Undercurrent (Sand Dollar Shoal Book 1)

by Pandora Pine

  Landon burst out laughing. “I’ll keep that in mind.” How was he going to survive the night without touching Noble?

  16

  How was it possible for Noble to go for two years without sex and not miss it one bit, but felt like he was losing his marbles after only forty-eight hours without it?

  If he was being honest with himself, Noble would say that had more to do with missing his lover rather than missing the act itself. Even though he was self-aware enough to understand what was going on with his body and suddenly out of control hormones, he sure as fuck wasn’t going to tell Landon.

  There hadn’t been one second of hesitation on either his or Vincent’s part to jump into a relationship with each other. It was the complete opposite with him and Landon. He was scared to death of history repeating itself and he’d bet his bottom dollar that Landon was afraid of being left behind like his parents had done to him.

  Landon’s sudden shyness and lack of sex aside, it had been nice to have his father around for the last two days. They’d always had a great relationship and now that his mind was clear of the booze and no longer mourning the loss of his husband, it had felt like old times.

  The one thing he’d been surprised over was the easy way his father had taken to Landon. By the end of Nick’s stay, Noble had seen a definite upswing in Landon’s confidence. Last night he’d stayed up past midnight banging away on his computer. It seemed his father had brought Marcus Pike’s voice along with him.

  They’d both walked Nick out to his truck after lunch. The Cape was due to get more snow later in the afternoon and his father wanted to be home before it got started. He’d hugged Landon for a good two minutes, whispering into his ear the whole time.

  Nick’s message to Noble had been to take good care of Landon and to make sure the other man had a little fun. All work and no play wasn’t good for Landon. Noble couldn’t help wonder if his father had been giving Landon instructions on how to take care of him.

  Both men had gone their separate ways after his father drove away. Landon had gone back into the hotel with a crying Charlie who was echoing Noble’s sentiment exactly. He missed his father already too.

  While Noble was working, he’d been forming a plan for tonight. It was his turn to cook, which had, up until last night, been a source of anxiety for him. Once Landon had fallen asleep, he’d used his Kindle to look up recipes he could make for them. His lover was a big fan of cheeseburgers and Noble had managed to find a killer recipe for black and blue burgers from the loud-mouthed, bleach-blond guy from the Food Network.

  He’d knocked off work around 4:00pm and headed back inside the hotel where he found Landon writing and Charlie curled up around his feet. For as loud as Landon was banging on the keys, Charlie seemed unaffected by the noise. She raised her head when Noble came inside before yawning and lying back down.

  It was amazing how Charlie had taken to Landon. When they’d been reunited after his return from rehab, the puppy never left his side, going so far as coming into the bathroom with him. He supposed the dog could sense some kind of need in Landon and Noble was more than happy to let her provide support to his lover.

  Once his hands were clean, Noble pulled up his recipe and got to work on the burgers. His first step was to mix the ingredients for the blackening spice mixture before moving on to preparing the beef, stuffing it with bleu cheese. He hated that they only had frozen French fries to go along with the meal, but he supposed that was better than nothing.

  He slapped four patties onto the grill top and moved to get their plates ready, setting fresh brioche rolls on each plate and cutting up slices of onion and tomato.

  Outside, Noble heard the wind start to howl with the promised storm. He half-wished the lights would go out so he and Landon could eat by the light of the crackling fire. Thankfully, Landon had trucked in enough wood to last for the next few days, just in case the storm was worse than what was being predicted.

  Grabbing their plates, Noble pushed backward through the swinging doors of the kitchen. Landon was still hard at work and Charlie unimpressed with the load of human food he was carrying. He’d never given her anything to eat from the table and wasn’t about to start now.

  Going back into the kitchen, he flipped the burgers, catching a whiff of the bleu cheese. He knew this meal was going to be a homerun. Noble made repeated trips to the dining room carrying various condiments, sodas and finally a platter stacked high with the French fries and another with the burgers. He also got Charlie’s dinner ready as well. His last step was to light one of the hurricane lamps and set it in the center of the table.

  “Charlie? Landon? Supper.” Noble stood proudly at Landon’s usual seat at the table.

  “Holy shit! What time is it?” Landon looked like he had no idea what century he was in.

  Noble grinned. “It’s a little after 5:30pm. Sorry to startle you like that.”

  Landon stood up and stretched, his white tee riding high up his ribs, showing off his belly, which Noble would swear was getting smaller every day.

  “You hungry?”

  “Starving.” Landon walked to Noble’s side, squeaking in surprise when Noble grabbed him for a hug before pulling out his chair.

  Landon seemed to survey the table before sitting down. “You trying to romance me?”

  Pressing a kiss to the back of Landon’s head, Noble broke into a grin that he was glad Landon couldn’t see. “Nah, just using my indoor manners.”

  Landon snorted, reaching for the platter with the burgers. “These look fantastic. What recipe did you use?”

  Noble shrugged. “Something from one of those Food Channel guys.”

  Nodding, Landon used the spatula to put a burger on his bun before adding a slice of tomato and then ketchup. He also took a small amount of fries.

  “How did the writing go today?” Noble took a bite of his burger, moaning over the flavor.

  “Oh jeez.” Landon wore a worried look. “Does it suck? Is it undercooked?”

  “No, wiseass, it’s delicious. Try a bite and see for yourself.” Noble chuckled to himself over Landon’s lack of faith in his cooking skills. Not that Noble could blame him. The last time he cooked, he’d burned the Spaghetti O’s.

  Landon shot him one last wary glance before nibbling at the edge of his burger. “Holy shit!” Landon gasped, looking up at Noble in shock. “This is fucking awesome.”

  “Oh ye of little faith.” Noble winked at him. “You can pay me back later.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at his lover. He hadn’t only spent the afternoon thinking about cooking dinner for Landon, he’d also been thinking about the plans he had for dessert.

  “What’s this meal gonna cost me?” Landon asked with a wink of his own.

  “I think one seriously wet and super sloppy blow job will just about cover it.” Noble’s voice was pitched low as he leaned closer to Landon.

  “Just about cover it?” Landon asked, moving closer to Noble licking his lips. “What else is it gonna take, Noble? I want to make sure you’re getting the service you deserve.”

  Not able to wait another second, Noble captured Landon’s full lips with his own. He could taste ketchup and something unique to Landon when their tongues curled around each other’s. “You’re gonna ride my monster cock, Wordsmith. Isn’t that what you called it?”

  Instead of answering, Landon moaned into Noble’s mouth kissing him hard, his right hand snaking up Noble’s thigh.

  Grinning, Noble pulled back. “Eat up. You’re gonna need every ounce of strength to handle me.”

  XX

  Landon had never eaten faster in his life. He was regretting putting onions on his burger, but Noble had done it too, so he guessed they’d cancel each other out when they kissed.

  “Jesus, Wordsmith. You done yet?” Noble was standing up from the table, an eager, burning look in his eyes.

  “Give me five minutes to clean up.” Landon stood and started gathering the nearly empty dishes.

 
“Leave them, Landon. Let’s go upstairs. I want to get you clean so I can get you dirty again.” Noble waggled his eyebrows, grabbing for Landon’s hand.

  “What about Charlie? Won’t she eat what’s left on the table?” Landon looked over at the dog who was curled up in front of the fire chewing on her rainbow rope toy.

  “She never eats people food. Come on. I need to see you choking on my cock.” Noble rubbed the growing bulge in his jeans.

  Landon growled, kissing Noble so hard their teeth clacked together.

  They took turns muscling each other toward the stairs. Charlie barked, racing toward the two men.

  “She thinks we’re hurting each other,” Landon whispered.

  “It’s okay, princess. Daddy and Uncle Landon are gonna go upstairs and play hide the sausage. We’ll be back soon, okay?”

  Charlie whined, cocking her head up at Noble.

  “Hide the sausage?” Landon grabbed Noble’s hand and half dragged him toward the second floor.

  “Don’t go getting all snobby on me, Wordsmith.” Noble yanked Landon around and kissed him hard, his hands wrapping around the twin globes of Landon’s ass.

  Landon laughed. “I’m not getting snobby. I was thinking your cock is more like a kielbasa.” Landon ran a hand up Noble’s erection, which was practically snaking out of the top of his jeans.

  “Jesus Christ! Upstairs! Now!” Noble gave Landon a small shove.

  When Landon reached the top of the stairs, he went instantly for his tee, chucking it across the hall to land in a heap near one of the guest rooms. Noble was ahead of him. Somehow he’d already gotten out of his jeans and was ripping his thermal shirt over his head.

  Hooking his fingers in the waistband of Noble’s black briefs, Landon gave them a little tug, all the while nibbling up the column of his throat.

  “Fuck, that feels good.”

  Landon hit his knees, pulling Noble’s briefs down to puddle on his feet. “I believe I owe you, what did you call it? One seriously wet and super sloppy blow job?” Without waiting for an answer, Landon swallowed Noble to the root, hollowing out his cheeks and lashing Noble’s cock with his tongue.

  Noble moaned, his eyes locked on Landon as his erection disappeared into his lover’s mouth. “Slow down, Landon. I’m gonna-” Noble’s hips thrust forward, burying his cock in Landon’s throat.

  Gripping the cheeks of his ass, Landon pulled Noble closer, feeling his erection spurt and pulse in his mouth. He didn’t care that round one ended so quickly, they had all night to fuck and suck each other.

  When Noble’s dick started to soften in his mouth, Landon fell back on his ass with his lover joining him on the hallway floor seconds later.

  “Holy fuck-balls that was incredible.” Noble grinned, reaching over to tug Landon onto his still heaving chest.

  Even though they were lying on the bare wooden floor of the hallway, Landon was in heaven. Two days had been two days too long to be away from Noble like this. He ran his right hand down Noble’s torso from where it had been resting against his heart.

  He walked his fingers over each rib before dipping down to tangle in the thatch of silky blond hair covering Noble’s abs. Grinning, he wrapped his hand around his lover’s reawakening cock.

  Noble chuckled. “Better get ready to cowboy up.”

  “Condoms and lube?” Landon’s eyes glowed with need.

  “In the bathroom we use to shower.” Noble reached for his cock, slowly stroking it.

  Landon was halfway to the room door when he heard an awful retching sound coming from downstairs. The retching was followed by a wet splat and a weak whine. “Charlie?” Landon stepped over Noble’s prone body and raced down the stairs.

  17

  The puppy was lying in the middle of Landon’s mattress near a puddle of puke she was trying to lap up.

  “Oh Jesus, Charlie. No!” Landon lifted the dog off the mattress and set her on the floor. He could hear Noble thundering down the stairs. “Noble! Hurry!” He wasn’t sure what to do with the sick dog. Should he cuddle her or leave her alone?

  Charlie made the decision for him by throwing up again.

  Landon thought he could he could see pieces of cheeseburger and French fries in the mess. He looked up to see Noble fumbling with his phone.

  “Dad? Charlie’s sick. She’s throwing up.” Noble’s eyes were wide, filling with tears and he started shaking his head.

  “Noble, put it on speakerphone so I can hear what he’s saying.” Landon was trying to pull Charlie back from the puddle she’d just made.

  Noble blinked, seeming to come back to his senses. He pressed a button on the phone and turned it around.

  “Landon?” Nick’s voice came over the phone.

  “Yeah, Nick. I’m here.” Landon tried to focus on Nick’s steady voice.

  “What does the puppy puke look like? Is it red or does it look like what she ate?”

  Landon hadn’t wanted to look at the mess Charlie made but he did it anyway. “I don’t see any red. What I do see is what Noble and I had for dinner.”

  “What’s Charlie doing now?”

  “She’s trying to eat the barf.” Landon had to wrap his arms around Charlie to keep her away from it.

  “It sounds to me like she just ate too much. Puppies do that when they have access to unlimited food. What did she eat?”

  “Well-done hamburgers stuffed with bleu cheese and French fries.” Noble had finally found his voice.

  “She should be okay, Noble. Keep a close eye on her tonight.”

  Noble sighed. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “You’re welcome. Landon, take care of them both tonight for me.”

  “You got it, Nick.”

  “Night boys.” The phone beeped three times and Nick was gone.

  “Sweet Jesus.” Noble raked his hands through his already messy blond hair.

  “It’s okay, Noble. Charlie’s gonna be okay. Why don’t you take her into the kitchen and give her some water while I clean up, okay?”

  “I should be the one cleaning up. I’m Charlie’s person and I was the one who didn’t want to clean up after dinner.”

  “What Charlie needs right now is her Daddy. Now go. I’ll take care of things in here.” Landon’s tone brooked no argument.

  Noble scooped the puppy out of Landon’s arms and headed toward the kitchen.

  Landon waited until he heard the doors swish behind them before he gagged. Jesus Christ! How the hell was he going to clean this mess up?

  He stood up, narrowly avoiding stepping into the mess. Walking around the room, he saw the mess Charlie had left in the middle of his bed and saw another puddle near the French doors. Landon’s heart pinched. Charlie had tried to go to the door when she got sick.

  Running down the hall, Landon ducked into the hotel laundry room. He grabbed a dustpan and brush and headed back to the dining room.

  Twenty minutes and one near miss with his own dinner later, everything was cleaned up. He didn’t know where Noble kept extra sheets and blankets and was unsure how to run the industrial washing machines. He’d have to share Noble’s bed for the night.

  He took a deep breath and pushed his way into the kitchen. Noble was sitting on the kitchen floor with a sleeping Charlie in his arms. “Why don’t we go to bed, hmm?”

  Noble nodded, his eyes still glassy. “Can you take her?”

  Landon pressed a kiss to Noble’s forehead and scooped Charlie into his arms. She whined and licked out at his fingers. “I bet your tummy’s sore. Isn’t it, sweetheart?”

  Charlie whined pitifully, as if she understood Landon.

  Holding the puppy in his arms, Landon waited for Noble to slip into a fresh tee shirt and get comfortable on his bed. Once he was settled, he set Charlie down on Noble’s left side. The puppy rested her head on Noble’s heart, trying to cuddle as close to him as she could get.

  Landon could see Noble struggling to get himself back under control. His hands were shaking and it looked like he w
as having a hard time catching his breath. Landon could tell Noble was having an anxiety attack. Charlie hadn’t been in any real danger, but he could see how Noble would freak out over her being so sick.

  What he needed to do now was find a way to soothe Noble without making his anxious feelings ramp back up again. He was never any good at making people feel better.

  While he shrugged into a clean t-shirt, Landon watched Noble cuddle with Charlie. Smiling, Landon sat down on the edge of Noble's mattress, swinging himself around to spoon his lover from behind. Even though Charlie was okay, he was sure they both could use the comfort of being close together.

  Noble rolled further away from him. "No, Landon. Just, no." Noble sighed, snuggling closer to Charlie.

  Landon practically bounced up and away from Noble, his heart aching over his lover's rejection of him. Not wanting Noble to see or hear how upset he was, Landon took a few deep breaths, hoping to calm himself down a bit. "Where are the extra blankets?" Thankfully his voice betrayed no emotion.

  "Linen closet in the laundry room." Noble's voice, on the other hand, sounded dead.

  Landon headed toward the dining room door. He could hear Charlie whining for him. "It's okay, sweetheart. Uncle Landon will be right back." He didn't know who he was trying to soothe more, the puppy or himself.

  Opening the large cabinet in the laundry room, Landon found one blanket, no extra sheets. Oh well, it would have to do until he could do some laundry in the morning.

  When he got back to the dining room, Noble was still lying with his back to Landon's mattress. His heart pinching in his chest, he went to his makeshift desk and shut the computer down. With the way he was feeling, he didn't want to hear Marcus Pike's voice.

  Grabbing his Kindle and a pair of warm socks from his bag, Landon tried to settle down on the mattress. The blanket must have been a throw or something suited for a children's bed. It didn't cover all of him. Sighing, he rolled over to his side, so his back was facing Noble, two could play that game.