We undress each other with trembly touches and shivering breaths. Arkin’s lips crash down on mine, hard yet soft, a heady combination of pleasure and pain, if I ever knew one. Trailing his mouth across the curve of my chin, he kisses a path down my throat and chest and then lower still until his hot mouth wraps around me.
“Fuck…” I shudder, forgetting that my parents are downstairs. Thankfully, the TV is now on in the living room.
“That feels sooo good… I love you.”
I freeze.
Did I just say that out loud? Holy shit, I said that.
Luckily, Arkin must not have heard because he keeps up his pace, blowing me until I’m delirious and ready to follow him to the ends of the earth for another second of his talented mouth on my cock. However, now I struggle to focus because of how real those words are. I love Arkin. I love him so much that the thought of him moving hours away cuts me open like a rusty blade.
Before these thoughts can consume me whole, he crawls up my body and spends the rest of the night touching me like he’s about to slip below the surface too. And eventually, we do.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Oh my god…” my sister’s squeaky voice penetrates my deep sleep.
I slowly stir, rubbing my tired face on the pillow. But it’s not a pillow—it’s a hard chest. Confused, I lift my head.
Arkin is waking up too, blinking his eyes open and rubbing sleep from the corners. We lock eyes and then I glance over my shoulder to see my sister standing there, shock written all over her face.
For a brief second, my heart stops beating. I jolt upright. “It’s not what it looks like.”
That’s the first thing out of my mouth? What the hell is wrong with me?
When my sister clamps a hand over her lips, I realize the quilt has fallen.
I’m naked.
“Shit.” I quickly pull the blanket up to my waist. “Look, I can explain…” I glance at Arkin, who sits back against the headboard.
Even now, I want to ensure he’s okay.
“Explain?” Neriah scoffs a weak laugh. “I think I get the picture.”
Dropping my chin to my chest for a moment, I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Fuck…”
She wasn’t supposed to find out like this. I wanted to talk to her first but didn’t know how or if I was ready to have this conversation.
After retrieving my briefs from the floor, I sit on the edge of the bed to dress. Neriah waits while I slide them on beneath the blanket.
When I’m decent, I stand up and pull my T-shirt back on. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“How long?” she asks, her face carefully blank. “How long has it gone on for?”
“A couple of months now.” I wince.
As silence settles over the room, she bounces her gaze between us uncertainly. “Why didn’t you tell me, Zach?”
My shoulders slump. “I wanted to… Trust me, you have no idea how much I wanted to tell you, but I wasn’t ready yet. This is still so new to me,” I explain, motioning between Arkin and I. “I didn’t know where to begin. Dad-he…”
Eyes glassy with unshed tears, she nods slowly, then smiles and throws her arms around my waist. “I’m sorry I had to find out like this before you were ready. I’m sorry I took that from you.”
Arkin dresses in silence and leaves to give us a moment of privacy.
“It’s okay,” I whisper, hugging her close. “What do I do? No one knows about this, and now they’re sending him away.”
She hugs me closer. “Urgh! I hate our parents.”
