by K. C. Wells
He had that right. Kel gave him an inquiring glance. “Do you drink?”
“On occasion. But I don’t like being drunk. Been there, done that, have no wish to do it again.” He grinned. “And I was a great deal younger than you at the time.” He leaned back in his chair. “But I am partial to a glass of wine with dinner. If you want to join me, you’re welcome.”
“Thank you. I haven’t had all that much experience with wine.” Apart from buying it from Walmart because all the hard stuff had run out. Then Luc’s lips twitched, and Kel recalled just how many empty wines bottles they’d taken out of the kitchen.
“A practical rule. If you finish something, write it on the grocery list that’s fixed to the refrigerator door. Don’t let me go looking for a snack or a beverage, only to find we’ve run out and someone forgot to mention it.” His eyes gleamed.
“Gotcha.” Kel was fond of his snacks too, not to mention his sodas.
“And before we get to the most important rule, a lighthearted one. If we’re going to get along, then we have dual custody of the TV remote. Is that clear?”
“That sounds like a pretty important rule right there.” Kel sighed. “Especially when you’ve been brought up with no TV.”
Luc’s eyes widened, but he said nothing. “Okay, last rule, and this is the golden one.” He paused, leaning forward, his gaze locked on Kel. “If something bothers you, if something is troubling you, then you tell me, okay? No avoiding the topic, no keeping it a secret. I need full disclosure, open and honest.” His gaze softened. “Even if it’s to tell me you’re not doing so well, and you need some space. You got that?”
Kel nodded slowly, not breaking eye contact, and Luc relaxed. “Then I think that’s all.”
“You didn’t mention chores or anything like that.” Kel had expected a list of tasks that would be his, like his mom had—
His throat tightened painfully, and he tried to take a few sips of water.
“We’ll play those by ear.” Luc’s eyes were kind. “Let’s not overwhelm you on your first night, eh?” He got up from the table, collected the dishes, then proceeded to fill the dishwasher.
“Would you like some coffee?” Kel had to do something. Anything to keep his thoughts occupied.
Luc pointed to the refrigerator. “There’s a jar of decaf ground coffee in there. I don’t drink caffeine in the evening. If you want some, great. Put one scoop per person in the coffee pot, if you’re going to have one cup. Then fill it with water up to the—”
“I have made coffee before,” Kel said, grinning.
Luc’s eyes twinkled. “Just making sure.”
Kel got on with the task, while Luc cleaned up the kitchen. When the smell of the coffee pervaded the room, Luc sighed happily. “Love that smell.”
“I couldn’t guess,” Kel couldn’t help remarking. When Luc peered at him, he chuckled. “You have a coffee machine in your office. What does that tell me? You can’t even wait long enough to come downstairs and make a cup of coffee?”
“So I’m a coffee addict. Bite me. I don’t know what I’d do without copious amounts of caffeine.” Luc gave a wide grin. “Probably twenty-five to life.”
Kel laughed, his earlier tension slipping away from him, his nervousness fled. Luc’s rules weren’t so bad, and Luc continued to prove to be a good guy.
This is gonna work out just fine.
Kel yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. It was only nine-thirty, but he was bone tired.
“I’m going up.” Luc handed him the remote. “All yours.”
Kel blinked. “Do you always go to bed at this time?”
Luc laughed. “I go to bed when I’m tired. And judging by the way you were yawning just now? You need an early night too, which is not surprising. You’ve had quite a day.”
Kel was about to argue that he hadn’t done anything to feel this tired, but another yawn overtook him. Luc paused at the end of the couch where Kel was sitting, gazing down at him.
“Emotions can wear us out too, you know. And you’ve had a pretty emotional day.”
Wasn’t that the truth? Kel aimed the remote at the TV and switched it onto standby, before rising to his feet. “I think I will call it a night.”
Luc patted his back. “Good man. I’ll lock up down here. You go on up. I’ll see you in the morning.” He laid his hand on Kel’s shoulder. “If you need anything in the night, you know where I am, okay?”
Kel nodded. Before Luc could move, Kel caught his hand. “Thank you doesn’t seem enough. You’ve done so much for me.”
Luc gave a gentle smile. “You’re welcome. Now get some sleep, because after breakfast tomorrow, we’re going shopping.” His eyes twinkled. “I have to make sure there’s enough food to feed the elephant, right?”
Kel snickered. “I’ll have you know, I eat like a bird.” He left Luc in the living area and headed for the stairs. Luc’s response was quiet, but he didn’t miss it.
“Sure—a vulture.”
Kel chuckled as he went into his room. After closing the door, he clicked on the lamp beside his bed. Seeing a few of his personal belongings dotted around the bedroom gave him a small measure of contentment, and made it less of a strange new place. He stripped off his clothing and donned his robe, before leaving his room to use the bathroom. Kel could hear Luc humming quietly in his room, and the sound of running water told him their bathrooms backed onto each other.
His teeth brushed, Kel gave the bathroom one last glance to ensure he’d left it tidy, then he switched off the light and headed back to his own room.
Once he was in his bed, Kel flicked the switch, and the room was plunged into semidarkness. He lay there, arms folded beneath his head, marveling at the amount of change one single day had brought. That morning, he’d been lost in an alcohol-induced headache, dreading facing another day of numbness and regrets. And yet now? He was lying in a clean bed, in a room that was feet away from the house he’d lived in, but which could have been a million miles away, it felt so different.
What shocked him the most was that he’d come out to Luc, and Luc hadn’t been fazed by his confession. Not only that, he’d provided Kel with a safe haven, a place devoid of the memories that had tormented him.
A twinge of guilt pricked him. I lied to him. Luc had asked when Kel had known he was gay. His response of nineteen wasn’t accurate. True, that was when he’d first laid eyes on Troy, but that was never going to be anything other than a case of unrequited love.
Kel had always found boys more interesting than girls, and some had been more fascinating than others. But the full realization of what that meant had hit home when he was seventeen years old. It had been summer, one of those glorious summers that never seem to end. Kel had been sitting in the back yard, supposedly reading a book for his next semester and avoiding his dad. Only, he couldn’t keep his eyes on the page. Not when Luc Bryant was mowing his lawn next door.
Kel could still see him, in those white shorts that were tighter than anything Kel had ever seen his dad wear. His torso was bare, and sweat glistened on his tanned back and chest as he slowly worked up and down the lawn, bending now and again to remove the grass from the lawn mower. What Kel could also recall with absolute clarity was his reaction to the sight before him.
It didn’t matter that Luc was forty-something.
It didn’t matter that he was roughly the same age as Kel’s dad.
The revelation hit Kel like a sucker-punch to the gut: older men were hot. Then on its heels came another: men were hot. And after that, there was only one conclusion to be drawn, which in turn pulled him down into a layer of Hell.
He couldn’t be gay.
He couldn’t.
Words he’d heard from his dad’s lips so many times, assaulted him from all sides. Abomination. Deviant. Immoral. Despite the sun’s heat, his skin had felt like ice, permeating all the way through to his core. How Luc looked was forgotten, lost in a constant barrage of terrifying thoughts that made him sick t
o his stomach, until he’d gotten up from his chair and hurried inside to rush to the nearest bathroom.
Kel reached for the glass of water on the nightstand, and sat up to swallow a couple of mouthfuls. His heartbeat was rapid, his skin clammy. Breathe. Breathe. It took a moment for calm to seep back into his body. He lay down once more, without extinguishing the lamp’s warm light.
Everything’s changed, remember? There’s no need to hide anymore.
The thought should have brought him some degree of comfort. Instead, what coursed through him was a fresh tide of guilt. Yes, he was free to be out, but at what cost? Kel gave himself a sharp admonishment.
I didn’t ask for this to happen. They didn’t die because I’m gay. Yet it still felt wrong to have a positive outcome from such a tragic event.
Kel hoped it wouldn’t always feel that way.
He clicked off the light and closed his eyes. As he drifted off to sleep, he realized that not everything had changed.
He still thought Luc Bryant was hot.
Chapter Ten
Two weeks later
It took Luc all of five seconds to see that Kel had had a bad night. The shadows under his eyes and the pallor of his skin were testament to that. Luc said nothing as he handed Kel his cup of coffee, but when he got up from the table to fetch more toast, he gently squeezed Kel’s shoulder.
Apparently, that was all the impetus Kel needed.
“I didn’t sleep too well again,” he said quietly as he buttered a slice of toast.
“Bad dreams?”
Kel jerked his head up from his task. “Yeah.”
“And you thought you were getting over it,” he surmised. It was time for some home truths. For two weeks Kel had done a helluva lot of sleeping during the day, and when he was awake, he had this lost expression that tugged at Luc’s heart. Kel wandered around the house, aimless and listless.
Giving him time and space wasn’t working out. Time for Plan B.
“I thought I’d feel better by now.”
Luc sighed. “Grief doesn’t work to a time scale. It’ll feel better when it feels better.” He helped himself to more coffee. “But there is something I can do that might make your days a little easier, and help you sleep a little better at night.”
“We’re not talking pills, are we?” Kel asked with a frown.
“No, we most certainly are not.” Luc put down his cup. “What you need is structure.”
Kel’s frown was still in place. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m going to give you a job to do, and you’re going to focus on that job until it’s done. You need something to occupy your days.”
Kel narrowed his gaze. “Why do I think I’m not gonna like this?”
Luc leaned forward. “Because you have a sneaking suspicion it’ll be hard work.” He winked. “And you’d be correct.”
“Uh-oh.” Even his joke sounded halfhearted. “Get it over with. What do you want me to do?”
“Mow the grass.” Luc waited, prepared for an outburst.
“Okay, fine—wait. All the grass?” Kel regarded him incredulously.
“All of it.”
“Front and back?”
Luc smiled. “Front and back. Then the lawn will need edging. I’ve got some long-handled trimmers for that.”
“That… that’s going to take some time.”
Luc beamed. “And I know you’ll do a great job. I’ll get the lawn mower out of the garage for you, and the trimmers. Then you can make a start.” He held up the coffee pot. “Another cup?”
“Sure.”
Luc poured him a cup, but as he stood to put the pot back on its stand, he leaned in. “You don’t have to, of course,” he said softly. “If you have something better to do, that’s fine.”
Kel sighed. “No, it’s okay. I took a look out there yesterday. It does need doing.” He sipped his coffee. “And it’ll be good to be outside. Looks like it’s gonna be a great day.”
Luc loved it when a plan came together. “And for a reward, you get to choose the movie tonight.”
Kel’s eyes gleamed. “Really? Anything I want?”
Luc groaned. “Are we talking superheroes again? Surely we must’ve seen them all by now.”
It was Kel’s turn to grin. “That’s the great thing about superheroes. Someone is always coming up with a new one.” He straightened in his seat, the light back in his eyes.
Thank God for that.
Luc finished his breakfast, feeling decidedly happier than when he’d begun it.
Luc closed the file, then stretched, aware of the aching muscles in his back. A reminder that he was well overdue a massage. Luc got out his phone and scrolled through his Contacts until he found WhatKnots. He paused before dialing.
Maybe Kel might need one too, after his gardening.
He got up from his desk, walked downstairs, and went to the open french doors. Kel was hard at work, heading toward the rear of the property. The back lawn was already more than three-quarters done. Luc stood at the open door, watching Kel as he guided the mower in a straight line, his gaze focused on the ground in front of him. Then he turned to head back toward the house, and Luc caught his breath.
I swear, he’s more beautiful now than he was at eighteen.
There was more of him, of course, and Kel had improved upon it. The slim, smooth boy that Luc remembered had morphed into a young man. Luc stared at the way his abs rippled as he pushed the mower, the muscles in his arms straining with the effort. He wore a cap to shade his face from the sun, but his shoulders glistened in the sunlight. Luc took a closer look at the tattoo, seeing it clearly for the first time. The swirls and spikes made up the head of a wild animal, a stylized lion, perhaps.
Oh, you beautiful boy.
Luc remembered the first time he’d really looked at Kel, at the young man he’d become. Barely eighteen, with eyes framed by dark lashes, and a body that cried out to be held, caressed, stroked…
Luc huffed. Let’s not be coy here. I wanted to fuck him.
And once he’d realized he wanted Kel in the worst way, Luc avoided him like the plague. He wouldn’t have hesitated to fuck some willing twink he’d hooked up with in a gay bar in Raleigh, but Kel was no twink. And Luc was not about to feel like some sicko, perverted predator, stalking his neighbor’s son. It didn’t matter that Kel was legal. Luc did not want to feel that way.
So he stayed away, not even watching Kel surreptitiously. A clean break was called for.
He took his pleasure where he found it, in the plentiful supply of twinks who came looking for a Daddy with a big cock, and found Luc. He sought the type of porn that met his needs, and that was enough. Never mind that when he was tugging on his dick, his gaze fixed on his laptop screen, he wasn’t seeing the moaning twink.
He was seeing Kel.
Imagining Kel’s cries as Luc plowed into him.
Hearing Kel’s moans as Luc ate his ass.
Feeling Kel shudder in his arms as he shot his load all over Luc’s chest.
“Luc?” Kel was waving at him. “How am I doing?”
Luc gave him the thumbs up, unable to speak right then. Kel smiled and turned in the opposite direction, the muscles in his back working visibly. Luc leaned his forehead against the glass. He knew what had taken him off into his memories.
Kel had more body hair than before. His chest was covered in a dark mat of it, his forearms and torso too. From what Luc could see of Kel’s thighs below the hem of his shorts, his legs were hairy. Damn. They were strong legs, with thigh muscles that spoke of hours in a gym, working on them.
If he was beautiful at eighteen, right now he’s fucking perfect.
Luc took a deep, cleansing breath. And he’s still out of bounds, remember? You’re the straight next-door-neighbor who’s giving him what he needs.
None of that altered what Luc knew in his heart to be true.
He wanted Kel in his bed. In his shower. Over his desk. Against the wall.
&nb
sp; He wanted Kel any way he could get him.
Luc lowered his gaze and stared at the phone in his hand. Why did I come down here? As if on cue, Kel’s soft huff reached him, and he glanced up as Kel rubbed his lower back.
Bingo. Massage.
“Kel? You got a minute?”
Kel gave him a cheeky grin. “I don’t know. You tell me, you’re the boss.”
Luc forced a light laugh. “Listen, I’m about to book a massage at my usual place, and I wondered if you’d like one too.”
“I’ve never had one.”
That did it. “Then you’re going too. Everyone should experience a really good massage. They’ll cater it to your needs. You know, if you want a deep tissue massage, or something more relaxing.”
Kel winced. “I’ll go with relaxing, if that’s okay.”
“Sure. Although I warn you. The last time Joe gave me a relaxing massage, I fell asleep on the table.”
Kel’s smile lit up his face. “That sounds more like my kinda thing. When?”
“We’ll see when they can fit us in.”
“Great!” Kel glanced at the yard. “I’d better finish this. I’m almost done with the mowing. The trimming can wait until after lunch.”
“Deal. And I’ll get the lunch ready.” Luc left him to it. Better to get on with preparing lunch than stand there and stare at Kel’s gorgeous physique. Because the more Luc looked, the harder he got.
“Well? What did you think?” Kel asked as the credits rolled.
Luc snickered. “You don’t wanna know.”
“Aw, come on. That was a great movie.” Kel’s eyes gleamed. “Well, I suppose I should expect this. I mean, they don’t show your kinda movies much nowadays, do they?”
“And what kind is that?”
Kel grinned. “Black-and-white ones. You know, when everything was subtitled because nobody was talking yet?”