One True Thing (22 page)

doing out here.”

I grabbed the bag of chips, salsa, and two

bottles of wine that I’d picked up at the store on

the way over, with one hand. The other hand

instinctively reached for Dusty. He threaded his

fingers through mine and smiled up at me as he led

me into his house.

“Hi there,” Rue said when Dusty introduced

me. “Damn, you
are
hot.”

I blushed, predictably, and Dusty swatted at

Rue’s arm, laughing. “This one’s mine, wench. Go

make out with your own man if you’re feeling

frisky.”

Tiny, dark-haired Rue grabbed Dusty and

made exaggerated kissing noises at him. Dusty

laughed and pushed him off. I watched the whole

thing, unable to keep a smile from my face. I was

envious of their relationship, so much closer than

I’d ever been with Archer, my own twin, for

Christ’s sake. Rue sashayed off in front of us

toward what I assumed was their backyard.

“You guys are adorable together,” I

whispered to Dusty.

He grinned. “We’ve known each other for

practically forever. He’s, well, he’s Rue, but you

gotta love him. I do.”

Erik couldn’t have been any more different

than saucy Rue. He greeted me quietly with a

handshake and a shy smile. Then he introduced me

to a chubby little black-haired angel named Alice,

who was clearly in charge of the entire household.

By the time our garden burgers and grilled corn

were done, I was halfway in love with all three of

them. Dusty, well, I was more than halfway there

with him.

I watched Erik and Rue during dinner. They

were such an odd couple, so unlikely in so many

ways, that I hadn’t been able to see at first how

they could possibly fit. Rue was hilarious and a

ton of fun, but as a boyfriend I thought he’d even be

too much for me. I had no idea how he didn’t scare

the crap out of sweet, shy Erik. But he didn’t. Erik

took his over-the-top, flirtatious nature in stride,

and they looked at each other with such adoration

it almost made my stomach hurt—until I looked at

Dusty and saw the potential of that kind of love

between him and me. It could happen so easily for

me. His gentle nature, that sunny smile, the way he

seemed to instinctively want to touch me, it felt

like the future. At least the future I wanted.

“Hey, baby, will you grab dessert out of the

oven?” Rue asked after dinner had settled.

“Sure,” Erik answered, and stood to go

inside.

Rue waited for a few moments. “Dust, I

forgot to tell him to grab the ice cream.”

“Conveniently.” Dusty rolled his eyes.

“Stop being a smartass and go get it, will

you?”

Dusty grumbled but let go of my hand and

trailed his fingers up my arm as he stood. “Be

nice,” he said to Rue. Man, it was inquisition time.

They hadn’t even been covert about it.

“So….” Rue started.

“You hate me, and you want me to leave

Dusty alone?” I didn’t care what Rue thought;

Dusty was mine. He had the potential of making it

really difficult, though. I knew he also had the

habit of hating Dusty’s boyfriends.

“Of course I don’t hate you, silly. I think

Dusty’s finally picked a good one, thank
God
.”

“Then what was with getting rid of

everyone?”

Rue giggled. “Well, I had to if I was going to

do the old ‘what are your intentions?’ speech.”

“What are my intentions?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I mean, you seem like an

awesome guy, but Dusty… well, he’s a lifer. He

wants a guy to settle down with. For real. I want to

know if that someone could be you someday.”

No pressure.
“W-well.” The answer was yes,

honestly. I could see myself being with Dusty so

very easily. Becoming best friends and lovers and

taking care of each other through ups and downs.

But I had some things in my life to settle before

that could happen.

“Well what?” Rue’s pixie face crumpled.

“Nothing, you just caught me off guard.” I

smiled. “The answer is yes. Yes, I can easily see

Dusty and I together in the long run. I’ve been

thinking that since the moment I met him, but I

didn’t want to rush things.”

Rue winked at me. “I figured as much. I see

the way you look at him.” I let out the breath I’d

been holding. “By the way, in case you were

worried, Dusty looks at you the exact same way.”

AFTER a little backyard campfire, marshmallows,

and a few creepy stories, Alice started yawning

and getting a bit weepy looking. Rue took her in to

bed after an extensive round of kisses from Dusty

and Erik. I rubbed her little belly, but didn’t feel

quite comfortable enough yet to give her kisses of

my own. Shortly after that, Erik started yawning

himself, and then Rue, who had to work in the

morning anyway, stood, and with a sly grin said it

was time for him to hit the sack as well. Dusty and

I were left sitting on the cushy outdoor love seat

looking at the fire.

“So, what are your plans for the night?” Dusty

asked hesitantly.

I pulled him closer and kissed the top of his

head. “I was hoping to spend it with you, if that

was okay.”

Dusty looked up at me with a smile and an

eye-roll. “I’d totally hate that.” He elbowed me

softly in the side. “You want to head out, then?”

“Well, before I left, Archer informed me that

he was having some friends over. The scene at my

house is probably going to include a few drunks…

and, well, Archer’s friends are, um, very friendly

drunks. All with each other, if you know what I

mean.”

Dusty grimaced. “That’s quite all right.

Maybe we should stay here. I think I only want one

friendly person anywhere near my bed.”

“I
can
be pretty friendly.” I chuckled.

Dusty slipped his hand under my T-shirt and

leaned up to kiss me. “That’s exactly what I was

hoping for.”

We tiptoed down the dark hallway to Dusty’s

room, kissing every few feet, hands laced together,

bodies colliding in the dark. There was a lot of

covert giggling and shushing. I’m pretty sure,

unless Rue and Erik wore industrial-strength

headphones to sleep, we probably woke them up.

When we slipped into Dusty’s room, finally, he

flicked on a lamp and some quiet music on his

stereo.

“Hey,” he murmured with a smile. A few

steps and he was in my arms again and kissing me

like he couldn’t breathe without my lips on his. I

understood. It was starting to feel like I couldn’t

breathe without his kiss.

We tumbled onto his bed, which was high and

cushy and covered with this pink and black plaid

fleece that felt nearly as soft as Dusty’s skin. He

pulled my shirt off and tossed it to the ground

before doing the same with his. I sighed happily

when our skin touched. Dusty kicked off his flip-

flops, and mine followed. We burrowed under the

fleece and his sheets. I shivered when our bodies

wound together once more. The last time we’d

slept in the same bed, we’d stripped to our briefs.

It had been torture having his perfect little body,

all soft and snuggled up against me, and not be

able to nudge the scrap of fabric aside and sink

into his body. I’d wanted to then. I wanted to even

more after countless hours spent kissing and

touching.

Dusty’s nimble fingers went to my belt, and I

swear I couldn’t breathe there for a second. Yeah,

we’d taken our shorts off before, but it was with

the purpose of
sleeping
. From the look on Dusty’s

face, the way his eyes went all hazy and soft, I

doubted he had any intention of sleeping. At least

not for a long, long time.

“Dust?” I slid my hands along his shoulders,

down his slender arms to where his fingers were

busily unbuttoning my shorts.

“Mmm-hmm?” He kissed me—lips, little

biting teeth, and that wicked tongue of his.

“What’s going on here?” I nearly choked on

the words.

“I’m taking off your shorts.” He slipped his

fingers into my shorts and the waistband of my

boxer briefs. With one determined tug and an arch

of my hips he had them both sliding down my legs

and off. “Jesus, you’re perfect,” he whispered.

Those soft fingers trailed along my collarbones,

my chest, down my stomach and my thighs before

gliding lightly over my cock. Just his touch was

enough to make me hot.

“Come here.” I needed to kiss him.
Needed
.

His hand cupped my jaw; his lips found mine. I

was in heaven. I reached down and pulled at the

drawstring of those maddening low-slung pants.

I’d been dying to slip my hands inside of them all

night.

“You look hot in these pants.” I pushed my

hands under the waistband, only to find warm bare

skin and rounded muscle.
Oh, fuck.
“But I’m gonna

take them off anyway.”

“Hell, yeah.” Dusty wriggled his way out of

the bottoms until they were gone and he was

plastered up against me. We both shivered. “It

feels so….”

Sexy and silky and wonderful.
“Amazing.”

“Ash,” he murmured into my neck. “I know

what we said before, but that was a few weeks

ago, and you feel so damn good, and—”

“Yes, Dust. I want you. Yes.”

“Thank God.”

I trailed my fingers up and down his spine,

into the crease of his ass, scratched lightly at the

sensitive skin at the tops of his thighs right below

that sweet curve.

Dusty ground his growing erection against my

thigh. “Listen, I don’t know what you’re into, but I

really prefer to bottom. I’ll top for you if you want,

but I’d rather, well, not.”

I smiled. He looked so sweet and nervous and

turned on. I’d give him anything he wanted. Either

was fine with me. I brushed a kiss on his nose.

“Don’t look so worried about it. I’m happy either

way, and I just want to make you feel good. Would

it make you feel good if I fucked you?”

Dusty’s hand convulsed on my chest. He

squeezed his eyes shut and visibly tried to contain

a shudder. “Yes,” he finally answered quietly.

“Then I will.” My hand massaged his back

and slipped down to press into his crease, giving

him the pressure I knew he craved. “I’ll fuck you

as long as you want. As long as you need. I

promise. But first I have to touch you. I’ve wanted

to do it for so damn long.”

Dusty moaned and ran his hands up and down

my chest. He slid his thigh between mine and his

tongue back into my mouth. I’d never been kissed

quite like it before: totally consuming, lusty,

passionate. It was that moment where nothing in

the world existed but his lips and mine, our skin

sticking and sliding and us pulling each other

closer. Closer. Dusty reached between us and

wrapped his hand around my erection. I gritted my

teeth to bring myself back from the edge. I’d never

gotten so close so fast. I kissed him one last time,

then pushed him onto his belly, drawing back the

covers so I could see every inch of him.

I started at his shoulders—small brushes of

my lips, tasting the beginnings of slick sweat—then

I trailed my lips down his spine and up his

hamstrings until I bit lightly at the mound of one of

his sweet, round cheeks. He writhed on the bed.

“Ash.
Jesus
.”

I laughed, a low, sensuous chuckle that

surprised even me. “You taste good,” I whispered

in his ear before running my tongue along the rim

of it. He shuddered again. “Turn over.” Dusty

rolled over, and I started again, tasting nipples,

testing the tender skin on the inside of his thighs,

and finally licking a slow line up the underside of

his cock. His back arched, and he threw his arms

above his head, bracing his palms against the

headboard. I could tell he wanted to talk, but the

only sound was a low, sexy moan of need.