Honeymoon Their Way

by Honeymoon Their Way [Dreamspinner, States of Love MM] (retail) (epub)

  Raudel locked his heels around Chad’s back, froze, then growled out his release as he pulsed his seed down Chad’s throat in multiple waves. Chad took it all, triumphing in the fact that he could give Raudel such pleasure.

  Chad let Raudel’s softening erection fall gently from his lips. He rested his head on Raudel’s abdomen, breathing in the scent of the sex they’d just shared. Chad continued to run his hands over Raudel’s soft skin, through his body hair, then across the still-pebbled nipples. Raudel grabbed one of his hands, lifting his head to kiss Chad’s palm. He dropped it back on the pillow but still held on to Chad, curling their fingers together, and resting them against his chest.

  “I love you, mijo. Even if you think I’m crazy, I do.”

  Chad rubbed his cheek against Raudel’s groin. “Guess I’m crazy too.”

  Raudel tightened his grip and Chad’s heart hurt from so much joy. And yeah, they were probably both crazy. But seven years of never being able to get the other out of their heads had to stand for something. The day and night they’d spent together had only proved to him that it wasn’t merely an unfulfilled fantasy. They clicked. Chad had tried to move on, and Raudel said he had too. Chad had always figured his love hadn’t been real because he’d been too young and they’d never been together the way he’d hoped for back when they were in school.

  School was out. They were adults. It was time for them to start the life they’d wished for once upon a time when it seemed impossible for them to ever be together.

  “MMM.”

  Chad snuggled into the warmth wrapped around him. He was so fucking tired, and he had some vague memory of his grandmother being outside in the middle of the night. His eyelids fluttered before he managed to open them. He gasped.

  Jesus. I’m waking up in Raudel’s arms.

  His morning wood fought for superiority with Raudel’s as they both stirred from sleep. Raudel’s stubble was heavier and scratchier than Chad’s, but Chad didn’t care. He rubbed against him anyway. He wasn’t sure how sexy a morning-breath kiss would be, but he was pretty sure they could at least have time for some mutual masturbation before—

  “Chad! Raudel!” His mother pounded on the door like there was a fire. “Breakfast in ten. We’ll go over today’s itinerary after we eat. We have a big day ahead of us.”

  Itinerary. I never want to hear that word again.

  “Good morning, mijo.” Raudel kept his voice low. “I hope I can wake up with you in my arms every morning from now on.”

  He said he loved me. Chad swallowed. And I kinda said it back.

  “Good morning.” He squeezed Raudel to add an extra something to his greeting because he severely doubted his ability to bring forth any poetic words.

  “I don’t ever want to let you go, but your mom seems insistent.”

  Chad let out a grunt. “Yeah. Tell me about it. Ruined the whole happy-ending wake-up call I’d been planning.”

  Raudel lifted his head, gazing down at him with his gorgeous smile. “You too? See? We’re meant to be.”

  Chad laughed out loud before slapping a hand over his mouth. Don’t need to add to the obvious suspicion brewing in Lindsey’s brain.

  Chad wriggled his way free of Raudel’s grasp. “Might as well face the agony ahead. I’m guessing Lindsey will be even more wound up now that a new dawn has arisen, bringing us ever closer to the Big Day.”

  Raudel nodded as he rolled to a sitting position. Chad stared openly at his still-hard dick. He figured what the hell? They were a couple now, right? Staring privileges came with the territory.

  “The worst will be the night before the wedding. My oldest sister, Carmen, freaked, then wanted to back out at the last minute.”

  “Holy shit. What happened?”

  Raudel ruffled his own hair, then stretched.

  Yeah. I could totally watch that show all day.

  Raudel yawned. “My mom threatened to disown her.”

  “That’s harsh.”

  Raudel shrugged. “She knew they belonged together and wasn’t going to let my sister ruin everything over some last-minute jitters. My mom has this gift. She can tell when people are meant to be and when they’re not. That’s why my mom went out of her way to break up my middle sister’s engagement, knowing that they were all wrong for each other. But Selena wouldn’t listen. They were together less than two months before they divorced. And everyone else who she’s predicted would either have a happy life together or crash and burn, my mom’s been spot-on with them too.”

  “Wow. That’s intense.” Chad chuckled. “I wonder what she’d have to say about us?”

  When Raudel didn’t answer right away, he glanced up from where he’d been gathering his discarded clothing from the night before. Raudel locked eyes with him, his expression serious.

  Chad straightened. “What?”

  “I already know what she’d say.”

  They held each other’s gazes while Chad absorbed the meaning behind Raudel’s words.

  “Wait. You mean…?”

  “Yeah. She told me after I begged her back in high school to help me come up with a way to get you to talk to me. She said we were meant for each other but you weren’t ready yet. Said I should wait until you were.”

  Chad blinked several times, his breathing shallow. Did he really believe in such a thing? Probably not, but he could tell Raudel did. More than that, he didn’t need Raudel’s mom to know the truth of what they were to each other and to understand that he really hadn’t been ready at fifteen.

  Which meant he already had his answer about whether he wanted to be with Raudel from then on.

  “So… this whole time when I’ve been going to your folks’ grain-and-feed store to get Sassy’s food, and I’d be chatting with her, that whole time she…?”

  Raudel nodded.

  Chad practically jumped out of his skin at his mother’s frantic banging on the door. He swore the framed prints of lush forest greenery had rattled against the wall.

  “Boys, now!”

  CHAD PRETENDED to be enormously interested in the day’s schedule as he sat discreetly next to Raudel on one end of the sectional couch. They’d made it out of the bedroom as quickly as they could after airing out the small space and messing up the other bed so it wouldn’t be glaringly obvious what they’d gotten up to the night before.

  Lindsey had the floor, and she was really working it. Brenda and Shannon sat at the other end of the sofa, listening in rapt attention, pens poised to follow the orders of their leader.

  Lindsey announced, “So, we’ve had a few adjustments to the itinerary. Mom has passed around some Wite-Out for you to use, and you should each have a pen in the following colors—black, blue, red, purple, and green. Now everyone check to make sure you have all the correct pens. Each color is a code for a different task. For instance, the black are the main priorities, things such as verifying that the caterers, videographers, photographers, and other essential personnel are set to be here at the proper time.”

  Chad raised his head from checking his pens. “What about the minister? Shouldn’t someone verify he’ll be here too? He seems to be more important than all those other things.”

  Lindsey stared him down with eyes like laser beams. “Yes, Chad. Of course we’re verifying the minister. I didn’t name off every single thing. I was merely providing an example.”

  “Oh. Sorry.” He went back to his pens as she continued.

  “As I was saying—”

  “I don’t have a blue pen. Both of these are black.” He held up the pens in question.

  Lindsey sucked in several breaths as she clenched and unclenched her fists. “Duly noted. I will get you another fucking pen in a minute.”

  “But you asked us to check—”

  “In a minute!”

  The pop of the tab as a can opened echoed in the living room. Chad turned his head toward the source of the noise and noted his mother leaning against the threshold of the living area, a can of Bud Light press
ed to her lips. She tipped it back, then took a noisy swallow.

  Where’d she get that? It’s not even ten yet.

  She’d obviously availed herself of an early-morning beer run.

  “Everything going okay in here, sweetie? Do you need any more pens? Wite-Out?”

  Lindsey huffed. “Apparently, Chad is going to start freaking out if he doesn’t get a blue pen right this minute.”

  “That’s not what I—”

  Raudel grabbed his wrist. Chad glanced at him, and Raudel gave a small shake of his head. Chad couldn’t help it as the sighing returned and he slumped against the back of the sofa.

  His mother came over and handed him a blue pen, with a weary smile. He took it with a mumbled thank-you, then went back to his list while Lindsey rambled on. From what he could tell, the groom and groomsmen had a tuxedo fitting at one. Fortunately, Lindsey and Daniel would be having lunch in town by themselves before that, so Chad would be spared having to hold a conversation with the extremely successful businessman who’d swept his big sister off her feet. According to the list, while they were doing that, Chad would be on wedding-favor duty, but it didn’t look as though he’d gotten the sugared-almond detail.

  “What’s a lip-balm favor?”

  “Oh my fucking God, Chad. Can we save all questions until after I’ve finished?” She snatched the list from his hand. “They’re lip-balm sticks. You know, for chapped lips? I need you to attach them with ribbon and a tiny spray of fake baby’s breath to the sugared-almond bags that Raudel will have assembled. Got it?”

  Chad experienced a thread of panic. He’d only been kidding about the bow-tying thing when he’d joked about it with Raudel. He was pretty handy in general, but he wasn’t so sure about lip-balm-attaching. He hadn’t fared very well with the coffee table. Chad gazed up at Lindsey, silently pleading for mercy. “Will I know how to do this?”

  Raudel cleared his throat. “I’ll show you how. My cousin Arianna had them at her wedding.”

  “Thank you, Raudel.” Lindsey smiled sweetly at him before returning with a glare to Chad. “You think you can handle it now, Chad?”

  She’s so lucky that I frown upon murder. “Yup. Got it.”

  Mom gave him a thumbs-up from where she stood behind Lindsey. Since he no longer had a list to stare at, he peeked over at Raudel’s, pretending that the press of his arm against Raudel was unintentional. He couldn’t just sit still and listen; it made him nutty. School had been a long, torturous process for him. It was another reason why he admired Raudel so much for what he’d accomplished with his education.

  After another thirty minutes or so of itinerary adjustment and Chad being allowed to have his schedule back so he could copy Lindsey’s instructions onto it in the proper pen colors, they’d been excused to begin their assigned job of favor making.

  Chad was failing miserably at it, however. His fingers were too clumsy to tie the intricate bow required to secure the slippery plastic tube within the confines of the thin, satiny ribbon. He and Raudel sat perpendicular to each other at the family-sized oak dining table. Raudel was at one end with Chad to his right, and all the makings of their craft projects spread out before them. Raudel could assemble ten bags to Chad’s one lip-balm tie-off. It was depressing.

  Chad pulled two ends of the peach ribbon as tightly as he could, hopeful that the third time was the charm as he attempted to finish his fifth favor. The tube shot from the bag of almonds, flew across the room, then landed with a plop in the potato salad his mom had just finished making. “Oh shit!”

  Chad toppled the chair backward as he burst from his seat. He raced to the large bowl his mom had left on the counter, then dug into it with his fingers, searching for the errant balm.

  “Chad! What in the devil’s name do you think you’re doing?” He lifted his gaze and was met with his mom’s icy stare. “I didn’t raise you to be an animal!”

  Since he was currently knuckle-deep in potato chunks and mayonnaise, Chad didn’t think it was the right time to point out that at least he wasn’t slurring his words before noon. “I… didn’t realize how hungry I was until I got over here.”

  He reluctantly took his hands out of the gooey mess and accepted the cluster of paper towels his mom shoved at him. Chad glanced at Raudel, who was looking at him in confusion.

  He probably thinks I’ve finally snapped.

  His mom continued muttering as she took the potato salad away, her arms wrapped around the bowl protectively. After covering it with plastic wrap, she set it in the refrigerator, then turned to Chad. “If you’re that hungry, I’ll fix you some sandwiches. The potato salad is for the barbecue tonight.”

  Chad was lost. He could’ve sworn the barbecue was planned for Wednesday after the rescheduled photo session. “Are there two barbecues?”

  His mother rolled her eyes. “Weren’t you paying attention at the itinerary meeting? I sure as hell hope you got your color-coding right. Brenda and Shannon are having a surprise bridal shower for Lindsey because the first one was only with her work friends and Wednesday night is the only night that Daniel’s sisters could make it.”

  “But… if it’s a surprise for Lindsey, how come she was the one scheduling it this morning?”

  “How the hell should I know?”

  Raudel froze, a pink almond pinched between his fingers at the opening of one of the tiny net bags.

  Chad approached his mother carefully in case she exploded. “Hey. Mom. It’s cool. Why don’t you go and relax for an hour or two? We’ve got this.” He indicated back and forth between him and Raudel. “Potato salad made, wedding-favor construction underway, tux fitting at one. It’s all good.”

  She nodded shakily, blowing out a puff of air to get her bangs out of her eyes. “Okay, thanks.” She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a fresh six-pack. Chad wondered if they grew in the yard.

  “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the shed.”

  Chad and Raudel exchanged glances as she slid the patio door open, then stumbled outside, the beer cans clutched to her chest.

  Chad pursed his lips as he surveyed their progress. “Hey. Do you think you could switch with me? I think I’d be better at almond stuffing than lip-balm tying.”

  “Whatever my mijo wants.” Raudel winked at him, and instantly everything was fine.

  “Was that your mother yelling?”

  Chad jumped at the sound of his father’s voice. He’d forgotten he was even in the house. “Yeah. You know, the wedding.”

  “Yeah. I know.”

  He’d always been able to communicate with his dad in short, snappy sentences. They seemed to understand each other without lots of extraneous words cluttering things up.

  His father opened the fridge. “We out of beer again?”

  Chad didn’t dare look Raudel’s way. He could already hear Raudel’s pained attempts to hold in laughter, and it was likely that if they made eye contact, they’d both lose it. “Gosh, I guess so.” His voice wobbled, and he had to bite a knuckle to rein it in.

  “Damn. Oh well. I’ll have this potato salad instead.”

  “Uh, I think Mom meant to save that for the barbecue tonight.”

  “Tonight?” Dad whirled around to face Chad. “I thought that was Wednesday?”

  “You missed the meeting this morning.”

  Dad rolled his eyes with great exaggeration. “Dear God. It’s only Tuesday. Already feels like we’ve been here a month.” He ripped the plastic wrap off the bowl before snatching up the large serving spoon Mom had left on the counter. Then he dumped a big glop of potato salad into one of the bowls he’d grabbed from the dish drainer. Not bothering to get a different spoon, he dug in with the serving utensil instead.

  Chad sucked in a sharp breath as his dad brought the food to his mouth. “Dad! Wait!”

  His father regarded him with a questioning frown. He lowered the spoon and opened his mouth as if to say something, then paused, eyeing the contents before him. “Why is there a stick of lip balm
in the potato salad?”

  Chapter Six

  “I WANT to be alone with you so bad right now.”

  Chad knew he was taking a risk by whispering sweet nothings into Raudel’s ear during their tux fitting. However, since Lindsey was doing the exact same thing with Daniel, albeit with a smattering of giggles here and there, Chad figured he was safe. Ever since Prince Charming, a.k.a. Daniel, had entered the shop, it was as if he and Raudel no longer existed.

  Thank God. He’d never been so grateful for Daniel’s presence before.

  “You’re next, sir.”

  Chad rose, ready to subject himself to professional groping in the quest for the perfectly fitted tux. He’d already changed into the black tuxedo that sported a more modern slim cut and shorter jacket than the traditional variety. All he needed was a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, a checkered shirt, and white pointy Oxfords, and Lindsey could have the perfect hipster wedding. As it was he’d be stuck with the peach bow tie, peach boutonniere, and the peach pocket square to finish it all off. The presidential fold was on the itinerary for them to practice later that evening.

  Once he’d been properly fondled, he went to the changing room to get out of the precious outfit before something horrible happened to it. After the fountain disaster and the lip-balm incident, he didn’t trust himself anymore around Lindsey’s wedding accoutrements.

  “Mijo? You ready?”

  “Almost. Come in.”

  Chad opened the door a smidge, peeking around the side. “Where is she?”

  “She’s out there still. Now she’s thinking Daniel should wear a different color bow tie than us. She has him trying on different ones.”

  “Is she crazy?” He opened the door wider, gesturing for Raudel to come in. He shut it, then grabbed his jeans off the floor. “Everything’s already been done in peach and green. He’ll look like a leprechaun if he wears the shade of lime green she picked out.”