Chapter 25

25

Troy

Iinspect my faded hickey in the mirror. Just a subtle pink hue now.

This shouldn’t surprise me. It’s been two weeks since the auction. Two weeks since I proudly took Atlas’s load. But I have to admit, I was disappointed last weekend, when Atlas and I were surviving one of Mom and Glen’s extravagant Thanksgiving parties and no one even noticed what remained of the mark.

Soon, it’ll be gone.

What I need is something permanent. Something that will stay with me so much longer.

I’ve considered getting a tattoo of Atlas’s name—not seriously, but just imagined where it would go. Maybe something discreet, like the one I’d want for Atlas, under his pec. I don’t know that he’d want mine hidden, though. He’d want mine on display for others to know I’m his. Maybe on my neck.

Or my arm?

If he had his way, he’d probably get it done across my forehead and a warning across the small of my back to keep off my ass.

There’s a knock at my door.

I’m still just in a towel when I answer, and the door practically flies open. Atlas hurries in, and before I know it, his lips are on mine, and he’s pushing me against the wall.

It’s been maybe twelve hours since we’ve seen each other, but the way we’re clawing at each other, it’s like we’ve gone weeks without it. We’ve both made these sorts of visits to each other’s places, scrambling behind closed doors as we act like secret boyfriends. Not that we’ve ever given what we’re doing a name. Atlas has never seemed the type to need labels, and I don’t need one either as long as we don’t stop doing whatever this is. And it’s not like I would be ashamed to tell Colin or my buddies. It’ll be embarrassing when they give me hell about it, considering how much I’ve complained to them about my stepbro, but they’ll be happy for me. And really, the truth is, I like keeping this between the two of us—like we’re the only two people in the world.

Atlas throws my towel off, like it’s an inconvenience, and his hand wraps around my cock, stroking firmly. I can already feel him wetting my cock with my own precum, and see his smile as he seems to realize this too.

“Come here to get me off before my date?” I ask between kisses.

He pulls away, his eyes narrowing. “Caught on to my plan already? Gonna fucking drain you so Ash will be disappointed by your load.”

“I can go about six or seven loads before there’s a big difference.”

A sly smirk plays across his lips. “Now I’m gonna have to make you prove it. Better let Ash know the date is canceled.”

I can’t help but laugh.

Atlas and I have been different since I let him come inside me. Where there was frustration and tension, now there’s playfulness and ease. And something more. Not that I believe he has magic cum; although, I could make the case. I’m sure it has more to do with the things we talked about, those pieces of us that we each helped lift off the other. We can’t change the past, but talking about it makes it more bearable. And when we’re in the same room together, I feel stronger. Like I can handle those things that at one time I believed might crush me under their weight.

I make sure my door is locked before Atlas and I make our way to the bed, or maybe I should say Atlas practically drags me to the bed. We wrestle with his clothes, tossing them around the room as we get at each other in the way we’ve become accustomed to.

He blows me first, leaving me reeling, and soon he’s on his knees, straddling my leg as he strokes his cock like he’s about to dump his load on me. Then he leans over me and takes my mouth.

“Isn’t this…more…my move?” I tease between kisses.

He chuckles. “I told you I was gonna leave my scent on you. Mark my territory.” He sounds so fucking greedy for me. Fuck, that gets me going.

“Give it to me,” I beg, wanting him to mark me. Wanting his cum all over me.

“Only if you promise you’ll be a good Troy and not to wash it off.”

Jesus, why the hell would I even think about washing it off?

“I promise, A. Please give it to me. I need it.”

I’m grateful he doesn’t make me wait, spraying across my abs, marking his fucking territory.

I rub my hand through his warm gift, spreading it, and Atlas leans back, helping me with my work, fingerpainting like he wants to make the biggest mess he can, I figure to make it that much harder for me to get it off. When he’s satisfied, he collapses beside me, looking about as pleased as I’ve ever seen him.

I roll toward him and drape my arm across his waist. “You’re grinning like a cocky motherfucker over that,” I say, noticing how his teeth shine in the sunlight filtering through the blinds.

“Damn right.”

He’s so fucking proud of himself for getting me all dirty for Ash, and I’m fucking proud to be wearing him. I hope he feels this good when I mark him. Everyone should fucking get to feel this good.

I relax against him, our breath syncing as we recover. My postorgasmic brain gets lost in thoughts for a minute before I realize I’m drawing my name along the spot under his pec.

“What are you doing?” he asks, wincing.

“Just thinking about something I needed to tell you,” I say, too nervous to tell him the truth.

“Really?”

“I’m pregnant,” I say deadpan.

“Two weeks since we’ve been fucking raw, and you’re pregnant already? You trying to trap me?” He’s wearing a big, playful smile.

Fun Atlas.

“That’s what happens when you don’t pull out,” I explain.

“I guess that’s why you’re studying engineering, not biology.”

“I’m being deadly serious. Feel for yourself.” I take his hand and draw it toward my belly, making him laugh.

“For a jock, you’re kinda dorky.”

“I was thinking Sarah Jessica-Nadine.”

His face twists up, but he’s still smirking. “Like, one of those names for our fake baby?”

“No, Jessica-Nadine’s her middle name.”

Atlas is quiet for a moment. I’m expecting his usual eye roll, but he says, “I’m the father, and I won’t let you do that to my child. Wait, it’s barely been two weeks and you already know it’s a girl? Now I’m really suspicious.”

I hook my arm around his waist and pull him to me, planting a firm kiss on his beautiful mouth. Our tongues play, and I breathe in his scent before releasing him.

“Okay,” he says, “we’ll figure it out, but the metal yard doesn’t pay much, so if you’re expecting child support, you’ve got another thing coming.”

I don’t know why we’re like this, but as things have evolved between us, we’ve been more playful. Things have felt…lighter.

“I have to admit,” Atlas says, “I’m glad you’re pregnant already because if you came back pregnant after this date with the Pokémon Go geek, I’d demand a paternity test.”

I growl. “I like when A can’t stand to see me go on fake dates.”

His eyes narrow. He can’t hide his jealous streak, and I don’t want him to.

“They better not happen anymore after this. And if that guy lays a hand on your Pikachu tonight, Colin is gonna be auditioning new stepbrothers.” After his warning, he kisses me again, like he’s just trying to keep me from making a smart comeback.

As our lips part, I nibble at his chin. There’s something feral about the intimacy we share. Maybe just because I feel comfortable being myself with him. Knowing I can be a little weird and he’s not going to judge me for that.

“I wish you guys would have just gotten it over with after the auction,” Atlas says.

“Well, he had—”

“I know, I know. The little geek conference or whatever. And then there was Thanksgiving break—”

“Oh, you remember all this?”

“Yeah, you mentioned he would have to miss Greek Week for the conference. How could I forget something so important?” he says, maxing out his sarcasm in his tone. “I’m surprised Alpha Theta Mu didn’t have a meeting to penalize him for missing out on such important frat rituals.”

“Oh, he’s being assessed for a deduction.”

His forehead creases as he blinks a few times. “I don’t know what language you just started speaking, but are you serious?”

I laugh. “Fuck no. Do you think we could spend all this time together if Alpha Theta Mu was like some frat cult on TV? We’re the chillest frat ever.”

“That’s too bad,” he says, leaning close. “Because someone should be punishing you for all the naughty things you’ve let me do to you.”

He wears a sneaky smirk before taking another kiss. When he pulls away, his gaze lingers on my lips for a few moments, but then his expression turns serious. “Don’t forget you’re not allowed to wash me off. I want him to smell my cum on you so he knows who you belong to.”

Belong. Yes, I do belong to him.

“How about when you’re done with Ash,” he adds, “we meet up at my place? Brenner and Taylor will be heading out to the bar, but I have other ideas of what I’d like to do with you.”

“Oh really? What do these ideas involve?”

“The usual. Good, sticky fun.”

I chuckle. “I can’t say no to good, sticky fun.”

“I know you can’t.”

We make out a little more before he heads on his way, and I obey his request to keep his cum on me. I’m just his filthy sex toy, and I love it.

After I get dressed, I meet Ash downstairs. He’s looking adorable in a polo and slacks, his bangs gelled up.

We take a Lyft to the restaurant where we agreed to have our date, and after the waiter takes our drink orders, I decide to be upfront.

“Listen, before we get into this, I wanted to say one thing. Just in case there’s any misunderstanding.”

“That you’re not interested?”

I’m surprised he caught on so fast.

“Don’t worry, Troy. I’ve picked up on that over the past few weeks. I mean, I didn’t feel anything from you when we were studying, but then I saw you with the hickey, and that same night at Crave, it was apparent you weren’t so much as looking at hot ass that passed you. Someone’s got you head over heels, and it’s not me. And I’m cool with that.”

“Was I that easy to read?”

“I told you, I’m good at studying,” he says playfully. “But even if I wasn’t, I think I’d have to be pretty oblivious not to have caught on to your swoony mood.”

“I just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page, since you spent all that money at the auction.”

“I didn’t do that to put you in a weird spot. I genuinely wanted to give that money to a good cause, while also backing a really cool guy I’ve known since high school.”

“Thank you, Ash.”

I kind of wish Atlas were here to see how cool Ash is. I’m sure he doesn’t actually have any ill will toward the guy, but he’d get why Ash is so special.

“I didn’t even want a date necessarily,” Ash adds. “Wouldn’t have minded getting your dick in me a couple of times at least.”

“Ooh, Pervy Ash!”

He chuckles. “To be honest, in high school, when you would come over to go to the pool with Colin and his friends, I had these dirty fantasies about what we could do in Dad’s toolshed.”

“That would have been awkward if Colin walked in…”

“Maybe we could have put on a show for him.”

We share a laugh, and I’m glad he’s totally cool because I like spending time with him and Colin.

When the bread arrives, we dig in, and I’m feeling a lot better knowing Ash isn’t expecting anything. But all I can think is that I’m eager to get back to Atlas to tell him how it went.

Ash tells me all about his conference, and we catch up about life stuff. After I finish up, I stop by my place, change, run through the shower, brush my teeth. Then I head on over to meet up with A.

His hands are even greedier than they were before I met with Ash, and we have a good flip-fuck session before we’re lying under the covers.

I’m sated, in a daze, when Atlas says, “You’re doing that thing again.”

I wasn’t even thinking, but I’m tracing my name in that same spot.

“I know you’re spelling your name there,” he says.

Fuck me.

“Do you want to mark it in some cum?” he teases, and my cheeks warm. After everything we’ve fucking done, why am I fucking blushing?

“What is it?” he asks. I must’ve hesitated too long because he says, “Come on, T. Be honest.”

I shouldn’t be, but I can’t help myself with him. “Before I tell you, I want to say that it’s just a fantasy. I don’t want you to think I actually want this or would expect this.”

“I like where this is going…”

“I just like the idea of you having a tattoo of my name. Right here. Like this exact spot.”

“Really?” he sounds more intrigued than I would’ve guessed, which makes it feel less wrong.

“Yeah. I like that. A. Lot.”

“So you want to brand me?”

The word brand alarms me. “No, not like really. But…yes?”

He smirks mischievously. “Naughty boy,” he whispers.

“In this fantasy, I’d want you to brand me too. I was wondering where you might want your name on me. Like if you could pick anywhere on my body?”

His gaze drifts, as though he’s seriously considering it, not just thinking that my idea is this wild, ridiculous…or worse, this sick thing. “I’ll think on it,” he says. “I wouldn’t mind a stamp across your forehead.”

I laugh. “I totally called that.”

“You did not.”

“I did. I know you better than you think.”

His smile expands, as though that pleases him, and I’m glad it does.

He rolls toward me and runs the backs of his fingers along my arm, trailing down to my hand, then moves on to my abs before making a route up to the ridge between my pecs. “So many pretty places to brand my pretty man.”

I love that he called me his pretty man.

“I am your pretty man.”

His gaze meets mine, and I hope he can tell how serious I am when I say that. When he finally looks away, he says, “It’s funny. I thought you might confess something else to me.”

“What?”

“Like why my shirt is in your nightstand. You think I haven’t noticed it the past few times I’ve been over and you’ve grabbed lube?”

Considering what we were doing when he was over, I never figured he would’ve gotten a good look at it.

My cheeks are warm again…

“You left it at the shop,” I explain.

“So you put it with your condoms and lube?”

“I…I…” Fuck, he has a way of getting me flustered.

He rests his hand on my face and strokes his thumb across my cheek. “T, why do you have my shirt in your nightstand?”

Be honest.

“It smells like you,” I confess.

He beams, like hearing that makes him proud. He moves close. “That’s what I wanted to hear, my sexy little creeper,” he whispers against my lips before offering a kiss, his mouth assuring me that knowing these things about me changes nothing between us.

As he pulls away, his hand sliding down to my chin before he releases, he says, “Since you told me all that, I guess I can tell you what I was thinking while you were on your little date tonight.”

“Yes?” It couldn’t be as weird as what I shared.

“The Peachtree Springs Winter Festival is going on right now, and I was thinking we could go next week. Together.”

“Together?”

“Yeah.”

“Like a date?”

“Yes. How fair is it that someone else gets to take my naughty boy out and I don’t? I want that with you too.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my stepbrother?” I ask playfully.

“Fine. You don’t want to go on a date? No date.”

The sneaky smirk that slides across his face assures me he’s only teasing, but I’m quick to counter with, “No takebacks!”

As is Atlas’s way, he always manages to surprise me, but I need to be sure. “So you’re cool with your friends figuring out you’re hooking up with your stepbro?”

“I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks about it. Brenner and Taylor might’ve even figured it out by now. Plus, don’t you think the guys at Alpha Theta Mu have caught on by now too?”

“Actually, there’s a rumor you’re selling me pot, so people keep hitting me up for some.”

“I thought they said Alpha Theta Mu was full of the brightest, but I guess that’s all PR.”

“Whatever. You’re the one who asked me on our first date.”

“First date? I treated you real good on our first date at Mickey D’s.”

I glare at him. “That wasn’t a real date…as we said then.”

“According to you.”

“That doesn’t count.”

He makes a stern expression. “Come on, T. We have to find a way to agree on things…for Sarah Jessica-Nadine.”

His comment catches me so off guard that I fall back on the bed, laughing my ass off.

Am I really going on a date with Atlas McCallister?