Page 61 of Contingently Yours
Try as I might, nothing that might inspire Andrew comes to mind. “I don’t know. I don’t want anything.”
His hands leave my back. I feel two fingers pressed against my jugular.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking for a pulse. Seriously, are you human?” he laughs.
I no sooner smack his hand away than Mason pops around the corner of the wall, scaring the shit out of me. Man, the guy just appears out of nowhere all the damn time.
“Are we doing dinner or what?” he asks.
“Yeah. Ready whenever you are,” Andrew doesn’t miss a beat, sliding down from the wall. “Did you guys get to talk it overabout the property?” he asks, flashing me a smirk like he knows I’m itching for an answer.
“Well, we were going to wait to tell you over dinner, but if you promise to act surprised,” Mason says conspiratorially, slinging an arm over each of our shoulders, “Welcome to the Hepperly US home, mates!”
I’m nearly clotheslined by Mason’s arm when he continues walking, and I stop in my tracks. I did it. I actually fucking did it. I sold them their dream home.
Andrew’s widened eyes meet mine. He turns in Mason’s hold and grips both sides of the man’s face. “You’re fucking kidding me.”
“No,” Mason laughs. “We love it.”
Andrew pulls him into a hug and slaps him on the back. I’m so damn ecstatic I can’t stop a giddy laugh. It only grows louder when he practically shoves Mason out of the way to pick me up in a bear hug and spin me around. It’s my face that he grabs next, but this time he plants a kiss.
“I fucking told you,” he enthuses, coming up grinning. Flashing a smile at Mason, he adds, “Can my man pick a winner or what?”
I think I float for the rest of the evening. And I think it has everything to do with the fact that Andrew didn’t react anywhere near this way to selling the cay property in the Isles to them. Shannon wasn’t unsupportive, but she sure as hell never championed me with this level of enthusiasm. You’d think our dinner would be to celebrate the Hepperlys finding their forever family home in the US, but within the first few minutes, Andrew set the precedent that I’m the one to be celebrated. Or maybe it just feels that way with how close he sits to me. His arm never leaves the back of my chair. His hand never stops stroking my shoulder. I lose count of how many times he leans in to steala kiss or murmur something silly in my ear or the crook of my neck.
The drinks flow liberally, and at one point, I can’t tell whether the warmth in me is from the alcohol or the overpowering presence of the life force that is the proud boyfriend at my side. It all becomes a bit cloudy, but I think I actually sat on his lap when we squished into the Uber on the ride back to the house at the end of the night.
What wasn’t cloudy was the repeat of this morning once we hit the privacy of our room. The speed at which we got naked. The feel of his skin against mine. And the words he said to me.
So fucking hot.
Like a giant teddy bear with a big ol’ cock.
Say my name, Lucas. Say it loud enough so that everyone can hear it.
They were as ridiculous as he was. Yet, I’m pretty sure I did as he asked. It’s the last thing I remember saying, repeating it like a drunken prayer as I drifted off to sleep, sated, happy, and full of my heart’s desire. There is one thing I want, after all—to feel like that all the time.
CHAPTER 21
Andrew
A man can be supportive of another when he sells a house. He can give him a hand job in the dark under the privacy of a blanket on a first-class flight to Australia. He can book a suite for an overnight stay and work on blowjob techniques to pass the time the night before a property showing. He can doall of that, but apparently, paying top dollar for designer outdoor wear is where he goes wrong. I am out of my element, and Dario can suck a big fat one for dragging us to this god-forsaken place.
Survivalist expeditions—who the fuck considers buying four hundred acres with coastal access in the Northern Territory for survivalist expeditions? I literally know people who can’t fend for themselves in civilization without their assistants. And furthermore, do we really need to canvass every damn inch of this place on foot? That seems to make it lose its wonder, if you ask me.
“Fuck! Fucking bugs!”
“You all right?” Lucas glances back at me from further up ahead in the brush.
I am the weak link on this adventure, and I hate it. My foot is killing me. I’ve been bitten by probably twenty different species of insects, and I’m fairly certain at least three of us will be eaten by a wild animal before this bullshit is over.
“Yeah, I just…need to sit down for a second. Go ahead. I’ll catch up.” Hobbling over to a rock, I ease my ass onto it and hike my foot up onto my knee. The spot of blood on my worthless ‘trail shoes’ hasn’t gotten any bigger. That’s a good sign, but my toe is screaming at me.
“You don’t look so good.” Lucas’ voice sounds close and yet far away at the same time.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I refuse to admit how lightheaded I feel.
