-Avery-

I stared up at the mansion in front of me. 'Mansion' was not an exaggeration. The house Devin and I had just parked in front of looked like it had eight rooms on each floor. It had to be at least 20,000 square feet.

"This is your cousin's house?" I asked Devin.

"Yep. I told you Carter was rich."

I blinked. "This is..."

Devin just laughed. "Come on. I want you to finally meet him. And I think he threw this party as an excuse to meet you. Not that he ever needs an excuse for a party."

"He could have come over to our condo."

"Carter doesn't do anything halfway."

I stared up at the mansion again. What I wanted after replacing the first culvert and coming back from camp was a quiet weekend at home or to go for a hike. A huge party with people who were more wealthy than I could ever imagine was not my idea of fun. In fact, I was already intimidated as hell.

Would Devin still want me as his boyfriend when he was reminded of what he could have? There were going to be plenty of hot, rich men at this party, all who would be more suited for Devin. I didn't understand what he wanted with plain old me, a guy who didn't have enough money to take him anywhere nice. And Carter would see it as soon as he met me. He'd know I wasn't good enough for Devin.

Reluctantly, I got out of the car and followed Devin. The house had double doors made of solid oak, with an intricate pattern carved on the front. Devin walked right in, clearly not intimidated at all. I would have been too nervous to even knock on the door. Once we were inside, I felt my mouth drop open. A week ago, Devin's house was the nicest one I'd ever been in, and now I was in another house that was even more luxurious. 

I gawked at everything as Devin led me through the house. The floors were marble. A huge, glittering chandelier hung in the entryway, flanked by two sets of curving staircases. The kitchen was filled with gleaming appliances and looked like it could easily handle preparing food for a hundred people. A dining room off to the side looked more like a ballroom than a place where a family would casually sit down to eat dinner. I stumbled as I tried to keep up with Devin, my head turning to take everything in at once.

I stopped Devin at the French doors that led to the backyard. The well-manicured lawn was covered with people, and the area directly outside the house had an infinity pool and a huge patio with a full bar.

"Everything okay?" Devin asked.

"Um, can we just take a minute? Before we go out there? It's...a lot."

Devin reached over and took my hand. "You'll be fine."

I tried to smile. "Is there anything I should know? How are you related to Carter?"

"My mom and his mom are sisters."

"Do you still see his family much, you know, with your mom gone?"

"Not really. My mom's family never approved of my dad. They thought he wasn't good enough for her since he was just a normal guy and not rich or anything. But they did give him a business loan to start the engineering firm. He had to pay it back with lots of interest though."

Devin didn't realize he was voicing my exact fears. If his mom's family didn't approve of his dad, they definitely wouldn't approve of me if they ever met me. I forced myself to focus and squeezed Devin's hand. "That sounds rough."

Devin shrugged. "My dad's a hard worker. Anyway, my mom made sure Carter and I spent a lot of time together when we were kids, so we've always been close. He's really the only one who kept in touch while I was at camp. The rest of my friends moved on and forgot about me."

I hadn't realized that. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't met any of Devin's friends.

"Carter can be obnoxious about his wealth," Devin continued, "but he's a decent guy."

None of this made me want to be here or to meet Carter, but I knew I had no choice. "Okay. Let's go find him."

As Devin led me outside, I felt nauseous and my heart was pounding in my chest. I didn't know what Carter was going to think of me. He had heard all of Devin's negative first impressions of me, so there's a chance the word 'pathetic' was still stuck in Carter's mind. I was probably going to reinforce that opinion as soon as he saw me.

Most of the people we were passing by nodded at Devin. None of them looked like they'd be out of place at a country club. A lot of the women were wearing long dresses, and the jewelry adorning their necks and wrists probably cost more than I made in months. The men were just what I'd imagined: suave and sophisticated and all devastatingly handsome. My mind couldn't help but picture Devin with a man like that, someone more his equal in every way possible.

We made it to the center of the lawn and found Carter. Even in a sea of attractive men, he stood out. I knew as soon as I saw him that he was Carter. Part of that was because of the subtle smirk on his face - a smirk very similar to Devin's.

Carter had tanned skin, blond hair perfectly styled into place, and he was wearing a blazer. He looked like he could be a model. He looked rich.

Devin stepped forward and hugged Carter, playfully pulling him to the side and almost causing him to spill the drink in his hand. Carter shoved Devin away, but he was all smiles.

Before Devin could introduce me, Carter stepped forward and offered his hand. "Avery. It's an honor to meet the only man who managed to tame Devin."

"Fuck you," Devin said from behind him, but his tone had no bite to it.

I shook Carter's hand. "It's great to finally meet you. I'm sorry we didn't get the chance when you visited Devin at camp."

Carter chuckled. "I'm afraid that was my fault." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Let's get you a drink."

As he guided me through the crowd, away from Devin, I looked back. I didn't want to be alone with Carter, or be anywhere without Devin. But Devin was already laughing with the couple standing near him, not concerned at all that Carter was walking away with me.

"So, Avery, how are you liking Bellevue? You grew up around here, right?"

"Um, in Everett."

"This your first time living in a city?"

"It is."

"Where'd you go to college?"

I started sweating. It already felt like an interrogation, and now Carter was going to know I hadn't gone anywhere prestigious for college.

"I went to Shoreline Community College."

Carter laughed. "Devin really is repeating history. His dad didn't have much when he met Devin's mom, and my mom and grandparents lost their minds over that."

My heart started pounding again because I knew where this was headed. Carter was going to tell me I wasn't good enough for Devin.

"Hey, nothing to worry about," Carter said. "Uncle Logan certainly won't care. In fact, he's probably rooting for you. Devin told me he basically wants to adopt you." Without waiting for a response, he kept going. "I've never seen Devin this way. His M.O. is to fuck and run. No feelings. No relationships. I didn't think I'd see the day when he settled with one man. I don't know how you did it."

"I don't know either," I admitted, surprised at the turn the conversation had taken. "I don't really understand what he -" I snapped my mouth shut. It wouldn't do any good to confess to Carter that I didn't know what Devin saw in me. Carter was probably already thinking it.

"He talks about you all the time," Carter continued, either not noticing or not caring that I hadn't finished my sentence. "Avery this, Avery that, Avery's so perfect, on and on." He looked down at me, his expression a little less smug than before. "Whatever you do, don't hurt him. He hasn't opened up to and trusted anyone the way he has with you, and I don't want him getting his heart broken. I think he's needed someone for a while, even if he didn't know it."

I nodded. I didn't know what to say. These weren't the words I'd been expecting to hear from Carter.

Carter clapped me on the back and turned to the bartender, telling him what drink to make for me. I still had my doubts about how I was going to fit into Devin's world, but I was relieved that Carter hadn't told me to leave Devin alone and get lost.

-Devin-

Two drinks later, Avery was pressed close to my side, his arm around me and his thumb slowly stroking the skin above my hip. It was distracting, to say the least, but it gave me an idea.

"Hey, Carter. Is the treehouse still there?"

A slow smile made its way across Carter's face. "It is. You planning on showing it to Avery?"

"A treehouse?" Avery asked, looking from Carter's face to mine.

I took Avery's hand. "Yep. Follow me."

"Enjoy!" Carter called after us.

"You'll like this," I told Avery, leading him into some of the trees on Carter's property. "Maybe for more reasons than one."

As the treehouse came into view, I stopped. It wasn't some rustic thing that had been put together by someone's dad. It was like the kind of luxury treehouse someone would pay two hundred a night to stay in.

"Wow," Avery murmured.

"My uncle had it built when we were kids. Carter and I used to spend a lot of time out here."

I motioned for Avery to climb the ladder, and I followed right behind him, keeping a hand on his back to steady him as we climbed. I knew Avery didn't drink much, so he was a little more tipsy than anyone else would be after only two drinks. Once we were on the platform, I opened the door and pulled him inside. The treehouse had a bed made up with a white linen blanket. There were a few wooden chairs with matching linen cushions, and fairy lights were strung up around the perimeter near the ceiling.

"This is amazing," Avery whispered, turning in place and taking it all in. "I'd much rather sleep out here than in a regular house."

"I thought so. Carter and I preferred it too, but for a different reason." I stepped forward and put my hands on Avery's hips. "When we were in high school, this is where we'd bring people to hook up."

Avery turned his attention back to me. "Is that why you brought me up here?"

"It may have had something to do with it."

Avery grinned and pressed his body against mine. "No complaints from me." 

He kissed me, and I couldn't resist putting my hands on his ass and picking him up. He laughed and wrapped his legs around my waist. 

"You're the hottest man at this party," he told me, his blue eyes dark with desire.

"Nah, that's you."

When he kissed me again, it caught me off guard when I felt a sharp pain on my bottom lip. "Did you just bite me?"

"Are you complaining?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "I'm not. I'm surprised, that's all." I stepped forward and dropped Avery onto the bed. Before I could join him, he stood back up.

"I want you on the floor." Avery hooked a hand in the waistband of my jeans and pulled me down. He was on top of me in a second, kissing me and pushing his hips into mine. When I reached up to put my arms around him, he grabbed my arms and held them down, pinning them to the floor.

I laughed. "As much as I'm enjoying this, we don't have any lube."

"We don't need it for what I want to do," Avery said. He undid his pants and pushed them down, and then he was leaning over me.

I took him into my mouth, amused at how direct he was about what he wanted. Maybe I should have him drink more often if this was the result. He surprised me again when he gripped my hair hard enough to hurt. I didn't know where this version of Avery had come from, but I loved it.

Despite my eyes watering from him pulling my hair and thrusting into my mouth, I was thoroughly enjoying this. I didn't want it to end, but Avery finished quickly. He immediately moved down my body, yanking my pants and briefs down and returning the favor.

I was used to rough sex, but this was something else. Avery was never this aggressive with me, which made it seem even more intense than anything else I'd experienced. I could feel his hands all over me, grabbing and squeezing and holding me in place. Between that and how good his mouth felt, I wasn't going to last. And I didn't last. I wanted to savor the moment, but Avery was just too good.

I lay on my back on the hard floor of the treehouse, breathing heavily with my pants around my thighs. Avery had flopped onto the floor next to me, and I saw him put his hand on his forehead.

"The room is spinning a bit," he said.

I laughed. "Sounds like you've had enough to drink." I lifted my hips and pulled my pants back up before I stood. "Come on," I said, reaching down and offering my hand. "I should take you home."