Chapter 40

Tight, warm, and exquisite heat surrounded me as I pounded into Chase again and again.

The sight of him stretched out before me had me rushing toward climax. This was different, still rough, still us, but fuck, it was special. This was Chase, finally giving in and handing over all of himself.

My hand grasped the back of his neck and shoved his face into the pillow. "Such a good fucking boy. Letting me fuck you this way. Would you let me wrap my hands around that pretty little throat of yours? Cut off your air?" His whimpers were music to my ears and tears trickled from his eyes. "You want to come now?"

I didn't get an answer and my hips snapped forward a few times. "You don't get to come until you answer me."

"Yes," he gasped. "Fuck, yes. Need to come so bad."

"That's it." My free hand slipped to his front, wrapping around his hard, angry erection. He cried out as soon as my fingers gripped him. Chase released with a long, silent scream, his cum painting the sheets below him as he clamped around me.

The pressure of his passage surrounding me was enough to make me join him. I pumped my load in his ass as we rode out the waves of our orgasms.

When we came crashing back to earth, we collapsed on the mattress, our breathing loud in the otherwise silent camper.

My limbs were numb as the blissed-out feeling washed over my body. The feeling of completeness was only made better when Chase nuzzled into my side. He kissed my shoulder tenderly and if he'd spoken anymore softly, I would have missed what he'd said. "I'm yours for always."

This felt like a joke. After months of waiting, there was no way that the e-mail I was staring at was real.

"Congratulations Mr. Grant. We'd like to offer you the position with LateNight Games. As discussed..."

I read over the words a few more times, still refusing to believe them.

"What's wrong?" Chase rested his head on my shoulder, and I quickly shoved my phone into the mattress.

"I don't think anything is wrong."

He laughed and kissed the side of my head before sliding off the bed. Chase scratched his lower back as he went into the kitchen and grabbed the half gallon of milk from the fridge. He opened the cap and took a swig of it before closing it and putting it back inside. Things like that would drive my mom insane, but he hadnt had to impress anyone except himself for the last few years.

"So why do you look like your world just fell apart?"

It was hard to have a serious conversation with him when he was standing across the room naked like that. Everything inside of me screamed to pull him back into the bed and have my wicked way with him again.

"Because it feels too good to be true? I've gotten nothing but bad news when it comes to jobs with my degree since I graduated, so..."

His face lit up. "You got a job?"

It was impossible to fight the smile anymore. My face hurt with how wide my smile was as it stretched across my face. "I got a job."

Oreo must have sensed the excitement in the room because she jumped onto the bed and bumped her head into my side. I laughed and scratched her head. "You want to congratulate me, too, pretty girl?"

Chase came and lifted her from the bed. She gave a disapproving meow as he set her on the ground. It didn't bother him too badly as he climbed onto the bed and pushed me back into the mattress. "I can think of a better way to congratulate you than the cat can."

And he did, with that very talented mouth of his.

When we finally managed to get our acts together and clean up, I read him the e-mail. The job was in Seattle, but would allow me to work remotely for the majority of the time. Since I had a computer that was compatible with their programs, it really was a dream job scenario. The pay wasn't bad either. It would take a little bit, but it wouldn't take too long to save up some money so I could move out of my parent's place.

The biggest hurdle was Chase. I needed to go back to Seattle for orientation, and I refused to leave him behind ever again. There wasn't a guarantee that Mom and Dad would be cool with him tagging along with me.

"You know, the worst they can tell you is no. I still have my camper for now. They have to be okay with Oreo as well. I can't go with you and leave her behind."

Chase was right. All I had to do was ask my parents, but my heart raced thinking about asking if my boyfriend could live with us for a while. What would they think about his cat?

My fingers slipped on the screen of my phone as I pulled up my mom's contact and hit the button to connect the call. It rang a few times before she answered.

"Hey, Nathan. Is everything okay?"

I huffed a small laugh, my entire body vibrating with nerves. "They're great." My voice broke, and I cleared my throat. Chase covered his mouth and tried to not laugh at my struggle.

"That doesn't sound like things are great. Everything okay with Uncle Drew? Did something else happen?" Panic leached into her questions. It was still too soon after the heart attack for my family to relax.

"Uncle Drew is fine. It's me."

"Oh, God! What happened, Nathan?"

It was my turn to laugh. This was turning into the world's most ridiculous conversation. "I got a job offer."

"What!" she screeched into the phone. "And here I thought you were calling to tell me that you and Chase ran off and got married or something."

Knowing that my parents were so open and accepting of my relationship with him made me feel warm. Not everyone was as lucky.

"No, not married... yet."

The smile vanished off of Chase's face, but not in a bad way. He stood in front of me and laced his fingers with mine while I kept talking to my mom on the phone.

"The job is in Seattle, and it's mostly remote, but they want me there in case I have to come into the office."

Mom sighed. "Guess I better make the house ready for two more bodies, then."

Just like that, the tension was gone. "You would be okay—"

"With anyone else, I would mind. Not with him. That boy has been a part of this family for years."

I grinned at Chase, squeezing his hand as the last question landed. "So, how do you feel about cats?"

With the situation at my parents' house out of the way, the only thing left to do was for Chase to let Uncle Drew know about his plans. Everything felt like it was happening so fast, but it needed to since I only had three days to get to Seattle for my orientation.

We found Gabi and Uncle Drew sitting on the couch with Max when we got to the house. Uncle Drew was eating a sandwich while Max sat at his feet, begging for a bite. Gabi nudged the dog with her foot, trying to get him to leave, but he was on a mission and there would be no deterring him until he got a bite.

"He keeps trying to give him nibbles, but Papa needs his strength. Not only that, but some of the food he slips the dog isn't the best for him," Gabi complained as Uncle Drew rolled his eyes. He ripped off a corner of his bread and tossed it to the floor. Max jumped after it while Gabi objected, slapping him on the shoulder.

"So, what brings you two over here?" she asked as we all settled down when my uncle finished his lunch.

I explained about the job and how soon I needed to leave. For the first time, my uncle looked a little nervous. We were leaving him without the two workers for his properties. It was sort of sucky, but it wasn't an opportunity I could pass up.

"Don't worry about it. I can help with the houses until you hire someone," Gabi offered.

Uncle Drew nodded. "I know you can, but you wanted to apply for school."

"I do, but taking care of family is important. It shouldn't take you that long to find someone to take over for the boys. I bet if you went over to that clinic on the edge of town, you know, the one that specializes in the low-income patients, you could post something and find someone really fast."

Gabi's idea wasn't terrible, and it eased some of my guilt about leaving Uncle Drew in a pinch. He still didn't look all that happy at the idea that Chase and I were leaving him so suddenly. I wanted to think of a way to make it up to him, and maybe once I started working, I'd find a way to send him and Gabi on a nice trip or something.

Chase and I left the house after sitting and talking for a while. He was anxious to get home and figure out what he needed to pack and get ready. This was a big step for him as well, and we still had to figure out what to do with his camper and lot. The good news was that we had time after my orientation. It all felt like a rush right now, but things would eventually slow down so we could breathe.

He paced up and down the walkway in his home as I watched him stuff a few items in a bag. I laughed because he seemed to be more nervous about all of this than I was. The next time he moved past me, I grabbed him by the hips to halt him. "What's going on in your head?"

Chase gnawed his lip and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm scared. I've never left the coast and…"

"I'm never going to hurt you again. Well, I can't promise I won't do or say something stupid along the way, but I can promise I won't hurt you like I did in the past. I have your back."

Chase smiled, bent down to kiss me, and it was like his worries melted.

We had a long way to go. The trust between us was still being restored, but each day was better than the last. Life without Chase Dawson wasn't one that I wanted to imagine.