There’s a spike in my heart rate the second Theo Graham enters the room.
My skin prickles and although I only notice him out of my periphery as my grandparents stand in front of me going on and on about how proud they are of me for graduating college, he has all of my attention.Tonight is my graduation party and my parents rented out one of their favorite restaurants for the occasion and invited practically the entire town where I’m from in Pennsylvania to celebrate.My back straightens as I follow him with my eyes, and suddenly I’m hyper-aware of everything. How do I look? Is there anything in my teeth? Why are my hands sweaty? Has he noticed me? Fuck, Avery, do not look over there.Despite my instincts telling me not to react, I can’t help it; my eyes are inexplicably drawn to Theo whenever we share a room. It’s been like that for longer than I can remember. He knows how to command attention in any room. He knows how to command my attention anywhere.God, he looks good.At somewhere over six feet, Theo Graham is still very well built after his ten-year career in the NFL even though he now runs a construction company and is no stranger to getting his hands dirty. Warm chocolate brown eyes, a head full of lush dark brown wavy hair that is always styled perfectly, and a light dusting of stubble currently covering his jaw. Therehave been times he was clean-shaven and also times that he had a full beard so luscious it made me want to run my fingers through it.
Dressed in a linen charcoal gray suit with a black shirt that covers most of the delicious muscles I know are hiding beneath, he’s making more than a few women’s heads turn as he makes his way through the party.I’m no stranger to witnessing the attention Theo gets, but it never stopped the sting of jealousy, especially now that I know what his mouth tastes like.I want to kiss him again.Two years before he retired from professional football and fresh off a divorce from the mother of his two children, Lucas and Raegan, the three of them moved into the house next door. I was only fifteen when he retired from the NFL, so I wasn’t as familiar with the football star version of Theo. I knew the guy who ran four miles every day to stay in shape and worked out in his backyard which I had a perfect view of from my bedroom window. I knew him as the guy who picked Lucas and me up when we ran from a party that the cops busted, and to this day—to my knowledge—he’d kept that fact from my parents. I knew the man who helped teach me to drive while he was teaching Lucas because we were always attached at the hip.Never did I think that he’d eventually be on the list of men I’d go on to kiss in my lifetime. Especially when I’d spent the majority of my ninth- grade year making out with his son. For practice, not for romance.I shiver thinking about that night when Theo had lifted me in the air and pressed me against the wall like I was nothing. Holding me up against him as he pressed his lips to mine. I can still recall that dizzy feeling of his hard body pressed against me and I feel my nipples harden and press against the fabric of my dark green dress at the memory.I chose this color not only because it’s the color of the tassels of my graduation gown but because it brings out the green in my eyes. My eyes typically dance between brown and hazel most of the time, but there are moments when the sun hits them just right when you can see flecks of green.A fact that Theo had brought up on more than one occasion.The dress is midi length, but hugs me in all the right places, highlighting my hourglass figure. I’m bronzed from my recent trip to the beach with my friends—our final girls’ trip to commemorate the end ofcollege and this chapter of our lives—and I can feel his gaze skating across me, heating the already warmed skin. You would never know I had any melanin in me with how pale I can get during the winter months. My hair, initially styled into perfect curls before the East Coast humidity got to it, has fallen into waves. I pull it over one shoulder to showcase my neck, which, if my memory serves me correctly, is Theo’s weakness.
I catch his eyes again and he’s closer than he was before, like he’s making his way through the crowd to get to me.I mean, it is my graduation party. It would be rude to not speak to the guest of honor.My grandparents have moved on to mingle, leaving me alone holding a glass of champagne that I want to down before Theo gets to me. I try to meet his gaze again, waiting for him to approach me, and I realize that even though he’s not looking at me I can sense that I have his attention.I haven’t seen Theo in almost six months. Six months ago, when we’d made out in his car and I’d sat in his lap and fucked myself with my fingers until I came with the promise of more.It wasn’t the first time we’d hooked up, having done so once the previous summer, but it was the furthest we’d ever gone. We hadn’t spoken about it after, almost as if we were both pretending it hadn’t happened. Me out of humiliation and hurt and him to keep it hidden from the one person he was sure it would hurt the most.Lucas Graham. My best friend. His son.Six Months Prior: Winter Break 2022I just got home from college this afternoon after my most stressful semesterof school yet and with a hellish week of finals behind me, I came straight to the bar to meet my friends. Our high school senior class was super close. There weren’t any cliques; every friend group just intermixed making us one of the closest graduating classes our school had ever seen. Even four years later, we all go to the same bars when we’re home. The same parties. The same restaurants. The running joke is you couldn’t see a Riverside High School alumni without seeing at least three more in tow.Lucas isn’t home from NYU yet and his older sister, Raegan moved out and is living with her boyfriend across town, which means Theo has the house to himself tonight. Something I haven’t stopped thinking about since Lucas texted me that he won’t be home until early next week. The last time I’d been in Theo’s house when no one was home was this past summer.We’d made out for hour
Present DayI’ve been dreading tonight for weeks. The second her father Shawn told mewhere they were having her graduation party, followed by the invitation that her mother Camille sent over with all of the details, I’ve felt uneasy. I’ve been trying to avoid all things Avery Summers for what feels like three fucking years and yet she’s been able to embed herself into every aspect of my life effortlessly. Her parents still live next door and my son can’t go the length of a conversation without bringing her name up so I’ve been forced to have her name or her face flash through my mind at least once a day and it’s driving me fucking crazy.I tried to tell myself those nights didn’t feel as good as they did. That she didn’t look as good as she did. That I’m not attracted to the girl that I watched grow into a woman. The woman that my son has or had feelings for—I’m uncertain of where he currently stands. I do believe that if there are feelings, they’re not reciprocated on Avery’s side.
I have long since left my own graduation party in favor of going downtownwith my friends while my parents stayed at the restaurant and entertained theirs. It didn’t escape me that Theo stayed longer than I think he planned and opted to leave when we did to head home. He’d mingled with us and my parents all night. It felt almost like a game; how many times could we lock eyes in a room full of people without making it obvious?A bunch of us are at a club downtown, the time nearing almost one in the morning when I decide now is time to figure out if I’m going to a more private party next. I break away from the group and make my way around the large circular bar in the middle of the club to give myself some space.Me: HiiiiiThe bubbles indicating that he’s typing pop up before disappearing. They pop up again and then disappear again and I giggle at the thought that he doesn’t know what to say.TG: Are you okay? Me: Yep, I’m fine TG: You having fun? Me: Yes! TG: Good, I’m glad.Me: Will
It only takes a second for my dick to react to the half-naked womanwalking through the suite with the plan to get completely naked. I’m off the couch moments later, trailing slowly behind her, enthralled by the slope of her hips and the way that black string disappears between her ass cheeks. I make my way into the bathroom and lean against the doorjamb, watching as she bends over the massive bathtub to turn on the water and pour in some bubble bath. I make my way towards her and before she stands upright, I reach out to grab her thong. I tug hard, pulling her towards me by the tiny string I can only compare to dental floss.She gasps and tilts her head up to look at me before dropping her eyes down to where I have the fabric in my fist. My eyes flash to hers devilishly and I pull harder, pulling her against my chest, and I wrap a hand across her stomach, keeping her flush against me as I let the fabric snap against her skin with a satisfying sound. I look down at her body, and saliv
I see the moment he decides to say fuck it because he’s on the bed and ontop of me in a fucking instant. His lips are on mine and it hits me that this is the first time he’s kissed me since we’ve been in the room and I relish in his lips moving with mine. They’re soft and taste faintly of mint, like he brushed his teeth before he picked me up and then his tongue touches mine before exploring my mouth. I fucking love the way this man kisses.He kisses the way I do, like I want to be fucking consumed by the other person. I want to crawl inside Theo Graham’s skin and live there. I want to be that close to him and the way he’s kissing me makes me think he wouldn’t be opposed. And now his dick has dragged against my thigh and is currently rubbing against my sex without pushing inside.Fuck, this is so hot.His lips leave mine to find my neck and trail kisses down my body. His dick moves away from the space between my legs as he moves and I whimper at the loss of contact. One hand finds my
“Hey son, you alright?” I ask as I watch his best friend’s naked ass walkinto the living room. God, I’m going to hell.“Daaaaaaaaad,” he slurs. “Where the hell are youuuu? I’ve called youlike four times. I even called Raegan, who also did not answer! What is wrong with this family? I’m drunk and I’m the one worried about you all. Where are you?”“I’m out, Son. What’s up?”“Out!? At three in the morning? Oh...ohhhhhh. Dad! You got a girlfriend? Shit, am I cramping your style by being here so you felt you couldn’t have a sleepover? My bad. I can go stay with one of my buddies. But Dad, I’m twenty-one, I don’t care if you want to have your girlfriend over.” He laughs.“No, Lucas, of course not.”“Of course not, to which? Do you have a girlfriend? You should have a girlfriend, Dad. I don’t want you to be lonely, especially with me being in New York and Raegan moving in with her old ass boyfriend.”“He’s my age, Lucas,” I snap.I’m not thrilled about how much older he is than Raegan but
My eyes follow Theo out of the restaurant and I wish I was going withhim. I wish I could hold his hand and tell him to breathe and that everything will be fine. I wish I could sit on his lap and kiss him and rub the stress off of him.But if I’m being honest, I’m not sure if it will be or if I’m even the right person to help for that matter. I don’t know if his agitation is about Raegan potentially being engaged to someone he barely knows or the fact that he’s twice her age, thereby making his feelings a little more complicated and maybe even a touch hypocritical given that he spent last night sleeping with his son’s best friend who happens to be half his age. It’s probably a little of both which is likely why he wanted to get away from me.“Damn,” Lucas shakes his head. “You want to go sit at the bar?”I nod, knowing that under any circumstance other than what happened last night, my only concern would be Lucas and talking it out with him with shots of tequila and fried foods. We fi
Dinner was exactly what I expected. A lot of my parents gushing over howproud they are of me. All the stories about me as a child and how they knew I was destined for greatness and my uncles asking me to help guide my teenage cousins in the right direction. That’s the downside of being the oldest cousin; I have to help all the younger ones, even the ones that don’t want to be helped.“Lucas, I think I’m going to call it a night,” I tell him as I point toward my house.My parents decided to go do karaoke with my aunts and uncles leaving me with a very empty house that I would love to invite Theo over to. That is, if it weren’t for the guy in front of me who would find that extremely odd.“You sure? You okay?” he asks, reaching out to touch my cheek.“Yeah, I think just all the drinking we did today and having a glass of champagne when we toasted and then wine at dinner is all getting to me.“Okay. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”“Of course, hey!” I call out to him as he walks away. “We