“Thank you,” Kyle said.
Bouncing with excitement, Jasper jumped up on Forrester’s legs, and his boyfriend—can I call him that?—didn’t seem to mind as he hung up his hoodie on the hall tree. Kyle liked seeing Forrester’s sweatshirt beside his coat.
Forrester said something to Jasper Kyle didn’t catch before bending over to rub the dog’s belly. Kyle had left his processor upstairs in the bedroom. He’d been so excited that Forrester was there, he hadn’t even thought about it.
A niggling itch of concern tickled the back of his mind. He studied Forrester playing with his dog, chucking the slobbery ball down the hallway. He watched Forrester’s mouth in case he said anything.
Just go upstairs and get it.
On his knees, Forrester grinned up at Kyle. “I missed you.”
He smiled, some of his tension easing. “Me too.” He pointed at his ear. “I can’t hear you.”
Forrester blinked once, then smiled. “Okay. As long as you’re okay.”
Was he okay?
“Let me go get it,” he decided. He knew it was stupid, a hang-up all in his head, but how else would Kyle explain wanting to put it back in when they had sex?
Forrester touched Kyle’s arm. Their eyes met, and Forrester pointed at the plate. “I’ll put that in your fridge for you.”
Kyle was impressed with how easily Forrester had picked up on the little clues of how to talk to him, making sure Kyle was looking at his face when he spoke.
He’s so thoughtful. Why are you letting the past ruin it?
Tamping down his worries for now, Kyle dashed up the stairs. The comfortable silence was precious to him, vital for his inner calm and well-being. However, it was usually only something he enjoyed alone.
But last night?
He was still shocked he hadn’t been nervous about Forrester sleeping over.
Granted, he’d slept lightly, waking up dozens of times. And Jasper had been there to alert him if Forrester turned out to be a klepto or a jerk who left in the middle of the night. But the fact that Kyle had trusted Forrester so easily was still a milestone.
But Kyle didn’t trust Kyle.
That was the real problem.
What if he had a freak-out in the middle of sex and scared Forrester away? That’s what happened the last time he attempted sex without hearing. His boyfriend at the time had called him mental, told Kyle he needed a shrink.
He hadn’t been wrong about the latter.
But Kyle didn’t want to explain all of that right now. For now, to keep it easy on their budding relationship, Kyle picked up his processor and slipped it around his ear.
He felt it the instant it connected. The stillness was gone. He heard the faint crackle of sounds downstairs—Forrester’s laughter and Jasper’s bark.
He checked his hair in the mirror before heading back to the kitchen.
Forrester greeted him with a smile. “I’m glad it finally stopped raining.”
“Yeah, I was able to take Jasper for a real walk.”
“I see it didn’t burn off any of his energy.” Forrester threw the ball down the hallway with the natural ease of a baseball player.
“Nope. Was everyone there today for Mother’s Day?”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t like that’s anything unusual. They get together like that every weekend. I usually try to get out of it.”
“Why would you do that?” Kyle asked in disbelief.
“I don’t know.” Forrester shrugged and took a seat at the counter. On the floor, Jasper chewed his squeaky ball like mad, trying to tear it open and get the squeaker.
Not wanting to push—pasts, insecurities, and fears would be revealed in their own time—Kyle joined him at the counter. “I’m glad you came back over.”
“Me too.” Forrester grinned and pulled him close to kiss him. Kyle held still, savoring and being savored. No one had kissed him so thoroughly before, licking his mouth, making love to his tongue.
It was exquisite!
When Forrester retreated to catch a breath, Kyle’s tongue followed, needing more. Forrester licked it lightly. Then he sucked it all the way into his mouth, loving Kyle’s tongue as if it were the glans of a cock. The silken feel of mouth on tongue made Kyle whimper. Nothing like the intimacy of kissing could rouse such a fire in his groin. Forrester caressed the length of his back, then up and down the crack of his ass, his other hand stroking his arm in rhythm.
Kyle moaned, heart pounding and cock aching. He hadn’t been able to stop imagining Forrester deep inside him, giving over to a pleasure he’d denied himself for a very long time.
Pulling his tongue from Forrester’s lips, Kyle looked deep into Forrester’s eyes. “You’re such a good kisser.” His words were slurring a bit, he could tell. But Forrester didn’t seem to mind.
“I could kiss you forever.”
Kyle grinned and nodded, too lost to passion to formulate a reply.
Forrester studied Kyle’s face. “Thanks for having me over again.”
“You’re welcome. You bring an overnight bag?” Kyle had suggested he do so and had gotten a fist-pumping emoji sticker in response.
Forrester made a face. “Yeah, I left it in my truck, though. Do you have plans tomorrow night?”
“I have to work, but I’ll be home by six. Why? You got something in mind?”
“How about a date?”
“Do I get to complain about the food?”
Forrester tickled his ribs. He laughed and squirmed away. “As long as you come, I don’t care what you do.”
“Oh, a date and I get to cum. Sounds good to me.”
“I was being serious. You ever been to the Clandestine Theater? Over by the university?”
“No,” Kyle said. “They show old movies, right?”
“Yeah, sometimes. They’re playing the original 1951 The Day the Earth Stood Still.”
“I’ve only seen the one with Keanu Reeves.”
His jaw dropped. “What? That remake was total crap.” He raised his hands. “That’s it. You’re going.”
“Aye, aye, sir!” Kyle gave him a mock salute.
Forrester kissed him on the cheek. “Trust me, you’ll love it.”
“I do trust you,” he added softly, studying his face.
“Me too.” Forrester raised his brows mischievously. “So how about that book? Wanna read the rest?”
Kyle chuckled. “Yeah, I bookmarked the good parts.”
“Why, Kyle,” he declared, “were you reading it without me?”
“Maybe.”
His gaze grew lustful. “Did you jerk off?”
Cheeks warm, he admitted, “No, but I thought about it.”
“That’s so hot,” he said, voice lower, huskier. “Were you thinking about me?”
Kyle chewed on his lower lip and nodded.
With a hungry grunt, Forrester grabbed Kyle’s hand and dragged him back to the living room. “Where’s that book?”
Chapter Thirteen
“WHAT DO you wanna do today?” Kyle asked.
Grinning, Forrester rolled over and laid his head on Kyle’s pillow, their faces inches apart. The morning sunshine streamed in through the window, illuminating Kyle and making his blond hair shine.
“You,” Forrester answered truthfully.
Kyle laughed and play-pushed him on the shoulder. “You just did that five minutes ago.”
“No, you did me five minutes ago,” he countered, running his hand down Kyle’s bare chest. He could still feel the stretch of that perfect cock filling him over and over.
A week had passed and they’d done it sixteen times already—corny, but Forrester liked counting—and every time felt as wonderful as that first night together. But he’d yet to have a chance to top with Kyle.
Waggling his brows, he reached around and cupped Kyle’s ass. “What do you say? You ready to bend over and take this big Italian sausage?”
Kyle’s body froze and his eyes went wide enough to show the whites all a
round, his lashes long and dark. “Um…?”
Forrester drew his hand back, immediately regretting his joke—though he was more than anxious to do a little fucking himself. “It’s okay. I was just kidding. You know I like it when you fuck me.”
His gaze lowered, and he rested his hand on Forrester’s chest to toy with the hair. “I know, but….” He looked up in earnest. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
Puzzled, Forrester only nodded.
Kyle smiled, kissed the tip of his nose, and slid from the bed. Forrester watched him walk toward his dresser. Did he really dislike bottoming that much? He’d said it had been a while, which meant he wasn’t totally opposed to the idea, right?
Rather than pleading with those “but I’ll be gentle, baby” one-liners—he didn’t want to be pushy—he let the conversation drop.
After all, Forrester had no complaints. Kyle fucked like a damn champ.
“Listen, I, um….” Kyle hesitated and glanced over his shoulder. “I cleared out a drawer for you yesterday. If you want to leave some stuff here.”
“You did?” he said, a grin exploding on his face. The move should have felt premature, and judging by the look on Kyle’s face, Kyle worried it might be—but Forrester couldn’t be happier.
Kyle nodded. “Yeah, I did.”
“That’s awesome. Thank you.” He climbed from the bed and sidled up behind Kyle to hug him. Warm, smooth, naked man in his arms and a drawer?
Fucking heaven.
When he kissed Kyle on the neck, Kyle squirmed, laughing. “Eww, your dick’s still all cummy and wet.”
Forrester laughed but didn’t let Kyle get away. He rubbed his cock into Kyle’s lower back, nipping and kissing his neck and tightening his hold. “Since I’m sticky, maybe we should shower together. We haven’t done that yet.”
Kyle turned at the same time Forrester playfully mouthed his neck. Forrester’s nose hit something hard. They both flinched as Forrester knocked Kyle’s processor from his ear. Kyle shot out his hand and caught it just before it fell to the ground.
“I’m sorry,” Forrester cried.
Slipping it back into place, Kyle assured him, “It’s okay. Bound to happen once in a while.”
Forrester leaned close to inspect his ear. “I didn’t damage it, did I?”
He flashed a small smile. “No, it’s fine.”
Relieved, he kissed Kyle’s cheek. “No sense putting it back on, because you’ll have to take it out if you shower with me.”
A nervous smile tugged at Kyle’s lips. “You really want to shower together?”
He screwed up his face. “Heck yes I do. C’mon.”
Forrester took Kyle’s hand and dragged him down the steps to the bathroom. Kyle paused at the door and Forrester turned to kiss him, but Kyle looked very serious.
“Just showering, right?” Kyle clarified.
“Um, no?”
Moving nervously, Kyle walked over to the tub and switched on the shower. “My tub’s kinda small. We have to be careful not to get water all over the floor.”
The entire bathroom except the ceiling was tiled, so Forrester raised his brows in question. “Okay.”
Kyle gave him a tight-lipped smile and placed his processor in the dish on the counter. Then he stepped into the tub and immediately lathered up with a washcloth. Forrester joined him, grinning at Kyle. He reached for the soap so he could lather Kyle himself, but Kyle just handed him the soap and his own washcloth.
Kyle seemed rather hurried and perfunctory about the whole thing. After he rinsed off, he quickly stepped out of the tub before Forrester had a chance to initiate anything.
“Where you going?” Then he remembered Kyle couldn’t hear him. He touched Kyle’s shoulder lightly.
Kyle jumped and spun around to face him, eyes wide.
“Where are you going?” Forrester wanted to know.
His mouth opened a couple times, and then he smiled. “Jasper’s on the leash outside, remember? Gotta let him in. It’s hot out.”
“Oh, yeah. Okay.”
Apparently showering together wouldn’t include nearly as much hanky-panky as Forrester had hoped.
He finished soaping down and washed his hair, wondering why Kyle was being so weird this morning. First the bottoming thing, but then just showering when they were in the shower. But by the time he dried off and headed upstairs to get dressed, he’d dismissed it. Kyle had cleared out a drawer for Forrester, so what did he care if Kyle didn’t want to bottom? And hurrying out of the shower? Well, it was hot out, and Jasper was spoiled with his AC.
Kyle already had on shorts and a tight gray T-shirt when Forrester entered the bedroom.
Water from his hair trailed down Forrester’s back, dripping a little on the floor. Dang it. I left my towel downstairs. “We really need to put a second bathroom up here,” he remarked, plucking a tissue from the box and drying the wet spot.
“We?”
Forrester froze, halfway bent over, when he realized what he’d said. Straightening back up, he looked at Kyle. “Well, I mean, you do, I guess.”
Kyle sat on the bed, looking at Forrester thoughtfully. Like a rocket, Jasper shot onto the bed and into Kyle’s lap. He patted him the best he could with Jasper spinning, jumping, and licking in no particular order.
Finally, Kyle nodded. “Yeah, I do need another bathroom.” He pointed to the spacious closet on the inside wall. “I don’t want to lose too much closet space, though. I haven’t had an architect out or a contractor, but I think that spot is the only place one could go. You know, without worrying about support walls and stuff.”
Relieved Kyle didn’t seem bothered by Forrester’s presumption that they were a “we” and this was their house, he walked into the hallway, taking a good look around. He assumed the supporting walls ran parallel to the stairwell. He opened the hall closet and looked up for an entry into the attic.
“Bingo,” he said when he spied a board acting as an attic trapdoor.
“What are you doing?”
“Seeing which way the trusses go,” he explained as he easily pushed it up and over. The musty scent of insulation and old house greeted him along with a faint rain of dust. “You got a ladder?”
“What? Can’t you see up there, Shortstack?”
Forrester laughed and brushed the dust off the top layer of towels. “Sorry, might have to wash some of these.”
“That’s fine.” Kyle retrieved a small step stool from the bedroom that obviously served as a catchall junk room.
He handed Kyle the towels from the top shelf, and using the stool, Forrester was easily able to pop his head inside. It was dark, only a little light coming in from the vent at the peak of the house. “Hey you got a—?”
“Flashlight?” Kyle supplied when Forrester stepped down. He already had one in his hand.
Grinning, he took it, then studied the layout of the trusses. “You could reconfigure all these rooms any way you wanted, really. They’re not tied in to the actual frame.”
“Really?”
“Far as I can tell.” Forrester rejoined Kyle and closed the attic door.
“You know construction?”
He flushed with pride at the impressed look on Kyle’s face. “A little. My dad was a plumber, but he could fix anything. Cars, water heaters, electrical. Even fixed Ma’s sweeper once. He made sure all us boys knew how to use tools and how to fix basic stuff. I’d bet me and my brothers could tear out a couple of walls”—he gestured with the flashlight to the two spare bedrooms—“move ’em farther out here and put in another bath. Maybe just a half bath or one with a small standing-only shower. Save you a ton of money if we did it too.”
“Seriously?”
“Of course. We wouldn’t charge you. And we’re pretty good. We built a big addition off the back of Dino’s house and added a second bath at Tony’s.”
Kyle whistled and folded the step stool. “I’m impressed.”
“I’m very impressive.”
; Pausing on his way to put the step stool away, Kyle turned. He opened his mouth to say something but shook his head, obviously deciding against it, and headed into the junk room.
“What?” Forrester asked. “You don’t think we could do it?”
“No, it’s not that,” he assured him.
“Then what?”
“Never mind.”
“Tell me,” he insisted.
A sad smile pursed Kyle’s lips. “It’s real nice that you guys could do that for me and not charge me, but how would you justify why to your brothers?”
“Why what?” Then it hit him. “Oh, like why we would remodel some guy’s house for free.”
Brows up, Kyle pointed at him. “Exactly.”
A hot flush of shame went through Forrester. Indeed, how would he explain it? “Hey guys, you free the next couple weekends to remodel a house for a guy I know?” “No, you don’t know him. He’s a customer of mine.” “Actually he sucks my dick, and he’s really great at it.” “I think I’m falling pretty hard for him too.”
Yeah, like any or all of that conversation would go well.
Feet like lead, Forrester followed Kyle and leaned in the doorway. “I’m really sorry. Guess I was getting carried away.”
Kyle’s smile was forced—Forrester could tell.
“It’s okay, it was nice imagining,” Kyle said. “Picturing all you guys here, tearing out walls. Maybe teaching me some things.”
“I don’t wanna just imagine it,” Forrester all but whined, stepping closer and hugging Kyle tight. “But I just….”
Just what? Want something you might not be able to have?
Kyle returned the embrace, looking up at him, his smile more genuine this time. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We can figure out that stuff as it happens, okay?”
He let out a nasal breath. “I’m sorry. If I was out….”
Kyle shook his head. “No, you gotta do it on your timeline. I mean we just started… this.”
“Relationship,” Forrester corrected, feeling suddenly panicked by Kyle’s vague use of the word this.
His smile widened. “Relationship.”
“I’m serious about you, even if I’m not out. I hope you know that.” They hadn’t really labeled anything yet, but it felt like time to define things, especially after Kyle gave him a drawer. “Kyle, I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted a boyfriend. Like the settle-down-with kind of boyfriend, not a fling. I’m willing to give this a real honest go. You just say the word and I’m all in.”
La Famiglia Page 13