25. Ronan

Ireally don't want to go back tomorrow.

What the hell is happening to me?I know I ask this a lot, but I can't figure out the answer. I mean, I know it's Fletcher, but I never saw this coming. I promised myself a long time ago I wouldn't ever rely on another person for my own happiness.

That I'd make my own way and not worry about anyone else.

But here I am, walking hand-and-hand with Fletcher after getting back from a restaurant in town where we ate dinner. It's been all sex and fun since we got here, but it's been more than that too.

We've talked about so much. I've really, truly let him in. I'm losing this battle, and it terrifies me because I don't think I can give up my career. My security.

What would that sad, lonely little boy think as he sat there waiting for his mother, begging her to love him enough to come back. What would he think of the older version of himself, giving it all up for... for what? I don't know.

It can't last.

I can't betray my younger self.

"You okay?" Fletcher asks me, and I realize I haven't said anything for a bit.

"Yeah."

He stops walking and faces me, still holding my hand. "You sure? Because I can't wait to get my hands on you as soon as we get inside."

I grin. "You're insatiable."

He kisses the tip of my nose and is smiling his actual real smile. "You make me that way. I blame your dick."

I chuckle at his ridiculousness. "Well let's go inside, and you can decide how to punish me for it."

"Oh, hell yes," he says far too excitedly, tugging on my hand until we get up to the door. He unlocks it, and we go inside, barely closing the door before our mouths are fused together. My back hits the wall, and I grunt into his mouth, but I flip it so he's the one pressed against the wall until I hear a quiet grunt and a clearing of a throat.

Fletcher pulls away from me, and we both look over to see a large, tattooed man without a shirt on, but he's wearing jeans. He's staring at us with cold eyes, and my first instinct is to protect Fletcher, my body going in front of his, my arm blocking him.

"Rhys," Fletcher says, the shock evident, but he seems to know this massive, stoic man.

"I thought about coming out completely naked, but this teddy is just too pretty not to show..."

"Mom," Fletcher says, and my eyes widen as a beautiful blonde walks into the living room, wearing nothing but a slinky white teddy. The man—Rhys—who I'm putting together is Fletcher's adoptive father, jumps up from the couch now and grabs what I'm assuming is his t-shirt, sliding it on over his wife's head.

When I drop my arm and look at Fletcher, he looks absolutely mortified, shielding his eyes with his hand. "Fletcher. What are you doing here?" his mother asks.

"Are you still naked?" He doesn't drop his hand from his eyes.

"I wasn't naked. Jesus," his mother says, her small body now swamped by her husband's t-shirt as she approaches me. "But I'm covered. What are you doing here?" She looks at me with a kind, amused smile. "And who's your friend?"

"Think they're more than friends," Rhys says.

The woman—Blair, that's her name—her eyes just absolutely light up now. "Oh my God. You have a boyfriend, Fletcher? Why didn't you tell me?"

Fletcher finally looks at his mother but seems awfully wary. "That I'm with a man? Or that I have a boyfriend?" I try like hell not to react to him calling me his boyfriend. I don't say it's just for summer.

I want to blame the shock of walking in on his parents obviously about to get down and dirty, but I don't think that's it. I like the sound of the title. Fuck. Me.

"Well, all of it. But do you really think I care that it's a man and not a woman you've snuck off with?"

Fletcher watches her closely, and I'm guessing he's not out to her yet. Or he wasn't. But I also get the impression it doesn't matter to this woman. "No. But I'm... I mean I was always with girls."

I frown at that because . . . stupid Josh.

He must pick up on it because his eyes widen. "Oh I guess there was one other guy too."

Blair just laughs lightly and waves him off. "Well, I don't really need a rundown of all of your hookups sweetie, but this seems pretty serious." She looks between the two of us. "I mean, you brought him to the lake house."

He looks slightly pale now, like he doesn't know what to say. And I know it's because he doesn't want to scare me. "I'm a professor," I blurt out, and it gets everyone in the room's attention.

"You're the professor who hates him," Blair says, and wow. Okay, I see the mama bear there, and I'm a little—okay, very—intimidated by the petite blonde.

"Blair." Her husband's tone is calm but firm.

She places a hand on her hip and looks directly at me. "I'm hoping you don't still hate him."

"No. I never did," I say honestly. "I just... we just..." I'm a stuttering fool right now, and that never happens to me. But damn. I think she might claw my eyes out at any minute. "I didn't know..."

"Mom, stop. He had his reasons." Fletcher moves to stand directly beside me. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this. It's just he's a professor, and I'm, well, I'm not a student right now." He just had to say that.

I roll my eyes, but I can't stop the smile on my face. "He's a student. I could lose my job. I should lose my job," I say, the statement paining me, but it's the truth. I'm sleeping with a student.

"Why's that?" she asks, and she sounds truly confused with her head cocked to the side.

"Because he's a student, and I'm a professor. I crossed a line."

She studies me closely and then looks over at Fletcher. "Did you ever feel like you had to sleep with him, Fletcher? Did you feel like you couldn't say no?"

"Hell no," Fletcher says immediately. "I wanted every single second with him from the beginning. If anything, I seduced the hell out of him."

His father groans. "Not something a dad needs to know."

His mother, however, looks oddly proud. Her pretty eyes meet mine. "My son doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do. And lord knows he didn't sleep with you for grades. He has no trouble in school. If he slept with you, it was because he wanted to."

"I did," Fletcher says, and my neck heats.

"It's not really that simple," I say because it's just not. It's black and white. If anyone finds out about this, I'll be fired. The rules are there for a reason.

"It is," she says, and yeah, she did say it quite simply. "Are you two in love?"

"Mom . . ." It's Fletcher's turn to groan.

"What?" She looks at her son, and I almost laugh because she just does not back down.

But then Fletcher speaks, and that darkness starts to bubble up again. "It's just a summer thing."

My heart actually aches in my chest at his words. They're my words. Words I've made sure to say over and over again, but man, do they hurt. Blair frowns deeply at that, and I want to run, but I stay there as she looks at me with extreme disapproval. "Is that so?"

"Yes," Fletcher answers, even though I think she was asking me. "I'm eighteen, and I know what I'm doing."

She turns to look at him, but it's him now who doesn't back down. She's quiet for so long, I start to fidget, but then finally she sighs softly. "Okay, sweetie. You're right." She turns to her husband. "We should go get a hotel room."

"Oh no. You don't have to do that," I say, feeling like a total heel, taking them away from their trip.

She waves me off. "The things I have planned, I can't do with my son under the same roof."

"Mom, God." Fletcher covers his ears. "My ears are bleeding."

She cackles at that as her husband goes to their room, coming back with a new shirt on and sandals for Blair. He slings a bag over his large shoulder and pats Fletcher on the shoulder. "You need anything, and I mean anything at all, you call."

Fletcher nods, not goofing around at all as he agrees, "I will."

Rhys gives me a quick nod before he heads out of the house, and Blair pulls Fletcher into her arms. "I love you, kiddo. I'll be popping in at your place soon."

"Maybe knock first," he says, and his mom laughs, her eyes trailing to me before they settle back on Fletcher.

"Okay. Fine." She smiles and kisses his cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too," he says easily.

She then turns to me, and again, I'm way too nervous. "It's nice to meet you..."

I realize she's waiting for my name. "Oh, um..." Great job there, Ronan. Way to show some confidence. "Ronan."

She smiles and then gives me a brief hug. "Nice to meet you, Ronan. Don't hurt my boy, or I'll bury you."

"Mom," Fletcher groans. "She's kidding," he says to me.

"I'm not," she says with a wink and a smile, a chill going through me because I know she's not. But also, I can't help loving that Fletcher has this woman in his life. Someone who will do anything for him, no matter what.

She's his mother, through and through. And isn't that just goddamn beautiful?

I'm in awe of her as she says her goodbyes and leaves, closing the door behind her.

"I'm so damn sorry. I swear I had no idea they were going to be here this weekend. They never travel. And I was going to text Grayson to ask, but I guess I forgot. Shit. I'm so fucking so?—"

I cut him off by kissing those pouty lips of his. He grunts in surprise, but then he comes back from it and kisses me back with vigor. He walks over to the door, flicking the lock, and then he's back on me, our clothes flying off.

I need him so damn badly, I'm salivating for it as we make our way to the couch. I sit down once I'm fully naked, and when he kicks his shorts away, leaving him nude, he straddles my thighs and kisses down my neck. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I breathe, stealing his lips again.

"Lube. We need lube," he pants as his hand wraps around my hard shaft, and he strokes me. "Fuck, why is it so damn far away."

"You know..." I start. "It occurs to me just now that your parents were probably about to?—"

"Oh, hell no." He jumps up off my lap so fast, he nearly stumbles. "Fuck. I'm never sitting on this couch again."

I grin and stand up, reaching my hand out for his, and he takes it, letting me lead him back to the bedroom.

We grab the lube and move to the bed, and I waste no time preparing myself to take him because I'm feeling this desperate need to have him inside me. But he grabs the lube, and instead of getting his dick nice and slick, I watch as he slides two fingers into himself.

"Oh fuck, I need to be inside you, but I need you inside me too. I need you to fill me up with your cum, and I want to feel you for days." I watch him work lube into his hole as he lies on his back on the bed next to me.

"Jesus. Fuck." I nearly come from listening to him. I hurry to get myself ready and then add more lube to my hand, slicking his cock for him and pulling him to me. He doesn't fight me on it, and he doesn't waste any more time. He slips inside my body with ease. "Yes."

"God, I'm never going to tire of this," he says against my lips as he thrusts inside me. He nails my prostate on the first try, and I cry out, loving the way he fills me.

I won't either.

I think it, but I don't say it out loud. He doesn't seem to mind or notice, too lost in pleasure, and it doesn't take long before he's filling my ass with his cum. When he fills me, I nearly lose it but remember his need to have me inside him, so I manage to hold off.

He wastes no time pulling from my body, then positioning my very hard dick at his hole. His body accepts me as he slides down over my shaft, and I gasp when I bottom out. The sensation is nearly too great. His hand slides down my chest as he rides me.

I try to hold out even longer, not ready for this to end, but I quickly lose the battle, my orgasm taking hold, and I release into his tight body before he collapses onto my chest, my dick still inside him as my cum starts to leak from him.

I know we have to go back tomorrow.

And I know the summer is going to go fast.

But there's a huge part of me that thinks I could stay here forever.

With him.