Gabe called and arranged to pick the boys up after school, so we wouldn’t have to waste time waiting for the bus to bring them home. Come Thursday, I’d have to start physical therapy back up with a vengeance, to make up for the two days I’d missed. But right now, there were more important things to take care of. Besides, it wasn’t like I was sitting in front of the television all day. I was moving at least.
Once they were securely buckled in the back seat, with Molly sitting behind the driver’s seat, we headed to the nearest mall.
I figured that was the easiest place to do the one-stop shopping kind of thing we needed. I stopped by the ATM and withdrew my daily limit of five hundred and handed the cash to Molly. She baulked about taking it, but I insisted.
“Your clothes were worth more than that.” At that, she looked doubtful. “And the insurance company is going to be reimbursing for this, anyway. You get enough clothes to make it through a week or so and anything else you need. If you need more, let me know, and I’ll charge it to a card.”
I would have just given her a card, but I was afraid she’d get some guff from the store clerks when she tried to use it. We all went into the biggest department store the mall had to offer and split ways.
Gabe and Matt went to gather some groceries, Molly went to the women’s wear department, and Zane and I headed for the boy’s clothing area. Five pairs of jeans, five tee shirts, three sweatshirts, two sweaters, and seven pairs of socks and underwear later we were finished with the majority of shopping.
Zane must have seen I was flagging because he didn’t even mention the toy aisle. But I saw his longing eyes looking at it.
We had gotten lucky in that he had taken Mr. Cuddles and his new game tablet with him on what we thought was just an overnight. So at least he wasn’t toyless. Plus, Matt had toys to spare as well. Still...
“How about you pick out one new toy real quick? We’ll do our best to replace your old ones later, okay?”
He broke out in a big grin and raced for the toys. I followed at a bit more dignified pace.
We settled on a Hot Wheels race track that could actually be mounted to the wall to save space. I even called Gabe’s cell phone in the store to make sure that would be okay with him. Come to find out, that was on Matt’s Christmas list for this year, but he hadn’t bought it yet, so it was all good. It would make a great toy for both boys to play together with.
Win-win.
After that it only took me a few minutes to make a quick run-though of the men’s department and throw a few clothing items for me into the cart. I figured I could come back tomorrow and do a more thorough shopping trip to fill out my wardrobe.
We met the others at the entrance to the store and then went to the food court for dinner. That’s another nice thing about malls. They collected all the best fast food restaurants in one spot for choosing. We split to our restaurants of choice, got our food and then met back up at the center area with tables.
Over our food, we discussed our new living arrangements. Molly would take Gabe's guest room, and I would buy another twin bed to go in Matt's room. While Zane loved sleeping on the trundle it simply wasn't designed for every day, or night, use.
Meanwhile, I would move from the couch to Gabe's bed. That thought filled me with anticipation the likes of which I have never felt. To be truthful, the thought of it alone meant that I missed a good portion of the planning going on.
The only thought in my mind was seeing Gabe naked. And then doing wonderful things with all that nakedness.
It seemed like it took forever, but we finally finished eating and headed back to our new home. I tried my best to sit still, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
Especially when I began to notice Gabe's occasional furtive looks in my direction. If I was thinking all kinds of nasty thoughts, what was his mind coming up with?
Well, I would find out soon enough, only soon enough couldn't come fast enough for me. Not tonight.
After we got home, Matt showed Zane how to microwave popcorn. He'd just recently been given permission to do it himself and he liked showing off his new skill. I foresaw a lot of popcorn in our future.
We'd have to come up with some other easy to fix stuff for the kids to make. Pizza rolls, maybe? After all, a man can only eat so much popcorn.
Molly went to organize her new closet and start making a list of all the stuff she would need to get on the longer shopping trip coming up this weekend. The boy's favorite television series was just coming on, so that meant that Gabe and I had an hour all to ourselves.
He jerked his head towards the kitchen and I followed him in. He put on a pot of water to boil as we had discovered that we were both overly fond of Chai tea. I sat at the table and watched him work. Poetry in motion.
On a scale of one to ten, Gabe would be an easy eleven. Maybe even higher than that. His facial features might not be perfect, but perfection can quickly become boring.
I'd take his rugged good looks any day of the week.
Up until now, I'd always wondered why I couldn't just settle with Joshua and be happy. We had seemed to be the perfect couple on many levels. But there was a part of me that simply knew he wasn't the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
Joshua was kind, thoughtful, and a crazy lover in the sack, all very good things. But what I wanted more than anything was... wait for it... someone to take care of me.
Not every day and not totally, but someone strong and capable that I could actually lean on when I needed to. Heaven knew I'd leaned on Gabe enough the last few days. It was nice not being the strong one for once.
Don't get me wrong, I still couldn't wait to be back at myself one hundred percent, but the thought of having an equally strong mate turned me on like you wouldn't believe.
The teapot whistled and Gabe got out the tea bags and cups and started the brewing in the cup process. It smelled like a little piece of heaven. There was just something about the smell of Chai tea that made everything feel okay.
But then, again, I guess everything was okay or as good as it could be for this moment in time. Zane had a new best friend. Molly was happy and doing great at keeping the kids fed, happy, and entertained. And me? Let’s see, I’d finally met a man that I could really see myself committing to. A long term soul mate.
Of course, there was the whole closet thing with his job.
Gabe sat one cup in front of me and sat down with the other.
“So, how’s this going to work with your job?” I asked. “Are you ready to let people know, or are we going to be a secret thing?”
He shook his head. “No secrets in this county. Not when you hold any kind of office. Even that of Sheriff.”
I looked down at my steaming hot tea, not wanting him to see how much the next question meant to me. “So are you okay with that? It isn’t too late for us to get our own place.”
Gabe reached over and lifted my chin to where our eyes met. “I think I’ve been ready ever since that day in the court room.” He gave me a smile that warmed my heart. “I think you’re about the sexiest single dad I’ve ever seen.”
“Well, conditional single dad,” I said. “But thanks. Although personally, I think that title has belonged to you for quite some time now.”
“Glad you think so.” He took a small sip of his tea and sighed. “I’ll admit I’m kind of nervous, though.”
My eyes jerked to his. “You have been with a man, haven’t you?”
He gave me a one-shouldered shrug. “A few times, yeah. Tried it both ways too.” His face started to turn red. “But I always went way out of the area to hook up and never gave them my real name.”
This was getting interesting. “So what name did you use?”
He grinned. “Ezekiel Brown.”
I nodded slowly. “Nice. Much more original than my hook up name.” The steam was slowing down on my tea and I risked taking a small sip, letting the full flavor dance over my tongue as I waited. I knew he’d have to ask.<
br />
“Let me guess. Doe or Smith?”
“Close. Calvin Jones. Calvin sounds close enough to Colin that it didn’t trip me up as bad.”
“Makes sense. Guess I never thought of that.” He thought for a minute. “But nothing comes to mind that even sounds close to Gabriel.”
I couldn’t think of anything close either. But then my mind was otherwise occupied.
“Um, just how well does sound carry in your house?”
Gabe raised an eyebrow. “A screamer, are you?”
“Not really, but I have had my moments. And your bedrooms are kind of close together. Could be awkward if the boys came to see why their daddies were shouting.”
His face grew solemn. “Damn. Hadn’t thought of that. Awkward doesn’t even begin to cover it.” He chewed on his bottom lip as he thought it out. “Once we get that little office set up in the back yard, maybe we could head out there?”
“Yeah,” I agreed slowly. “But that doesn’t exactly help us out tonight.” I hesitated. “Unless you wanted to wait?”
“God, no,” he said. “If I wait much longer, I’m going to explode.”
I knew exactly how he felt.
The boy’s bedtime was set at nine o’clock, and we had their teeth brushed, pajamas on, and were tucking them in at nine on the dot. By five after we were standing in the center of Gabe’s bedroom, staring at each other.
I didn’t know about him, but I hadn’t felt this much pressure, or desire for that matter, in a long, long time. That’s how much I wanted this to be perfect.
“So how long should we wait?” Gabe asked. “I’m guessing until we know the boys are asleep?”
“Yeah, probably.” But I’d had another thought in the time it took us to get the boys in bed. “Unless you don’t mind our first time not being in a bed.”
His face lit up in a slow smile. “What do you have in mind? I’m pretty tall, so the backseat of even my SUV would be a bit cramped.” His smile got a bit bigger. “But cramped just might be worth it, at that.”
“Actually, I was thinking of something a bit different, though the backseat could be fun. We’ll have to keep that one in mind for later.” I nodded toward his private bathroom. “You ever done it in the shower?”
He laughed. “That’s about as personal a question as you can ask. But the answer is not with another person, I haven’t.”
“Well, then, why don’t we warm things up in here for a few minutes to give the boys time to get in deep slumber, then move into a nice warm shower?” I gave him my nastiest grin. “You don’t know what you’ve been missing.”
Gabe hesitated. “You know I’m really new to all this, so how’s about you lead and I’ll follow?”
“Suits me just fine, Sheriff,” I said, taking the two steps that put me nose to nose with him. We hadn’t kissed since he’d left on his first attempt to arrest Michael, and I’d been hungry for another one ever since. That one had been fairly chaste as kisses go. This one wasn’t.
I weaved my fingers into his hair drawing his face closer to mine. Finally, our lips met. He tasted faintly of strawberries and I wondered for the briefest of moments how that was. Then I was lost in the sensation of the kiss.
Pulling his head even closer, my tongue darted out to part his accommodating lips. Once inside, the flavor of Gabe nearly took away my breath. His questing tongue met mine, and the dance began in earnest.
By the time we pulled away, I was feeling quite light-headed. Oxygen is a good thing. And from Gabe’s light panting, I figured he felt the same way. Of course, it was entirely possible that he was panting for an entirely different reason.
My hand slid from his hair down to the top button on his shirt. Never had I regretted being dependent on my cane for balance more than right at this moment. I’m not all that good with buttons with both hands. One-handed, I’m lost.
Growling, I let go of my cane. When I swayed on my feet, Gabe caught what was going on and moved an arm around me to help me out.
With his strong arm steadying me, I took my time undoing his shirt from top to bottom. Each button revealing a tiny bit more of his muscular chest. It was everything I'd hoped for and more.
I'm not a real big fan of hairy men, and Gabe's chest was almost as sleek and bare as my own. I've tried to keep my muscles as strong as possible during my recuperation, but my body wasn't nearly as fit as it had been six months ago. There were only so many exercises that my physical therapist would allow me to do until my spine got back to full strength.
Part of me wished I'd waited with Gabe until he could see me at my best, but that part lost ground quickly as I gazed at his beautiful tanned chest. Running my hand over the bare expanse of skin, my heart beat quickened.
As far as foreplay went, I wasn't sure how long I could last. The mere sight of him was doing me in already.
Then I glanced down and couldn't keep the smile from my face. Gabe was showing obvious signs of being in the same predicament I was in. And I was still fully dressed.
But even as I thought that Gabe led me over and guided me down to sit on the edge of the bed. "I don't want you falling while I undress you. And I need to even the score here a little bit."
As soon as my butt hit the bed, his hands were grasping the bottom of my shirt. He lifted the shirt over my head and threw it to the floor. His eyes devoured every inch of me, pausing the longest at my crotch. My preference is for tight fitting jeans, and right now they were tighter than they'd ever been on me. At least in one key area.
In fact, if I didn't get them off soon, doing so might just require the Jaws of Life.
Luckily, Gabe noticed and started undoing my belt buckle and zipper. As soon as the zipper was down, my hardness leaped for its freedom.
Gabe's eyes widened as he took in my length. I'm not a small man. Not porn star huge, but I've always been rather proud of my nine inches.
As he was standing directly in front of me, the waistband of his jeans was at just the right height for my itching hands to undo as well. Within seconds, his jeans were at his ankles and he was standing naked before me.
He was everything I'd ever dreamed of in a man and more. So much more.
I ran a slow hand down his treasure trail and across the length of his hardness. Gabe wasn't a small man either. And now my breath quickened along with my heart at the thought of his length filling me.
He growled and jerked me to my feet, placing an arm around me to steady me, then helping me to step out of my jeans.
"You did lock the door, right?" I asked.
Gabe nodded and ducked under my arm to support me on the short walk to the shower. "We should be good to go. And Molly's there if they need anything for the next half hour."
"Only half an hour, huh?"
Gabe turned his head and smiled at me. “I only have so much hot water, partner.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Hot Shower (Colin)
I'd never been in Gabe's bathroom before, but it was a little extension of his bedroom. Soft browns and greens permeated the room, reflected in towels, toilet seat cover, and bath rugs. The shower curtain itself was a close replica of the mural scene on his wall.
It was all Gabe, and I loved every damn inch of it.
When I spotted the support bar in the shower, I breathed a sigh of relief. I'd been wondering how this was going to work. The bar made all the difference in the world.
I turned into Gabe's arms and snuggled in. "You said you've done this both ways, do you prefer top or bottom?"
I literally felt the heat of his blood rushing to his face. "Um," he said. "I really liked being top, but with you whichever is fine. As long as..."
Normally I'm not a man to giggle, but Gabe's words caused me to do just that. I was beginning to feel like a high school virgin all over again.
"As long as you get taken care of too?" I whispered, the laughter still in my voice. "You have nothing to fear there, love. And for the record, bottom is just fine by me, as long as it's with the right man." I r
eached up and touched his blushing cheek with the palm of my hand, then brushed an errant strand of hair back into place "I don't put myself in a submissive position for just anyone."
"Submissive?"
I shrugged. "It's how I've always thought of being bottom. Letting someone else have control over me is a big thing to me." I smiled. "With the right man, it can be a hell of a turn on."
My hand traveled slowly from his cheek, down his bare and muscular chest, past his treasure trail, and to his hard length below. Wrapping my hand gently around it and I gave it a gentle tug. "And right now if I was any more turned on, there would be parts of me all over your walls."
In response, a silent Gabe reached into the shower stall. Praise the Lord it was a walk-in. Trust the man of my dreams to have the bathroom of my dreams too. He turned on the water, adjusting it to the right temperature before stepping in and drawing me in after him.
He positioned me at the end furthest from the stream of water. I grabbed hold of the bar with one hand to secure my position and turned to face him.
Gabe took the bath sponge that was hanging on the wall and applied a fair amount of bath soap to it. The clean scent of citrus and cedar filled the room as he rubbed the sponge quickly to get the lather started.
Then, still without saying a single word, he started bathing me. He started by moving out from in front of the flow of water until I was sufficiently wet, then using the soft sponge to coat my entire body in the fragrant lather of the soap. First my chest and arms, then he gently turned me to face the bar and worked on my back and down the backs of my legs.
The sensation of the soft touch and the scent of him filled me with anticipation for what was to come. Hoping he would take the hint, I backed a step away from the bar so that I could bend slightly at the waist, offering myself to him.
When he didn't take the bait, I looked over my shoulder at him. "Is everything okay?"
Gabe hesitated, blushing furiously. "I don't have any lube," he said. "And I don't want to hurt you."
I had to fight a giggle because I didn't want to risk hurting his feelings. "It's alright, Gabe," I said. "If you lather up your dick, it should help out quite a bit. Soap is pretty slick."
All About Zane (Travis County Legal Book 1) Page 17