Prologue Number Two

Andy

I love you. Those three words echoed through my head as I pressed my nose into my boyfriend Leo McCormack's ink-colored hair. I was madly in love with him. We had been together for three years, and nothing had ever felt so right. I couldn't imagine my life without Leo. He made everything better, and I felt like he was the half that made me hole. His soft giggles, his thousand-watt smile, his sweet, cinnamon scent.

I suppose at our age neither of us knew what love was, but neither did my dads, and they turned out okay. They fell in love, got married, and had their happily ever after. The middle part was still a little hazy, though. I had heard bits and pieces about what happened, but I figured when they were ready, they'd tell me. Not all the details, though. That's just gross.

I tightened my arms around Leo so I could tug him closer. I loved these moments before he woke. Just us lying in his bed, the sun starting to come up and I got to watch him come alive. I was an early riser thanks to my pop, the hockey player, and my body was just used to it. No matter how hard I tried to sleep in, it didn't happen. I enjoyed watching as Leo would start to wake, the way he would get this grumpy look on his face, the crease between his eyebrows before he remembered I was with him. Then he would stare at me with those sky-blue eyes and break into a smile that set my insides on fire.

Now that we were both eighteen, his brother, Noel, and my dads couldn't keep us from having sleepovers that ended in hand jobs and orgasms. There was no need to muffle our moans or bite down on a pillow in fear of being found. Leo was racing full time in Xfinity now, so I tried to sneak away when my band, Bungalow Princess, was on tour as often as I could. Sometimes it was for a few days, a week, or maybe just a night, but it was worth it every single time just to be near my boyfriend.

Leo's skin always smelled so good. Like baby powder and cinnamon. I asked him once what it was, but he had only told me he had to have some at least one beauty secret. He shared everything else with me. His makeup tips, how he got his hair so perfect, nails, anything I asked. He said he owed it all to his friend—his best friend, he had called him—Ezra Bardot. The man who taught him how to dress, wear makeup, and be comfortable in his own skin. Ezra also happened to be close friends with my dad, Maverick, too. But then, Ezra wanted to be friends with everyone. He had that way about him.

"One of these mornings I'm going to get you to sleep in," Leo mumbled as he turned his long, lithe body to face me and then buried his face against my chest. "This crack of dawn nonsense is ridiculous."

I dragged a hand through his raven-colored hair. "I just like watching you, Ricky." His ears turned pink at the nickname. He didn't seem to mind that it came from the movie Talladega Nights. "Mm, you know I only have a few hours before I have to take off." I tipped his chin up and watched his blue eyes flash with a mixture of heat and sadness.

"I hate it." Leo pushed me over to press his lips against mine, not caring about my morning breath as he climbed up to splay his smaller, lean body over my bigger one. "I wish you didn't have to go. That we could be together all the time."

I pressed my lips against his plump ones. "Soon, Ricky, I promise." I let my hand roam over his taut stomach. "You're so amazing."

"Andy, please." He groaned while he rutted against me.

Three years we'd been together, and the way Leo said my name like that still caused my stomach to fill with butterflies.

"I got you." I slipped my hand between our bodies. His flimsy shorts slipped down quickly, and I growled when I realized he wore no underwear. "Ricky, what am I going to do with you?"

His cock was so warm, soft, and velvety smooth against my callused palm.

"Make me come," he murmured as he nipped and sucked at my bottom lip. "No, wait, let me take out your dick, hon, so we can come together."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I gave Leo a nod, and then his hands were down the front of my pajamas, yanking my cock out.

"Fuck," I murmured as Leo dragged his thumb over the head and gathered the precum. My body hummed with need as he brought his thumb up to his mouth and sucked it clean.

"I'll never get sick of this, you, us," Leo whispered. "You're all I need."

I wrapped my hand around both of us and began to move in a slow motion. "Ricky." I raised my chin so he would bring those full lips to mine again.

" Oh. "

He whimpered against me as I twisted my fingers around the head of our cocks. His hands clutched at my hair, my shirt, and then my hips. I stared up at his beautiful face as he writhed above me, obsessed with the way his eyes rolled back before he focused on me.

"You're so close already, aren't you?"

I was, too. No matter how many times we did this, or he touched me, or we got off together, it felt like the first time. I loved Leo's hands on me, his lips against mine, and the way he sounded when he came. It was music to my ears.

He kissed me, and goosebumps broke out over my skin and sparks of electricity shot up my spine. It never took much for either of us. Maybe it was our age or the fact that we knew one another so well, but it would be five minutes max before we were groaning and coming undone together.

Three years. Three years, and this was as far as we'd gotten. Neither one of us was in a rush. Kissing, messy blowjobs, and slow rutting, yeah, it was our thing. I cared about Leo. I loved him, and he felt the same way about me. That night at the Christmas party, I knew he was it for me. I still thought of him wearing that red sweater, the way he blushed and tried to hide, but I saw him. I saw the way Leo looked at me with those blue eyes. I wanted him then, and I still wanted him now.

"Andy," Leo whined just as he exploded in my hand, down my wrist, and across both of our bellies.

He buried his face in my neck, his lips pressed to my skin as his hips arched and jerked against mine. I quickly joined him in my own release, groaning and grunting out his name.

I stroked his back with my clean hand. "I love you, Leo," I whispered.

He pulled back to look at me. "I love you, too."

He blushed, then sat up and pulled my hand up to his mouth. I watched wide-eyed as he licked my fingers clean, his gaze never leaving mine. Damn, that was still hot. Just like Leo. Then he sank back down over me and rested his head on my chest, smearing our mess together.

"When will I see you again?"

This was the part I was dreading. Princess was headed out on a European tour for six weeks next month. It would be the longest the two of us had ever been apart since we started dating. My stomach twisted.

"Uh, about that," I murmured. "We're going on a six-week tour."

"That's not a big deal. You go on long tours all the time."

Leo drew circles against the skin on my arm, over the tattoo sleeve I had recently started. I only had two so far, but I wanted all of the ink to be important. The first one was a checkered flag and the second was a pair of drumsticks with a hockey puck in between them, just like my pop.

I took a deep breath. "It's in Europe, Ricky."

Leo's body stiffened, and he sat up to look at me. His eyes were sad, his lips pinched.

"I have no choice. The label set it up, and we don't have a say in it. Trust me, none of us want to do this right now. We're teenagers. But we have obligations to the label."

"Six weeks." Leo's chin quivered. "That's a long time to go without seeing one another."

I sat up and wrapped my arms around him. "We can FaceTime, text. It won't be that bad."

It left a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Not doing this for six weeks was going to be torture. When Leo buried his face in my neck, I felt the urge to run away with him. Quit the band and just do something stupid like hitch a ride to Vegas so we could get married like Killian and Matthias did. But Dad would be furious if we did that, and I didn't want to face his wrath.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to get so emotional, hon." Leo sniffed as he pulled back to look at me. "It's just... never mind."

I pushed the hair back from his face and cupped his head in my hands. "Just what, Ricky? Tell me."

"What if you meet someone else?" His blue eyes glistened with fresh tears.

I shook my head. "That's never going to happen. You're my soulmate, Leopold."

The blush that shot up his neck and over his face was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen.

"I have something for you."

"For me?" Leo whispered as he leaned his forehead against mine.

I smiled. "Yeah, Ricky, for you."

I moved him onto the mattress so I could get up and go to my bag. I dug around until I found what I was looking for and then sat back down next to him. I took his hand, and his blue eyes went wide.

"This is so you know I mean what I say. That I want to marry you." I slipped the ring onto his finger, and we both watched the sparkling blue stones and twist shank design that matched the color of his eyes.

"Andy." He stared at me with hope shining in his gorgeous blue eyes. "Is this... Are you..."

I nodded. "I am. Marry me."

"Yes, of course. A million times yes." He pressed a kiss to my mouth. "I love you," Leo murmured as he dragged the tip of his finger over the stones. "I don't... This is too much."

I shook my head. "Someday, when I have enough money, I'm going to get you the biggest, brightest ring the world has ever seen. But until then, this one will have to do."

"Suddenly six weeks doesn't seem so bad," he teased, even though it felt like forever.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him onto my lap. "Just think about what it's going to be like when we get married."

"Perfect." Leo tucked his head under my chin, his fingers clinging to my shirt. "Waking up next to you again will be just perfect."

I smiled. "I mean, I'll still have to tour, and you'll be racing," I reminded him.

"I'll give it up so we can have a family." He sounded like he might be falling asleep again.

I tugged him closer. "You still want a family with me, Ricky?"

"I want everything with you, Andy."

"Kiss me," I whispered.

His lips fell against mine. Leo whimpered softly before he pulled back. "I want to be yours. And only yours."

"You already are... Oh, you mean?" My brows went up as I realized what he might be trying to tell me. "Are you sure? Because I don't want you to feel pressured."

We had talked about sex more than enough times since we started dating, but neither one of us had pushed the other. Unusual for boys at our age, but we loved one another enough to know that when the time was right, we would take that next step.

He nodded. "When you get back, hon. We can make it all special, and..." He dropped his gaze as a blush crept up his neck. "I've been practicing."

"Ricky." I tipped his head back up as my cock rallied back to life. "What does that mean?"

His cheeks burned pink. "I have a toy. Seth and Ezra helped me pick it out. Just so I could be ready. You're bigger, and I don't want it hurt. We'll use plenty of lube."

"And condoms?"

"No condoms. I want skin on skin, Andy. You're my boyfriend. The only one I'm ever going to be with. And someday really soon, I'm going to marry you in front of all our friends and family. Show the world that I belong to you. And that you belong to me."

I kissed him hard. "That sounds perfect. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Leo whispered.