The Growing Season
Page 18
* * *
Sweat streaked down Danny’s face and chest, and he collapsed onto Sam with a spent, satisfied moan. It had been Sam’s idea for him to bottom from the top, and the happy, post-orgasm throbbing in his cock and the pleasant ache in his ass couldn’t be denied.
“You’re a genius.” Danny pressed his face into Sam’s neck, enjoying the scent of sex all around them. He hadn’t felt overwhelmed or dominated for a moment, and it had been perfect. He shifted his hips, and Sam’s prick, which was still hard even though he’d come, nudged Danny’s prostate. He shivered at the jolt that shot through his body.
“Yes, I certainly am.” Sam laughed breathlessly as he stroked his hands over Danny’s sweaty back, then wrapped his arms around him and rolled them to their sides. He withdrew carefully, and Danny mourned the loss immediately.
“I wish I could walk around with you inside of me all day long.” Danny kissed the skin over Sam’s collarbone.
Sam, who was carefully removing the condom, sent him a lewd look. “There’s always a butt plug.”
Danny hoped Sam could see how interested he was in the idea from the slow, sultry smile he gave him. He stretched languidly, knowing he looked debouched with his own come on his chest and stomach. He slid his fingers down through it for effect. “You think I wouldn’t do it, don’t you?”
Sam shook his head and chuckled as he tossed the condom into a small trash can. “No, I know you would, actually.” He lay on his side to face Danny, his fingers tracing through the rapidly drying semen on Danny’s belly. He lifted his index finger to his mouth and sucked on it, and looked at Danny with heat in his eyes. Danny laughed.
“If you don’t stop doing shit like that, we’re never getting out of this bed.”
“And this is a bad thing how?”
Danny mirrored Sam’s position. “Because you promised your Dad you’d come over to the house this morning, and go over his latest bank statements with him.”
Sam grimaced. “That’s right.” He glanced at the clock. It was seven-twenty. Will’s guys usually didn’t show up until about eight so they had a few minutes of quiet. Sam slipped his arm around Danny’s waist and pulled him flush against him.
“You’re going to get all gross and sticky.”
“I’ve had spunk on me before.”
Danny grinned. “Even mine.”
Sam nodded. “Even yours. Listen.” He stared into Danny’s eyes. “I have something I’d like to talk to you about.”
He looked serious, and Danny’s heart sank. Things had been so great for the past few days. He just wanted more time, as much as he could get. But how realistic was that? “Okay.”
Sam took a deep breath, rising up onto his elbow. “I’m seriously considering moving my business to this side of the state.”
Danny’s heart surged. It was the one thing they’d avoided talking about, and the last thing he’d expected Sam to say.
“You are?” he asked carefully.
Sam nodded. “If I’m going to help my dad, it will be easier if I’m here. Plus, Jose and Marisol live here and he hates being away from his family during the season. And Leroy’s mom is here, and she’s in her eighties. It’s getting harder for her to be on her own. If he was close, he could help her, and he’s willing to relocate.”
Danny was momentarily disappointed. He’d sort of hoped Sam wanted to be near him, too.
“And,” Sam said slowly, a knowing grin on his face that made Danny wonder if he was also a mind reader, “there are other motivations that make me want to stay, too.”
“The lure of readily available sex?” Danny was teasing, but Sam shook his head.
“It’s more than that for me.” He was whispering, but he might as well have shouted. Danny caught his breath, his heart now lodged firmly in his throat. “You aren’t just sex, Danny.”
It was his turn, and Danny didn’t have any trouble coming up with the words. “You aren’t just sex to me, either.”
“Then I’ll sublease my apartment in Tacoma, and we’ll see where this takes us, okay?”
Danny slipped his arms around Sam’s neck and pressed his face to his throat, into what he now thought of as his own private place, right beneath Sam’s jaw. His heart felt so full it was hard to breathe. “Okay.”
“Oh, lovely.”
Danny’s eyes widened. It was one thing to hear Audrey when he was dressed. But when he was naked in the arms of his lover with his spunk drying on his stomach? He glared over his shoulder and yanked the blankets up to his waist, covering them both. Her musical laughter floated away into silence.
Suddenly Sam leaned back, glancing around the bedroom, and Danny watched him, perplexed. “What are you looking for?”
Sam’s brow furrowed. “Do you smell that?”
Danny smirked. “You mean man sex? Yeah.”
Sam shot him an amused look. “No, not that. There’s something else.” He sniffed. “Like, perfume. It smells like something my mom used to wear.”
Danny inhaled, and he smelled it too. There below the scent of sweat and sex was the faintest hint of Chanel No. 5.
“It’s Chanel.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Why would I smell that here? That’s just weird.”
“Actually...” Danny caught hold of Sam’s chin, looking into his eyes. He’d been going to tell Sam about Audrey, anyway. Well, no time like the present. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, too.”
“Okay.” Sam looked vaguely discomfited, and Danny thought it was about to get a whole lot worse.
“He’ll be fine.” Audrey’s voice was soft, and near. “Just tell him his mother will never stop loving him, no matter where she is.”
Danny closed his eyes, warmth filling him. He knew she meant not just Sam’s mother, but that she’d always love Cal and Devon and even him. Still, he gave the seemingly empty room a reprimanding look. “Mine could leave my bedroom any time now.”
He heard her bright, infectious laugh, and couldn’t help but smile.
“Danny—” Sam looked both confused and vaguely worried. “Who are you talking to?”
Danny lifted his hand and caressed Sam’s face. “It’s kind of a long story. Can you keep an open mind?”
Sam searched his eyes, and then nodded. “Sure.”
Danny pushed back slightly and propped his head on his hand. He gave Sam a wry smile.
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
Sam settled in to listen, and the scent of Chanel No. 5 slowly faded away.
* * * * *
About the Author
Diana Copland began writing in the seventh grade, when she shamelessly combined elements of Jane Eyre and Dark Shadows to produce an overwrought Gothic tale that earned her an A- in creative writing, thanks entirely to the generosity of her teacher. She wrote for pure enjoyment for the next three decades before discovering LiveJournal and a wonderful group of supportive writers, who after gifting her with a “Best New Author” award encouraged her to try her hand at original gay fiction. She currently has two novels in print, one a paranormal romance titled Beautiful Forever and the other a Christmas tale titled Grand Jeté, both of which spent several weeks on bestseller lists. She also wrote contributions for the anthologies Sindustry Volume One and A Brush of Wings.
Born and raised in Southern California, Diana moved to the Pacific Northwest after losing a beloved spouse to AIDS in 1995. She lives in eastern Washington near her two wonderful adult children and her surprisingly supportive parents.
Where no great story goes untold.
The variety you want to read, the stories authors have always wanted to write.
With new releases every week, your next great read is just a download away!
Keep in touch with Carina Press:
Read our blog: www.CarinaPress.com/blog
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CarinaPress
Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarinaPress
ISBN-13: 9781426898570
THE GROWING SEASON
Copyright © 2014 by Diana Copland
Edited by Deborah Nemeth
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
www.CarinaPress.com