Chasing the High

by Beth Michele

  I pushed the shower door open and snatched the towels he’d hung over the rack, handing him one. “Here. Let’s dry off.” He breathed out his relief and I smiled. “But let’s hurry up.”

  Once we were dry, he reached for me. With our fingers entwined, we walked across the hall to my room. “I feel like I ruined the moment,” he admitted as he copped a seat at the edge of the bed. I flipped the dim lamp on my dresser and crossed over to him. Stepping between his legs, I cupped his chin.

  “You could never ruin anything, Sam. It’s just not possible.” I shrugged, still trying to play off feelings I had no control over. “You make everything better. You make… me better.”

  That earned me a smile. “You’re not trying to sweet-talk me, are you, Drew Mariano? Because I’m kind of a sure thing here.”

  “Oh yeah?” I glanced down at his erection and licked my lips. “How sure?”

  He grabbed my hand and wrapped it around the base of his cock. He was so fucking hard. I couldn’t decide if I wanted him in my ass or in my mouth. “You tell me.”

  I pumped him a few times and he moaned before I pushed against his chest. He fell onto the mattress and took me with him, catching me by surprise and weaving an arm around my back. In our haste to touch each other, we rolled around the bed until our limbs were tangled and we were grunting like wild animals—and laughing. “We’re an ad for a fucking porno gone wrong.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Sam snorted. “I’m quite graceful.”

  Finally getting the upper hand, I pinned his wrists above his head and slid my tongue along the bend of his neck. “I don’t want you graceful. I want you dirty, messy, and raw.”

  He arched his hips up, grinding against my erection. My responding groan was loud. Fuck, it felt good. “How’s that for a start?”

  I answered with a hungry kiss against his mouth. He opened, eager for me, soft lips parting and inviting me inside. I ravaged his hot, wet tongue while feverishly rocking against his dick. The feel of his rough stubble scratching against my chin—his taste—the smell of my soap on all his smooth skin—drove me fucking insane. I wanted to suck his cock, kiss every inch of that hard flesh. But as much as I loved foreplay with Sam, I needed him inside me.

  As if he sensed my desperation, he broke free of my grip and flipped us over, our mouths still fused together.

  But not for long.

  Sam backed away first, his pupils dark with lust, lips red and bruised from our kiss. He looked so fucking hot—and beautiful. He was both those things to me. Only, I wished I was better at saying what he deserved to hear.

  “Drew.” His breathing was ragged. “I want to fuck you… right now. Do you still want that?”

  “More than ever.” His returning smile calmed me. Let me know this was right. “Condoms and lube in the top left drawer.”

  He slid off the bed and I shifted onto my stomach. Waiting. My heart thundered against my ribcage as the bed dipped a second later and Sam’s warm, hard body covered mine. He brushed the hair from my neck and kissed me, letting his wet tongue drag along the indents of my spine. Scorching breath fanned my skin and I shivered the lower he went, writhing against the sheets when he licked the tight pucker of my ass.

  “Spread your legs wider, baby.”

  Only Sam could sound unrestrained yet so damn gentle. I leaned up on my forearms and did as he requested, exposing myself to him in a way I never had with anyone else. And I’m not sure anything in my life had ever felt more right than this moment.

  And I was lost to it.

  Sam parted my cheeks and I groaned when his cool finger, already slick with lube, brushed my hole. He slowly sank one digit inside, followed by another—in and out—in and out, increasing the pressure until I was begging for more. And God, it felt so fucking good. I moaned, grabbing at handfuls of sheet. My body strained against his hand, the bed, anything that provided the necessary friction.

  “More,” was the only word I was capable of, my body humming with need. And then Sam’s fingers were gone, and I was mourning their loss. Until I felt cool liquid dripping along my crack, and the head of his sheathed cock pushing against my hole. “God, yes. I want you in me.”

  He looped his arm around my waist, all the while his rigid erection delved further until he was buried deep, filling me. But then he paused, hugging my back against his chest, the curve of our bodies in perfect sync as he whispered, “I love you, Drew.”

  And then he was moving. Grinding. Thrusting into me. And I was gone. Lost to the sound of our moans, the scent of our sweat, the feel of our skin sliding together. His heavy breaths pressed into my back while the bed swallowed my groans. I pushed up onto one arm so I could reach down and grab my dick, needing some sort of fucking release. Wet, sticky pre-come formed at the tip and I knew I was close. But then Sam’s hand swept down and replaced mine, stroking, pumping, and the feel of him jerking me while his thick cock worked in and out of my ass elicited a shudder of pleasure to crash through me. Sam was trembling, too, his movements frantic. I met his thrusts, muscles clenching around him as he pounded into me. I was barely holding on.

  “Come in me, Sam.” I moaned. “I want to feel it.”

  “Oh, Christ.” His cock pulsed inside of me and he let out a low growl while his hand sped up and my come shot out everywhere on the fucking sheets. His arm tightened around my chest and he held onto me for a long time, until our labored breathing slowed. “Jesus.” He brushed feather-light kisses along my skin and I smiled, my head dropping onto the mattress. “You okay?” His voice was soft.

  “Never better.”

  “I’ll be right back,” he whispered against my ear, and I missed the weight of him the second he was gone. How could he even get up? I could hardly fucking move.

  He returned with a towel and a huge grin. “You made a mess.”

  “That’s kind of my MO.”

  Sam carefully nudged me over and wiped the bed before proceeding to clean up my neck, my shoulder, my stomach, and any other body part that had been lying in my own semen. “There.”

  He tossed the towel and slid next to me, gathering me up in his arms until my head was resting on his chest. It was pure fucking bliss. Our legs were tangled, his foot rubbing languidly against mine. Warm fingertips skimmed up and down my back and I shivered. The steady beat of his heart under my cheek made me want to close my eyes and drift into the most peaceful sleep.

  But nah, I couldn’t do that. I had to cut the moment with something to ease the fucking flutters in my chest. “Your cock is magnificent.”

  His laugh vibrated through me. “Your fucking ass is magnificent.”

  “The fact that you just swore and complimented my ass in the same sentence is a win-win for me.” I circled his nipple with the pad of my thumb. “And of course why we make such a good pair.”

  He chuckled. “I’ve been trying to tell you that for a while now. It’s about time you came up to speed. By the way,” he added, “are you up for coming to meet my parents at the end of next week? We have a weekly dinner and I’d love for them to meet you and vice versa.”

  I gnawed on my lip before letting it go. “That sounds pretty fucking serious.”

  He tipped my chin up and kissed me. “That’s because it is.”

  Sam was right about that. Only, I still didn’t know how to verbalize all the shit that was happening inside of me. But he definitely deserved more than I was giving him. He’d shelled out a lot.

  So it was now or never.

  Using his chest as leverage, I pushed myself up. “I have something for you.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah.” Scooting off the mattress, I dug into my drawer until I found what I was looking for. I hopped back on the bed and ignored the fact that my hand was shaky. This really wasn’t a huge deal.

  Sam sat up and reclined against the headboard, eyeing me suspiciously. “What is it?”

  I positioned myself cross-legged beside him. “It’s just a little something I made for you
. It’s no big deal.”

  He held out his hand, palm up. His mouth spread into a wide grin. “I’ll be the judge of that.” I rolled my eyes as he opened the album and flipped through it. Pictures of our time in Maui covered each page. Various places we visited together mixed with photos of the Hawaiian landscape. He stopped on the final two. One of us dancing together at the luau, and the other, at the restaurant eating lobster. It was suddenly too quiet. The more it dragged on, the harder I bit into the edge of my lip.

  When his gaze climbed to mine, his grin softened along with his tone. “When… how? How did you do this?”

  “I have my ways.” My voice was teasing, but it couldn’t hide the red I knew was staining my cheeks. Sam wouldn’t have any of it.

  “All the cool graphic captions you did for each page? That must’ve taken a lot of work. This… it’s so thoughtful. It means a lot to me. Thank you.” He leaned forward to kiss me and there was nothing teasing about the tender way his mouth pressed to mine. I wanted to fall into him. After a minute, he smiled into the kiss.

  “What?” I whispered over his lips.

  “You had to get me with that darn bib on, didn’t you?”

  “Fuck, yeah. You looked adorable.” I paused, chasing the right words. “This is my only way, you know? I already told you, I’m not too good at this stuff. I don’t…”

  “You don’t what?” He stared at me with those big brown eyes that ripped me open, leaving me to bleed all over the damn place. I exhaled a shaky breath.

  “I don’t know how to love you.”

  “Oh, Drew.” He cupped my cheeks, brushing his lips against mine. “Don’t you see? You’ve been showing me all along.” His smile was so fucking bright, he could’ve lit up the entire Manhattan skyline. “Love isn’t just one thing. It’s a million little things.”

  I felt my brows dip low on my forehead. His words, they floored me. Maybe I was capable of love, after all? My feelings barreled into me and my eyes widened. “I love you?”

  “Yes you do,” he whispered softly. “But I already knew that.”

  I COULDN’T TEAR my eyes away from the view out the windshield. Growing up, houses like this were reserved for fantasies. More than once, Mom and I sat in front of our small black and white television, both of us dreaming of a different life other than poverty—the only reality we knew. “Jesus. Is this the neighborhood where they filmed The Sopranos?”

  Sam pulled into the driveway and cut the engine, glancing over at me. “Drew, it’s just a house.”

  My mouth twisted into a wry smile. “Yeah, but it’s a big-ass one.”

  He tugged me close and grinned against my lips. “Don’t talk dirty to me before we go into my parent’s house. Otherwise, I won’t be able to keep my hands off of you. You already know my need to touch you outweighs everything else.”

  “Yes.” Heat padded my skin. “I think we should’ve stayed at your place a little longer and done more touching. Just, you know, to get it out of our system.”

  His fingers threaded through the hair at my temple. “I’ll never get you out of my system.” He whispered the words and warmth drizzled over my spine. I wanted to drag him into the backseat, shove our jeans down, and fuck like teenagers. He backed away, eyeing my expression. “Don’t do that.”

  “Do what?”

  Chuckling softly under his breath, he gestured toward the house. “Let’s go.”

  As we climbed out of the car, Sam grabbed my hand. I slowed my steps but we made it to the front door anyway. He turned to me. “Nervous, huh?”

  “How can you tell?”

  He lifted our hands between us. “You’re squeezing the life out of my fingers.”

  “Oh.” I pressed my lips together. “Sorry. It’s just… I mean, I am who I am. But that doesn’t mean I still don’t want them to like me. Shit, Sam. I’m in love with their son.” He rocked on the balls of his feet, looking ridiculously happy.

  Yeah. I knew the feeling.

  His mom greeted us at the door. With her huge chestnut-colored eyes and muddy brown hair, she was a dead ringer for Sam. Right away, her gaze strayed to our joined hands before climbing to our faces with a smile I recognized. It was that lips-turned-up, eyes gleaming type of expression. The one my mom gave when she was proud of me. My chest expanded. I was happy to see it again.

  “You must be Drew.” She wiped her hands on a towel and edged forward to give me a one-armed hug. “I’m thrilled to meet you.” Her attention shifted to Sam as she stepped back. “Sam, you failed to mention how handsome he is.” She tipped her head to the side. “That says a lot.” Leaning up on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. “Hi, sweetie.”

  Sam’s cheeks reddened and he shook his head. “Mom, remember, you’re off the clock.” He kicked his shoes off at the door, and judging by the three other pairs already there, I thought I better do it too.

  His mom laughed, prancing off toward what I gathered was the kitchen. It was hard to tell. There were so many fucking rooms and hallways already and we were barely inside. “I’m never off the clock.” As we followed her, she peered over her shoulder and tapped the side of her head. “Too much going on in here at all times.”

  “I can vouch for that,” Sam teased, and she turned to swat him with the towel. I took an immediate liking to her. She had this way that put me at ease.

  His father, on the other hand, scared the shit out of me the moment he trampled down the massive spiral staircase. I emphasize trampled because the guy was huge. At six feet, I was tall, but he had to have been at least six four. Not to mention he was a solid wall of muscle. He definitely looked like a lineman and I remember Sam telling me he played football for a lot of years.

  “There he is.” The boyish smile on his face was a stark contrast to the rest of him. I let go of Sam’s hand, knowing he would need it as his father embraced him. “I’m glad you both could make it.” He gripped Sam in a bear hug before patting his back and stepping over to me. “Drew.” He extended his arm for a handshake. “Good to finally meet you.”

  “You too, Mr. Stone.”

  “Pfft. No, thank you. I’m not that old.” His broad shoulders shook with his chuckle. “Call me John.” He glanced behind him to the counter. “Now don’t move.”

  “Oh no.” Sam scratched his head. “Really, Dad, we just got here. Can we at least give Drew a few minutes to settle in?”

  “John,” his mother scolded. “Put that thing away. It’s bad enough Drew’s going to have to deal with my inquisition.” She winked at me. “He doesn’t need the video too.”

  “It’s fine.” I jumped in. “I don’t mind.”

  “Well I do,” his mother countered. She leered at John and for such a big guy, he suddenly got smaller. “Now put that away.” She waggled her brows. “You can use it later, during our… session.”

  Sam’s sigh was loud before his mouth touched my ear. “I’m sorry. Sometimes they’re a bit over the top.”

  My lips caught his cheek as I shifted to face him. “I kind of like it actually. I don’t have this, you know?” A crease popped up between his brows and he grasped my hand, giving it a squeeze. “Besides,” I teased, “I’m not interested in crossing your father. I’d like to keep my nuts intact. He looks like he could crush me with his bare hands.”

  Sam laughed. “Don’t let him fool you. I told you, he’s just a big old teddy bear.”

  Proving his point, Sam’s dad lifted his mom off her feet in a giant hug. It made the hard piece of my heart, the one that carried memories of my asshole father soften up a bit. I always knew the story with my father wouldn’t have a happy ending. Not all relationships could be wrapped up neatly and tied with a fucking bow. And that was okay. Because I was living my life—exactly the way I wanted to—the way I was meant to. A way I knew my mom would’ve been proud of me—and that was enough.

  John walked over to us. “Sam, can I steal you for a minute? I want to show you something I picked up the other day.”

  His gaze flew t
o his mom, who shrugged, unable to hide her smile. “Uh oh.” He looked to me with a silent question and I nodded.

  “I’m good. Go ahead.”

  “Go easy, Mom. Okay? I really don’t want to scare Drew away.”

  I wanted to reassure him there was no chance that would ever happen. Instead, I pulled out a stool at the center island, twice the size of my kitchen table, and sat. Sam’s dad clamped a meaty hand around his shoulder as they shuffled out of the kitchen. As soon as they were out of earshot, Mrs. Stone leaned against the counter with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “So, Drew?”

  I cocked my head and folded my arms in the same position. “So, Mrs. Stone.” Her response was an immediate smile. I wasn’t gunning for one, but I certainly didn’t intend to come here and be anything other than myself—and this was me. This is the person her son was in love with, and I wanted to make sure they saw him.

  “It’s Laura. Please.” Her cheeks lifted as her smile grew. “I’ve been with you all of five minutes and I already see it.”

  My hand hovered over a bowl of black olives and she nodded her permission. “See what?” I questioned, popping one into my mouth.

  “Why he loves you.”

  That pretty much cut me to the quick. Heat drifted up the back of my neck and I’m sure it registered on my face. “You can tell that already?”

  “I’m in the business of people, Drew. I’m a psychologist. I can tell a lot of things in a short span of time.”

  I swallowed another olive. “So you must be able to tell something else then?”

  She tucked a strand of long, dark hair behind her ear. “What’s that?”

  “How much I love your son.”

  Her eyes popped. She seemed surprised I was so candid. Hell, I was fucking surprised. But I’d learned that those three words I said to Sam held great power. Because the moment I’d said them, they became more. The feeling exploded inside of me and I could no longer contain it. Not even if I tried.

  Laura took two steps to reach me, smoothing her hand over the marble countertop. “Yes, I do know. Sam has told me all about you and how wonderful you’ve been to him.” She winked, then turned to her right to open the fridge and remove a clear glass pitcher filled with water. A dozen or so sliced lemons floated on top. “Can I offer you some lemon water?” She studied my face, trying, but failing miserably to conceal the humor in her smile.