Chapter 13

When I got home, Uncle Drew had a fire going in the backyard pit. Chase followed me back, and Max jumped up and licked him in the face in greeting. I'd always wanted a dog growing up, but being in the city, it wasn't practical. Max was the best I had, and I'd missed him while I'd been away at college.

Max brought Chase a ball, and Chase took it from him and tossed it across the yard. Uncle Drew watched us in mild fascination before he got up and put out his cigarette on the bottom of his shoe. I frowned at the action. I hadn't noticed him doing it very much since I'd been here, so he'd been truthful that he'd cut back. Now he needed to quit entirely.

"You boys going to stay out here and enjoy the fire for a bit?" he asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I looked at Chase, who gave me a shrug.

"Sure. We can put it out after a bit."

Uncle Drew nodded before heading inside and taking Max with him.

Chase and I stared at each other for a moment before he broke the contact and made his way to one of the folding chairs next to the fire. He plopped back into it, causing it to rock slightly, and folding his hands in his lap.

I blew out a breath, suddenly feeling jittery and nervous. My palms grew sweaty, and my heart beat rapidly in my chest. I'd been alone with him all evening, but not like this. Seclusion like this left opportunities for something to happen, and after that kiss at the park earlier, I wasn't totally against it.

Being the big-ass chicken I was, I took the chair across from him. When his lips ticked up in a smirk, it was clear he knew exactly what I was doing.

"Why so far away from me, Nate?"

He only ever shortened my name when he was being playful, otherwise it was always Nathan. I'd never minded what he called me. When he called me Nate, it always sent a strange course of heat through me, because it normally led to something more. It led to mouths, lips, and hands. It led to filthy words and sinful fantasies.

I laughed, my gut churning as I thought of an excuse. "Just figured you'd want some space."

Chase bit his lip and looked at the house behind me. He was thoughtful for a moment, then his whole body relaxed as he turned back to me. "Looks like Drew turned the lights out."

My skin vibrated because I knew what he was implying. My uncle had gone to bed. If we wanted to mess around back here, the chance of getting caught was slim. Once Uncle Drew went to bed, he was out for the night.

That shaky feeling continued when Chase stood from his seat and slunk around the fire. A groan worked its way from deep within my chest as he took off his hat and stuffed it in the back pocket of his shorts. He meant business.

The chairs weren't expensive. They were the run-of-the-mill classic lawn chairs with metal frames and webbed material that weren't always comfortable. While it was fine with one person sitting in one, I wasn't sure how well one would hold up with two grown men.

Chase hooked his leg through the armrest and sank into my lap, the aluminum frame whining under our combined weight. I only hoped he wasn't serious about doing this here. When he leaned in, and his lips met mine, all concerns about the stupid chair flew out of my head. All I cared about was the guy pressed against me. My hands gripped the material of his shirt, sliding beneath the fabric. His breath hitched as my fingers trailed up his back, resting against the warm muscles there.

Our heated kisses continued, Chase grinding into my growing erection. Sharp gasps fell from our mouths as we moved against one another. The chair made another groaning sound, but Chase didn't let up.

My hands explored, sinking into the back of Chase's shorts. They skimmed past the band of his underwear and over the globes of his ass. I found his crease, my fingers dancing down the middle. When my finger found his hole, Chase broke apart from me, hissing.

"Is that okay?" I asked, applying gentle pressure.

He hummed appreciatively before speaking against my lips. "It's more than okay."

Our tongues tangoed as I swirled his tight pucker with my fingers when, with a screech, the chair suddenly gave out below us. The air rushed from my lungs, and I blinked up at the starry sky above. Chase rolled to the side, laughing, the mood officially destroyed.

Max barked from inside the house as the lights clicked on in one of the bedroom windows. Uncle Drew threw open the window and looked out into the yard, spotting us and the ruined chair on the ground.

"What the hell are you two doing out there?"

"Sorry, Uncle Drew," I called, sitting up and surveying the damage. There was no hope of saving the chair. Hopefully, they weren't too expensive to replace.

Uncle Drew huffed and slammed his window closed as the light clicked off again. Chase sat next to me on the ground and stared at the fire for a few minutes before nudging me with his shoulder. "Well, as fun as that was, maybe we should put this out so I can head home."

My heart sank a little. While the evening had turned sexually charged, I had hoped that he would let me in a little more. That hope was now squashed as flat as the chair.

"Yeah, sure." I stood and wiped dirt and grass from my butt before offering out a hand to help Chase to his feet.

"Are you sure that you need it?"

I huffed, pacing around the kitchen. Max followed closely behind, trying to figure out what had me so agitated.

"Yes. If you want me to keep applying for jobs, I'll need my computer."

Mom sighed. "So you've been out there for almost three weeks, and you haven't been applying for anything?"

My annoyance grew. The phone in my hand was sure to be crushed if I squeezed it any tighter. "I applied for a bunch of stuff before I left. I don't know why no one is calling me back. Plus, I've been busy working."

Uncle Drew walked through the front door. His eyebrows raised at the way I was talking on the phone, but he walked around me and opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle of beer and heading to the living room. He plopped onto the couch and turned on the TV, flipping it to a talk show. The noise was an added distraction, but I tried not to let it bother me.

Mom was quiet for a moment. "I don't know, Nathan. It seems like a long way to bring a computer."

"Send Aiden to do it."

Her laugh was shrill, and she was probably just as annoyed as I was right now. "Your brother has his own life. Although he seems to be hanging out with your friends a little bit more lately, and I'm not sure how I feel about that."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. What friends was he hanging out with? Andrew and Brandon were okay, but the fact that I knew Joe had been around was bothering me. Joe was an okay guy, but he was the hit-it-and-quit-it type. While he did have a preference for girls, I hadn't lied when I said he didn't discriminate. When he picked guys, they were guys like Aiden. That's what had me the most worried.

"Yeah, I'm not a fan of that either. I don't know. If Aiden doesn't want to do it, I'll see if Andrew or Brandon can."

I rubbed my eyes as the TV volume in the living room went up. Was Uncle Drew trying to drown me out?

"I'm sorry, Nathan. That might be the best idea."

I instantly deflated. I didn't want to drag my friends all the way out here, and this all could have been avoided had I remembered to pack the damn laptop. "Okay, Mom. Thanks, anyway. I love you."

"I love you, too."

We disconnected the call, and I went into the living room, where my uncle was slouched on the couch, sipping his beer. The remote was still in his hand, and I glared at him.

"What the hell was that?"

Uncle Drew looked up at me before shrugging. "Watch how you talk to your mother, kid."

I rolled my eyes before going outside. Max stayed with Uncle Drew, and I walked down the sidewalk, texting Andrew.

Me: Hey, how opposed are you to a trip to the beach?

Andrew: You're kidding, right?

I laughed because he wasn't wrong. Despite this not being a popular hotspot for young people, the beach was the beach.

Me: Mom won't run my laptop out. I need it. Would you be able to bring it out here?

Andrew took several minutes to respond, and when he did, my heart hammered in my chest.

Andrew: Under one condition. Do I get to meet this Chase?

I stopped walking and took in where I was. I was close to the IGA store and with the direction this was all heading, maybe a trip inside to pick up some drinks was in order. There was never a lot of traffic, so when a car drove past, I didn't bother waiting to get to the crosswalk to cross the street.

By the time I came out of the store with a six-pack and started on my way back to my uncle's house, I realized I had left Andrew waiting for an answer for far too long. I fished my phone back out of my pocket, seeing a new message. My stomach turned as I thought of how to respond. It wasn't like I hadn't met Chase's friends. He was okay with telling people that we'd re-sparked things, at least for this summer.

Andrew: Is he still mad?

I sighed and typed out my response.

Me: I don't think he's mad anymore, but things are complicated. I think meeting him can be arranged.

I quickly hit send and shoved my phone back in my pocket, then made my way back to Uncle Drew's, hoping that I hadn't just agreed to something stupid.