But not tonight.
Tonight, I felt more like myself than I possibly ever have.
My time with Fallon feels like the prologue andthisis my story—the one I was always supposed to write.
I can’t believe how ridiculous it sounds and yet, it’s perfect.
Accurate.
Reaching for my phone, I type out the message I wasn’t brave enough to say out loud.
TANNER: At the risk of sounding naive—is it always like that?
DEACON: At the risk of sounding cliché—it’s because it was you. Us.
TANNER: So, it’ll be like that again?
DEACON: It’ll probably keep getting better
TANNER: That’s a hell of a prediction
DEACON: You can’t fake the kind of chemistry between us
DEACON: It’s not just physical
TANNER: It’s not but the physical was really good
DEACON: Just wait…
Those three littledots are filled with so much promise I can hardly breathe. Lust and anticipation rush through my veins as my cock hardens beneath the covers. Deacon’s hands on me tonight felt better than I had imagined, and as my eyelids flutter shut, I let myself remember all the ways he touched me.
And fantasize about a few more.
25
DEACON
“Idon’t look like that, right?” my brother says to Arden, and I shake my head as I turn to look at the two of them.
“Of course not,” she coos with false reassurance that has him giving her a side-eye and making her grin.
“There’s nothing wrong with the way I look,” I defend, leaning against the counter and trying to hide my smile as she teases him.
Before Arden, my brother had been closed off and alone. He never had much of a social life after the military and even less when our father passed away. Seeing him with Arden now feels like I’m seeing Jude get a new lease on life, and it fills me with the kind of joy that resonates on a cellular level.
“We just like seeing you happy,” Arden says brightly, snuggling into Jude’s side as Salem naps in her room. I wanted to hold her, but Arden told me in no uncertain terms that if I interrupt the baby’s sleep schedule when they’vefinallymanaged to get a few consecutive hours overnight, she’s revoking my godfather status.
I know she’d never do it, but the threat alone is enough to keep me parked in the kitchen until my little angel wakes up.
“It’s probably too soon, but I think he’s it for me,” I admit, throwingthinkin there instead ofknowso it doesn’t seem like I’m completely head over heels for Tanner in such a short time.
It’s only been a few weeks since Tanner straddled me on his couch, but it feels like everything has changed.
Everything isso much better.
He finally let me take him out to a small concert venue where the Tin Can Aficionados were playing. The ska band is one of my favorites, and it was the first of many great nights. We’d added axe throwing, dinner dates, a whiskey tasting, and plenty of nights at his house or mine to the mix too.
It’s incredible. Being with Tanner has forced me to slow down andenjoy the ride,just like Otto told him, but it’s true. So many things I’ve taken for granted I now get to experience through Tanner’s eyes.
