Page 58 of Surrendering Desire

Sensing the building tension between us, Maverick jumped off the couch and grabbed a small box wrapped in glossy black paper with a huge gold bow. “Here. If you don’t open these soon, Blake’s going to make you wait until you get home. I don’t think you want your brothers seeing this stuff.”

The box was heavier than I’d expected, and Sam gasped when I nearly dropped it. After carefully securing the box on my lap, I reached forward and scruffed his hair. “Don’t worry, buddy. I’m not going to break anything today.”

Sam smiled up at me and leaned into my touch.

Fuck, I was going to miss these guys.

As soon as I saw the stack of gifts on the table, I knew they weren’t going to be family friendly. That wasn’t how this crew rolled. My eyes turned glassy as I carefully lifted the tape on the bottom of the box. Sam and Corey started teasing me, telling me to just rip the paper but it was too pretty. Even if I couldn’t fold it and save it for another gift, I wasn’t going to destroy it.

I threw my head back and laughed when I removed the lid of the box to reveal a double-ended glass dildo. I wasn’t sure when in the hell they thought that was going to get used. For some reason, it wasn’t the type of thing I could see Blake being eager to use. “You guys know this is going to stay in the box forever, right?”

“You never know,” Maverick protested. “Blake seemed to like watching the two of us together. He might surprise you once you’re settled in up there.”

“Doubtful,” I scoffed. “I’m pretty sure that was a one-time thing for both of us.”

“Just keep an open mind. It would be a shame for him to keep you all to himself.” Maverick’s cheeks turned pink. “And that dick needs to be shared with the world. Is he going to find a place to do med play again?”

“Maybe eventually,” I hedged. “We haven’t talked about that too much. For now, we’re focused on getting up there, putting our stuff into storage, and finding a house of our own as quickly as possible. I love my parents, but I’m not looking forward to living with them. It’s going to totally kill the sex life.”

Without a word, Maverick reached for another gift, this one in a bag filled with dick-covered tissue paper. “That might help.”

I pulled the paper out of the bag and found a gag. I pursed my lips to hide my amusement. Blake was definitely going to use this on me. He’d been threatening to buy one, but then we’d started trying to pare down our belongings before the move. “Thanks. I don’t know that it’ll be enough to get past knowing my parents are in the house.”

“No, but it’ll keep you from screaming when he’s fucking you.”

“Fair enough.” I set the bag aside and grabbed the next gift. By the time all was said and done, I was pretty sure the guys had walked the aisles of the sex shop, throwing everything that caught their eyes into the basket.

Blake walked over, tapping the face of his watch. I slumped back on the couch, hating that it was time to say goodbye.

When he got closer, his gaze roamed over my new toy collection. “It looks like your friends are trying to make sure you’re still entertained if we don’t find a club right away.”

“Yeah, they’re good like that.” I stood and took a moment to look around the club.

It was crazy to think that it had been sheer coincidence that I wound up here. I’d left home, confident there wasn’t a place for me there anymore and determined to make it on my own. I swore I’d never submit to anyone again but couldn’t get away from kink entirely. And now, I had an amazing boyfriend and Dom who was willing to uproot his life because I’d realized there really was no place like home for me.

After a final round of hugs and a few selfies, it was time to hit the road. The walk back to the truck looked more like a parade with all of our friends following us. Before Blake opened the door for me to hop into the truck, there was a second final round of hugs and goodbyes, this time from the boys and Daddies alike.

“Take care of him,” John requested, keeping his voice low. “He’s too damned stubborn to admit there are times when he needs to let go and allow someone to look after him.”

“I will,” I promised. “And thank you for that night. I’ll never forget you.”

John bent down and kissed my cheek. “You have nothing to thank me for. You were hurting and my boy’s persuasive as hell when he wants to fix someone’s problems.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” I hugged John tightly before he backed away. “Be good to Mav. I’d hate to have to come back here and have my boyfriend beat you up if you hurt him.”

“If I hurt him, I’ll pay for your airfare myself.”

Mav sniffled as he threw his arms around my waist. “This sucks so much. I want to be happy for you but you’re not supposed to leave.”

“I’m sorry.” I kissed his temple. “If I didn’t miss my family so much, I’d stay. Take care of the big guy, okay? And tell me if he isn’t good to you because I warned him I’d have Blake beat him up if I have to.”

Mav was silent but nodded. His open display of emotion had me tearing up, and I pulled away before I started crying. This was a happy day; I was going home to the people who loved me most. It just sucked that meant leaving behind this found family I’d never forget.

Blake didn’t say much as he maneuvered the truck onto the interstate. He was giving me time to process what I was thinking, and if it wouldn’t make us wreck, I’d have leaned over the cab of the truck to kiss the hell out of him.

I let out an audible sigh as I leaned against the window. This was my full-circle moment, and I no longer regretted running away from my problems. As it turned out, I wasn’t running away at all; I was running to my future.

* * *

Michael’s madea mess of his life while trying to do the right thing. Will he finally realize that it’s okay to lean on others when you need help? Find out in A Strong Foundation, the first book in the Rebuilding Main Street series.

If Danny and Blake were your introduction to Club DeSires, Start Reading Dressed in Desire to see why Annandale’s favorite kink club will be hard to match as they start their new life.

* * *

Nothing could derailhis season like being forced to spend time with the only man he’d allowed close enough to hurt him...

Read Down by Contact to see the sparks fly when Zach and Griffin come together for a common goal.