Page 34 of Pretty ’n Peak

Mateo didn’t want to. He was feeling lazy and complete, like he never wanted to move again.

But of course he did, because Austin wanted it. And Austin was pulling him—manhandling him—onto his side, their bodies still nestled together..

Austin pulled out the sticky towel, folding it over to wipe Mateo’s softened groin.

“That good?” he asked about the hasty clean-up.

Mateo reached down and gave it one more swipe. He was going to throw the towel on the floor, but then he remembered the earlier commands. Austin needed the floor clear, so he shoved it onto the bedside table.

“Drink the water. And give me one, too.”

Mateo didn’t want to move to do that either, but he liked the gentle instructions. He handed one bottle backward, then twisted the cap off the other.

It wasn’t until the cool liquid was flowing down his throat that he’d realized he’d been parched. The water was glorious, Austin taking care of him again.

He drank the whole thing down and returned the two empty bottles to the table before Austin pulled him back into his embrace.

Thank God it wasn’t over yet.

He nuzzled into the pillow and Austin’s warmth.

Well, Austin’s warmth and his straining, leather-encased hardness. God, even after all that, Mateo’s dick twitched at the feeling.

“Can I do anything for you?” he asked, half hopefully and still languid, rocking back to capture more of that feeling.

Austin pressed a firm hand to his hip, stilling him without moving apart. “No, baby. Tonight was about you. Let yourself float. Sleep if you want to.” The forceful hold turned into a caress. “I can get some painkillers for you if you want. Or even an ice pack. Most of the pain will go, but I think there might be some bruising.”

Mateo nodded happily, then shook his head. He was so tired, but in the best possible way. His brain was lost in fluffy clouds. “Want it.”

“Painkillers?”

“Bruising.”

Austin nuzzled against his neck. “And another pain slut is born. Enjoy it, then.”

“And you’ll… stay?” He felt needy asking it. But he couldn’t bear the idea of Austin leaving right now.

Austin’s arm came up tight around his chest, gentle fingers tangling in his mat of hair with soft strokes. “Of course. Until you fall asleep.”

Mateo wanted much more than that. But it was still a beautiful promise.

He closed his eyes and let himself drift off. He was the little spoon, cocooned in another man’s arms.

When he woke up the next morning, Austin was gone.

8

Austin

“What did that coffee ever do to you?”

Austin raised one eyebrow at Jamie, ignoring the fact that he probably had been scowling at his coffee.

He was in the breakfast room, seated at the end of a long table, far away from the clusters of chattering guests. He’d been idly eating—perfectly fluffy scrambled eggs, seasoned home fries with a touch of spice, and decadent home-made muffins—but he’d been miles away.

Or maybe just three floors up, still thinking about the way Mateo’s flesh quivered under his hand. Mateo’s pleas for more. Mateo’s soft, sweaty body curled against his as he drifted off to sleep.

God, the way that boy had been so eager. Saying his name like it was something holy.