Page 53 of Aftermath

It was the left ring finger he'd kissed. Austin shivered, warmth surging inside him. There was no ring there anymore. He'd taken it off when he'd woken up on Sunday morning, and now only a faint tan line reminded him of the woman who'd given him Riley.

Gently grasping Cam's chin, Austin tried to make him look up. "Look at me, baby."

"Not yet," Cam said, straightening in his seat. He adjusted his erection and stared at the brick building which they were parked in front of. Austin didn’t pressure him, knowing eye contact wasn’t always easy for him. "You're still coming over tonight?"

Austin nodded slowly even though Cam didn’t face him. "If it's all right with you." He'd do anything to get inside Cam's head right now. Something was clearly on his mind.

Cam nodded jerkily and opened the car door. "More than all right. I'll see you later." Without another word, Cam left Austin's car and got into his own.

Unbeknownst to Austin, Cam had just realized that he was, in fact, in love.

It had clicked when he'd seen that ring finger bare.

And it was freaking him out just a bit.

17

"Ihave a suggestion for tonight," Austin said, clearing his throat. He threw the pizza crust into the box on the coffee table and shifted on the bed, facing Cam fully. The sheet around his hips parted a little, exposing his thighs.

"Sounds serious." Cam smirked and grabbed another slice of pizza. "Don’t ruin shit now that I'm in a good mood."

Austin snorted a chuckle. "Yeah, you're as jolly as Santa." He shook his head, getting back on track. "Spend the night with me in your bedroom."

In the past two months, a lot had changed. For the better.

Austin liked his new two-bedroom apartment just five minutes away from Cam's house, Riley had made plenty of friends at her new school, things between Austin and Jade were civil, the house had finally been sold, the flashbacks and nightmares had gotten easier to deal with, Riley was in love with her new rat of a dog, Nacho—a black Chihuahua—and Austin was back to work.

He had routines. There were schedules. Sometimes it got hectic, but he made sure there was time to relax, too. He religiously went to all his sessions with Gale, and he'd found a workout regimen that made him feel better. It involved running, swimming, and kickboxing, all of which improved his health, both physically and mentally.

When Riley was with her mother in Delano, Austin barely left Cam's house, and they found plenty of time to see each other when Riley was with friends or had after-school activities. But he wanted more… God, he fuckinglongedfor it.

It was last month that Cam had—during sex—mumbled, "I want it all with you." And it had triggered Austin's desires for the same to morph into demanding cravings. Sometimes, it was all he could think about.

He didn’t want to hide his relationship with Cam. Although, hiding wasn’t exactly right. It was just Riley. And Jade, but she didn’t really count anymore, did she?

Austin had told his parents, which was actually a fond memory, at least in comparison to many others who'd "come out." There was no denying that he'd been nervous, mainly because he'd always been close to his mom and dad. If they didn’t approve, it would hurt greatly.

He recalled the tense silence that followed after he admitted that he'd fallen for the man he'd been locked up with. Then his dad had broken the silence.

"You know, son, most men who hit their forties battle their little midlife crisis by buying a Porsche." Griffin gave his son a pointed look. "That could work for you, too."

Austin let out a quiet, shaky laugh. He was relieved. If this was the response, he considered himself lucky.

"Oh, honey." Maggie suddenly looked disapproving. "If this is some phase, I hope there's no boy's heart out there you're going to crush."

This definitely wasn’t a phase. Austin loved the man next to him beyond words, and now he was finally ready to move on. He wanted Riley to meet him, he wanted silly things like holding Cam's hand in public, and he wanted to make sure it was all heading somewhere.

As stated, helikedhis apartment. He didn’t love it. And he'd chosen it in Cam's neighborhood for only one reason. To be closer. The apartment was temporary. At least he hoped it was.

"No," Cam eventually said. "I'm not ready. The bedroom's too small—I'll f-feel suffocated."

"Have you even tried?" Austin shifted closer and cupped Cam's cheek. He didn’t force Cam to look him in the eye, but he needed contact. "Gale thinks you should try."

"Fuck what she says," Cam spat out, throwing his pizza slice into the box on the table. "You know, I don’t see why it fucking matters—"

"It matters," Austin insisted quietly. Pushing Cam back against the bed, Austin moved over him, hovering closely. Only a sheet separated their naked bodies. It was Saturday, and their favorite pastime was to fuck each other like crazy and just lounge around. No need for clothes then. "It matters if we want more."

Cam looked up at him strangely. "More?" He scooted up the bed, Austin following, and seemed willing to hear him out. "More what?" There was cautious hope in his eyes.

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