Chapter Text
I wake up with a jolt, and the first thing I hear is the very familiar sounds of the Clueless closing credits. As I blink my eyes open properly, I see Percy lying next to me on my sofa, the laptop playing the movie perched on his chest. He’s fast asleep, and the screen is moving up and down with his breaths.
I lay still, content to watch him for a few moments, but then need to be touching him becomes too overwhelming. I gently close the laptop and put it on my coffee table, then shuffle closer and slowly lay my head down in its place.
His hand goes to my head by instinct, fingers pushing into my hair, and oh god I love him, I love him, I don’t deserve this I—
He wakes himself up with a snort, flinching so hard my head almost bounces. I laugh as he looks down at me, looking surprised.
“Hmm? What?” He mumbles, half asleep.
“Hello.”
“Did you say something?”
“Nope.” I reach up, touching his cheek. “We fell asleep watching a movie, darling.”
“Oh. Yeah.” He squints, rubbing his face. “Did we miss much?”
“Just about all of it.”
He takes my hand from his cheek and kisses my knuckles, a little waking up gesture I’ve already become very addicted to. I thread my fingers through his and rest our joined hands on his chest. He smiles sleepily.
“Are you okay?”
“Couldn’t be better.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Monty…”
I groan, pressing my face into his chest. I’ve been holding out hope that the event was a terrible hallucination, or at least that we could pretend it was. I should have known he’d want to talk about it sooner rather than later. He taps his fingers on the top of my head.
“Do you want to sleep?” he asks, gently. “Properly?”
I groan again, then pull up to look at him. “Yes. Desperately. But… we should probably talk.”
“We don’t have to.”
We look at each other for a few seconds, then I sigh, pulling myself up. The longer I put this off, the harder it will be.
Percy sits up, too. We both stretch, before rearranging ourselves so that we’re sitting a couple of inches apart. Then, I take a deep breath, staring at the floor.
“Bourbon is— was— a business partner of my father’s.”
Percy clears his throat, leaning back. “Are they close?”
“Yes. Friends. Good friends.” I swallow. “Well. They were. I’d met him at parties and things. He’s always sort of been… around. I thought he was quite…”
“Handsome?”
“Charming,” I correct. “He could charm anyone. Takes one to know one, I suppose.”
Percy frowns, reaching out and turning my face to his. “You’re nothing like him.”
I attempt a weak smile. “You met him for all of thirty seconds.”
“I’m a very good judge of character.”
“Then why the fuck are you with me?” He narrows his eyes, but I cut him off before we could speak. “Anyway, he was always sort of… getting me alone. Telling me things.”
“What sort of things?”
I pause, starting to chew on my nail. Percy pulls my hand from my mouth. “Just… flattering me. It was nice. The only other man his age that I knew insulted me at any opportunity, so I guess I just…” I roll my eyes. “God, this sounds pathetic. Absolute weapons-grade Daddy Issues.”
“Monty, it doesn’t sound pathetic. I promise. Just… tell me what happened.”
He looks sincere enough that I have to look away again. “He seduced me. Obviously. He started sending me flowers. Sending cars to pick me up.” I groan, rubbing my face. “God, I still don’t know what I was thinking…”
“He groomed you.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I wasn’t a child, Perce. In fact, part of me probably thought it was an act of rebellion. Dad pisses me off? Fuck his handsome friend without him knowing. Besides, it all seemed sort of exciting. Secret meet-ups. Sneaky blow jobs at his office.”
I look up at Percy then, grimacing. “Sorry. I’m sure you don’t want the gory details.”
“It’s okay.” He looks less than okay, a little pale actually. “Carry on.”
“Okay. Well… that whole exciting act of rebellion? Turns out that was his plan, too.” I take a deep breath. “Father had fucked him over, you see. I had no idea.”
Percy frowns. “You’re saying he…”
“Wanted revenge against his business partner so he fucked his son? Yep.”
“Monty, that’s…”
“Unhinged? Slightly. What’s even more unhinged is how my father found out.” I push my hair behind my ear. “Bourbon took me to the office one weekend. Assured me no one else would be in. Started to undress me on one of the secretary’s desks and, of course—“
“Jesus.” Percy sits back with a thump. “He set it up.”
“Yep. Immediately launched into ‘he seduced me! You know what he’s like, Henri! I’m a happily married man! He did this to humiliate you!’ and of course, my father believed every word. He already thought I was a disgusting, reckless little pervert, this only confirmed his suspicions. He hit me. Then he threw me out.”
“Sweetheart…”
“Then Bourbon announced he was setting up a rival company a couple of days later. My father seems to think I was helping him plan some sort of coup.”
Percy hesitates. “You should have told me this before.”
“Oh, God no. I would have taken this to the grave if he hadn’t shown up tonight. Every time I think about him, I feel like curling myself into a ball and hiding forever.”
“Monty.” He grabs my chin again, looking me dead in the eye. “It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re with me now, and I’m not going anywhere.”
I stare at him. Those deep brown eyes, flecked with concern. From the moment I saw him, I’ve been convinced he’s some kind of practical joke. Like someone is going to leap out any moment and say; “Surprise!! He’s actually married. Didn’t think he was actually this perfect, did you?”
When I don’t respond, he continues. “You’re not the only one with… parental issues, you know.”
I close my eyes. “Here I am complaining about my father, when you don’t even have one.”
“Hey.” He squeezes my chin until I look at him again. “My father was a kind, generous man. I would rather have had him and lost him than to have a father as cruel as yours my whole life.”
I swallow. Then nod. “Okay. And… your mother?”
He sighs, slowly taking his hand away. “She left when I was young. Seven years old. She was… cold, from what I can remember. I don’t think she ever wanted me.”
“Oh… Perce. I’m sorry.”
“She was rich. Old money.” I must look surprised, as he shakes his head. “I wasn’t lying. About making my own money. When she left, she didn’t leave us anything.”
I shuffle closer to him, taking his hand in my own. “That’s awful. I’m sorry.”
“It was okay. My dad, he was… amazing. We scraped by. I only learned when he died that he’d been putting a lot of his money away for me. He had a heart attack when I was fifteen, but thanks to him I was cared for.” He squeezes my hand. “But he never got over my mother. Or what she did.”
Suddenly, things start to fall a little more into place. “And that’s why you’ve never had a relationship.”
He shrugs. “It seemed easier. One night stands are simple.” He gives me a look. “Usually, anyway.”
“I’m always the exception to the rule.”
He gives me a sad smile. “I didn’t want to end up like my dad. He was kind, but he never stopped being sad. I didn’t want that.” He pauses, then frowns. “Then I ended up sad anyway.”
“But now you’re with me.” I lift his hand to my mouth, kissing his palm and repeating his earlier words. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
He takes a breath, then leans in to give me a soft, gentle kiss. Then he sighs against my lips.
“Thank you. I’m really… I’m happy I chose that bar that night.”
I grin, then kiss him again. “So am I. I nearly went home with a lumberjack.”
He pulls back and raises an eyebrow. “Might have been a lot less drama.”
“Sure. But would he have driven me around in a Rolls Royce?”
His face falls slightly and I immediately feel rotten.
“Sorry, I—“
“No. It’s okay.” He scratches at his stubble. “I never intended to make this much money, you know. But when it started happening, I thought… well… I can do this better than my mother. I can improve things. I can help people. And no one will ever be able to leave me with nothing, like she did.”
“You’re a good man, Percy.”
He smiles at me, like he’s trying to believe it. “So are you.”
“That’s more debatable.”
“No. You are.” He sighs, leaning his head against mine. “And I’m still sorry. For how I treated you.”
Ah. Yes. Perhaps Percy isn’t just a perfect daydream. He’s troubled. And he’s been a prick. But in that way… we match.
“I forgave you a long time ago.”
“But I’ll never stop being sorry.”
I smile. I love him. I can’t say it yet, but… I can show him. And there’s no room on this sofa for that. “Let’s go to bed.”
He laughs. “Sharing our tragic backstories has made you horny?”
“This surprises you?”
He shakes his head. “Not at all.”
And then he kisses me.
August is one of my favourite clients. Our meetings are quick, to the point, and usually end up in several drinks at the bar over the road (on my company card of course).
He’s funny. And clever. And handsome. Not that the last thing matters to me as much these days.
“Barbados?” He asks, sipping on his whiskey. “When?”
“Summer sometime. My boyfriend is half Bajan.”
He momentarily looks surprised, but then grins. “Oh! Well you’ll love it. The people are wonderful. As you probably know…”
“If they’re all half as handsome as him, I’m going to have a lovely trip indeed.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
He holds up his glass, and I hold up my beer, and we toast.
“You won’t regret this extra investment, August. I swear.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t. You’ve already sold it, my name is on the dotted line, quit while you’re ahead.”
I grin. “This is why you’re my favourite.”
“Onto the next already?”
My stomach drops when I hear that familiar voice behind me. I don’t move, but August looks over my shoulder with a scowl.
“Sorry?”
“I wasn’t speaking to you.”
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, before turning to look at my father. He looks smarmy as ever. We share our dimples, our blue eyes, our dark blonde hair (although his is mostly grey these days). Where I have the beginnings of smile lines, he has deep-set frown lines, the result of disapproving violently of every single move I’ve ever made. .
I clear my throat. “Father. Good to see you.”
He tilts his head. “And here Felicity told me you were ‘in love’ with Percy Newton. I almost believed her.”
“August is a client.”
My father blanches slightly. Fuck. I quickly shake my head.
“No! A— a client. I’m an account manager, he’s one of our—“
“Sorry,” August cuts in. “Is there a problem here, Monty?”
Well. That’s it. My little dalliance with an actual real life job is already over. I wish I could even say I was surprised. I look at August, apologetic, but he speaks again before I can even open my mouth.
“We’re in the middle of a meeting, by the way. So unless something is urgent, Mr…?”
“You know my name,” my father spits. As if he’s offended that August even dared to acknowledge him. “And do you expect me to believe this is a business meeting? In a bar? My son doesn’t have business meetings.”
“Oh. I think you’ll find he does. Good ones, actually. In fact he just tripled my account today. We’re celebrating.” August nods at the other side of the bar. “I see you’re celebrating, too.”
I look over and see a group of women, some of them hardly older than me, sitting at a table watching us. There’s an empty seat, which is clearly my father’s. My stomach twists. I suppose I always knew he wasn’t faithful to my mother, but I had no idea he was so brazen about it. A wave of disgust travels through me as I imagine my mother— imperfect, but loving and patient— sitting at home while my father is out getting drunk with women half his age. I look back at him, and he’s steadily turning red.
I take a deep breath.
“It looks like you have more pressing matters at hand than trying to humiliate your son.”
He turns his glare to me. “How I spend my evenings is none of your business.”
I laugh. “And how I spend mine is no longer any of yours.”
I swear I can see the smoke coming out of his ears. My heart feels like it’s beating out of my chest. Whether it’s nerves or adrenaline or both, I’m not sure.
“You are my son.”
“I’m an adult. With a job. A well-paid job. My own flat. I haven’t asked for money in months. And I won’t need to any time soon.”
He scoffs. “Because you jump into bed with rich men—“
“Because I can take care of myself,” I cut in. “I don’t need handouts from you, or Percy, or anyone. In fact, I see no reason why we ever have to see each other. Ever again.”
With that, he stares. I blink back. Eventually he breathes out loudly through his nose, and stomps back to his table, grabbing his coat and walking out as his companions frown in confusion. I stare at the door he walked through, for long enough that August has to loudly clear his throat to snap me out of it. I jump and look at him, and suddenly the mortification of what just happened kicks in again.
“Fuck. Sorry. That was—“
“Brilliant,” he interrupts. “It was brilliant.”
I can feel my cheeks heat. “Humiliating, more like. You’re a client and I just essentially rubbed your face in my dirty laundry.”
“Listen. I know an abusive dickhead when I see one. And it’s not your fault he walked over here to interrupt us.”
I swallow. “I… yeah.”
“I’ve been there. And trust me, you standing up for yourself doesn’t make me respect you any less. Quite the opposite, in fact.” He holds up his glass. “To independence.”
I pause, then smile, holding up my own drink again. “And to new friends.”
I let myself into Percy’s apartment, (he added access for me a while ago— but I still get a thrill from being admitted with my fingerprint and a code like I’m in a sci-fi movie), and immediately I’m greeted with a strong scent of lemongrass.
Percy isn’t the scented candle type, so my curiosity has me following the scent to his bedroom. I can’t help but smile when I see him lounging in his free-standing bath tub, one long leg dangling over the side. There’s a ridiculous amount of bubbles surrounding him, and steam is rising from the water.
I lean against the doorframe and watch him— his eyes are closed, and his hair is hanging in wet ringlets over his face. He looks relaxed in a way he only usually does after I’m done with him. I almost feel cheated.
When I realise he’s not going to notice my presence without some help, I clear my throat. He jumps, looking over, and a small amount of water sloshes over the side of the tub.
“Jesus!” He takes a breath. “Monty. Darling. I didn’t know you’d be back this early.”
I grin. “Getting yourself lovely and clean for my arrival?”
He narrows his eyes. “Sometimes, Monts, I clean myself just to be clean.”
“How very hygienic of you.”
I take off my jacket, tossing it onto the bed and walking over to him. He smiles at me as I kneel down next to the tub and lean in to reach him.
“Hello.”
“Hello,” he echoes, then closes the gap between us for a quick kiss. “Seriously, you’re back early. Everything okay?”
“Yes. Sort of.” I sigh. “I ran into my father.”
He immediately frowns, sitting up straighter and looking concerned. “What? At the bar? Did he—?”
“It’s fine, darling. Honestly. Look…” I motion to my face. “Not a single bruise.”
He scowls— unsurprisingly, he doesn’t find that terribly funny. I lean in again, kissing his nose this time.
“Sorry. But it really was fine. He tried his best to ruin my meeting, but in the end my client actually… stepped in. Defended me.”
Percy raises an eyebrow. “I— really?”
“Really.” My cheeks warm slightly. “It was… weird. But it kind of gave me the confidence to… tell him where to go.”
Percy blinks at me. “You told him off?”
I bite my lip. “Perhaps…”
He blinks again, then he jumps forward, grabbing me under my arms. I squeak as he somehow manages to drag me into the bath with him, water splashing everywhere.
“Perce!” I splutter as I land on top of him. “I still have my fucking shoes on!”
He giggles— giggles— as I desperately try to right myself. “I thought you could use a wash!”
“You’re an absolute psychopath!”
Eventually, somehow, after much shoving and swearing of revenge, I realise Percy isn’t going to let me out of the bath any time soon, so I manage to get in a somewhat comfortable position. I kick off my shoes at least, but my trousers and shirt are still on, now clinging to my skin.
I huff, leaning against him from where I’m squeezed between his legs, my back against his chest. He nips at my neck, and I twist around slightly so that I can (somewhat) gently elbow him in the ribs.
“Happy now?”
“Yes. Would be happier if you were naked, but—“
“Know what would have helped with that, darling? Letting me get undressed instead of tackling me.”
He laughs. “I couldn’t wait another moment.”
“Terribly romantic.” I pull off my sopping wet tie, too— tossing it over the side of the tub. “Is this some sort of fetish? I thought I knew all of the major ones.”
He snorts. “No. I’m just… I was proud of you. So I needed you in here.”
I roll my eyes, then frown. “Proud of me?”
“Yes! Very proud of you.” He nuzzles into my neck and I sigh slightly, feeling myself relax. “You’re doing everything you wanted. You’re working. You’re great at it. You have your own flat. You stood up to your father. All that whilst being the most beautiful man on earth. Proud is an understatement, my love.”
I close my eyes, humming. “I still have a long way to go.”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“I think you’re pretty much set.”
He pauses, then speaks quietly against my skin. “I am now.”
I twist my head around to look at him, and he plants one last kiss against my neck before looking up at me. We both smile.
“You’re naked,” I say.
“Yep,” he confirms.
“And wet.”
“Indeed.”
“I’m going to make out with you now.”
“Please do.”
I kiss him, reaching back and sliding my hand into his hair. He hums when I deepen it, our mouths opening against each other, and I hear wet porcelain squeak as Percy’s hand grips the side of the bathtub.
I shift my hips, and Percy widens his legs so that I can press back against him. He’s half-hard already, I can feel it. I pull back from the kiss to smirk at him.
“That didn’t take much.”
He barely blushes. “Never does with you.”
“I can hardly judge.”
I watch his face as I slide a hand behind me, trying to smoothly move it up his thigh and— oh. What is— this is slightly more awkward than I thought. I grimace, shuffling again to try and get a better angle.
“Monts… are you—“
“I’m fine! Let me just…” I try again and— “A ha!”
Percy laughs, then huffs, then moans slightly as I somehow manage to twist my wrist in the way he likes. His head drops onto my shoulder.
“Shit…”
I smile, tilting his chin back up with my free hand. Then he gasps, and I smother it with another deep kiss. It’s one of my favourite things to do— kiss him while I take him apart. Feel his breath catching and swallowing his moans. My hand moves more quickly, and he whimpers. I bite down on his bottom lip and then I—
“Ow!”
Cramp, wrist cramp, fuck. I pull my hand out as quickly as I can, shaking it out in front of me.
“Monty?”
“Cramp! My wrist.”
Percy sits forward and takes my wrist from me, starting to massage it. I watch him, swallowing.
“Who knew hand jobs could be so dangerous?”
He laughs, lifting my hand so that he can kiss my wrist. “I appreciate the effort, sweetheart.”
I pout. “I thought baths were meant to be romantic.”
“They are! They’re just very… snug.”
“You’re rich. Get a bigger one.”
“Hmm.” He pauses, then his eyes widen. “I have an idea.”
I raise an eyebrow. “We’re going out to buy a bigger bath?”
“At some point. Until then, I have a better solution.”
“Were you at any point going to tell me you had a swimming pool?”
“It’s not my swimming pool. It’s the building’s.”
I look around, taking in the ridiculousness of my surroundings. We’re in the basement of the building, standing next to the most luxurious pool I’ve ever seen. It’s lit up from beneath and the walls are decorated with warm-toned lanterns, giving the whole room a fancy, decadent vibe that makes me feel like I’m in an expensive spa.
“It’s not private?”
“It is now.” He takes my hand and leads me closer. “I bribed security.”
“As romantic as that is, I need to state two things.” I pull on his hand to stop him, and he stands in front of me. “One, I didn’t bring any swimming trunks. Two, I can’t fucking swim.”
He blinks. “Okay, we’ll one isn’t a problem. I was planning on getting naked. And two… that is fucking ridiculous and you’re going to learn. Right now.”
He starts to undo his shirt, and I laugh.
“We’re either going sexy skinny dipping or you’re teaching me to swim. We can’t do both.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
He grins at me, and continues undressing, and I roll my eyes. As if I’m going to not get naked. When it comes to this man, I’m weak as fuck. I strip down quickly, stepping forward to kiss him but he pushes me away, turning around and leaping straight into the pool with a huge splash. I shout, holding my hands up as water hits me.
“Fuck! You’re insane!”
He surfaces and starts treading water, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes and smiling up at me.
“Come on! It’s gorgeous and warm…”
“Have you already forgotten the part where I said I cannot swim?”
He rolls his eyes, swimming to the edge and beckoning me over. I bite my lip.
“Are you going to pull me in? Because that would be slightly more dangerous than tackling me into the bath.”
“No, Monty. I’m not going to attempt to drown you. Come here.”
I hesitate, then step over to him, crouching down and taking his hands. He pulls himself up to kiss me, then gently pulls me into the pool. I panic as soon as I’m in the water, clamping my legs around him and holding tightly onto his back.
“Fuck. I hate water.”
He laughs. “You’re fine! I’m not going to let go.”
“If you do, I’ll murder you.”
“Noted. I’m going to hold you and swim to the middle. Okay?”
I pause, then nod. He pushes away from the side and I gasp, holding on even tighter as he swims into the middle, then starts treading water again. My hand slips and I drop slightly, my mouth dipping underneath the water and I yelp. Percy laughs.
“It’s okay! It’s okay.”
He holds me up, pushing my hair out of my eyes. I take a deep breath.
“Do you trust me, sweetheart?” He asks, his eyes wide and serious.
I nod immediately. “Yes.”
“Okay. On the count of three, hold your breath, and we’re both going to go under the water, okay?” I must look panicked, for he immediately adds. “I’m not going to let go of you. I just… want you to get your bloody hair wet.”
I laugh, then groan. “Okay. Yes.”
He smiles, pulling me in for a long, sloppy kiss, then he pulls away.
“One… two… three.”
I take a huge breath, and so does he, pulling us down under the water. I hate it. I hate water. I hate everything about this. How stupid am I? I’m so in love with him I let him drown me. Is that symbolic in some way? My heart is pounding in my chest, and my eyes are screwed shut, and I’m just waiting for this to be over when suddenly—
There are warm lips on mine, and a hand sliding around my lower back. He’s kissing me. He’s kissing me under the fucking water. I arch into it, kissing back, and before I know it he’s pulling me back up and we break the surface of the water, still kissing. I pull away, taking a gasping breath, then open my eyes to look at him.
“You—“ I take another breath. “Are a lunatic.”
He laughs, also breathing hard. “And you are hard as a rock.”
I like this Percy. It’s like something has snapped in him the last few days. He’s happy. And carefree. And wild with it. I grin at him as we bob up and down in the water.
“Are you going to do something about it?”
He raises his eyebrows, then kisses me again. I tighten my legs around his waist, moaning when I feel how hard he is, too. I don’t notice him swimming us to the edge until my back thumps into the side. I gasp and he pulls away.
“Sorry,” he says breathlessly.
“It’s very okay.”
We kiss again, and this time it’s very easy for me to wrap my hand around his cock. He hisses against my mouth as I start to stroke him.
“Fuck. Monty…” He kisses my mouth again, then my neck. “This isn’t… mmm… terribly hygienic.”
“People piss in this pool, Perce. What’s the difference?”
“God. I love when you talk dirty.”
I laugh, and clumsily try to turn us around so that I have him pinned against the side. With a fair amount of splashing, I manage it, then I gently bite down on his shoulder, gripping him harder and making him gasp.
“Wait, wait. Stop.”
I freeze, looking at him and frowning.
“You okay?”
“Fuck me. I want you to fuck me.”
My heart skips. “Really?”
It’s a rare request. We’ve had a lot of sex by this point, but the vast majority has involved either me bottoming, or no fucking at all. And believe me, I could die very happy with that set up. But every now and then, Percy gets an itch he can’t scratch. I see it now, that exciting glint in his eye.
“Really. I uhm….” He blushes, biting his lip. “I prepared.”
“You….? When?” My eyes widen. “In the bath?”
He shrugs. “Maybe.”
I stare at him. I suddenly can’t believe my luck. “You are the hottest fucking person alive.”
He grins, shrugging and slinging his arms around my shoulders. I lean my head against his, rocking my body into his. He chokes out a moan.
“We still need—“ I move again and he gasps. “Lube. Need lube.”
“Fuck. Yeah. Hold on.”
I let go of him, begrudgingly, and scramble along the side of the pool, holding on for dear life. I just about reach my trousers which are lying on the floor in a heap. I know I brought a sachet of lube, and thankfully it’s in the pocket nearest to me. I grab it, putting it in my mouth and turning back to Percy.
He’s moved. He’s waiting for me against the pool ladder, his feet propped against it, chewing on his lip. One hand is under the water and he’s rocking against it, his eyes flickering closed.
“Fuck,” I say out loud, before pulling myself along the edge to get back to him as quickly as I can.
As soon as I’m within touching distance of him, we collide again. Kissing. Gasping. Touching. My fingers replacing Percy’s, him trying his best to open the sachet when we’re both dripping wet.
Eventually, after much awkward shuffling, Percy has one leg on the ladder and one around my waist, I’m holding him up, kissing him as I push inside.
“Monty. Shit. Monty…” he groans against my lips.
I want to reply, but I can’t form words, not when all I can think is; so close, so hot, so tight, so fucking… Percy. I moan instead and start to rock into him. Slowly, deeply, as the water moves against us.
He pushes his hands into my hair— gently tugging and twisting as he pushes his hips up against me. Kissing me feverishly and panting into my mouth.
“Monty… I… think I—”
Fuck. He’s going to say it. He can’t say it first. I refuse to let him say it first. He especially can’t say it mid-fuck. I cut him off with another kiss, fucking into him harder, changing angle and he groans loudly, clenching around me. I gasp.
“I’m close,” I mumble against his lips. “Percy, I’m close—“
“Me too. Fuck. Keep going.”
I move my hand to his thigh, gripping it hard as we both go over the edge. I kiss him, swallowing every moan like I can taste it. I keep going until we’re both whimpering, shuddering against each other until every wave of pleasure has subsided. I hold his face— kissing his cheek, his nose, his forehead. Desperately, breathlessly.
He swallows, then pushes my hands away, gripping my chin in his hand and looking in my eyes.
“Monty.” He takes a deep breath. “I want to say something, but I’m not sure that—“
“I love you,” I interrupt.
His eyes widen. “You… really?”
“I love you. I think I’ve loved you since…. I don’t know. For a long time.”
He pauses, then smiles. “I always thought that… I could avoid this. Avoid loving anyone like my father did. So I wouldn’t be hurt. I’d make my own wealth, my own comfort, never share it with anyone but…” he trails off, then grimaces. “You’re still inside of me.”
I laugh. “Fuck. Yeah.”
I hold on to the ladder, and gently pull out of him. He sighs, stretching out his legs, then wrapping his arms around my neck.
“What I’m trying to say is… that doesn’t matter anymore. I’d live in a box if I could be with you.”
I swallow. “Yeah?“
“Yeah. I love you, Monty. So much.”
I grin at him, and he grins back, and I let myself sink into this feeling. This warm, fuzzy sensation. Not just the sex. The safety. The comfort. The… pure fucking happiness. I kiss him.
After a few seconds, he pulls away. “Okay. Now it’s time for your proper swimming lesson.”
I narrow my eyes. “No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
He wiggles his eyebrows, holding more tightly and turning us around, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and starting to swim into the middle of the pool, dragging me with him. I squeak.
“Percy! My legs are jelly! Are you trying to drown me?”
He laughs. “Of course not! What kind of sugar daddy would that make me?”
I try my best to splash water at him, but most of it goes in my mouth. “I hate you,” I splutter. “So much.”