“Hoping. Quick word of warning, Ade. It’s been a while, but I’m really sensitive down there. What you might call hypersensitive. Kris used to joke that sometimes our—um—lovemaking was over before it had begun because he rubbed too hard in the right place during foreplay. And that was me finished.”
“Good note. So no touching the sweet spot. I’ll save that for the main event.”
Adrian dripped generous amounts of lube onto his fingers and, after lifting one of Lenny’s legs onto his shoulder and kissing the inside of the knee, applied the cooling liquid expertly around the outside of his entrance. Already Adrian had become aroused at the very noticeable tremors emanating from Lenny’s body, at the way his cock twitched whenever he touched him in certain places. While probing a finger inside, he turned and lightly bit into Lenny’s calf to distract him from any discomfort. Slowly, painstakingly, one finger at a time, he opened Lenny up, making sure not to delve too far, until everything about Lenny screamed arousal—the erect nipples, the straining erection, the look of abject desperation in his wild eyes. Withdrawing his fingers, Adrian reached for the condom, quickly ripped the wrapper open with his teeth and rolled the latex onto his shaft. After smoothing more lube onto himself, he positioned the tip of his cock before hooking his arms beneath both of Lenny’s knees and moving forwards, but not yet entering. He waited until Lenny opened his eyes and looked at him.
“We do this at your pace, Lenny. As slow or as fast as you want. If you feel any discomfort at all—”
“I’m ready, Adrian. Stop bloody talking, will you?”
Adrian grinned and planted a quick kiss on Lenny’s lips before moving his hips forwards, breaching the entrance. Tightness and heat squeezed his shaft pleasantly, and he resisted his impulse to plough straight in. Lenny would need time to adjust to his size, so Adrian studied his eyes, squeezed shut, and his expression for any sign of pain. Each time he felt the muscles relax minutely, he moved farther forwards. Finally, he stopped.
“That’s all of me.”
Lenny’s forehead shone with perspiration, but he looked almost beatific when his eyes opened and he smiled up at Adrian.
“Can I assume you know what to do next?” he quipped.
Adrian snorted aloud before beginning the steady push and pull, bump and grind. Every time he slid in all the way, Lenny let out a soft groan, his eyes rolling back into his head. At one point Adrian went to reach for Lenny’s straining erection, but had the hand swatted away and received a gentle shake of Lenny’s head. Sensory overload. Instead, they held onto each other’s hands while Adrian concentrated on his own pleasure, pushing fast and slow, shallow and deep, while moving the legs up onto his shoulder to kiss Lenny’s shins. Soon the old bed frame began complaining, thumping out a steady rhythm against the bedroom wall and raising powdery plaster dust.
Signs of Lenny’s orgasm came in the tightness of the muscles inside him clenching and the way the pace of his breathing quickened. Accompanied by a long, blissful moan from Lenny, his cock began spraying shot after shot of cum, at first onto his hairy chest then on his stomach. All the time Adrian kept ploughing him, deeply but now erratically, his own climax stoked at the sight until he could hold no longer. Orgasming was usually the only time Adrian allowed himself to come unglued, to feel free, letting the pleasure, the release, rip through him. Knowing he was filling the condom inside Lenny heightened the ecstasy in a way he had never experienced before.
When his eyesight began to come back to him, when the dopamine haze cleared, he lowered himself on top of Lenny’s body. Heat and wetness met his chest and stomach, but he didn’t care and breathed heavily next to Lenny’s ear. After a few moments, wondering if his weight might obstruct Lenny’s breathing, he withdrew his deflated cock and rolled to one side, onto his back.
They lay together unspeaking, staring at the ceiling. Neither moved, Adrian listening to Lenny’s heavy breathing and waiting for his own to normalise.
“Holy shit. Told you I was a lightweight,” said Lenny, turning nervously to Adrian and chuckling.
“You were amazing. Don’t move.”
Adrian threaded his fingers into Lenny’s and squeezed once before getting up from the bed. Without a word, he went to the bathroom. Soaking a washcloth, he wiped himself down first, before rinsing and bringing the damp cloth and a hand towel back to the bedroom. Very slowly and carefully, he cleaned Lenny’s body. All the time, even though Adrian never looked directly into them, Lenny’s eyes never left his. As Adrian’s hand wiped across Lenny’s chest, he caught Adrian’s wrist and held on until their eyes met.
“Can I sleep here tonight? In bed with you?”
Adrian’s breath hiked. Sex he could handle. Intimacy felt like unchartered territory. Even with his occasional hook-ups, he usually ended up sleeping the night alone in his own home. Apart from Felippe, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d shared a bed for the night with another man. Perhaps Lenny spotted the dilemma playing out in his head and across his face because he came to the rescue with a get-out.
“Only if you want, Ade. No pressure.”
“Um, let me just—let me take the cloth back first.”
Adrian placed his hands on the cooling edge of the pink porcelain bathroom sink. He needed a few moments to himself, and while rinsing out the cloth again, he stared at his reflection in the cracked and mottled bathroom mirror. Why the hell did he feel so apprehensive? Lenny had already admitted to being a friend. But the last time he’d ever showed anything resembling feelings to anyone—Stephan Harrington, his best friend in high school—his heart had been trodden into the dirt. And even though the whole drama had played out over thirty-five years ago, Adrian still remembered every small detail with crystal clarity, of being terrified and ashamed by the disgusted reaction of his best friend. Since then, God only knew he’d enjoyed plenty of sex, and he had formed a couple of friendships—but never together with the same person.
“Are you okay, big guy?”
Lenny’s tender voice from the doorway made him flinch, and his eyes jerked up to the naked reflection in the mirror. Lenny appeared equally nervous.
“Hey, Adrian, I didn’t want to freak you out—”
“You didn’t, it’s just—I worry I might snore and keep you awake—”
“We’ve already had that conversation, remember? And we have shared a room before, have we not? At the pub? Look, if it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll head back to my room—”
“No!” Even to Adrian, the firmness of his voice startled him. “Sorry, I mean, I want you in bed with me. It’s just been a long time. But I would really like it if you slept next to me. If you would. Please.”
And just like that, the smile that blossomed on Lenny’s face made the small gesture worthwhile. Before Lenny turned away, Adrian spied him giving his naked body another appreciative once-over.
“Good. In which case I’m going back to snag the dry side of the bed.”
Adrian laughed aloud as Lenny turned and left, purposely showing off his firm backside as he went.
Yes, he told himself, I can do this. Lenny may be sex on legs, but he’s also different. He would never trample my heart into the ground.
He hoped he was right.
Chapter Thirteen
New Day
Leonard emerged slowly from sleep on Saturday morning, his eyes gradually becoming accustomed to the light of a strange room, dust particles dancing in the ray of sunlight from the crack in the curtains. After a deep breath, he looked around and realised he was alone.
Or maybe not.
Wafts of bacon cooking seeped through the house, igniting his sense of smell and making his stomach rumble. When he shifted onto his side, his body ached in the intimate places he vaguely remembered from his past, sweet aches and a reminder of their coupling the night before. Another session had begun not long after Adrian had finally joined him, pressed up against his back and neither of them able or willing to staunch the resurgence of desire. Did he dream it
, or had they fallen out of bed at one point, caught up in wild lovemaking and crashing loudly to the bedroom floor? Even still sleep-befuddled, he wondered how Adrian had known which of his buttons to push. Because the night before had been the stuff of Leonard’s most erotic fantasies. Only one small missing piece had him baffled, which was hardly noteworthy, but Leonard enjoyed kissing. All he had managed to get from Adrian last night had been an almost chaste peck on the lips. Lots of red welts from bite marks along his neck and upper chest, but no kissing. Still, after such a long dry spell, Leonard wasn’t t about to complain.
Pulling himself to the side of the bed, he swung his feet down and stood up naked. While stretching his body with a couple of fluid Qigong movements, he wondered if the morning might prove awkward. He hoped not, because his body felt an inner calm and warmth, despite the chill air in the bedroom.
Heading to his bedroom, he pulled on underwear, track bottoms and a sweatshirt before slipping his feet into trainers and strapping on his watch. With a snort, he noted the time. Eighty-twenty. He rarely slept past seven even at the weekend.
As he rounded the bottom of the stairs, heading first into the main living area, he witnessed first-hand the mess from something that had collapsed during the night, where the panelling had given way. Before heading to the kitchen, he went over for a closer inspection. Grey dust and rubble covered the back and sides of something that seemed to be a solid piece of furniture made of dense wood.
Adrian’s voice came from the kitchen doorway.
“I think it’s some kind of wardrobe.”
“So that was the crash I thought I’d dreamed in the middle of the night,” said Leonard, turning to grin and wink at Adrian. “And here’s me thinking it was you rocking my world.”
Adrian snorted, but his grin morphed into a pleased smile, and Leonard hoped his levity had dissolved any awkwardness between them. Leonard’s only regret was that Adrian had already dressed in his overalls and black T-shirt, ready for the day’s work. In the bright light of day, he had hoped to see more of the man’s flesh.
“I’m making a spot of breakfast—eggs, bacon and fried tomatoes. Very basic and no toast, I’m afraid. Just bread and butter. No idea if this gas thing has a grill for making toast, and even if it did, I wouldn’t want to chance blowing the place up. Hope that’s okay? After we’ve eaten and washed up, maybe we can try to haul that huge monster back onto its feet. Give it a thorough clean up and then have a look at what you’ve got there.”
“Sounds like a plan.” When Leonard stepped away and headed for the kitchen, Adrian backed up and went to the gas stove. “Anything I can help with?”
“The kettle’s boiled. Can you make tea and coffee?”
“I’m on it.”
Leonard moved carefully around Adrian, not wanting to take anything for granted. But as he stood at the large sink, rinsing out two mugs, he sensed Adrian stop behind him. Stepping forwards, Adrian pushed his body up close, wrapped his arms around Leonard’s stomach and rubbed his nose on the back of Leonard’s neck—like an Eskimo kiss—before moving back to the stove. Leonard let out a breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding in.
They sat either side of the foldable table, eating quietly, in companion silence. Now and again Adrian caught his eye and grinned, but otherwise maintained a calm expression throughout the meal, with no sign of awkwardness. Leonard wanted to talk about the night before, but before he could, Adrian had already started talking business.
“Now we’ve managed to rip out the kitchen cupboards, we’ll need to start the structural changes. I’m thinking maybe I stop down here this week and get a building pal of mine to join me, knock out this wall. I’ve taken a few photos on my phone and fired them over. My pal, Toni, is not only a brilliant builder but a qualified electrician. That way you can get the wiring checked out, and then you’ll know what needs to be done to bring everything up to code. At the same time, we can open up the kitchen for you. Have everything ready for when you come down next weekend.”
“Have you checked whether this electrician friend is even free next week?” asked Leonard, hoping he didn’t give away the frisson of jealousy he felt when Adrian mentioned the guy’s name.
“I’ll need to find out. But it shouldn’t be a problem. There’s not a lot of building work going on around Norwich right now. But you really want to get all the wiring work planned to coincide with the design of a new kitchen, with the fixtures and fittings, and the new bathroom. Especially before you start decorating. It’ll probably take a couple of weeks to rewire the whole house. Need to make sure everything’s in the right place, too. Things like light switches, plug sockets, fuse box. Don’t leave that kind of thing to the last minute.”
“And would you both stay here in the house?”
Adrian eyed Leonard quizzically, a slight deepening of the groove between his brows.
“Makes the most sense, don’t you think? But not if you don’t want us to.”
“No, I—I don’t have a problem.”
“Don’t worry. She’ll be fine living on-site if that’s what you’re worried about. Trust me. We’ve both stayed in a lot worse places than this to get a job done.”
Wait, thought Leonard. She?
“In case you ever need her skills, by the way, Toni Frankston—Toni with an ‘i’—is the best builder and electrician in and around Norwich. And I’ve worked with a few. More importantly, I know she needs the work. Her partner, Jack, is a damned good landscape gardener, but we don’t need one of those. You’ve already got that covered.”
“I have,” said Leonard, smiling down at his plate, at his stupidity. “And will Toni with an ‘i’ be able to give me a quote on what needs doing? Sometime next week?”
“Of course. Or do you want to meet her first?”
“No. Absolutely not. I trust you completely.” Something hit Leonard hard then, in that he genuinely did trust Adrian. If only he had someone like Adrian on his preferred list of freelance builders back in London, someone who could source other experts in other fields when needed. Maybe that could be another conversation. “Which reminds me. I got a set of keys cut for you. To the house. They’re upstairs in my jacket pocket.”
“Perfect. So let’s get these breakfast things cleaned up then get to work.”
* * * *
After they had finished, they both donned their goggles, gloves and mask and hauled the fallen piece of furniture upright. Each took one side, and Leonard struggled at first, but with Adrian’s strength soon had the curio back on its feet in an open space in the living room. While Adrian went to fetch a broom to sweep the floor and a damp cloth for Leonard to wipe down the unit down, Leonard made a quick inspection.
What he discovered was a beautiful Welsh dresser, much grander than others he had professionally dealt with before, this one made of heavy oak. When he examined the floorboards in the newly opened alcove he noticed one of them had collapsed over time, probably from damp, which must have been what caused the dresser to lean forwards and buckle the wall panelling.
Adrian set about sweeping the rubble away and shifting the mattress they had wisely left in place. Leonard tackled the new item with care and something bordering excitement.
From the top down, the dresser had three shelves to house plates and other chinaware, three deep drawers arranged horizontally at waist height, probably for easy-to-reach cutlery and tableware, and finally two solid-looking cupboards below. Leonard tried them but found all drawers and doors to be locked. Each drawer had identical ornate bronze plates with old-fashioned keyholes, and two matching bronze handles, all age-darkened but beautifully crafted. Even the woodwork, with the gentle curves and curls running in parallel either side of the shelves, to the floral designs carved into the cupboard doors, spoke of skilled craftsmanship. In all his time in the antique business, Leonard had rarely seen such incredible workmanship.
“This is stunning, Ade. And despite being buried in the wall, it’s still in excellent condition. At
an auction, this would sell for a small fortune.
“Are you going to flog it, then?”
“Absolutely not,” Leonard answered immediately. “The dresser belongs here, and this is where it stays.”
“So I guess the question is, why would somebody stuff something as valuable as this into a wall space?”
Leonard had been so engrossed in assessing the dresser he hadn’t considered Adrian’s very reasonable question. He stood back and studied the piece before answering.
“From what I understand my aunt and uncle were strapped for cash. And I know this sounds a bit mean, but I wonder if they sold off the rest of the furniture. Got someone to give them cash to take a job lot—everything except the beds and the appliances in the kitchen. If I’d been Luke, I’d have wanted to keep this classic piece safe, and one way to guarantee that would have been to redecorate the place and effectively hide this beauty away from greedy eyes. Honestly, Ade, even back then this would have brought in a tidy sum of money. And remember what Pippa said, that Luke was eventually going to inherit this house?”
“Makes sense. If so, Luke was a smart guy. I wonder if there’s anything of value in the drawers and cupboards? Want me to force them open?”
Leonard felt torn and stood for a moment, staring and thinking. He felt the same tug of inquisitiveness but also wanted to keep the dresser intact. Maybe this called for a little patience.
“Let’s not risk damaging the woodwork. I’ve got a set of skeleton keys back in London for this very purpose. I’ll bring them with me next time and we can investigate then. For now, can we set this against a wall somewhere and put a dust cover over?”
“How about the other bay. I’ve already stripped the walls and checked the plasterwork. Just need to make sure the floorboards are sound.”
Thankfully, the floorboards to the other bay were undamaged, and the dresser fit the space perfectly. Adrian brought a spare sheet from his truck and covered the whole thing. Satisfied with their efforts, they began the job of removing wallpaper from the rest of the room.
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