10. Alexi

I wokeup to Troy peppering soft kisses all over my face.

"Finally. I was starting to feel like a creep. You sleep like the dead," he said, pulling away but staying close enough that I could snuggle.

"Morning." I stretched like a cat, feeling every one of my muscles as I relaxed back into Troy's arms. Could I convince him to have a morning round? Maybe I could suck him, or he could suck me. After all, I had to sit in the car for several hours, so maybe not penetrative sex.

"Don't look at me like that. We have a long drive ahead, and we have to get up."

"You say that, but your dick is saying something else." I pushed my hips against his, relishing in his gasp when our cocks rubbed together.

"My dick is stupid for you."

"The feeling is mutual." I circled my arms around his waist. "How about a shower?"

He jumped out of bed, taking me with him. "Maybe we do have time…to get clean before we hit the road."

"To get clean…right…"

Kisses and shower sex were my new favorite ways to start the day, even if they ended too soon.

A quick breakfast, coffee for Troy, and a to-go tea for me later, and we were on our way to Connecticut.

When we stopped for a late lunch a couple of hours away from Chester Falls, it was clear Troy noticed my increasing anxiety because instead of going straight to the diner on the side of the road, he pulled me toward a woodland area nearby.

"Let's stretch our legs," he said.

There was a man-made path with signs leading to a stream. We didn't get that far before Troy stopped and pulled me into a tight hug.

"What's up, baby? You've gone really quiet all of a sudden."

"I don't know. So much has changed so quickly, and I'm not sure how to handle it. What if my parents ask me what I've been up to, and I blurt out your name? What if they can tell I have no friends and they make me go back home?"

Troy pulled back to look at my face. "Wait up, you have no friends?"

Shit.In my panicked, swirling thoughts, I hadn't filtered what came out of my mouth.

"No, I mean…um…" I sighed. There was no point lying. "Apart from hanging out with Jett, I haven't gotten close to many people. At first, I was afraid they'd recognize me because Jett knew exactly who I was when I walked into our dorm room." I put my hands on his jacket when he became restless. "Don't worry. It's because he's a history major and has a thing for royal families. If you ever want to know the most eligible prince or duke to marry, he can tell you in a heartbeat, and the answer might surprise you."

Troy narrowed his eyes. "Why would you want to know that? You don't have to marry royalty, do you?"

I chuckled. "No. When you meet Jett properly, you'll find sometimes the information comes at you whether you want it or not."

"I'm looking forward to the experience." He cradled my face between his hands. "I'm so sorry. I should have been a better friend."

"I didn't want you to be my friend, Troy. That was the problem. And I didn't know how to get close to you."

"And now?"

I snaked my arms over his shoulders and pulled him until his face was level with mine. "Now I wish the rest of the world didn't exist so I could have you all to myself a little longer before I have to pretend we're just friends."

Kissing Troy was addictive. Who needed food when the way his tongue licked mine, how he pulled my lips between his, gave me such a rush of happy feelings?

Of course, then his stomach growled because while I might think I could survive on kisses alone, he needed real food. I could give him that.

"Come on, let me buy you lunch."

"Wait—about us…I mean…"

I smiled. "Like I said yesterday, I'd like to keep this between us. Not because I think what we're doing is wrong, but because this has been building for so long and we both need to process it before anyone else gets involved."

"Sometimes I wonder which one of us is older."

"Not by that much." I poked his sides.

Troy's relieved expression planted a tiny seed of doubt in my mind that I tried to push away all throughout lunch and the rest of the drive to Chester Falls.

I knew his feelings were real. I'd seen it in his eyes, felt it in the way he held me and kissed me. But would he feel the same when he read about our relationship in the news and felt the weight of public opinion?

Maybe I was getting ahead of myself and should take my own advice.

"Hey, can you stop before you take the turn to my parents' place?"

Troy glanced at me and squeezed my hand.

There was an old driveway to the property that wasn't used anymore because my parents had bought the abandoned land around the house to provide extra security.

When he stopped the car far enough away from the road that we wouldn't be seen, I jumped over the middle console so I could straddle him.

Before he could react, I captured his lips in a burning kiss. His arms snaked around my waist and he pulled me flush against his chest.

Our tongues waltzed around each other, tasting, exploring.

"Lexi…" he pulled away from the kiss, gasping for air.

"I'm sorry, I just needed to taste you one more time before…" I didn't finish my thought. He knew exactly what I was going to say.

He chuckled. "I'm on board with that, Lexi. But now we have a problem." He placed my hand over his erection. I cupped it, loving that I'd made him this hard.

"Tell me we can see each other before we go back."

He ran a finger over my still-wet lip. "You'll see me in less than twenty-four hours."

I slumped. "A kid's birthday party isn't exactly what I had in mind."

"You know what kids are really good at? Keeping adults busy. I bet that I could kiss you or touch you in every single room in that house and make you come at least once, and no one would know."

I sucked his finger into my mouth, smiling as his breath caught. "Can't wait."

This time he was the one to kiss me until my lips were swollen from him sucking on them. I returned to the passenger seat, looked at my face in the mirror inside the sun visor, and laughed. "I could kill you now. How am I going to see my parents when I look like I've been sucking dick all day?"

"Lower the window the rest of the way there and cool your flushed face."

"You're a dick. Have you seen my lips? I look like I've had filler."

He smiled the smuggest smile to ever smug. "You shouldn't have such kissable lips."

"Oh, so it's my fault?"

"I'm not the one who jumped over the center console to make out."

I crossed my arms and huffed. "Didn't see you complain."

"I still need to find a way to get this erection to go down before I get to my parents'."

"I could have taken care of it," I said.

He stretched his hand over the console, and I took it. "And it would have been amazing, but we were in a semi-public place, less than a mile from your house."

He turned down the long driveway that led up to the house. My face looked a little less flushed and my lips had somewhat returned to normal by the time we got out of the car to meet my parents. Thankfully, both our erections were gone.

"Alexi!" My dad, Charlie, ran down the steps to meet me, hugging me so tight I lost my breath for a moment.

"Hey, Dad."

My other dad, Kris, came right behind him. I hugged him and then pulled both to me. My throat felt so tight. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed them.

"So glad to have you home, sweetheart. Do you have time for a drink, Troy? Or do you want to get home to your parents?"

Troy chuckled. "I should get home, but thank you, Kris." He almost took a step toward me before he caught himself and walked back to the car.

"I'll see you all tomorrow at the party."

We waved him goodbye. A few minutes later, my phone dinged with a message.

TROY

Remember my promise…

"You look happy," my dads said simultaneously as we walked into the living room, where a tray with tea and my favorite Lydovian cookies sat on the coffee table.

"Wow, you sound like twins now. It's a little incestuous, isn't it?"

They both grabbed a pillow and hit me with them while I laughed.

It was good to be home, and the anticipation of seeing Troy tomorrow made it even better.