Page 107 of Golden Ruin

I lift off her, and the glimpse of her full body has me wondering how much time we have before they’re at the front door. If we make it quick, maybe–

No. After all this time, there’s no fucking way I’m rushing with her.

I fix my sweats as I stand, still fully hard as I grab my shirt and her shorts from behind the couch. She grumbles a quiet, “Thank you”, then gets dressed in silence.

I shouldn’t be comforted seeing her so upset about being interrupted, but I am. Because old Lexi would’ve been grateful for it, but as I glance at her from the corner of my eye, slipping my shirt over my head, I don’t sense any regret.

She stands with a sigh, and she’s about to walk away, but I grab her hand before she gets the chance. A set of dark eyes land on mine, and I do my best to make sure she doesn’t start overthinking, doesn’t start spiraling.

“We’ll talk later?”

It takes a sec, but she smiles a little, then nods. “Yeah.”

There’s no resistance when I pull her into a hug, kissing the top of her hair as I let go. “I’ll go out and grab him. Just relax.”

She nods again, and I feel her eyes tracking me when I disappear in the kitchen. I rinse water over my face, dry it with a paper towel, then I head out to get Jax.

The kid certainly has a knack for dropping in at the exact wrong time, but he’ll never feel that from us tonight. He’s loved and that’s all he’ll ever know. And as much as I looked forward to having Lexi to myself tonight, to the possibility of waking up to her in the morning, it’s hard to be mad at what I’m getting instead.

My whole family.

*

@QweenPandora

Not sure this qualifies as BREAKING NEWS, but a few of you lovelies spotted the littlest Golden out on the town with his grandparents.

Now, while that could seem like useless information, it does raise one very interesting question.

What do two attractive, consenting adults do with an empty house for so many hours?

You know what they say… While the cat’s away, the mice will play.

Care to confirm or deny whether any “playing” went on tonight, #MrSilver and #LostAngel?

I’m kidding.

Mostly.

Later, peeps :)

–P

CHAPTER THIRTY

Lexi

One of the top cabinets seems like a safe space to hide Sterling’s weed, so I stretch on my tiptoes and shove it all the way to the back.

Then, I busy myself straightening the living room—putting the cushions back in position, re-folding the throw blanket that slipped off the back. And after that, as I sit with nothing else to keep myself busy, my thoughts get louder.

Glancing down, my hands are shaking as the memory of what took place–and what nearly took place–become my main focus. I still feel Sterling’s hands and lips all over me, still smell his scent all over my skin, and I can’t believe the way my head and heart are processing everything. I keep telling myself it was a mistake, that none of it should’ve happened, but no part of me believes that, so my brain stops perpetuating the lie.

What happened with Sterling was both inevitable and a choice all at the same time, and instead of wanting to retreat, I keep glancing toward the stairs, hoping to see him returning.

He brought Jax in half an hour ago, and we played things off pretty smoothly, I think. Jax seemed completely clueless that things were off as he dragged Sterling through the front door by his fingers, already rambling about the movie he saw, what he had for dinner, and what story he wanted Sterling to read. So, I’m just waiting, smiling at the fact that Jax is the only person in this world who could’ve interrupted us tonight and lived to tell the story.

I think about it again. All of it. Not just the physical, which was… intense. But what I visualize first is the date on Sterling’s wrist. It’s just another reminder of how our priorities are aligned, how our son is the single most important thing in this world to us both. Between that and my name marking his skin, his body is a living, breathing testament of our story, how our lives have been entangled for so many years.