“I stopped by to tell you they want you to come to dinner tonight.”
“Uh, there’s such a thing as the phone.”
“You weren’t picking up.”
Oh, yeah, he’d ignored it after Josh’s flurry of texts. But never one to cede ground to his big brother, he raised an eyebrow. “Well, maybe there was a reason for that.”
“Don’t be bitchy, Little D. You can bring your date with you.” He looked at Josh. “My mom makes the best lasagna on the planet. You’d be lucky to taste it. Seriously.”
“What part of ‘we have plans’ do you not understand?” Drew huffed.
“Please tell me your family doesn’t really call you Little D?” Josh’s eyes twinkled.
“We can talk about it later.” Much later, if he had anything to say about it. “So please send Mom and Dad my regrets.”
“Come on, Drew, it’s lasagna! Your favorite. They’ll be fine with your boyfriend joining us.”
Drew felt himself flush. “H-he’s not… I mean, we’re not… I mean….” Dammit, he didn’t need Ian making Josh uncomfortable. They hadn’t even gone on an official date yet, so calling closeted Josh his boyfriend was likely to drive him away.
“I’d love to join you,” Josh broke in, moving closer to Drew, “but I’ve already picked up dinner for us. G&M crab cakes. Maybe another time, though?”
“Oh, man, you picked up G&M’s? You sure know the way to my brother’s heart.” Ian chuckled. “Fine. I’ll tell them. But I’m holding you to another night.”
“No problem. I’d love to.” Josh slipped his arm around Drew’s waist and for a moment Drew’s belly fluttered wildly. Then he relaxed into Josh’s hold. Wow, Josh really was trying. Drew felt a lump in his throat.
When Ian retreated, Drew turned in Josh’s arms. “Did you really bring me G&M crab cakes?”
“So you’ve had them?”
“What, you mean, the best and biggest crab cakes in the whole world? Nope, never heard of them.” He grinned. His stomach growled.
Josh chuckled. “I aim to please. And it seems I’m just in time.”
Drew narrowed his eyes. “You were awfully confident I’d forgive you.”
“No, not at all. But I thought I’d pull out all the stops.” He held Drew’s hips loosely, but Drew’s skin tingled even through his shorts.
“I’m sorry about my brother. He’s a little….”
“Overprotective? Pushy? Obnoxious? Yeah, I got that.”
“Ha. He’s the best of the bunch. As you heard, my last relationship didn’t go well and it’s caused my family to be… slightly overprotective.” Understatement. Not ready to tell that story yet. Or introduce Josh to his parents. He didn’t want Josh to go screaming in the other direction, especially since they’d just sorted things out.
“Nah, don’t apologize. I’m glad he cares. Besides, I look forward to trying your mom’s food. That was quite a boast. Does she really make the world’s best lasagna?”
“Oh, yeah. But I don’t want to talk about them. Why don’t you grab the food?”
JOSH BIT into his crab cake sandwich. It was about the size of his head, with huge chunks of juicy crabmeat. G&M really did make fantastic crab cakes. Drew seemed to agree, if his expression was any indication.
Orgasm face.
Now that Josh had seen it, he couldn’t help but watch Drew eat. His cock hardened. Pathetic how much Drew turned him on. Everything he did. When he’d blushed from his brother calling Josh his boyfriend, it was everything Josh could do to not take Drew right there in the doorway. In his opinion, he’d shown admirable restraint.
Josh kicked back on a buttery soft leather couch. Drew’s place was small and very homey. His living and dining room were combined, and at some point in the not-so-distant past, the galley kitchen had been updated. His living room had an African art motif, with masks of all varieties taking up one wall, while floor-to-ceiling bookcases covered another. A large drum sat next to the sofa, and a small coffee table with some sort of decorative mud cloth draped over it held their plates as they ate.
Josh reached over and brushed a crumb from the corner of Drew’s mouth. Damn, Drew made his heart beat faster.
Drew smiled and nipped Josh’s finger. If his dick hadn’t been hard before, it was now. Josh went back to his own meal, focusing on one bite and then another. He wanted to throw himself at Drew, but he liked the buildup. He licked his bottom lip and heard Drew gasp. Their eyes met. Josh smiled. Drew was even easier than he was. He took another bite, then swiped his tongue along his lip again.
Drew groaned. “You’re doing that on purpose.”
“Yeah, I am. So? What are you going to do about it?”
Drew set his sandwich down. He’d only eaten about two-thirds of it, and it still took up a sizable portion of his plate.
“What do you think I should do?” He slid closer to Josh until their thighs were touching. Josh pretended to ignore him, continued eating his own sandwich. After another couple bites, Drew snatched the sandwich away.
“Hey! I was eating that.”
“I’ve got something else you can wrap your lips around,” Drew purred.
They both cracked up.
“Oh my God, where do you get your lines? I feel like I’m at some sleazy club.”
“Hey, they worked in the past.” Drew placed the sandwich on a plate and then slid onto Josh’s lap so they were sitting chest-to-chest. “Thanks for dinner. I really appreciate it.”
“If this is how you thank me for dinner, bem, I think I’ll be delivering a lot of meals to your doorstep.” Josh tugged on one of Drew’s locks, then moved in and kissed Drew softly, enjoying the feel of his lip ring against his mouth. He ran his tongue over Drew’s full bottom lip. Drew parted his lips and Josh took the invitation for what it was and deepened the kiss. It started off slow and easy but soon became fast and hard, with them both scrambling to remove shirts.
Josh moaned when Drew’s bare chest came into contact with his own. He felt so good. Drew’s chest was well muscled, his abs toned, but not a six-pack like his own. He loved Drew’s body. Tight, hot, and oh so responsive.
Their tongues clashed as they tasted each other, neither worried about who was leading—a give and take. Josh liked it. A lot. With Eric, it had always been a struggle for control with neither wanting to relinquish it. But not with Drew. He seemed happy either way.
Drew nipped at his jaw. “What’s ‘bem’ mean?”
Josh could barely think with Drew’s tongue doing magical things to his neck.
“An endearment.” Josh purred as Drew gently sucked on his collarbone. “Sweetheart, maybe? Something like that. My pai—dad—always called my mom bem.”
“Mmm, I like it.” Drew’s hot breath against his throat sent goose bumps skittering along Josh’s spine.
Drew shoved at Josh until Josh’s back was flat on the couch and Drew was on top. Drew kissed from Josh’s chin to his neck. He nibbled his way down until he reached Josh’s nipples. Drew sucked one and then the other into a firm peak, and Josh arched his back from the pleasure. So good. He couldn’t help but clasp a handful of Drew’s dreads, enjoying the strands’ feel in his fist. If his groan was any indication, Drew liked it too.
Drew slid his hand to Josh’s belt and began unbuckling, when they both heard it. A knock at the door.
“Ignore it,” Drew said, continuing to work Josh’s buckle.
Another rap.
“Maybe we should—” Josh attempted to sit up, but Drew pushed him back down.
“No. Whoever it is can come back.”
Before Josh could answer, they heard the sound of a key turning in the door lock. Both froze.
“I didn’t know you had a roommate.”
“I don’t. Shit. Get dressed.” Drew jumped up and pulled his shirt on, leaving it untucked. Josh followed suit. He’d barely gotten it on when they heard voices and the door swung open.
“Seriously, Mom, they’re busy. We can come back some o
ther time,” Ian’s voice rang out, at least several decibels louder than his normal speaking voice.
“I want to make sure Drew’s okay,” a woman’s voice insisted.
Josh sent a panicked look Drew’s way. Drew’s face had turned so red, it looked like he was going to stroke out. “Just how worried were they when you and your ex ended?”
“Very.” Drew went to intercept his mother at the door. “Mom, I’m fine. You need to learn to knock first.”
“I did knock. When you didn’t answer, I got worried.” A willowy redhead pushed past Drew and peered into the living room. “Well, hello there. You must be the boyfriend Ian told me about.”
“Mom!” both Drew and Ian said simultaneously.
She ignored them. Josh had left his shirt untucked as well, but seeing Drew’s mom bearing down on him like an avalanche to the mountainside took care of any issue he might have had.
Josh heard Drew say, “Thanks a lot, Ian. You sure know how to ruin a guy’s night.” Josh was pretty sure Ian answered, but one thing he’d learned as a cop was to always keep your attention on the most dangerous person in the room. Right now, there was no question who that was. And it wasn’t one of the men.
Josh bounced to his feet and held out his hand. Before he could introduce himself, she grabbed his hand and yanked him into a big hug.
“I’m so glad to meet Drew’s boyfriend!”
Josh’s own family had been affectionate, so he didn’t mind. In fact, it felt nice. It reminded him of when his own mother would pull him into her embrace. He tentatively hugged her back and smiled. Drew and his brother both had horrified expressions, which made the whole thing kind of funny.
A sound outside the door caught everyone’s attention.
“Oh, God, not Dad too,” Drew groaned. Ian shrugged.
Drew’s mom released Josh, rounded on them. “And why not your father too? You think he wouldn’t want to meet your boyfriend?”
“Mom, oh my God. Someone please put me out of my misery.” He looked at Josh. “I’m so sorry.”
“What are you sorry about?” Drew’s dad asked. He strode in, carrying a large pan of lasagna. “You had to know we’d want to make sure you’re okay.” Drew’s father handed off the lasagna to Ian. “Here, make yourself useful and put that in the kitchen.”
Ian practically sprinted from the room.
“Traitor!” Drew called before being reduced to making gurgling sounds in his throat, like he was choking, his eyes darting from Josh to his parents and back. Josh decided to take pity on Drew, though this was pretty hilarious.
“I’m Josh. Drew’s, uh, future boyfriend.” He kept a straight face as Drew’s attention became intensely focused on him. Drew wanted to know he was all in. Well, here was his chance. He approached Drew’s dad, who indeed looked just like Ian, and held out a hand. His dad clasped Josh’s in an iron grip. Then his dad smiled.
“Shane Nolan, and I see you’ve already met my better half, Siobhan.”
“All you need to meet now is Meggie, and you’ll know them all,” Drew said, his voice strained.
“Oooh, I’m telling her you called her Meggie to your boyfriend. She’s gonna kick your butt,” Ian yelled from the kitchen.
“Her name’s not Meggie?”
Drew rolled his eyes. “She prefers Meg. A more dignified name.”
“Ah, got it.”
“We brought you leftovers,” Siobhan said.
“Yes, Mom, we see,” Drew said.
“Don’t sass your mother, Drew.” Shane’s voice took on a low timbre.
“Sorry, Mom. But don’t you think you could have called first? Or just not come over?”
“Now, what fun would that be?” Shane laughed, the sound booming around Drew’s small living room.
“Apparently, none.” Drew sighed. “Would you like something to drink, as long as you’ve all stopped by to spy on my life?”
“Spy on your life?” Siobhan’s eyebrow shot up, so like Drew it made Josh chuckle. “I hardly think your family worrying about you is spying. Besides, we wanted to meet the nice young man who captured your eye.” She turned toward Josh, her gaze assessing.
He cleared his throat. He knew what she wanted: to know that Drew mattered to him. He didn’t mind giving that to her. Or to Drew. “I’m glad he brought me around. I’ve been bothering him all weekend to introduce me to his family—”
“You what—” Drew’s eyes looked like they were about to bug out of his head.
“I was starting to get a complex.” Josh gave them his most devilish smile.
“Oh, I think I like you, Josh. Come sit down with me, and tell me all about yourself.” Siobhan tugged on his arm and steered him back to the sofa.
“I can’t think of anything I’d enjoy more, ma’am.”
She waved him away. “No ‘ma’am.’ Makes me feel old. Siobhan is fine.”
Drew had a resigned look on his face.
“Come here, bem.” Josh held a hand out to Drew. Drew shook his head, a reluctant smile forming.
“Okay, sweetheart, I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.” Drew sank down on the couch next to him and put his head on Josh’s shoulder.
“Now, where do you want to start?” Josh asked.
Chapter EIGHT
DREW CHECKED his outfit in the mirror one more time, the late afternoon sun warming his room to an uncomfortable degree even with the air conditioner blasting.
It had been a week since he’d last seen Josh, and in his opinion, he deserved a medal. A big one.
They’d texted back and forth like teenagers for the last week. Still, it wasn’t the same. Josh had checked in by phone a couple times, but he’d had a busy week, including a double shift. Covering for a colleague on vacation.
True to his word, Drew had called the police department to give his accounting of Josh’s altercation with Officer Martin. After several transfers, he managed to reach the right desk—maybe?—but Josh was still written up. Then again, so was Martin. Josh said that was because his lieutenant got involved.
Drew did one last turn in the mirror. Just a pair of jeans and a plain T-shirt. Josh had said he should dress for comfort, but wouldn’t tell him what he had planned for their date. Why was he fussing? He didn’t fuss. Not usually. But the thought of seeing Josh gave him butterflies. Wow, he really liked this guy. Especially when he didn’t seem put off by Drew’s crazy family.
While they weren’t boyfriends yet—no matter how Josh had joked with Drew’s parents—they were giving dating a try. Drew got the feeling that Josh didn’t date much, which made sense since he had to be in the closet for work. Drew had gone on lots of dates, but after Brian he’d hesitated to open up to anyone.
Until now.
A knock at the door startled him. He glanced at his bedroom clock. Josh was early.
He hustled down the steps and threw open the door. His face fell.
“Mom, what are you doing here?”
“Don’t be so glad to see me. I talked to your brother, and he told me you had a date with Josh.”
Damn Ian and his big mouth.
“This is the part where you don’t come over. You get that, right?”
Drew’s mom stepped past him and went to sit on the couch. What the hell?
“Mom—”
“Josh seems nice.” His mom smiled, though it seemed a little strained. Drew tilted his head. His mom was queen of the left unsaid.
“But…?”
“Did I say anything? I said he seems nice.”
“Uh-huh.” Drew crossed to the sofa and sank down next to her. “What’s going on, Mom?”
“It’s just… you know, he has a dangerous job. And you get really attached. And he’s a few years older, more settled, and seems like he’d have lots of… choices. And—”
“Whoa, Mom. That’s like ten different things in one breath. And thanks for saying he wouldn’t be interested in me. Ouch.”
“I never said that.”
&nb
sp; “You implied it. Lots of choices? Really, Mom? I thought you liked him. You got on like wildfire last weekend.” Drew frowned. What was this about?
“I know. I do.” She patted his leg.
“Okaaay. Look, he’s going to be here any minute, and I really don’t want you to ruin this for me. I know you’re just trying to look out for me, but I think I can handle going on a date.”
His mom shifted, her fingers picking at the edge of a sofa cushion.
“Mom, it’s a date. We’re not getting married, however much Josh may have joked with you last weekend. It’s a date, okay?”
She stood up. “You’re right. Have a good time, but promise to be careful.”
“Yeah, okay. I promise I won’t get pregnant.”
His joke fell flat. As a pancake. His mom shook her head, sniffled.
“Come on, Mom, it was a joke.”
“Have fun.” She was through the door before he could blink. He stood there, stunned. Why did she always do this to him? Aw, man, now he’d get a pissed-off phone call from his dad and his siblings. Not the way he wanted this evening to go.
With that thought, he darted out the door after her, but collided with Josh.
“Ooof. Sorry.” Drew peered around him just in time to see his mom pull out of her parking spot. Great.
“What’s wrong with your mom? She looked pretty upset.”
“Sort of. I don’t know. She was on about how you’re too good for me and I need to be careful.”
“That’s… weird.”
Drew chuckled. “Not in my family.”
He took a deep breath, then looked Josh over. “Enough about her. You look gorgeous.” And he did. Dark jeans and a light green polo that made his skin glow.
“Thanks. You’re looking pretty hot yourself.”
Drew felt his cheeks warm. Yep, blushing. Seemed to be his norm around Josh. He cleared his throat, mumbled a thank-you. “So what do you have planned for us?”
“First—” Josh held up a finger. “—it’s cute that you get so embarrassed when I compliment you. Second—” He held up another finger. “—I told you, it’s a surprise. We need to hurry, though, or it’ll be too late to see one place I want to take you. Or do you need to go talk to your mom first?”
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