CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

-•NATHAN•-

It was late at night, too late. I was cleaning my weapons. I cleaned them often, the cleaner the weapon, the more precise the shot was. It didn't matter if it was a blade or a pistol, I preferred them clean.

I was skeptical at the knock I heard at my door. No one should have been awake at this time.

Only the guards on duty outside the facility.

I swung open the door and prepared to reach for my weapon but I halted my action once I glanced down at the small figure in front of me.

Presley.

He was holding a large orange envelope in his hand and he looked a little wary. I peeked my head out my doorframe and looked left to right, examining the dark hallway. Then I pulled Presley inside my room, shutting the door behind him.

"What are you doing up this late?," I asked, voice hushed.

He pouted slightly. "You don't want to see me," he said quietly. It wasn't a question.

I scoffed and sat down on my bed, returning to cleaning my weapons. "I always want to see you," I stated, winking at him.

He let out a little noise. I didn't know what it was, but I had to retrain myself from drowning him in kisses.

"Come here," I demanded softly. "Sit with me."

He let out a shaky breath and obeyed. His leg was touching mine.

"What's this?," I asked, pointing to the envelope in his hand.

Presley's lips turned up in a tiny smile. "It's my...acceptance letter."

I pushed my weapons aside and took the envelope from him gently. "Acceptance where, kid?"

He looked at the envelope in my hands with conflict in his features. "The University of Portland."

Portland. Here. My chest felt lighter.

I pulled him onto my lap. He gave a tiny gasp and looked at me shyly. "Last time I checked, getting into college was a big fucking deal, what's with the gloom, love?"

That name always got a reaction from him. It was priceless.

His cheeks showed a glorious little blush. "You-you're not mad?," he asked softly.

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "Why would I be mad that the brightest kid in the world with the biggest heart got a chance to do something that's going to make him happy? That's ridiculous, Presley. I thought you were smart," I gave his hand a squeeze.

He giggled slightly, then shook his head. "I just thought...," he paused. "I just thought you'd be mad because my first priority is supposed to be the gang-."

"Are you going to leave?"

He looked me in my eyes. "No."

Stop being selfish, Nathan.

I took a moment to answer him, running my hands up and down his sides. "I would let you leave. If you wanted to. If you didn't want the burden of this gang anymore, you could be free, Presley."

His hazel eyes filled with tears as he shook his head. "But I don't want that, Nathan. I- I want to be here. I want to be here because I feel safe, it's- it's my home just as much as it is yours."

His home. His home was my home.

I wiped his tears. "Don't cry. I don't like it when you cry."

He gulped and fiddled with his fingers. "Then kiss me," his voice was barely audible but in the stillness of my room, it was clear.

I moved him on his back and rested his head on my pillow. It was a wonderful sight, seeing him underneath me on my bedsheets. I wish I could have the image embedded in my mind forever.

Following his command, I placed my lips over his gently. He returned the pressure, but soon, I wanted more. I wanted more until I couldn't take anymore. But with Presley, that was impossible, because I could never get enough.

I kissed him harder and trailed my fingers up his shirt, feeling his warm skin. Presley placed his small hands on both my arms. I ran the edge of my tongue along his bottom lip, he instantly complied with my silent asking. I slipped my tongue into his mouth and deepened the kiss, at first it was slow and fire- filled, I wanted to savor every second of it. Presley let out a pleasureful little moan, the sound of him made heat pool in my stomach.

I detached my mouth from his and instead placed soft kisses at the back of his ear, his neck, his jaw. A loud whine came from Presley and he covered his mouth, looking at my door with red cheeks.

A wolfish grin overcame my mouth as I trailed more kisses down his neck. "My room is soundproof, love. I want to hear all of you."

He didn't answer as he ran his fingers through my hair. I removed my lips from his neck to look at him. He gave a whine.

Don't worry, little one, I'm not done yet.

I pulled at his T-shirt. "Is this okay?," I whispered.

He didn't hesitate before he nodded. I yanked off his T-shirt and tossed it aside. He looked at me with a shy expression but I made sure to quickly place a loving kiss to his lips to reassure him that he could trust me. Presley kissed me with assurance. He kissed me with truth and trust.

It wasn't long until I removed my own shirt and resumed my work on Presley's throat. He wrapped his arms around my neck.

I grazed my teeth over the delicate skin of his collarbone. It left a red mark.

"Ah," he whimpered.

I licked over it and kissed it with care. Then, I explored further down. I kissed his supple, pink nipple carefully and he moaned the loudest I'd ever heard him. He grasped my hair tightly and I groaned. I ran my trail of kisses down his smooth stomach. He gasped when I bit the skin near his belly button.

"Nathan," he gasped.

"Yes, love?," my voice was raspy. "You need me to stop?"

"No!," he protested. "Don't stop."

I hovered over his face. "Tell me if you need a break," I didn't wait for him to answer as I placed my mouth over his with heady force. Presley explored his fingers down my abdomen and to the zipper of my jeans. My breath hitched dangerously and I had to catch myself before I crushed the small boy underneath me.

I pulled back from the kiss and eyed him intensely. His checks were flushed and he clamped his teeth  over his bottom lip. I shook my head and placed a sweet kiss to his forehead.

"I don't think you're ready for that," I breathed. "I don't want to rush you, little one."

Suddenly he looked embarrassed, he turned his face to the side, hiding from me.

"Love," I spoke softly, pushing his beautiful brown locks from his face. "Look at me."

Presley slowly turned to face me, his expression was hurt. I lowered my face to whisper in his ear, his breath hitched.

"It's not that I don't want your pretty little mouth all over of me," I huskily rasped on his ear. "It's that I don't want you to do something you regret. Because then, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Presley made eye contact with me, he had a strange look on his face, then he kissed me, over and over again. Our lips fell in a sloppy rhythm before I felt the small boy's tears slide down his cheeks. I immediately retracted, wiping his tears.

"Why the tears?," I asked softly. "Did I hurt you?," my heart broke to pieces when he started to cry harder. I sat up, no longer hovering over him.

He shook his head and leapt into my arms once more. "You didn't hurt me, Nathan," he said in a small voice, sniffling. A wave of relief washed over me.

I kissed his earlobe tenderly. "Okay, then what is it?"

He laughed, it was a sweet sound. "I just...," he wiped a few tears from his cheeks. "I've never felt like this before. No ones ever...," he started to cry again. "No one, except my mom, has ever cared for me like you. I-."

It was at that moment that I knew all I ever needed was him. Fuck everything else. There was just him. Just Presley. He was the only person who changed the way I thought, the way my world worked. I needed him.

"Don't say that," I stated gently. "There are a lot of people who care about you. Not just me."

"Like Haley? And Ally?," he sniffled.

A smile took over my face. "Yes, like them. Red and Kyle too, even Alvin."

He smiled sweetly, and for a moment, the only sound was our breathing. Suddenly, Presley's face turned troubled. I placed a kiss to his head.

"What's troubling you, little one?," I asked.

He peered up at me. "Did you tell Kevin to...apologize to me?," he asked quietly.

I gave him a quizzical look, acting stunned. "This is news to me. I did no such thing, kid."

He looked at me skeptically, then he giggled. "You're lying!," he exclaimed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I shrugged.

He scrunched up his nose adorably. "Well he did."

I raised a brow. "Mind telling me what he said?," I pressed.

Presley maneuvered out of my embrace and tugged on his shirt. He put his acceptance letter on my nightstand and curled himself under my bedsheets. His eye lids became heavy looking.

"I'll tell you in the morning," he yawned.

I scoffed. "That's my side of the bed, kid. Move, or back to your room you go."

He shut his eyes and snuggled further into my side of the bed, refusing to move. Presley smiled lazily.

"Time for bed," he mumbled, his eyes still closed.

I shook my head with disbelief and pulled my t-shirt back on. I sighed and crawled my way to the other side of the bed. Once I shut off the lights, I wrapped my arm around the small boy securely. He sighed contently and turned to place his face on my chest.

Never, in the nineteen years that this had been my room, had I ever let anyone else sleep in it, but for Presley, I'd let him have my side of the bed. I'd let him have the other side of the moon if he wanted. Anything was possible.