by Rhys Everly
Kyle halted and put his hands up. I waited and listened for whatever he’d heard.
I didn’t know what got him so worried until I heard it, too.
Water boiling in a kettle. Drawers opening. Utensils clinking.
I turned, ready to abandon ship and run back to the car.
“Kyle, is that you?” a woman called out from the next room.
Before we could make our escape, a beautiful woman in her forties with long, ginger hair, freckles everywhere, and shinny green eyes appeared in the hallway.
“You’ve got company,” she said.
She approached us and inspected me closer.
“Oh…yeah…Mom. This is…”
Kyle froze.
“Andy. Nice to meet you,” I said and gave my hand.
“Andy? As in Nathan’s dad Andy?” She beamed and looked from me to Kyle.
Crap! I forgot she knew about me. Of course she did.
“The one and only,” Kyle said.
“So lovely to meet you. Nathan is an amazing young man,” she said and invited us into the living room. “I hope one of these days these two will realize how perfect they are for each other. But they’re both hotheads,” she said.
“Ew, Mom. Hell to the no,” Kyle winced.
Something ugly settled on my shoulders, and I couldn’t shake it.
Of course Kyle’s mom was confiding in me. She thought I was the dad of her son’s best friend. She thought she had an ally in me.
And why wouldn’t she think that Nathan and Kyle would be the perfect couple?
“Well, I guess they both have different tastes,” I mumbled incoherently.
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “I still think they need to get their heads out of their asses and just get together. I mean, I’d like to be a grandma one day.”
I did my best not to let my face betray my emotions. This was a disaster. We’d made a mistake coming by his house, and I’d made a bigger mistake coming inside.
Although maybe this was the perfect wake-up call. What we were doing was wrong. He was best friends with Nathan, and we were hiding from him. We were hiding from everyone.
“It doesn’t work that way, Mom,” Kyle said. “We’re in a rush, so if you don’t mind, I’ll just get my…some stuff.”
He rested his hand on my knee briefly before he realized what he’d just done and quickly removed it.
I looked away from this car crash of a meeting and tried to pretend nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Kyle climbed up the stairs like he was in a race, leaving me alone with his Mom.
“I see,” she said, and I turned to find her staring at my knee where Kyle had touched me.
She appeared stoic, staring but not really staring. As if she was processing what she’d just witnessed.
Which was exactly what I’d be doing in her position.
“I never got your name,” I said, trying to change the subject.
“It’s Evelyn,” she said looking at me briefly, but her eyes blurred again. “It makes sense,” she mumbled to herself.
“What does?” I asked.
“My son’s changed in the last few weeks. Now I know why,” she said, seemingly taking a liking to the pillar candles on the table instead of my knee.
I swallowed very slowly even though my throat was dry.
We’d been caught red-handed. God knew what must be going through her head.
There was no point denying it. The fact that I was even in her house with Kyle was enough. She didn’t need the accidental touch to confirm it.
“The love songs, the days away on end. His obsession with…your bar,” she said very slowly, and finally looked at me. Her eyes slitted, leaving me unable to tell what she felt.
Not that I couldn’t imagine.
“Evelyn, listen. I’m not…” I started, but I didn’t know what to say. “We didn’t intend for this to happen.”
“I just hope you realize what’s at stake here.”
“I’m waiting for the right time to tell Nathan…”
“It’s more than telling him, Andy. You do realize when Nathan finds out, or whatever you have going on doesn’t work out, Kyle’s not just gonna lose you. He’s gonna lose Nathan, too. And my son needs Nathan. You know what he was like before they met?”
I shook my head.
“My son was afraid to be himself. When his dad left us, it broke him. It broke him for a long time. It was only when he met Nathan that I got my son back. It was only then that he allowed himself the freedom to be…himself.”
“I-I didn’t know,” I said.
“Of course you didn’t. How would you? Kyle hardly ever talks about what happened. Sometimes I think he’s forgotten. But he hasn’t. It’s still there, inside. And no matter how deep he buries it, he’ll carry it with him for life.”
“Evelyn, I promise. I don’t want to hurt him,” I said.
“No one ever wants to hurt people. But we all do.”
I tried to look away from her, but her gaze was so deep and serious, I didn’t dare.
“Know this, though. If you hurt him, you’ll have to deal with me,” Evelyn said.
Twenty-Four
Kyle
“Andy, for crying out loud just tell me what happened,” I said.
We spent the rest of the day in New Harlow. We had lunch and dinner together, which was new. Our first official date as a couple. We weren’t hiding in New Harlow. We didn’t need to.
Because we were in love.
I still couldn’t believe he told me he loved me.
He loves me. He loves me. He loves me.
How could I contain everything inside me when I was so happy?
“I said nothing happened,” he said from the passenger seat.
He’d been different since we left the house. Quiet. I did most of the talking, and he’d participate, but I could tell something was bothering him.
I tried to get him to tell me what happened between him and Mom when I left the room, but he refused to share.
“You’ll tell me eventually. But I’m gonna let it go now. And only because we’re, like, ten minutes from your house and we need to figure out how I’m getting in,” I said.
“Of course. What are we gonna do about the car? Everyone knows this is Nathan’s car and that you’re driving it. Fuck. Why didn’t I think of that?” he said.
“Babe, relax. I’ll park at the bar and then we can take your car there. That way no one suspects a thing. Simple,” I said.
“I guess.”
“We can always choose to stay at the bar or go back to the forest,” I said. “If it’s gonna stress you out, then it’s not worth it.”
God, did I want to sleep in a bed with him. My back was starting to hurt like a bitch, and as much fun as floor, desk, and car sex were, nothing beat the comforts of a bed.
“No. It’s okay. It’ll be fine. I want you there,” Andy said.
I drove us to the bar, where the lights were still on, and parked the car at the very end where I usually did. We got out of my car and into Andy’s and drove through the quiet streets of Cedarwood and up to Andy’s house.
He left me outside the house and told me to wait for his text, then walked in, leaving the front door open.
I waited for the all clear. As much as I loved him, I hated this part.
Sneaking around was fun when we were horny and about to fuck, but it wasn’t fun now.
It wasn’t fun when I had to fight all my urges and keep my hands to myself every time we worked together.
After what felt like forever, my phone buzzed with a message.
I was gonna get caught, wasn’t I? And what did I do then?
I opened the front door with some hesitation and followed his instructions, tiptoeing up the stairs and walking to the far end of the second floor.
The house was deadly quiet. I mean, there was no surprise there. It was close to one in the morning, so I didn’t expect everyone to be up and about, but still. When eve
rything was so quiet, making any sort of noise was scary as fuck.
I was faced with three doors. One on the right and two on the left. Certain that I was opening the wrong door, I reached for the one on the right and twisted the handle.
A sigh of relief escaped me when I saw a big cozy bed with two bedside tables and Andy and Lucy’s wedding picture hanging over the bed.
I closed the door and inspected the picture closer. He was so young in it, but so handsome. He’d been fit even back then.
There were picture frames on either side of the bed, both pictures of Andy with his wife in different stages of their lives. She was brunette with long hair and beautiful blue eyes, the same shade as her son’s.
“I hope you don’t mind,” I told her, brushing my hand over her picture.
I sent a thumbs up to Andy, and he joined me in the room in no time.
“That was easier than I thought. Usually if Dad’s in town he’ll stay up late watching TV,” he said. “What’s up?”
He sat on the bed next to me and saw me looking at his wife’s pictures.
“Nothing,” I mumbled.
I didn’t mind that his room was full of her memories. But I didn’t know how I felt being watched by her.
It only reinforced my feelings that I was doing something wrong.
Andy grabbed the frame on either side of the bed and the one hanging over it, and put them in a drawer of the vanity table.
“There,” he said. “Better?”
“Maybe,” I said.
“Kyle, baby. What’s up? Have you changed your mind?” He took me in his arms and stroked my hair gently, the way he knew I loved.
“I-I’m just…”
Not happy with being a secret any more? Not content with sneaking around? Sick of sleeping on floors and car seats?
It wasn’t his fault. I’d known what I was getting myself into when we kissed. It wasn’t his fault he was my best friend’s dad and I felt like the world’s worst friend for falling for him.
“I’m just tired. That’s all,” I said.
“I’m not buying that,” he said.
I lifted myself off his embrace and looked him in the eyes.
“Well, what do you think is wrong? This. Us. Having to whisper so no one hears us.”
Andy replied with a gentle sad smile and brought his hand to my cheek.
“Keeping it a secret, yes. That’s wrong. But being with you? There’s nothing wrong with that. Nothing’s felt more right in my life.”
And then he went and said shit like that and had me melt into a puddle on the floor.
“I love you,” he said. “Do you love me?”
I nodded. Our lips locked in a tender kiss. His tongue prodded for access, and when I let him in my mouth, he wasn’t rough or thirsty.
He was gentle and patient.
“I want to make love to you, Kyle Brady. Will you let me?” He pulled back and whispered.
“Yes. Of course,” I said, my words barely audible, barely words at all.
He laid me down the bed carefully like I was made of porcelain. He kissed me again, kissed my lips, my neck, my chest.
One piece at a time, he removed our clothes until we were both completely naked. No socks left on. No T-shirts. We didn’t need to leave anything on. We weren’t in fear of getting caught.
He wanted to show me how much he loved me, and I’d be an idiot not to let him.
I laid there and let him adore my body. Worship every inch of me with his tongue.
“You’re so Goddamn beautiful, it’s ridiculous,” he said as he laid on top of me, our erections pressing against one another.
He rubbed on me, and I put my hands around his ass cheeks and squeezed. I wanted him closer, tighter, glued to me.
I wanted him so close that if there was anyone watching, they’d think we were one.
He slid down and spent time sucking me. Slowly, sensually. There was no rush. We had all night.
And then, when he was done torturing my cock, he spread my legs open and slid his tongue down my taint and over my rim.
It took everything I had to be quiet. He told me most of the family was on the other side of the house, with Nathan’s room empty next door, but it didn’t mean we could be loud.
He’d become a master tormentor. He’d learned fast. A few weeks ago, he sucked my cock like it was a piece of hardwood. Now, he was sucking me like it was his favorite ice cream.
And as for rimming me? Let’s just say his tongue had many talents.
“Will you let me make love to you, baby?” he asked me when he came up for a kiss.
“I thought we’d already agreed,” I said.
“No. I want to make love to you. Bare. I want to feel you like never before,” he whispered in my ear, and I had to bite my lip before screaming a resounding yes.
“Yes,” I said. “Make love to me baby.”
I knew I was safe. I’d done my latest test only last week. I’d wanted to make sure that when the time came, I’d be ready for him.
And he hadn’t had sex before me in a while, so I knew he was, too.
He kissed me again, pressing the weight of his body on me and making me hungrier for him.
Then, without much warning, I felt his cock pressing against my hole.
He brought his hand to my mouth and I sucked his fingers. Then, he rubbed those same fingers on my rim, spreading the spit and pushing into me gently.
It was painful. That wasn’t enough lube for easy access, but we worked in tandem to make it work.
He went slow at first. He did what I’d done for him earlier that day. He eased in and out until he could see it in my eyes that it didn’t hurt anymore.
He was considerably larger than me, so it took patience. But when I felt him inside me, it was everything I’d been waiting for.
He was hot and large and so hard and this was better than anything we’d ever done before. This was better than food. Better than shopping. Better than everything.
Andy leaned down and kissed me, groaning in my mouth, his hot seed shooting inside me, making me desperate for my own release.
Andy took care of that, too, drinking every drop of me.
And then he laid down next to me and put his arm around me, spooning me, and I felt safe.
For the first time in forever, I felt like everything was going to be okay.
“Good morning, sunshine,” he said when I opened my eyes.
The sun was reflecting in his eyes, painting them with shades of maple and hazel.
Was yesterday just a dream? Was I still dreaming? Had I just woken up in bed with Andy?
“Good morning,” I said, and he came down for a kiss.
“Would you like some breakfast? I can go and grab us some.” He smiled.
“Yes please,” I said.
Andy told me he’d be right back and left the room.
He returned with a tray and set it down on the bed between us.
There was everything a boy could need for breakfast. A glass of water—which I downed first—a glass of orange juice, a cup of coffee with a full French press next to it. There were also three slices of toast with jam and a bowl of freshly cut fruit.
“What’s all this?” I asked.
“Breakfast, baby. Although I had to load the tray for one in case anyone saw me,” he smirked. “I can eat later.”
“Considering what we did last night, I don’t think the world will fall apart if we share a glass,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “You know, a girl could get used to this very quickly.”
I took a bite of the jam on toast and allowed the sugar in it to wake me up.
“So could I,” he said.
It was easy to forget.
Easy to forget that Andy was Nathan’s dad and what we were doing wasn’t exactly right.
But we were in love. Didn’t that mean this was also right?
“You make me so happy. It feels so wrong that I have to hide you,” he said.
“It’s all
up to you, baby.”
“I know,” he replied. “Soon. I promise.”
We finished breakfast and he snuck me in the bathroom, the same bathroom where we first met, and showered together.
I’d have loved nothing more than to take advantage of the hot water and the tub, but we were on a clock and we needed to get out before anyone saw me.
I put on a fresh pair of clothes and then it was time for my big, secret exit.
We both came out of the room at the same time, Andy taking the lead and watching out for any movement while I followed behind, back to feeling like a thief.
Everyone seemed to be fast asleep. There was no sound coming from any of the rooms, and I had started to think we’d made it.
That was until I put my foot on the ground floor.
“Kyle! What are you doing here?” someone said from the corridor, and Andy and I both turned very slowly to face Yaya.
Fuck. Shit. Great. Now what?
Yaya approached us and waited for my answer while both Andy and I fumbled for an excuse.
“We finished late at the bar last night,” Andy said. “It was too late and I didn’t want Kyle driving back, so I offered him Nathan’s room.”
I wanted to kiss him and congratulate him on a lie well told. Of course he’d offered me Nathan’s room. He was my best friend. Why wouldn’t I sleep in his room?
“That’s nice of you. You can drop by any time, Kyle. To be honest, I’d be much happier if you slept here than drive at two in the morning,” she said, and I thanked her. “But I thought you weren’t working last night,” she turned to Andy.
“Oh, yeah…well,” he mumbled, and I wanted to laugh. After such a great lie, he was all outta juice.
“He came round for a drink and stayed until the end to help us out. You know how he is,” I told Yaya.
I hated lying to her. Even though I’d only met her weeks ago, I felt like I’d known her for years.
Hell, she’d fed me for years. Lying to her was sin. It was wrong.
“You don’t have to tell me. Are you hungry? Come on. You can have breakfast with us,” she said and walked back into the kitchen.
“Us?” I mouthed at Andy.
He shrugged but followed his grandma. I walked behind him thinking this was the most embarrassing walk of shame I’d ever done.