His Very Own Read online

  “I guess that’s my cue to go.”

  Scott leaned against the back of the La-Z-Boy, watching him thoughtfully. “You don’t have to stick around the Maddens. Drop Colette off and come on back if you want. She’ll call when it’s time to go pick her up again.”

  Adam smiled. “You won’t be getting much work done if I come back to distract you.”

  “Promise not to get on your knees, and I think I’ll manage,” came the easy response. “Besides, I’m used to Colette ramming around. When she’s not here, I get distracted by how big the house feels. It’ll be nice knowing somebody else is here other than me.”

  Before thoughts of getting on his knees for Scott could distract Adam, Colette honked. “Okay, that’s my cue. I’ll be back soon.”

  Colette pushed his door open as he approached, scooting back to her side after he slid in behind the steering wheel. “Adrianna doesn’t live too far. But don’t speed. Her road has the worst potholes.”

  “I never speed.” Adam snapped his seat belt into place. “I’m a very careful driver. In fact, I tend to go ten or fifteen below the speed limit, just to be on the safe side.”

  “Well, I won’t tell if you do go over,” Colette prattled on. “Dad has gotten stopped so many times, Mom would flip if she found out.”

  “Your dad is a real speed demon, huh? I’ll be sure not to mention that to your mom.”

  “Oh, she doesn’t care that he speeds. She cares that he gets caught.”

  Adam laughed. “Yeah, I bet she does. So, what’s this meeting about? You’re entering something in the fair?”

  “Something. Probably. I don’t know yet for sure. Gram is trying to teach me how to bake Dad’s favorite cookies, but Mrs. Madden doesn’t like the recipe. She says that we have to use rum extract instead of real rum, but Gram says that’s cheating.”

  “Why on earth would you have to use rum extract instead of real rum? Did you tell Mrs. Madden that the alcohol cooks out of recipes like that?”

  Colette rolled her eyes. “She’s dumb. Gram says so. But I have to do what she says because she’s my leader.” She looked at him curiously. “Did you ever do 4H?”

  Adam laughed. “No, no. There aren’t too many 4H clubs in New York City. I wasn’t in Boy Scouts or anything like that, either.”

  She scrutinized him carefully. With her brows drawn together, she looked remarkably like Sasha, the same intensity, the same intelligence. “No, you don’t look like a Boy Scout,” she agreed. “That must be why Mom and Dad like you so much.”

  Adam nodded. “Yeah, that must be the reason. How much do you think they like me? You know them better than I do.”

  “Oh, way lots. They don’t invite anybody out to the house if they don’t have to. They think everybody around here is boring.”

  “I did get the sense that they aren’t entirely happy with the small town, rural life. But between you and me, I don’t think they’re missing out on much. And I grew up in New York, so I would know.”

  “Is that why you left? Because you didn’t like it there?”

  The easy answer was on Adam’s lips, but he hesitated and glanced over to her. She was watching him with intelligent, inquisitive eyes, and a part of him suspected she would understand. Or at least, make the effort to understand. Others wouldn’t.

  “Not quite. I mean, New York is great, and it’s the only home I’ve ever known. But after my mom passed on, I looked around and realized if I didn’t do something drastic, my life would never change. So I took the money I had, and decided I was going to see if I couldn’t find the change I needed.”

  Her gaze was unwavering, and not for the first time, Adam wondered at the agelessness hidden behind her eyes. “I’d be sad, too, if something happened to my mom. Or Dad. Or Gram.” Her fine brows drew together, as if a new thought had suddenly occurred to her. “Does that mean you don’t have any other family?”

  “No, I don’t. My dad disappeared when I was much younger. I didn’t have any brothers or sisters. And I never knew my grandparents. So it’s just me against the world right now. Maybe one day, I’ll start my own family.”

  They approached an intersection, and Colette pointed past his shoulder. “Adrianna’s house is down this road. Go left.” She didn’t speak again until he’d made the turn, shifting in her seat to continue the conversation. “Can I come visit you when you get to Miami? I like Florida, no matter what Gram says.”

  Adam hesitated for a moment. He didn’t want to lie to Colette, but he also wanted to believe that he wouldn’t just pass out of their lives completely. On Saturday he believed that was a possibility, but things could have changed now.

  “If I settle in Miami, you’ll be the first person I call with my new address. But why would you want to come and visit me?”

  Colette paused, as if unsure what he meant by the question. “Because you’re my friend. And you’re Mom and Dad’s friend. And you shouldn’t have to be sad, thinking you don’t have anybody.” She grinned broadly. “And Florida is way better than North Carolina.”

  Adam wasn’t sure Florida was way better. Certainly if Florida was an improvement over North Carolina, he’d feel some impulse to get down there. But he wasn’t in a hurry to leave. He thought he liked it in North Carolina, but he suspected he would like it in the middle of the most miserable, mosquito-infested swamp, if that’s where Scott and Sasha were.

  “Well, then, I will definitely make sure you’re the first one to get my new address.” He rolled to a stop outside the house Colette had pointed to. “Are you going to call me for a ride home?”

  Nodding, Colette bent over to grab the pack resting on the floor between her feet. “Yep. Around twelve. Mrs. Madden kicks us out at lunchtime so she doesn’t have to feed us.”

  Unbuckling her seat belt, she surprised Adam by leaning across the distance to kiss his cheek, a gesture that was more air than anything else, a gesture he’d seen more than one child bestow upon a parent when being dropped off at school when he was growing up.

  A gesture he’d taken for granted until the mother he used to wave good-bye to was suddenly gone.

  But Colette was out the door, up the driveway, before he had a chance to respond, a fading figure waggling her fingers back at him as she disappeared inside the house.

  Adam sat for several seconds, trying to figure out what was happening to him. He had just dropped off a child—a child who insisted they were friends—and he was going to go back to a house he had casually referred to as home, to spend the morning with a guy he liked a lot. He’d probably make both Colette and Scott lunch, a familiar task he quite enjoyed, and spend the afternoon distracting Colette so Scott could get some more work done.

  The only scary part was how right it was all starting to feel.

  * * * *

  Adam sat on the edge of the bed and toed his shoes off. He kept expecting to hear the front door open at any moment, but Sasha still hadn’t returned from the clinic. Adam had been slightly perturbed by her absence, but Scott and Colette barely seemed to notice, and Adam realized that this was normal for them.

  “Is she going to be out all night?” Adam asked as Scott entered the bedroom and shut the door.

  “Monday’s her late night. She catches up on all the people who waited the weekend to see her, and then sticks around to do the paperwork so she can let her secretary go home.” He stripped out of his shirt as he headed for the bathroom. “She won’t be home until close to midnight.”

  Which meant he would have a few hours with Scott all to himself. Of course, he’d had Scott mostly to himself all day, but this was different. It was different because he wasn’t sure what to expect, but he knew what he wanted from the other man.

  “That’s a hellishly long day.”

  The water ran in the sink, and the sound of Scott brushing his teeth drifted into the bedroom. He heard him spit and then gargle, and when he came wandering back in, he was wiping his mouth off on a hand towel.

  “It’s better than
when Sasha was in med school. I used to sneak into the hospital when she was interning so we could fuck in the supply closets just because I missed her so much.”

  The image of Scott and Sasha in a cramped closet, desperately kissing and stealing any moments they could, sent a jolt directly to Adam’s groin. One thing he had realized these past nights was that he enjoyed watching the two of them together. They were, quite simply, stunning.

  “I guess you do what you’ve got to do.” Adam pulled off his socks and then tugged his shirt overhead. “Did you get some work done today?”

  “About a thousand words. Which is a thousand words more than I would have gotten done if you hadn’t been here.” Scott dropped to sit down next to Adam on the bed, their thighs touching. “So thanks.”

  Adam wasn’t even sure what that meant. He understood sales and money, and he understood moving stock, but he did not understand what it meant to write a book. But he didn’t need to understand that part—he just needed to know that he had done something to make Scott happy.

  “You’re welcome. Besides, Colette’s an interesting kid, and I’ve got to do something so I don’t feel like I’m imposing on your lives.”

  Scott caught Adam’s wrist as he went to toss his shirt onto the chair. He waited until Adam glanced up, and then said, “You’re not imposing. We like having you here. It was good to have company today.” His thumb caressed the pulse point beneath his grip, each stroke languorous. “It’s good to have your company now.”

  Adam’s pulse seemed to spike, and he wasn’t sure if he should attribute his response to the contact, the weight of Scott’s gaze, or the tone of his voice. He leaned toward Scott, his gaze drawn to Scott’s mouth. “I’m glad you asked me to keep you company.”

  Scott tugged him back, forcing him to stretch out alongside Scott on the bed. Letting go of Adam’s wrist, he rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his hand in order to regard Adam with soft eyes. “So you weren’t too bored today? We’re not exactly the hotbed of the high life around here.”

  “I wasn’t bored at all today. Colette showed me her rather extensive library of books and DVDs, and we discussed her options for the county fair. I know, it doesn’t sound like the most fun in the world, but after…it was a good change of pace for me.”

  “After what? Your job?”

  Adam shook his head. “After taking care of my mom. She had a number of health issues over the past decade. She was weak and susceptible to everything. Flu, bronchitis, hypertension, gallstones, a kidney stone. She had a stroke about a year ago and forgot who she was, who I was, and couldn’t function on her own anymore.”

  Scott settled his hand on Adam’s hip, its weight welcome even if he didn’t do anything to pull their bodies closer. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pressed.”

  “No. No, don’t apologize. I haven’t really talked about it at all since the funeral. I just…feel like while everybody I knew was starting their families, I was watching mine…die.” Adam grimaced. “Maybe I should be the one to apologize. This is kind of a downer.”

  “Don’t. It’s good to get it out of your system. Sasha figured it was something like that, but…well, she wouldn’t have said anything until you brought it up.” Scott smiled. “I guess I’m the nosy one.”

  “You can be nosy with me if you like.” Adam glanced down, feeling a little shy. “I haven’t really got anything to hide.”

  “Neither do we, you know. Anything you want to ask or say or do, just go for it.” His fingertips grazed along Adam’s waistband, the rough calluses eliciting small shivers with each stroke. “It’s probably redundant at this point to say how much I like you. Like having you around.”

  “Not just because I don’t mind playing chauffeur, I hope.” Adam touched Scott’s hip, mimicking his actions. “It might be redundant to say how much I like being around here. If I had met you in New York…” Adam shook his head. “Well, I would have probably never had the nerve to talk to you.”

  “You wouldn’t have had to. Sasha would have had you pinned to the wall the second she saw you.”

  Adam absolutely believed it. Sasha would never deny herself anything—or anybody—she wanted. Adam didn’t quite understand why she wanted him, why either of them wanted him, but he wasn’t going to complain.

  “The other people you two have been with…was it always just a one night thing? Or did you have long-term…arrangements with them?”

  “Mostly one night things. A lot of people are just in it for the sex, which is fine for us. And the ones who wanted more, well…let’s just say not everybody is as tolerant of Sasha’s schedule as I am.”

  “I imagine not everybody is ready for a ready-made family either?”

  “That, too,” Scott conceded. “Sasha and I have had to give up some things with the choices we’ve made, but the one thing that we won’t ever shortchange is Colette.”

  Adam couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t doubt Scott at all. And it would have been easy for Scott to decide that a family life wasn’t for him and left Sasha—it’d still be easy for Scott to pick up and leave. But he wouldn’t. “I know. All you have to do is talk to her for five minutes to see that she comes from a very loving, supportive family.”

  Scott’s lashes ducked. Skimming his hand up Adam’s side, he caressed his chest, tracing over a flat nipple with the most delicate of touches. “You know, you go so long without something, and you start talking yourself into thinking that it’s okay to go without, that it’s just a choice you’re going to have to live with because other things are more important. And for the most part, I’m okay with that. But fuck if I haven’t loved having you at my fingertips. Sasha tries with the strap-on and everything, and it’s good, but it’s just not quite the same.” He leaned closer, bowing his head in order to let his tongue trace the same path around Adam’s nipple. “God, but you make my mouth water.”

  Adam’s first impulse was to close his eyes, but he fought that. He wanted to see Scott, wanted to watch him, and his lips, and his tongue. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, caressing him as his tongue circled Adam’s nipple again and again. His own mouth watered for a taste of Scott. He had watched Scott all day, and imagined what it would be like to feel comfortable enough to just walk up and kiss him. Casually. Like he had the right to do that whenever he wanted.

  Adam wrapped his arm around Scott and leaned back to the mattress, pulling the other man with him. When he lifted his head, Adam moved fast, pressing their mouths together in a hungry kiss.

  Scott immediately opened to the caress, but where Adam was ravenous to get as much as he could, Scott forced him to slow, deliberately taking his time to sweep his tongue through his mouth. It tickled at the corners, teased along the curves, tortured everywhere it glanced across Adam’s. Scott’s hand took the same unhurried pace, coming to rest on Adam’s waist to keep their hips close together.

  Adam knew he did not have to be greedy. He didn’t have to rush the contact and gorge himself. Scott wasn’t going to go anywhere, and they had plenty of time to enjoy each other. Reminding himself of those facts helped him relax, and he continued to follow Scott’s slow, deliberate lead. As the caress deepened and shifted, Adam smoothed his palms down Scott’s back, sighing each time the muscles tensed beneath his taut skin.

  Scott abandoned Adam’s mouth to slide sideways, licking along the line of stubble he’d meant to shave that morning and hadn’t. “Been a long time since it’s been just me and another guy,” he murmured. “Sometimes I think I’ll forget what I’m doing here.”

  Adam tilted his head back, squirming a little as Scott sought out the sensitive skin of his throat. “I think you’re doing just fine.” Scott scraped his teeth across his throat. “More than fine. I definitely don’t have any complaints.”

  Heat jumped to the surface of his skin when Scott slipped his fingers inside Adam’s waistband. “I keep remembering how you tasted.” He touched the tip of his cock, catching the pre-come already dripping t
here. “Will you let me suck you again? If my mouth is full, Colette won’t hear me as easily.”

  Adam gripped Scott’s pants and tugged them down his hips. “Only if I get to suck you. I’ve been thinking about getting on my knees for you all day.”

  “Oh, God, yes.”

  Sitting up, Scott shimmied the rest of the way out of his clothes, giving Adam the freedom to do the same. As soon as the final garment had been tossed aside, Scott was back on him, hot skin molded to hot skin, hands and teeth hungrier than before. His cock throbbed against Adam’s thigh, and the thought of swallowing it down drove Adam to attack a little more ferociously, teeth nipping at Scott’s lower lip.

  Scott pulled away, gasping. “You have a preference for position?”

  Adam cupped Scott’s ass, squeezing him gently. His fingers pressed into the firm flesh, and though Adam knew he would have to release Scott for his favorite position, he was loath to let him go.

  “Sixty-nine. I want to taste you while you’re swallowing me.”

  His dark head bent again, and he bit a light trail down Adam’s chest, over his twitching stomach until his body was stretched in reverse next to him. It put Scott’s cock right in front of Adam’s mouth, but he didn’t have time to lean in and devour it before Scott gripped him at the base and scraped his teeth along the length of Adam’s shaft.

  Adam tensed and held himself back, though his first instinct was to guide himself deeper into Scott’s mouth. He suspected Scott wouldn’t mind if Adam did take charge, but he decided to focus on the other things he wanted to do to Scott’s body. He ran his lips up and down Scott’s cock, careful not to touch him with his tongue or his teeth. Scott’s shaft was smooth and warm, and he inhaled deeply, trying to catch the soft, musky smell of his skin.

  Holding Adam’s cock away from his stomach, Scott circled his tongue around the crown, over and over and over again until Adam wanted to jerk his hips forward and take the control he’d already vowed not to. It was a little disconcerting to be with someone who clearly loved cock as much as he loved pussy, but Adam didn’t question it. He was too fearful that if he did, it would evaporate, a fantasy gone without warning.