Page 70 of Poolside

“I’m not gonna last, baby,” Tommy ground out the words and then bit down on Chuck’s lower lip with a groan.

Chuck thrust into his fist, balls already tightening. “I’m right there with you, T.”

Tommy came first, Chuck swallowing his shout as his release spilled between them. Chuck kept working him through the aftershocks, chasing his own orgasm like he was in the final five meters of a race.

There was a rawness inside of him, a feeling like whatever this thing was between them was growing into a life of its own. The warmth and happiness and overwhelminggoodin his chest was almost too much, and he hurtled over the edge, coming with a gasp as his whole body seized with pleasure.

“Tommy,” he whispered, pressing reverent kisses over Tommy’s rough jaw.

“Chuck,” was Tommy’s soft response.

Once they’d cleaned up, Chuck settled onto his back and Tommy curled up against his side, his hand lazily tracing up and down Chuck’s stomach. It was a reversal of how their bodies had previously fit together—Chuck typically clung to Tommy like a barnacle while Tommy held him—but in the moment it felt right to wrap his arms around Tommy’s shoulders and hold him tight.

“Will you come with me?”

Chuck looked down. “To the retreat?”

“Yeah.”

“Uh,” Chuck started. The plan had been for Chuck to head back to Charleston when Tommy drove to the other side of the lake for his work retreat. But now Tommy was asking, and Chuck wanted to be there for him. “Yeah, T. I mean, are you sure?”

Tommy shifted so he was propped up on one elbow, looking down at Chuck with his chestnut hair flopping down over his forehead. “Of course,” he said, frowning. “I want you to be there with me.”

“As your personal swimming instructor?” Chuck teased.

Tommy just looked at him intently. “No, Chuck. Will you come with me as my date?”

“What?” Chuck felt like his heart stopped beating.

“As silly as it sounds, I’m nervous.” A muscle in his jaw flexed. “This thing between us is real, and it would mean a lot if you were there with me.”

Chuck took in the worried tension in Tommy’s face and the hint of insecurity in the way he wouldn’t quite meet his eye. “Of course, T. I’ll be there.”

Tommy’s smile made Chuck melt a little bit inside. He closed the distance between them and kissed Chuck right on the corner of his mouth. “Thank you,” Tommy murmured as he pressed another kiss to Chuck’s eyebrow.

There was a buzzing that filled Chuck, like champagne bubbles racing to escape the bottle right as the cork popped.I’m so fucking happy,Chuck mused, tugging Tommy down into a slower, lazy kiss. When they broke apart and settled into an entangled heap in the middle of the bed, Chuck tried to quiet his mind.

He heard Tommy’s breathing slow, felt his body slump into the relaxed lull of sleep. But Chuck couldn’t quiet the vibration under the surface of his skin, and he resigned himself to blinking up into the darkness above him.

He’d fall asleep eventually.

CHAPTER19

BREATHE, T

TOMMY

“How’d you sleep?”

Tommy curled an arm around Chuck’s waist while he stood slicing strawberries at the kitchen counter, kissing his cheek. “This looks amazing,” he added, when he saw the plates loaded with sausage links and pancakes.

Chuck leaned back into him for a moment. “Sleep was shit, but I’m okay.” Tommy started to ask him more, but Chuck bumped into him with his hip as he reached up and slipped a sliced strawberry into Tommy’s mouth. “You have to do your swim today, T.”

Tommy groaned, chewing and swallowing the fruit. “I know.” Later that afternoon they’d make the drive over to the other side of the lake where the Davenport’s house was, and if he was going to make it through a practice run of the race, it had to be now.

“You know I’m not going to let anything happen to you, right?”

“I know,” Tommy said. “I trust you.”

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