact that Everest and I are freaking happy as hell. We’ve had to continue sneaking around for the last week to avoid getting caught, seeing as though we want to pick the right time to tell his brother, but every moment we spend together is just as amazing, regardless.
To love Everest and be loved back is something I never expected, but even with the journey we took and the secrecy we’ve had to maintain, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Everest walks down the stairs, still clad in his pajama bottoms, and rubbing a hand against his tired eyes. When he spots me sitting on the couch in the living room, he perks up, a smile splitting his face and highlighting the pillow crease on his cheek.
“Hey,” I say, admiring my boyfriend in all his shirtless glory. Jesus, it’s like sometimes I forget how ripped he is. “Elton still asleep?”
“Yeah.” Sliding onto the couch next to me, he automatically rests his head on my shoulder as his hand rubs up and down my thigh.
When the tip of his finger brushes against my clothed cock, I snort. I tip my head and catch the corner of his jaw with my teeth. “Didn’t get enough last night.”
He lets out a sort of needy whine as he squirms and digs his nails into my thigh like he can’t control himself. “I’ll never get enough.” In an attempt to hold himself back, he glances at the computer balanced on my lap. “What are you doing?”
I smirk, knowing exactly how he’s going to react to my next words. “My college application.”
“Seriously?” He sits up on his knees as if that’ll help him see the screen better. Shaking my shoulder, he lets out a breathless gasp. “You’re applying to UM?”
I nod. “I am.”
“Wait,” he says, interrupting his own growing excitement as he raises an eyebrow at me. “What about your new position? Are you going to give it up?”
“I don’t see why I need to,” I reply with a shrug. “Sure, it might be a little rough, but I think I can do both.”
It takes him a moment to gauge my words, but when he sees I’m all for his excitement, he pounces. He presses kiss after kiss to my cheeks with nothing but happiness. “Rhys, this is awesome!”
“You’re to thank for it,” I tell him, laughing when he abruptly stops his tirade of kisses and pouts. “What?”
“I don’t want to be the only reason you’re doing this, though,” he says almost petulantly, real concern in his eyes. “You have to want to.”
I smile at him and run my thumb against his pouty bottom lip. “And I do, but I wouldn’t have had the courage to apply if it hadn’t been for you.”
I’ve been making excuses for years to justify my decision not to go back to school. Whether it be fear of the unknown or honest financial issues, I always had a reason I couldn’t do it. But now it’s different. I really do want this, and I know it’ll be tough, but I’ll figure it out.
I’m excited. I want to be in a lecture hall. I want homework and exams and projects. Knowing that I’m potentially going to be studying to pursue my dream of designing roller coasters is exciting, and I have Everest to thank for that because, at the end of the day, I truly believe everything worked out the way it was supposed to.
