“Do you think I stink?”
I laugh. “No, baby boy. I just want to wash the car ride off me.”
Originally, Arlo planned on driving up and staying overnight, then driving back the next day. But with both of us going, and me being used to working twenty-four-hour shifts, I didn’t think it was needed.
Now I’m wishing we had done that. Though I can’t imagine how Salem would have reacted to us spending money on a hotel.
Carrying Arlo straight into the bathroom, I let him slowly slide down my body until his feet are on the ground.
Before I even have a chance to do it myself, he reaches down to unbutton my jeans. I let him. Mostly because I’m exhausted and I plan to crash for at least a couple of hours after we shower, but also because I love being taken care of by him.
I’m not too proud to admit that.
He pushes my jeans and boxers down my legs, and when they’re pooled around my feet, I step out of them. Leaning over so he can reach easier, I help him work my shirt over my head.
His eyes take me in greedily, and I have to admit, it feels good. Knowing how much he enjoys staring at me makes me feel good. I like it. Hell, I love it. I love him.
“C’mon, baby boy.” I reach out, hooking my fingers under the hem of his t-shirt so I can pull it over his head. It ruffles his hair, and he looks so damn adorable that I can’t fight a grin.
He’s a smart cookie and wore sweats for the trip, which, in hindsight, I should have done. Would have been a lot more comfortable.
When he’s naked in front of me, I wrap an arm around his waist and just hold him to me. Sighing, he sinks his weight against me, letting me hold him up.
I just stay that way for a while, enjoying that I’m holding him. Today felt like a turning point. The hard is done.
Well, it’s not. We still have a lot of hard to go. But the main hard is done. Everything else, we can figure out. Together. As a family.
“I love you,” I breathe, giving Arlo a gentle squeeze before letting go of him so I can turn the water on.
He hums. “I love you too. I’m ready for a long nap. The first sleep with everyone under the same roof. I’m so fucking relieved.”
“Fuck. Me too.”
When the water is ready to go, I step back, letting Arlo get in first. He shivers when it washes over him, his eyes falling closed. For a second, I can’t look away from him. The water is running over his head, soaking his hair and dripping down his face. There’s a droplet clinging to his bottom lip, and I want to kiss it away.
Stepping in after him, I do exactly that.
He makes a surprised noise against my lips but sighs into the kiss, his hand coming up to rest on my chest.
I keep it quick and chaste since I really am fucking exhausted, and judging by the way I’m supporting nearly all Arlo’s weight, it’s clear that he is too.
Wordlessly, we start washing up. And within a few minutes, we’re both ready to get out.
“You know what’s gonna be weird?” Arlo asks as he’s drying off.
“What?” I ask, glancing at him.
Tossing his towel into the hamper, he grins. “Getting dressed after sex.”
“Yeah.” I laugh. “You’re not wrong. That is gonna be weird.”
As a firefighter, I’ve seen too many people caught unawares to feel comfortable sleeping naked. If I’ve gotta make a quick dash out of the house in the middle of the night, I’m damn well gonna do it in boxers at the very least.
Arlo has no such concerns. After a night of sex, he frequently stretches out like a cat, sated and happy and sleepy, fully on display.
Hell, half the time, I have to cover him up. Otherwise, he falls asleep completely out of the blankets.
So yeah, it’ll be a little weird. At least for him.
