Page 67 of Inevitable

“We made each other better, baby. You pulled me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow, helped me stop being afraid of being part of the world. Without you, I probably would have settled on a community college and living at home, too scared to put myself out there and make friends and be myself. Before you, I had acquaintances at best, but no one who ever cared to know me on a deeper level. You talked to me, asked me about myself, encouraged every whim, and supported all my dreams even as a kid. You had such a beautiful heart, and you were the first person to care about me outside of my family. I don't think I'd want to know the man I'd be if you hadn't been my best friend. It's not surprising I fell for you.” My soft confession hung in the night air, the painted colors of the sunset now muddled below the horizon.

Bash let out a deep, happy sounding sigh as he twisted me in his arms until my upper body craned toward him. He cupped my jaw in oneof his hands, his other arm still snug around my waist. His eyes studied my face, taking in every detail of my features as if they were a precious gift. The intimacy of the moment was made all the more intoxicating by the fact we were now the only ones remaining on the cliff edge. It felt as though we were the only two in the world, lost in each other and living a lifetime in a single heartbeat.

“Micah,” Bash breathed, running his nose gently up and down the bridge of mine. “You mean the world to me. I'll never stop falling in love with you. I fall more every single day, baby.”

I was helpless to stop the tears that escaped from the corners of my lids as his lips slid against mine in a kiss so full of emotion that it pierced me through to my core. His tongue danced with mine in a languorous, careful exploration of the connection we shared, running so deep that it was impossible to remove.

It was a perfect moment in time, imprinted on my heart just like Bash was. He was more than my soulmate. He was a piece of my very soul, woven into my being.

After we managed to pull apart and pull ourselves together, Bash led me over to the edge of the cliff. We sat down with our legs hanging over, my head resting on Bash's shoulder as we talked mindlessly while the moon rose over the riverscape. We discussed movies, books, our classes, our upcoming fall finals, and anything else that came to mind. It didn't matter how many iterations of the same conversations we had over the years of our friendship, we never tired or grew bored with each other. I didn't think we ever would.

When I mentioned a research paper I had written about the poor state of mental health care across Texas, Bash grew serious and nervous in the same breath. “B, you okay?” I was worried about the flip in his mood and wondered what I had said to trigger it.

“Yeah, I'm just…” he paused as if contemplating whether or not he wanted to tell me what was on his mind. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I've been working on something. An app designed for people to get better access to mental health services and keep track of their illness. It would have a symptom tracker and preliminary diagnostic tool, and be able to find therapists nearby who either accept insurance or do pro-bono counseling. Maybe even include articles about how to cope with mental illness and stuff. I want it to be a go-to for people struggling with psychological issues, like my mom. I really hope I can sell it one day and see it at work. It's become a pet project, you know?” Bash looked so vulnerable and unsure of himself that it killed me to see.

My Bash was so confident in his abilities and didn't get nervous about things like this. That only told me that he was genuinely investedin this idea, and he wanted it badly.

“Bash baby, that sounds amazing! I mean, it's hard for people to know where to start when they're dealing with that shit, you know? It's overwhelming when you're experiencing all these problems in your head and it's hard to explain it to others. It's also scary as fuck to not always know what the real problem is and try to seek out help when you're not sure of the cause. And I know for a fact that Texas is ranked one of the worst states for mental health care, so this app would be a huge help to people who don't have easy access to those types of services. You should also add a section for online therapy for people who might live out in the country or something!” My enthusiasm in his idea seemed to rub off on him because he was soon smiling and talking through all the particulars with me like I was his business partner. Excited and passionate Bash was one of my favorite sides of him, and I couldn't hold back from kissing the giant grin off his face.

I attacked his mouth for a couple of minutes before we separated, panting and catching our breath. His smile was so sweet and stunning that it almost made me dive back in for more. I resisted only because his eyes boring into mine was one of the best feelings on earth. “Thank you so much for believing in me, M. It means more to me than I can ever tell you,” Bash whispered, his thumbs stroking my cheeks as he held my face.

I reflected his smile back and kissed him softly, keeping my forehead pressed to his when we stopped. “I will always believe in you, Bash. I can't wait to see what you accomplish, my love. And I want to be right by your side for every second of it. Always.”

CHAPTER 24

Micah

“What is your fascination with this guy? Should I be jealous? I feel like I should be jealous,” Bash teased, his arm over the steering wheel and his usual Oakleys resting sexy on his face. He flashed me a smirk that had my blood stirring.Stupid, sexy bastard.

The sultry sounds of Maroon 5 poured from the car speakers as I danced in my seat. “Adam Levine is sexy as hell, okay? He was one of the many reasons I figured out I was gay, so maybe you should feel just a tiny bit jealous…I mean, I wouldn't object,” I sassed, my own smirk answering back. “I like your hot, jealous side.”

Bash shook his head, the smile on his face a gorgeous compliment to the scenery surrounding us. We had hit the road for winter break early that morning, and we'd just crossed the border into New Mexico. My parents had booked a cabin rental in Colorado for Christmas and naturally invited Bash to join us. He was their favorite adopted son after all.Maybe they'd love to have him as their son-in-law one day…woah! Let's put a lid on that crazy there, Russo! Way too soon to be thinking that way. Right? No, it definitely is. It's fine, not thinking that way at all. Nope. Not thinking of being Mr. Micah Dupont whatsoever. The crazy is back in the Fort Knox vault where it belongs.

“Where did you go in that head of yours?” In typical Bash fashion, he noticed when I got too lost in my overactive brain. He knew I had a tendency to fall down that rabbit hole easily. “If you're over there having dirty daydreams about Adam Levine, you're going to force me topull this car over and rid you of those thoughts by whatever means necessary,” he sighed, as if he were remorseful about using sexual tactics against me to cleanse my mind of anyone else but him. My poor, neglected dick perked up at his warning since it hadn't been touched in nearly nine hours of driving. Not even a gentle caress or quick, little tug. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I felt bad for my dick.

“You know, if you feel that you must punish me for my hedonistic fantasies, I understand and will do my best to forgive you,” I murmured somberly. “So where's the next rest stop? Actually, just pull over somewhere on the shoulder and let's do this.”

He laughed, completely unaware that I was indeed serious. Seriously horny. “Babe, as hot as road-side sex would be, we need to make it to Telluride before midnight, so suck it up.” Bash smiled like the evil bastard he was, seemingly content to make me squirm in my seat for the remaining seven hours of our drive.Alright Dupont. Game. Fucking. On.

I smirked to myself as I queued up “Hands All Over” and leaned my seat back slightly. Bash continued to watch the road, his head bobbing in time to the last few lines of the current song. Once the song shifted, I leisurely undid the button of my jeans and drew my zipper down. That got his attention fast. His head snapped to my direction, and I saw his brows shoot up behind his sunglasses.

“The fuck do you think you're doing, M?” Bash asked in a low grumble, and I could hear the lust that was creeping in. My smirk morphed into a wicked grin as I stroked myself slowly over the denim.

“Showing you what happens when you want to play games with me, baby,” I said in the most innocent tone I could muster. Even with his eyes hidden, I could see Bash's features darkening.

“Don't you fucking dare,” he growled, his gaze bouncing back and forth between me and the road as if he were torn on where to look. My vote was the road since death wishes weren't my thing, but I couldn't deny the thrill I got from what I was doing to his focus. “Your orgasms are mine. Every single one of them.”

My dick was in rapture at his possessive claim, fully hardening in my jeans and I moaned as I pressed down a little harder on it. “Fuck Bash, that was so hot…but baby, I need it. I need to come,” I whined to him, my voice low and scratchy with arousal. Bash let out a growl from the driver's seat and he white-knuckled the steering wheel.

“Micah, I swear to God, we don't have time to pull over and I can't concentrate with you doing that. Don't even think about it.” I saw his jaw clench tight and his body was rigid with tension.

Undeterred, I freed my throbbing erection, spit on my palm, andstarting stroking in time to the music. I closed my eyes when the pleasure spread throughout my body, and I heard his sharp intake of breath. I gave in to the naughty devil on my shoulder that said playing with fire would be fun, and started pumping in earnest.

The moans ripping from my throat were loud and wanton, meant to drive him up a wall and a half with desire so that he'd snap and give into my dirty game. I snuck a glance at him, seeing his eyes locked on the road before us and sitting as still as a statue while pretending to be unaffected.Oh baby, you should know me better than that…

“Fuuuuck, Bash…God baby, it feels so good…I'm imagining your mouth on me. Hot and wet, taking me all the way down until I bust. I want to pour down your throat until I'm sucked dry,” I moaned for him, not even having to manufacture any of it because I was blind with lust and meant every word. I was alight with pleasure as it ripped through my veins like a drug. My filthy ramblings did the trick because the car suddenly jerked to the right as we pulled over on a wide shoulder.

“Fuck this…” Bash grunted, throwing the car into park and bending in half over the console, swallowing my cock whole. I let out a guttural shout, my back arching from the euphoric sensation.

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