Drilled by K.M. Neuhold

Chapter 22

APOLLO

My hands sweat against the steering wheel as I drive to Anna’s house. No matter how many times I’ve played this conversation out in my head, I have absolutely no idea how she’s going to react when I actually sit down and tell her. Worse, I’m not sure how I’m going to react.

That too-brief kiss last night has lingered on my lips and made me ache for things that might make my sister hate me. But I’m not sure if I have a choice anymore, my heart has already decided, I just need one last thing…

I pull into her driveway and get out of the car. Through the open windows of her two-story home, I can hear the loud blaring of cartoons, along with the giggles and shrieks of Kelly and Eric.

I don’t bother knocking, knowing she’ll just scold me for it if I do.

“Hello,” I call out as I step inside and bend to take off my shoes. My niece and nephew come barreling down the hallway to greet me. I scoop Kelly up and give her a kiss on the cheek before swinging her around in a circle until her laughter echoes around the high ceilings of the entryway.

“My turn, my turn,” Eric chants, so I put Kelly down and pick him up.

Anna comes down the hallway with her youngest, Gigi, on her hip, and I give the two of them a hug as well after I put Eric down.

“Long time no see,” she says, kissing my cheek.

“I know. I need to stop by more.”

“You’re here now. I have a quiche in the oven. Do you want coffee in the meantime?”

“That would be great.” I follow her toward the kitchen while Eric and Kelly start up a game of…well, I’m not really sure what exactly, but it’s loud and involves throwing toys at each other. “There’s something I need to talk to you about, actually.”

“Oh?” She passes the little one off to me, and I sit down at the table with her. I bounce Gigi on my knee, smiling at her happy squeals. I can’t imagine having any kids of my own, but being an uncle is pretty damn cool. “Careful, she just ate,” Anna warns. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been puked on, by a baby or an adult.

I stop bouncing her and set her down. She toddles away, and I hunch forward, my elbows on the table as I look over at my sister, gathering up my courage to tell her the truth.

“You remember Ridge?” I ask.

She lets out one harsh chuckle. “Your best friend for twenty-five years who left me at the altar on my wedding day? Yeah, I vaguely recall him.”

I run my hand over my short hair. “I didn’t mention it, but he got hired at the same construction company I work for.”

“No shit?” She sets a mug of coffee down in front of me and then takes a seat across the table. “That must’ve been awkward. You haven’t talked to him since the wedding either, have you?”

Anna never asked me to break off my friendship with him, but at the time, I was so pissed about what he did that there was never a question about it. I was angry that he fucked over my sister, pissed that he shattered my view of him, pissed that he took twenty-five years of trust and friendship and flushed them down the toilet. We were living together at the time, and I moved my shit out that night, punched him for good measure when he tried to explain, and then went to stay with Anna for a few months until I found a new place and she was feeling better about the breakup.

“I hadn’t,” I answer, guilt squirming in my stomach. “But he was actually who I just spent the last month with, fixing up those cabins near Porcupine Lake.”

“Just the two of you all month?” She seems amused by the thought. She’s as bad as the rest of the guys.

“Yeah.” I let the word hang in the air, trying to work out how exactly to put this delicately. Is she going to be angry? Hurt? Confused? What if she tells me I have to choose between the two of them? My heart sinks. I don’t think I could make that choice.

“You’re being weird. Spit it out already,” she says bluntly. I always thought that was what made her and Ridge a good couple, neither of them ever let my gruff, scowly exterior intimidate them. They call me on my shit.

“Something happened,” I confess.

“Something?” she repeats with confusion before arching one eyebrow at me. “Something?” The second one is more suggestive.

“Yeah, you know…” I glance over my shoulder to make sure none of her kids are peeking around the corner or listening in. “Sex,” I whisper.

“Wow.” She leans back in her chair, seeming to process the information. “Wow.”

“Are you pissed?” I check.

She holds up one finger as a signal to give her a second. “Wow,” she says for a third time, followed by a laugh. “I’ve never been more and less shocked in my life, to be honest.”

“Are you angry?” I ask again, jiggling one leg nervously under the table.

“No, I’m processing. So, is he bi then?”

I shake my head slowly.

“He’s gay. He wants to come explain and apologize in person to you, but basically, he realized the truth the night before the wedding and that’s why…well, you know.”

“Hold on. The two of you went out drinking the night before the wedding. You didn’t…?”

“What? No,” I say, huffing an indignant sound through my nose.

“Thank god. If you’d doinked my fiancé the night before my wedding, I might’ve had to throw down.” She shakes her head.

“Not back then, An, but now…” I remind her, not wanting to lose the point of this conversation.

“It’s been a decade and a half,” she points out. “I’m married to an amazing man, and I have three beautiful kids. Things worked out the way they were supposed to.” She stands up and goes to check on the food in the oven, but I think she’s really just buying herself a few seconds to gather her thoughts. “Do you know why I liked Ridge so much to begin with?” she asks when she turns back in my direction.

I can think of a million reasons, from his crooked, infectious smile to his ridiculously endearing sense of humor. That ass doesn’t hurt matters either. But the way Anna is looking at me expectantly, I think it’s something less obvious than any of those things.

“Why?” I ask.

“Because of the way he always looked at you. I thought, damn, if he looks at his best friend that way, imagine how he would look at the woman he falls in love with. The two of you were inseparable, and you would’ve done anything for each other. I wanted that. That’s why I’m not surprised that the two of you found your way back to each other. Who knows, if I hadn’t gotten in the middle of things, you might have gotten together years ago, when he first realized he was gay.”

I reach across the table to grab her hand. “He made some dumbass decisions, and I let my temper get the best of me…none of us were our best in that situation.”

She takes a sip of her coffee and nods. “Are you going to bring him around so I can meet him as your boyfriend now, or what?”

I scoff. “He’s not…I’m not sure what we are right now. It’s kind of nebulous.”

“Don’t be a dumbass. You two were in love all those years ago, and the way your eyes lit up when I asked if you knew why I fell for him tells me you’re still in love with him now. As you said, none of us were at our best back then. A lot of time was already wasted, don’t let any more slip away.”

My heart beats faster.

“Does that mean I have your blessing?” I check, realizing this is the last thing holding me back from being all-in with Ridge. Completely, totally, all-in.

“That’s sweet that you think you need it. You always had more claim to the man than I did, but yes, if you need to hear it, you have my blessing.” She squeezes my hand.

A weight feels like it’s been lifted off my shoulders. I want to jump up from the table and go straight to Ridge’s place, but I force myself to sit still. The least I can do is finish my visit with my sister. We haven’t even eaten yet and time with the kids is always good.

She chuckles, setting down her coffee and pulling her hand out of mine. “Go already. I’m sure he’s pacing around his apartment waiting to hear how things went, and I can tell you’re dying to go sweep him up into your arms and growl at him or do whatever it is you do to show affection.”

“Growling pretty much covers it,” I joke, sparing her a twitch of a smile. “Let’s all have dinner next weekend. I’ll cook,” I offer.

“I have a better idea. Why don’t you bring him to dinner at Mom and Dad’s in a few weeks.”

“He’ll like that,” I say. “Thanks again, for everything.” I round the table and bend down to give her a squeezing hug.

“No problem. Go get your man.”

I intend to do just that.

RIDGE

A frantic knocking at my door sets my heart racing. It has to be Apollo. Who else would bang like they’re trying to bust the entire door down?

“Keep your pants on,” I grumble, unlocking the door and tugging it open. Even though I was expecting, or maybe more like hoping, it to be Apollo, my breath still catches at the sight of him standing in the hallway outside of my apartment, looking all scowly and a little sweaty. “What are you—”

Before I can get the question out, with a hefty side of snark for good measure, he cuts me off with his mouth against mine, his hands gripping my face roughly, our noses smashed against each other.

I grab the front of his shirt, not sure if I want to shove him away or pull him closer. That’s a lie, I always want to pull him closer, but fuck, I don’t think I can keep doing this back-and-forth shit. My heart can’t take it.

“Pol,” I murmur against his mouth, giving his chest a small shove but keeping his shirt clutched in my fingers so he doesn’t go far.

He pulls back and looks me in the eyes, the intensity of his stare making me forget any protest that had been starting to form on my lips.

“How did things go with Anna?” I ask, trying to keep the tremble out of my voice. Maybe that was a goodbye kiss.

“I’m in love with you.”

My heart stumbles over fast beats, my breath catching in my throat. “That good, huh?” I joke weakly, my brain still trying to catch up with this unexpected twist.

Apollo is in love with me? For real? Am I about to wake up on the couch and realize this was just a dream? He wouldn’t joke about something like this, would he?

A slow smile spreads over his lips, and this time it stays. He steps forward, our bodies pressed together, and backs me up into my apartment.

“Breathe,” he says.

I do as he says, dragging in a deep breath, and surprisingly that does help clear my racing thoughts. A grin jumps to my face too, and I just stare at him for a few seconds. “Say it again. I just want to make sure I heard you right.”

He lets out a low rumble of a chuckle, resting his forehead against mine, our noses brushing. “Ridgeway Montgomery, I am so fucking in love with you. You were right, the past is in the past. There are no problems with Anna, and even if there was, I don’t think I could give you up again if I tried. I want to be with you, I want to build a life with you, I want you.”

“What took you so damn long?” I tease, and he chuckles again, the sound vibrating through me as he presses me against the wall, claiming my mouth for a second time.

The kiss is just as rough and biting as most of our kisses, his lips bruising and forceful against mine, his fingers digging hard enough into my ass cheeks to leave marks, our tongues sliding and tangling with each other. The edge of desperation behind every nip of my bottom lip has shifted. It’s no less impatient, but it feels less like he’s determined to feel everything he can before it’s too late and more like he just can’t get enough of the feeling of our mouths on each other.

We stumble our way down the hallway, tearing at each other’s clothes as we go, leaving a trail of discarded garments in our wake. Apollo ducks his head into the crook of my neck and sucks on my skin, leaving wet, throbbing patches in several different spots along my throat while I drag my short fingernails along his shoulder blades.

My cock pulses and aches, pressed up against his, our bodies plastered together.

“Say it again,” I beg in a hoarse voice.

“I love you,” he murmurs against my skin, kissing his way back up to my mouth. “I fucking love you, Ridge. I’m crazy over you. I want to be with you.”

Every word out of his mouth makes my skin burn hotter and my heart beat faster. I’m going to get around to telling him I feel exactly the same, but right now, my tongue is too busy inside his mouth. Besides, I’m pretty sure he knows.

The back of my knees hit my bed, and I tumble back, dragging Apollo along with me, the two of us falling in a heap on my unmade bed. Logs, who had been enjoying a nap, darts off the bed and out of the room with an indignant noise.

Everything is a blur of hands and mouths, naked flesh on naked flesh, heavy breaths and quiet moans, and the rustle of bedsheets.

We break the kiss just long enough for Apollo to grab the bottle of lube out of my nightstand, pouring some onto his fingers and then dropping the bottle on the bed a few inches away. He braces one hand on the side of my head, my legs spread on either side of his thick thighs, and watches me intently as he eases two slicked fingers inside of me.

“Jesus,” I groan, arching my back at the burning, toe-curling, eye-rolling stretch.

“I could happily spend the rest of my life buried two knuckles deep in your ass if you’ll keep making that face,” he bargains in a gruff, ragged tone.

“Deal.” I dig my fingers into his biceps and lick my lips.

He works his fingers in and out a few times, just enough to make sure I’m all slicked up, and then he replaces them with his cock. He doesn’t try to give it to me slowly or carefully. No, he gives it to me how I like it, slamming balls deep and jarring the breath out of my lungs, forcing a burst of precum from deep in my balls.

“Pol,” I moan, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip and clenching around the hot, thick invasion of his cock.

He eases out and thrusts deep again, our skin slapping together, the length of his cock dragging over my prostate with the full thrust. Apollo bends his head down, nuzzling and nipping my ear, fucking me deep over and over, drawing babbling sounds from me.

“I love you,” he whispers again, the gravelly tone of his voice sending shivers down my spine.

“Fuck,” I gasp, my whole body sparking with pleasure, my inner muscles tightening around him.

But I’m not ready for it to be over. Not yet.

I push against his chest, groaning when his cock slides out of me, leaving my hole gaping and empty. He’s a big-ass dude, and it’s not easy, but I manage to push him over onto his back. I’m kind of a big-ass dude too, so that helps. I climb on top of him, grinning down at the lust-filled slack of his expression, his usual resting scowl nowhere in sight as I grind my hard, leaking cock against his.

His cheeks are flushed, his lips swollen and damp, parted as he pants out ragged breaths. I brace my hands on either side of his head and roll my hips again, dragging my erection against his. I reach for the bottle of lube laying on the bed and sit back on my knees to free up my other hand.

I squirt a more than generous amount of lube into my hand and then wrap it around my cock, stroking myself until I’m coated and slick. Apollo’s eyes are glued to the up and down motion of my hand, my bicep flexing with every stroke.

I grab the base of my cock and line myself up with his hole, the heat of his pucker against the head of my cock sending ripples of anticipation through me and tightening my balls. I don’t push in right away, waiting a moment to see if he’s going to tell me to slow down or ask for prep. No prep, tons of lube, it’ll work, but he’s going to be feeling it for a few days after. Our eyes lock, his heavy-lidded, nostrils flaring with each heavy breath.

“Put it in me,” he growls. He doesn’t need to ask twice.

I roll my hips again, forcing the head of my cock past the tight ring of his outer muscles, drawing a hiss from between his teeth. The heat that engulfs that first inch of my cock makes my eyes roll back and my stomach clench in the best way.

Apollo grabs my ass cheeks in both hands and tugs me forward, forcing me to fill him in one stroke. His lube-sticky cock slides against my belly as I thrust into him, finding the perfect rhythm, slow and deep, hard thrust after hard thrust until we’re both making breathless, animalistic sounds, our breath mingling, our foreheads pressed against each other, jarring with every rut.

“I’m close,” he warns in a shaky voice.

A hot spike of pleasure zings down my spine, his channel fluttering around my cock as his orgasm nears.

“Give it to me. I want to feel you squeezing my cock when you come.” I thrust faster, wrapping my hand around his slippery cock and jerking him in time with my thrusts.

“Ungh,” he groans, his orgasm seeming to hit him all at once. He clenches hard around me, his hot, sticky seed spilling over my knuckles and splashing onto both our skin. My balls constrict, so close to unleashing, but I hold back, stroking him through his orgasm until his inner muscles stop pulsing around me.

I pull out, still holding his hard, cum-covered cock in one hand, and I scramble to straddle him.

“Oh fuck,” he moans as I sink down onto his oversensitive cock, the lube and cum squelching wetly as I start to ride him, jerking myself off with his cum while I bounce and grind on him.

He stays hard, no, he gets harder, his spent cock rallying as I pant and groan, shamelessly chasing my own orgasm, my thighs burning, sweat beading on my skin.

I let out a strangled cry, the heat in the pit of my stomach exploding through me, all of my muscles tensing at once, vibrating and throbbing as I cover Apollo in the thick ropes of my release. He digs his fingers into my hips, slamming into me over and over, pushing my orgasm to new heights with every thrust, until he lets out a deep, bestial sound of his own, the heat of his cum filling me until it drips out of my hole, and we both collapse in exhaustion.

“Damn, we’re good at that,” I say breathlessly once I come back down to earth, draping myself across Apollo’s sticky, bare body.

“Mm,” he hums in agreement, lazily dragging his fingers through my hair.

“So, this shit is official now, right?” I ask, grinning against his chest.

“Official? Are you asking if we’re going steady?” he teases.

“I’m asking if I can tell everyone that I locked down the untamable Apollo.”

His lips brush my hair. “I am fully locked down.”

And it only took me fifteen years. I’ll take it. I kiss the middle of his chest and then rearrange myself so we’re sharing the pillow, our legs tangled together, squished onto one small sliver of the bed, even though we don’t need to be.

“Stay the night?” I ask.

His lips twitch. “Yes.”

“Take a shower with me?” I tack on with a playful smirk.

“We need it,” he agrees.

“Agree to anything I ask because you’re so desperately in love with me?” I tease, and he growls, grabbing the back of my neck and pressing a biting kiss to my lips. “For the record,” I murmur against his mouth, “I am hopelessly, stupidly, crazy in love with you too.”

“Thank fuck for that.”