Perfect Can't Endure - 9. Sunday

Something smacked into my face, and I shouted in surprise, rolling away from my assaulter. A hand caught me before I rolled off the bed, and I heard Asher’s laughing.

“Bastard,” I muttered, picking up the tattered pieces of my dignity.

“Get up, bitch!” Asher yelled happily, hitting me with the pillow again. “You slept in, and we’ve got things to do!”

I grabbed the pillow before he could pull it away, and I tugged, getting him off balance before grabbing his wrist and pulling him onto me. I wrapped my arms around him and rolled us over, aligning myself with him, and I kissed him, hard. I pulled away after a second and looked at him, grinning from ear to ear. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were sparkling with joy. He looked down, feeling my erection starting, and he smirked at me, kissing my chin.

“No time,” he said. “We have to make the lobster now. Luckily, you’ve already got your kitchen bitch outfit on.”

I looked down, wondering what he meant, and I laughed when I realized he wanted me naked.

“I am not walking around naked up there,” I said. “Tommy will come down or something, and it’s completely open to the entire bay!”

“I’m gonna make Tommy leave, anyway, and he owns the entire bay. There’ll be nobody to be jealous of my kitchen bitch,” he said, sounding slightly unhappy about that.

“You actually want me to-”

He shook his head, laughing. “I was just kidding. You’re mine. I’m not sharing you with anyone,” he said happily. “I was serious about the kitchen bitch part, though. I want to be able to grab your ass whenever I feel like it.”

“So you’re gonna make me go naked?”

“No,” Asher laughed. “I couldn’t be that cruel to my boyfriend. You’ll have an apron on.”

“Where are you going to get an apron?” I asked, tilting my head slightly.

“There’s one here,” Asher laughed. “I saw it yesterday.”

I shook my head, snorting, and Asher squeezed my ass.

“Don’t pretend you won’t love it,” he said, smirking.

“Is that an order?” I asked, playing innocent. “Already?”

“The first of many,” Asher said, kissing my nose. “Get ready for the second one.”

I looked at him, waiting for him to tell me to blow him, and he kissed my nose again.

“Stay here,” he said, laughing at the disappointed surprise that showed on my face. “I’m gonna go tell Tommy to vacate the premises.”

“Vacate the premises?” I asked, amused. “He’d be fine if you just said ‘get the hell out’.”

“OK,” Asher said, nodding. “I’ll do that, then.”

I admired his ass as he threw on a pair of shorts, and then he walked upstairs.

“Hey, Tommy,” I heard him say. “Get the hell out.”

I heard Tommy’s laugh. “Does that mean you and Ben are gonna be cooking?”

Asher didn’t say anything, so I assumed he had nodded. I lay on my back and studied the roof as I listened to their conversation.

“OK, I’ll leave ASAP then,” Tommy said happily. “No ‘extra’ ingredients, though. I don’t care how kinky you and Ben get, just keep it away from my food.”

Asher snickered. “That’s my secret ingredient, though,” he complained. “It adds-”

“Please don’t tell me,” Tommy interrupted. “I’ll just go now.”

I could picture how Asher would be smiling adorably and nodding, and I realized I was humming and stopped, shaking my head.

“Don’t come back ‘till eleven thirty unless you want to see things you’ll never forget,” Asher said cheerfully.

“What am I supposed to do with myself with two free hours?” Tommy complained.

“Go on a scavenger hunt,” Asher suggested with exaggerated indifference.

Tommy snorted. “I noticed your shorts are inside out. Maybe if I search hard enough, I’ll be able to find your virginity, since you’ve obviously misplaced it.”

“You’re not going to find it,” Asher said, and I could hear how the cute curve to his lips was changing his voice slightly. “Try looking for a girlfriend instead. Maybe you can find somewhere to ‘misplace’ your own.”

“That’s getting old,” I heard Tommy reply, insulted.

“So are you,” Asher snickered.

“Damn, you’re harsh,” Tommy laughed. “I wish you and Ben had met earlier. Maybe then you’d have influenced him more. He’s still too respectful to say anything like that.”

I snorted to myself, and I heard Asher laugh.

“What?” Tommy asked, curious.

“Ben disagrees,” Asher told him, and I smiled to myself as I heard his voice getting closer. My boyfriend had good ears.

Tommy must have looked puzzled, 'cause Asher laughed again.

“It’s magic,” he said unhelpfully, closing the door. Asher turned the corner, walking into my room, and I looked down from the ceiling to see him. He was carrying a folded apron and grinning at how I was lying, my legs slightly open. I blushed and closed them, realizing everything was visible to him, and he tossed me the apron.

“It’s a little late to be getting shy now, don’t you think?” He teased.

I laughed. “I don’t have a problem with you seeing me, but that’s different than sitting there with my asshole on display.”

“It deserves to be on display,” Asher said, sitting on my lap when I didn’t get up. He put his hand on my thigh, giving it a squeeze, and I sat up, wrapping my arms around him happily.

“Nuh uh,” he said, teasingly sliding out of my arms. “For today, you’re my bitch. Stand up so I can put your apron on.”

I laughed. “OK,” I said, getting up dramatically. “Your wish is my command.”

Asher smiled, turning me around by my hips. “I like the sound of that,” he purred in my ear, draping the apron over my head. I felt his strong arms around me as he found the laces and pulled them behind my back, tying them together.

“I do too,” I agreed, pressing back against him. His arms squeezed me against him lightly, and his hands explored my chest underneath the apron. I felt his light breath on my ear, and I turned my head so he could give me a kiss on the corner of my lips. He happily took the invitation, and then he reluctantly released me, turning me around as he moved me to arms’ length.

“You look sexy in an apron,” he said, eyeing me. He adjusted the string around my neck, looking satisfied when he’d tilted the apron to the right angle so it showed a hint of my nipple.

“Really?” I asked doubtfully.

Asher laughed. “To be 100% accurate, you’d look sexy in anything, so that wasn’t much of a compliment.”

I smiled and gave him a kiss anyway, and he took my hand and led me upstairs. Under his directions, we each filled a large pot with water, and he measured out what looked like a huge amount of salt to me. He poured it all into one of the pots, and he laughed happily at the look on my face when he told me to measure out the same amount again for the other one. I dumped it in, and he set the two pots on the stove side by side.

“Done,” he said, and took a double handful of my ass, kissing me and pushing me into the counter, where he leaned forward, pushing me back until I was lying on the counter. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him into me as we made out, and I felt a tug as he yanked on the string of the apron, undoing the knot. He moved to the string around my neck, undoing that, and then threw the scrap of fabric away from us. I grabbed the waistband of his shorts and pulled it down, and he kicked the shorts off easily, not breaking the seal our lips had formed. I flexed my legs, pulling him into me harder, and I felt his erection in the valley between my cheeks. His hands found my legs just above my knees, and he stroked upwards, driving me crazy as he got closer to his prize.

I briefly thought of how we had to cook the lobsters before Tommy came back, but I trusted Asher and let my lust control me. I grabbed his ass, massaging his cheeks as he ground forward into me, making me moan.
“Vegetable oil!” I gasped. “In the cabinet! Beside you!”

He opened the cabinet and reached in, groping around blindly before pulling out the bottle, and he poured some onto his hand, never once breaking our kiss. I felt his mouth curving into a smile as he reached down, but I caught his wrist before he could put the oil on my member, guiding his hand to his own erection instead. He stiffened, and I could tell his eyes had shot open. I opened my own, begging him silently, and his resistance weakened. I closed my hand around his, guiding him into stroking his shaft, spreading the oil out. When he’d gotten enough of it on, I took over, lovingly spreading the oil over his head with my thumb. I felt his finger touch my crack, and I knew he would take it slowly, not even touching my hole until I was comfortable enough.

Not good enough, I thought, digging my fingers into his ass and pulling him in closer. I aimed his cock at my entrance, and the warm heat of his crown made me gasp. He pulled back, breaking our kiss and standing up straight, but I pulled him in again, getting him positioned correctly.

“Fuck me,” I growled, letting him see the inflamed lust in my eyes. He pressed forward slowly, gently touching the head of his cock to my virgin entrance, but my fingers turned to claws on his ass, pulling him in hard.

I whimpered and stopped pulling as I felt his hips slam against my ass, and Asher gasped at the unexpected pleasure. He tried to pull out, afraid he was hurting me, but I held him there with a wordless growl. I felt full, and the warm heat of Asher’s cock was radiating through my body pleasantly now that the burning pain of being stretched was more bearable. It had hurt unbelievably badly in that first few seconds, but now the pain was almost gone and it felt amazing.

“Fuck me,” I begged, and Asher gladly complied, slowly sliding his hips back until only the head of his cock was inside me and pausing with a soft moan. “Harder!” I pleaded, but he didn’t move.

“We’re still in the kitchen,” he remarked, looking around.

“I don’t care,” I gasped, needing to feel him moving inside me again.

“I wasn’t saying we should stop, I was just saying that you’re still my kitchen bitch.”

“Then fuck me,” I pleaded again. “Fuck me hard!”

He shifted his hips slightly, making his cockhead move inside me, and I whimpered.

“Beg,” he suggested, teasing me with his eyes.

“Please, Asher,” I begged, not hesitating at all. “I’m all yours. Please fuck me!”

“Mmhm,” Asher agreed absently, leaning in to give me a peck on the lips. “You are mine.”

“Take me, Asher, please!” I begged again, my desperation creeping into my voice. I had to have him.

His hand, still lubricated with oil, took hold of my erection and gave it a slow, firm, stroke. I moaned, but shook my head.

“No… Please, fuck me!” I pleaded desperately. “I need you to pound my ass,” I whimpered.

“Yeah?” he asked, his voice sexily low with arousal as he leaned forward, nibbling on my shoulder.

“I need you,” I whimpered, flexing my legs to try to pull him into me again. He resisted, his muscles turning to steel as he tensed them.

“No,” he growled, pinching my nipple and making me whimper again. “You’re mine. Don’t interfere.”

“I’m yours,” I agreed breathlessly. “Please! Take what’s yours,” I begged.

He ignored me, punishing me for disobeying him, and started to nibble up my neck to my ear.

“Ah!” I gasped. “Please, Asher! I’ll do anything!”

“Don’t move,” he ordered, his sexy voice sending shivers down my back that I struggled to repress. I held myself as still as I could as he nibbled on my ear and played with my nipples, but my spine arched as he flicked my tender bud gently. Goosebumps rose all over my skin as he pinched my nipple, and I moaned.

“I said don’t move,” he growled.

“Punish me,” I begged. “Fuck me hard!”

“Hmm…” he whispered into my ear, making me shiver again as his sexy voice sent a river of dopamine coursing down my spine. I froze, trying to obey him, but he ran his hand down my chest, and I shook slightly with raw need. I was fully focused on his hand tracing a path past my erection and onto my ass, and I shivered again when he grabbed hold of my left cheek.

“Stay. Still.” He growled, digging his teeth into my neck.

“I’m sorry, baby,” I moaned, trying not to quiver with anticipation as his hips moved slightly.

His hand left my ass for a second, and I fought against another shiver until his hand met my ass again with a soft smack, making me moan. I couldn’t stop myself from wiggling, and he smacked my ass again, growling his displeasure.

I heard myself whimper, and another ‘please’ escaped my lips as he gently stroked my ass, lightly trailing his fingertips across my sensitive skin.

“Please Asher,” I begged again. “Please take me!”

I gasped, biting back a whimper, as Asher slammed his hips forward into me with a loud smack as our bodies collided.

“Ah! Yes!” I whimpered, loving the feeling of him thrusting into me. “Yes! Fuck me hard!”

“You want me to fuck you?” he growled sexily, grabbing my hips roughly and pulling me even farther into him. I could feel his balls pressed against my ass, and I moaned in delight.

“Yes,” I breathed. “Give it to me!”

He pulled back, until just the head was inside me, and thrust forward hard, the impact jolting my whole body.

“Faster,” I begged, and he moaned when he heard the desire in my voice.

“I need you, Asher,” I told him, and he began to fuck me as roughly as I wanted. I could feel his length sliding inside me and pressing against my prostate, and I whimpered.

“You’re so sexy,” he whispered, punctuating every word with a thrust forward, pulling me towards him by the hips to meet him.

“You make me feel so good,” I gasped. “I’m gonna-”

“No!” he growled. “You’re mine, and I won’t allow you to orgasm until I do.”

I whimpered, pleading with him wordlessly, but he was relentless. I recited the alphabet backwards, doing everything I could to slow the rising wave of pleasure, but I was losing touch with reality as Asher pounded my ass. I dug my fingernails into my palms, even though they weren’t long, and it seemed to help a little, delaying me for just long enough.

“I love you, Ben,” Asher gasped, and then he was cumming, his amazing cock spewing load after load of the hot liquid deep into my intestines. I shivered in delight as I felt it, and I felt my sphincter clamp down around him, convulsing as I started to shoot my own load over my chest. I finally managed to release the muscles in my eyes that were squeezing them shut, and I looked into Asher’s eyes as he watched me lovingly. He pulled out, and I let out a disappointed whimper at the feeling of being empty. Asher kissed me gently, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, needing to be close to him. He slid his hands under my back and lifted me up, and I kept my legs wrapped around his waist as his hands slid down until he was holding me up by the ass as he carried me downstairs, kissing me every few seconds. He carried me into the sauna, carefully opening the door so it wouldn’t hit me, and let the door close as he sat down on the wide wooden bench. I reluctantly let my legs relax from where they were entwined around him, and he gently laid me down on the bench before curling up behind me, shielding me with his body as he put his arm over me protectively.

“I love you, baby,” I whispered, feeling safe in his arms.

“Shh,” he whispered, kissing my head tenderly. “Just let me hold you.”

I snuggled into him happily, and he didn’t stop kissing my head. I could feel his soft lips against my hair, and it made me smile softly as my eyes drifted closed. I really loved cuddling with Asher, and I knew I didn’t have to worry about anything while he held me. If I fell asleep, he’d wake me up before we’d spent too much time in the sauna. I felt my line of thinking fade out as a warm feeling of being content came over me, and before I knew it, I was asleep. The last thing I heard was Asher’s soft whisper, promising me everything I’d ever need.

“I love you.”

 

I woke partially, my eyes still closed, becoming aware of the little pieces without having them form a picture in my mind. Asher’s strong arms were around me, and his feather kisses were landing gently on my forehead like snowflakes. He was carrying me in his arms like you’d carry a small child, one arm under my knees and one supporting my back. There were quiet noises, but I paid no attention to them when I heard Asher.

“It’s OK, you can stay asleep,” he whispered softly. “We just need to get out of the sauna. I’ll put you in bed, love.”

He somehow heard the quiet noise of protest I made, and understood.

“Don’t worry baby, I’ll be with you the whole time,” he assured me tenderly. “I won’t leave.”

I felt my chest vibrating against Asher’s, and I realized I’d started humming softly. His soft lips touched my forehead again, and I felt the happy curve. I tried to return his smile, but I was still too far asleep to be able to move. He must have seen my mouth move and known what I was trying to do, because he kissed my lips lovingly.

“Here we are,” he whispered to me. “I’m going to put you down now, OK? Just stay asleep, baby. I’ll be right here.”

I felt the world moving around me, and then there was a soft bed beneath me. I was faintly aware that my humming stopped as Asher’s arms slipped out from underneath me, and it didn’t start again until he’d lain down behind me and wrapped me in his protective embrace.

“OK, love, you can sleep again,” he whispered softly. “I’ll be right here. I promise.”

I made a content noise, and Asher laughed softly.

“My beautiful Ben,” he whispered. “Sleep well.”

I let my feeble hold on consciousness go, and happy dreams claimed me again.

 

Something soft was stroking my cheek, and I smiled faintly as I realized it was Asher’s hand. I leaned into it slightly, and I felt him pause for a second before resuming.

“Did you have nice dreams?” he asked me quietly, his smile audible in his voice.

“Mmmhm,” I mumbled softly. “About you.”

I felt his lips on mine, and I used all the energy I could muster to tilt my head and give him a better angle. It was a gentle kiss, just the faintest touch of our lips, and Asher pulled back after a minute.

“I have to go now, baby,” he told me regretfully. He felt me stiffen, so he started stroking my cheek again. “It’s not for long,” he whispered apologetically. “I’m just gonna go clean up the kitchen. Tommy’s gonna be back soon.”

I made a faint noise of protest, and he kissed my nose.

“Just go back to sleep, OK?” he whispered. “I’ll be right back, and then we have twenty minutes until we need to get up.”

I breathed out through my nose, and he patted my cheek softly before getting up, careful not to disturb me. He walked out silently, and I couldn’t hear his careful steps as he went upstairs. I heard the door open quietly, and then it shut again, just as quietly. I waited as patiently as I could, and after a few minutes I heard the door open again. Asher closed it, making every effort to be silent, and I pried my eyes open with sheer willpower. I watched him walk over to our bed, admiring how gracefully he stepped, and I saw him smile as he noticed my eyes were open.

“Sorry,” he whispered, crawling carefully back into bed with me. “Did I wake you?”

I made a negative noise, and Asher kissed my nose as he cuddled against me again.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked, sympathetic, and I made an affirmative noise, my eyes drifting closed. I don’t think he said anything else, but if he did, I missed it, 'cause I was out like a light.

 

Asher was gone. My eyes snapped open, and I quickly scanned the room, noticing him halfway off the bed. He had a guilty smile on his face.

“Damn,” he laughed. “I was gonna try to let you sleep for a little bit longer while I had a shower.”

“Want company?” I asked, relaxing.

“Always,” he told me happily. I rolled over to the edge of the bed and stood. I felt Asher’s hand on my ass as we walked into the bathroom, and I smiled at his soft touch.

“Don’t worry,” I told him, letting him enjoy my ass as I bent to turn on the shower. “I’m not that sore.”

“Does that mean I did a bad job?” he asked, mock offended.

“You were amazing,” I assured him. “My ass still feels like it’s red.”

“It is,” Asher told me, smirking. “You’re gonna have fun sitting.”

“Yes, I will,” I agreed, not being sarcastic. “I’ll be sitting on your lap.”

“With your parents there?” Asher asked doubtfully, and I grimaced.

“Damn, I forgot about them,” I said.

“Maybe we can put two layers of boxers on you,” Asher suggested.

I snorted. “I’ll be fine,” I laughed. “I regret nothing.”

“That’s good to hear,” Asher said, smiling. “You can get me back tonight. I still like it more when you fuck me.”

“I like it more too,” I agreed, taking his hand and pulling him into the shower. “I’ll still bottom for you anytime you want, though. It’s a nice experience.”

“Nice?” Asher asked, affronted.

“Mind-blowing,” I corrected myself, laughing.

“That’s better,” he said, smirking.

I snorted, shaking my head, and Asher couldn’t keep a straight face. We managed to wash off without getting distracted, and then we stepped out of the shower and dried each other off before looking for clothes. We had to look through everything we’d washed already to find some of Asher’s clothes, since him wearing my pants in front of my parents seemed like a bad idea. We finally found some of his shorts and a shirt that we were fairly sure had been his, and he put them on while I watched lecherously. When he was fully dressed, he looked up and found me watching him. He laughed at the desire in my eyes, and he tickled my stomach, reminding me that I was still naked. I threw on some clothes, embarrassed, and he kissed me when I was fully dressed.

“You know, I’m starting to hate having to be around other people,” I said.

He laughed, nodding, but then got more serious. “We’re gonna wear clothes more often from now on, anyway,” he warned. “You haven’t taken any pictures in a long time, and I know you want to.”

I shrugged. “I’d rather see you naked,” I said honestly. “Photography is a hobby, but you’re my passion.”

“Then you’ll be extra happy when you can take pictures of me,” he laughed, grabbing my camera and handing it to me.

I grinned and snapped a picture of his smile, and we went upstairs. Tommy was inspecting our ‘cooking’, and he looked over at us, teasing.

“There seems to be two pots full of salt water,” he observed. “What did you do with the rest of your time?”

“I never said we’d be cooking the whole time,” Asher pointed out, smirking.

Tommy shook his head, sighing. “I can’t believe I wandered around town for two hours just so you guys could get it on in privacy.”

“It was worth it,” Asher told him, grinning. “I owe you.”

“I guess that means Ben will be eating standing up, then?” Tommy guessed, teasing.

I shook my head. “No,” I said, smiling. “Not today.” I let him assume that meant we’d been good, and Asher put his arm around my waist, guiding me to the stove with him. He got me to turn the stove on while he threw the lobsters in, and then we started preparing the butter. We saw my mom and dad walk out of the woods before we were fully done, and we waved as Bear introduced himself crazily. Tommy met them at the door, surprised, and he led them around the house on a tour while we finished with the meal. When we were done, we set the lobsters on the table, and Tommy brought my parents to the table. We said hi, and I gave them both hugs before sitting down, careful not to do it gingerly. Asher gave me an apologetic smile, and I snorted. It was like he didn’t remember that I’d literally begged, knowing it would end with this. His eyes sparked with amusement, and I knew he’d gotten my point.

“Mmhm,” I heard Tommy saying. “They always look like that.”

“Huh?” Asher asked, looking away from me to glance at Tommy. “What was that?”

Tommy and my parents laughed at us, so I suspected they’d been making fun of the look we’d been giving each other. I glared at them playfully, and they all sat down, amused.

“You can’t stare at each other like that and expect us to not make fun of you,” Dad laughed.

“Fine,” I said, smiling happily. “Make fun of us all you want.” I pulled Asher’s chair closer to me, and we leaned against each other, ignoring how Tommy’s coughing sounded suspiciously like the word ‘pathetic’. We all settled in, and an awkward silence fell over us like a heavy blanket as we began to eat.

“So,” My mom said, unsure. “What have you guys been doing with your time?”

Asher and I looked at each other, considering. “Swimming,” I said, unsure.

“Camping,” Asher supplied helpfully.

“Sounds like you’ve had a busy summer,” Dad joked.

“We have, it’s just hard to describe what we’ve done,” I explained lamely.

Tommy muttered something, and my dad snorted, almost choking on his lobster.

I glared at Tommy suspiciously, but he just smiled innocently.

“Good lobster,” he commented idly. “I’m glad I bought enough for everyone.”

He glared around the table, letting us know not-so-subtly that the six lobsters had been meant for two meals. We all laughed, knowing he was kidding about being angry.

“I’ll cook the last one up for you tomorrow,” Asher offered. “You won’t have missed out on anything.”

Tommy laughed. “I’m keeping them,” he told my parents seriously. “You can have them back when I get sick of lobster.”

“I can do any kind of seafood,” Asher laughed.

“OK, you’re never getting them back,” Tommy corrected.

“’Them’?” I asked, teasing. “You’re on your own, Asher. You’re the one who knows how to cook.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “As if I could break up the set,” he said. “Don’t bother pretending you guys could function without each other.”

Asher and I looked at each other and shrugged.

He’s not wrong, I thought, and I saw the sentiment reflected on Asher’s face. I leaned in to give him a quick peck on the lips, and he smiled, wiping a little bit of butter off my lip with his thumb.

We went back to eating, but when I looked up I saw both my mom and my dad smiling at us. I blushed as I realized what we’d just done in front of them, but they didn’t seem to mind.

“You two look so happy together,” Mom said. “I’m glad we let you come up for the summer, Ben.”

“That was the best birthday present ever,” I told them honestly, hugging Asher with one arm. “Thank you both, and you too, Tommy.”

“Hey, I’m going to be getting all the thanks I need from Asher’s cooking,” Tommy laughed. “I know this sounds backwards, but Ben, if you ever break Asher’s heart, I’ll castrate you.”

“You’d be fine with it if he learned how to cook, first,” Asher pointed out, laughing.

Tommy shrugged, not denying it, and we all laughed as we finished our meal. We cleared our dishes and walked down to the water to finish Mom and Dad’s tour. They were as amazed as I’d expected, and we took the jetskis out to go explore the lake. Mom and Dad were on one, Asher and I were on one, and Tommy was on the last. Asher drove so I could take pictures, and I got plenty as we explored the bays and channels of the lake until Mom and Dad were thoroughly lost. Asher and I led everybody back when Mom made the waterskiing signal for ‘go home’, and we pulled into the boathouse not long before dark.

“Are you guys staying the night?” I asked, and my parents laughed.

“It’s Sunday,” Dad said. “Unlike you, some people still have responsibilities in summer.”

I grinned ruefully, embarrassed I’d forgotten, and we walked them to the shed, where Asher took Mom on the ATV while I took Dad on the dirt bike. We drove them out to the road, and Tommy followed on his ATV.

“Goodbye, honey,” Mom said, giving me a hug, and turned to Asher. “You too, darling,” she said, giving him a hug as well. “Take good care of each other,” she said, going into mothering mode. “We all know Tommy won’t.”

We all laughed at his expense, including him, and Dad hugged us both too. “Call us if you need responsible adults to talk to,” he said, and Tommy snorted.

“That dog is well and truly dead, yet you keep beating it,” he commented. “You sadistic bastard.”

My dad grinned and gave Tommy a hug, too. “See you later, Tommy,” he said, and my mom waved. They got in their car and waved again before driving away, and we turned the vehicles and went back to the house. Asher and I went straight down to the basement, where I intended to give Asher a run for his money in the race to sleep. We stripped off our clothes, turned off the lights, and got into bed. Asher lay behind me, his body fitting perfectly against mine, and Bear happily lay down by our feet.

“G’night, Asher,” I said sleepily, my eyes closing already.

“Goodnight, baby,” he whispered, stroking my chest as I drifted off.

“Love you,” I sighed, content, and he kissed my head.

 

“Love you too, Ben,” he told me happily, and sleep took me.