Series: Peach State Stepbros Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78418 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78418 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“I love your daddy,” I tell Frat Cat while he plays with his own tail. He stops and looks at me like no shit, dumb fuck, and I can’t help but chuckle. Our cat is a badass and he knows it.
I grab a string and dangle it for Frat Cat.
The bathhouse last night was one of the greatest moments of my life. I felt like a king, like a king fucking a king with a room full of followers who worshipped the ground we walked on…well, fucked on. There’s nothing like it, the rush I feel when I’m with him. Not even the sex stuff—just everything.
I want Ash to be mine in every way. Hell, I’ve belonged to him from the moment I saw him, and maybe it’s time to make things official.
I pick up my phone and shoot Troy a text.
Me: Wanna hang?
Troy: I see you don’t ask me to bang.
Me: That’s kinda what I want to talk to you about.
Troy: Fucking me??? Do you want Atlas to kill you? I’m deleting this message now. *wink emoji*
Shit. I chuckle. I really should spend some time thinking about things before I say them.
Me: I didn’t realize how that sounds. The banging thing is with Ash. That’s what I want to discuss.
Troy: I fucking knew something was up with the two of you! Come to Atlas’s. I’m here by myself right now.
Me: Bet. Be right there.
After making sure the kitten has toys, food, and water, I close the door and head out. It’s a quick drive from the frat house to Atlas’s apartment. Troy opens the door as soon as I’m on the stoop, as if he’d been watching for me.
I wait for any nerves to come, any feelings of being unsure, and nope, I still want Ash and don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks about it.
“I’ve been hooking up with Ash and I’m in love with him,” I say the second I’m inside.
And oh shit. Did I just come out? I still haven’t given myself a proper label, and while I don’t need one for me, I know others do.
“Congrats, man. I’m happy for you.”
I kinda love that Troy doesn’t ask about my sexuality, because it’s still something I haven’t sorted out. “Wanna know something weird? It’s not a thing I’ve even thought about much. I’ve always noticed guys, but never dissected what that meant. And I love boning Ash, so surprise! I guess I’m bisexual.”
Troy chuckles. “There are a lot of things you can be—pan, for example—but if that’s not something that matters to you, it’s not something you have to figure out right now.”
And it’s not. Right now, I just want to talk to my friend about how to make things official with Ash.
I plop down in the armchair in the small living room, Troy taking a seat on the couch.
“How long has this been going on?”
“A couple of months,” I admit, feeling guilty because I didn’t tell him. I don’t for a second think that’s why Troy said it, but still. “I know I had my feelings hurt when you didn’t tell me about you and Atlas right away, and now I did the same with Ash.”
Troy holds his hand up. “It’s okay. I get it. You don’t have to apologize. You might have been bummed I didn’t talk to you before I told everyone, but you still supported me from the start. That’s what matters.”
“Thanks, bro.” Troy really is a good buddy. I’m so fucking lucky to have him.
“So…you and Ash…”
“Me and Ash. And like I said, I love him. I just realized it today, which means I gotta tell him.” I’m not committing a Step Don’t.
He chuckles. “There’s not a part of me that’s surprised. You’ve always been different with him. It would take an idiot not to realize you two are special to each other.”
And that idiot is me. “You mean you and Atlas didn’t wake up naked in bed together before you started hooking up?” I tease.
“Absolutely not, though it would have been fun.”
“Yeah, well, I wish I could have enjoyed the benefits of it much sooner.” We share another laugh before I sober. “I want to make it official with him. We joked about being boyfriends the other day but never confirmed if it was real or not.” I feel like it’s real. I feel like we’ve been boyfriends for a long-ass time, and I know it in my heart Ash wants it too. We’re too attuned to each other not to be on the same wavelength with something this big.
“Let me guess, a simple date and asking him isn’t going to cut it?”
I cock a brow at him as if it’s the silliest question in the world.
Troy holds up his hands in mock defeat. “Just making sure.”
“It has to be perfect.”