Derek’s warning keeps looping in my head. The last thing I want is to hurt Hunter, but the truth is, I’m too selfish to let him go. The sex isn’t just good—it’s a mind-bending high. He’s my drug of choice, and this summer is my bender. I’ll keep using until I have no other option but to quit.
Tonight is no different. After working a closing shift at Beachside Burgers, I went straight to his place, and he rode my cock until I saw stars. I don’t know how the hell I’ll go back to forgettable hookups when I’ve had this. When I’ve hadhim.
Now, I’m in his obnoxiously luxurious bathroom, the mirror fogged with steam. I know he doesn’t like showering together after sex, and I don’t push him, no matter how much I’d love to see more of his flushed, soapy body.
I wrap a towel around my waist and step back into his room. He’s already dressed again, hunched over the desk in the corner. His laptop glows against his face, glasses perched low on his nose. He doesn’t even look up when he says, “Sorry. I just need to finish these slides before I lose my train of thought.”
I hum, resting my chin on his shoulder. “What’s the presentation for?”
He tenses beneath me. “During the first week of the fall semester, every grad student in my department has to present their research. It’s in front of the science faculty, staff, and a huge lecture hall full of students.”
“Sounds like a big deal.”
“It is.” He fiddles with his mouse, chewing his lip. “Which is why I’m trying not to think about how badly I’m going to screw it up.”
I frown and press a reassuring kiss to his neck. “You won’t.”
He leans away, giving me a look that’s equal parts amused and doubtful before sighing. “Even if I don’t, it’s still… I don’t know. Nerve-wracking. It’s not like I’ll have anyone there to support me.”
A knot twists in my chest. “Your family won’t be there?”
He shakes his head. “No. My parents both have to work. And Landon told me he’d rather claw out his own eardrums than listen to me talk about plants for thirty minutes.”
I laugh softly, though it doesn’t feel funny. He turns back to the laptop, typing something with sharper keystrokes than before.
I stare at him, at the curve of his shoulders, the gold necklace chain catching the lamplight. Every part of me wants to say I’ll be there for him. That I wouldn’t miss his presentation for the world. That he won’t be standing in that giant room alone.
But that would be a lie. We both know how this ends. Showing up after he’s back in Shelby Harbor might give him the wrong impression.
So I keep my mouth shut.
I step away from the desk and peel the towel from my waist. I change back into my clothes, wiggling on my black jeans and T-shirt, and slide my pump into my pocket. When I glance up, his chair is swiveled toward me, his eyes following every movement. A faint blush warms his cheeks.
He clears his throat. “Heading out?”
“Yeah, it’s late,” I murmur. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I lean down for a quick kiss, but he fists my damp hair, deepening it. His tongue slips past my lips, daring and assertive. He’s grown bolder these past few weeks, and God, I love it.
By the time he lets me go, I’m already straining against my jeans. Jesus Christ. I just came less than an hour ago. I never used to get hard this easily. I shift quickly, hoping he doesn’t notice, but his smug little smile tells me he does.
“Goodnight,” Hunter whispers as I turn to leave.
I pause at the doorway, fingers lingering on the frame. “Goodnight.”
***
By the time I pull into the trailer park, the house is dark except for the glow leaking out from under Maddie’s bedroom door. I push the front door shut as quietly as I can, but I still catch the low hum of her voice through the thin walls.
I pause, halfway down the hall.
Her tone is hushed but giddy, the way she used to sound when she was sneaking candy into bed after lights-out. I lean closer, and the words slip out clear as day: “I can’t wait to see you again.”
The beat of silence that follows tells me she ended the call.
I knock twice on her door before I can second-guess it. “Mads?”
Her voice comes out a little too high-pitched. “Yeah?”
