Finding You: The Complete Box Set (a contemporary MM romance series)

by Ana Ashley

  “I asked Dad. He got really mad, and this time, he hit me so bad there was a big bruise.” She touched her face where I could see the yellow coloring of the fading bruise.

  “I’d already taken pictures of the documents on my phone, so one night when they were out for dinner, I packed a suitcase with some clothes and school stuff and left.”

  “How did you find me?”

  “I recognized you from some photos dad’s wife had hiding in a drawer. You were the person from a newspaper article she kept with the photos. It was something about volunteering with LGBTQ youth. I used to think you were just a relative, but after I saw the documents, I knew you were their son. I looked you up on the internet and found out where you worked.”

  “You followed me home?”

  Lucy’s dark skin went a cute shade of pink. “Yes, sorry.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “The first night I saw you, I didn’t know what to say, so I watched you from across the road,” she said.

  “What was different last night?”

  “I don’t know...I guess I couldn’t wait any longer.”

  Listening to my half-sister telling her story made me feel so proud of how smart and brave she’d been. I still didn’t know what to feel, but I knew I couldn’t leave her to fend for herself. There was just one more question left to ask.

  “What were you hoping to find when you were looking for me?”

  “At first, I hoped you’d help me with some money so I could take a bus somewhere. The first night I was on my own, I stayed at the train station because it doesn’t close. The second night, I ran when a policewoman came to ask me some questions. That’s when I realized I’d been stupid to think I could get help from you.”

  I wanted to interrupt, but Isaac put his hand on top of mine where it was resting on my shaking leg and squeezed it.

  “I mean, you didn’t know about me. Why would you help? What if you had your own life and family? I decided I would figure out a way to get a job and earn money so I could leave the city, but then I found you.”

  Lucy got up and picked up her rucksack again.

  “Lucy, there’s a lot we have to figure out, but I would like it if you would stay with us here for now.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I know what it’s like to live on the streets. I was very lucky, but not everybody is. There’s enough space here, and I… we…” I said, looking at Isaac who nodded, “we would love it if you stayed.”

  She came around the table and gave me a hug before going over to Isaac and doing the same.

  “Thank you so much. You’re not going to regret it. I’m going to be really good; you won’t even know I’m here.”

  Isaac caught my eye and simply nodded. We could let the idea settle and then talk about the details. Fuck, I hadn’t even discussed it with Isaac before I offered Lucy the spare room.

  He mouthed “I love you” as Lucy got busy clearing the table. I mouthed back “I loved you more.”

  31

  Isaac

  It didn’t shock me that Max had offered Lucy the spare bedroom until they figured out what to do. What was interesting was that Max seemed shocked by his own decision as displayed by his recent behavior.

  He’d come home after work and stare at the three-place setting on the table. More than once, I caught him putting one plate back in the cupboard and had had to remind him that Lucy would join us for dinner.

  He would look at me like I was crazy and then he’d laugh it off. Lucy hadn’t noticed, but I was getting increasingly worried about Max and even more concerned about how it would affect Lucy.

  To add to it, he canceled the plans we’d made to have dinner with Joel and David before they returned to Portugal. I understood why he hadn’t wanted to tell Joel about Lucy straight away, but I couldn’t deny it hurt that he hadn’t shared that part of his life with me. Especially since I’d shared what had happened to me.

  How had he survived and coped all those years without telling anyone? I didn’t know, but I understood and respected his wishes to keep both lives separate.

  My shift at the center finished early, so I met Max at the hospital. He’d done a night shift but had sent a text to let me know he was staying longer because of a major incident locally, which meant they needed all the help they could get.

  I bought a coffee from a nearby coffee shop and waited outside for Max. I’d forgotten my gloves that morning and my hands were freezing. I still hadn’t gotten used to the New York’s cold weather, and when the sky was bright blue in the morning, I always forgot that, unlike Portugal, it didn’t mean it would be a milder day.

  Fortunately, I now had a new coat that kept me warm.

  “Hey, baby.” Max came out of the ER doors and put his arms around me, not caring that I was holding a hot cup of coffee.

  “Hi. Good day?” I asked, readying myself for the kiss I knew was coming.

  “It is now.” When his lips touched mine, it was like fireworks going off in my belly. I really hoped it would always feel like this for us. A whistle came from inside as the automatic doors opened.

  “Hi, Shelly.” I waved back at Max’s friend and then kept my arm around his waist as we walked.

  “Baby, I had an awesome idea,” Max said full of excitement.

  “What’s that?”

  “I think we should go to the Hamptons for the Thanksgiving weekend. I’ve swapped my shifts so I’ll be off all four days. We can see the Christmas lights and get cozy under the blankets,” he whispered suggestively, pulling me even closer to him.

  “That’s awesome! Lucy will love it.”

  “What?” He stepped away to look at me. “She’s not coming. This is for us, so we can spend time together.” His voice was only a tad short of whiny.

  “Max, Lucy is sixteen, and she’s been through a lot. I don’t think it’s right to leave her on her own for a whole weekend. She’s only been with us a week. It’s too early.”

  I wanted to say what was on my mind, but I’d have to bite my tongue until we got home. Max didn’t know it yet, but Lucy was spending the night at a friend’s house so we’d have the apartment to ourselves. I was planning to wine and dine him before we got serious. I hoped that plying him with either wine, hot chocolate, or cookie dough would get him to open up.

  “Fine, we won’t go then. All I wanted was to spend a freakin’ naked weekend with my boyfriend.” He was now stomping a few feet ahead of me and picking up pace.

  Despite his outburst, I still got all giddy when he called me his boyfriend.

  I sped up to catch up with him. “Hey, boyfriend.”

  He turned to face me, not caring that he’d suddenly stopped in the middle of a Manhattan street, which by all accounts was almost illegal. A few people swore at us, complaining we shouldn’t just stop like that on the street.

  He came closer until he was face-to-face with me. It was like we merged into one person living in slow motion with everyone else moving around us at super speed.

  “I’m sorry, Isaac.” He brought his hands up to cup my face. I closed my eyes as he traced my eyelids, my cheeks, and my lips with his thumbs. “You are so beautiful, you know?”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  “Sometimes I’m just so scared of the future I forget to live in the present.”

  “What are you scared of?”

  “Waking up in the morning and realizing I’ve only been dreaming of you.”

  How did I show him I was here to stay? How did I prove I was absolutely head over heels in love with him? After all, I moved all the way from Portugal to be here. Why was he afraid?

  “I’m here, Max.” Was all I said before I crashed my mouth into his with all the strength I had. Since we were right in the middle of the sidewalk I kept it brief but made my intentions known. “Now, look to your right.”

  “Oh, baby, I love you so much.” He gave me another kiss and pulled me into our favorite store.

  Ten minutes later
, we left with a bag full of containers of cookie dough and the promise of a very sexy evening.

  “Earth to Isaac…”

  “What?” I asked Rich absentmindedly. He was one of the volunteers at Liberty Center who’d been a lifesaver from day one because he seemed to know everything.

  “Man, you look so blissed out. Whatever you’re taking, I want some.”

  I chuckled. “You can’t have him. He’s all mine.”

  “Oh yeah, of course, the sexy nurse.” He gave me a knowing look. “Anyway, just wanted to let you know Diogo and his uncle are coming up to see you.”

  “That’s great, thanks, Rich.”

  I tidied the paperwork on the desk and noticed the Christmas decoration Max gave me last Christmas sitting there by the computer monitor.

  Somehow my workspace didn’t feel complete without that little reminder of Max and our time together last year. That brought back memories of last night when he’d tortured me in the best of ways.

  “Oh fuck, fuck, fuck!” I’d screamed.

  “Isaac, baby, you taste so fucking good,” Max had said before he’d spread more cookie dough on my hole and licked it clean. “Hmm, I love the taste of your bare skin, your musky smell, all man, and all mine.” He’d pulled my hips up so my ass was higher in the air and I’d groaned at losing the friction I was getting from the bedsheets.

  He’d rewarded me with his mouth on my rock-hard cock as he’d played with my balls with one hand and used the fingers on the other hand to enter my hole.

  I’d looked behind me to see Max lying on his back with his head between my legs. His erection had been standing up, ready for play, and I’d wondered how long it would take until I’d have it inside me.

  “I’m not going to last, Max,” I’d threatened.

  Max had scooted up the bed, still under me, so I’d ended up lying on top of him. He’d taken my mouth, and I’d tasted the mix of peanut butter, chocolate, and precum. It had been heady, to say the least.

  I’d straddled Max, hoping he’d get the not-so-little hint that I needed to come desperately and wanted to have him inside me when I did.

  When I’d stretched up to reach the side table to grab the condoms and lube, Max had stopped me with a kiss that made my toes curl and had taken both our cocks in his hand.

  I’d gasped at the tight grip of his hand. Trying to stop my body from moving on its own accord had been a hopeless fight. One I’d not been interested in joining, so I’d let the pleasure wash over me and wrap me like a blanket. I didn’t care what I’d wanted seconds before. All I’d needed was this, to be this close to Max, to feel his hardness against mine.

  The pressure had been building in my lower back, and I’d known I was too close. Like a mind reader, Max had brought his other hand down to cup my ass, and had then moved it so his finger teased my entrance. I’d instinctively opened for him and let out a sigh as he’d pushed through the ring of muscles.

  The moment he’d touched my prostate it had been game over as the build-up of the orgasm had bubbled over, and I’d come with a string of curses and I love yous.

  Max had still been hard against my softening cock so I had slapped his hand away and taken him in my mouth, tasting myself as I’d brought him his own orgasm.

  We’d had a slow shower after that, cleaning each other and making out under the spray of the water. I had never felt more at home, but as we’d dried off, I’d known that I needed to bring up a topic Max was trying to avoid at all costs. Lucy.

  A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts.

  “Diogo, Fernando, how are you both? Come in, take a seat.” I pointed to the two chairs in front of my desk. “Would you like something to drink?”

  I was still getting used to the fancy coffee machine Dorian and Jean-Paul had in their office. It made the best homemade coffee I’d ever had. I was pretty sure I was over-caffeinated most days, but since Max kept me awake at odd hours, it was probably a necessity.

  “That would be great, thanks,” Fernando said.

  “Ew, not for me,” Diogo said.

  “So, how are you settling in, Fernando? Have you got your bearings yet?”

  “I’m still learning my way around the city, but the worst is the cold.”

  I laughed in agreement. “I’m hoping to get used to it, too, at some point. I don’t like the subway very much, but I admit that the cold has defeated me a time or two.”

  Diogo was a little quiet, so I asked him how he was settling in at college.

  “It’s nice that I don’t have to move out to go to school.”

  “But?” I asked.

  “It’s a little hard to make friends. A lot of the students live on campus, so they hang out together.”

  “How about study groups?”

  “I’m in a group, but they like meeting up late and then going out to parties. It’s just not my thing.”

  I knew Diogo was still struggling with the loss of his mom. Having his uncle around was a great support, especially for the practical stuff, but it didn’t replace his mom.

  Even though Diogo wasn’t LGBT, he really enjoyed coming to the Center to hang out with the other guys and girls and had made friends, but he didn’t share much about college with them. I wondered if he felt bad because a lot of the other kids didn’t even have a proper home, let alone attend formal education.

  “I tell you what, why don’t you two come over for dinner this weekend? Diogo, there’s someone I want to introduce—”

  My phone rang. I was going to silence it, but then I saw it was the number for Jennifer’s mom. The friend Lucy stayed with last night.

  “Sorry, guys, I need to take this call, won’t be long.” I signaled for them to stay and walked over to the window that overlooked the street.

  “Hello, Isaac speaking.”

  “Hi, Isaac, it’s Jennifer’s mom. How are you?”

  “I’m good. Did the girls give you a hard time last night? Or did they do the teenage thing, and you didn’t see or hear from them until they were hungry?”

  There was a moment of silence, so I looked at the phone wondering if I had accidentally disconnected the call.

  “Isaac, Lucy didn’t stay the night. She sent Jennifer a text saying she wasn’t feeling well and was going to stay home. I was calling to see if she’s feeling better.”

  I froze.

  “She didn’t stay with you?” I said in a high pitch.

  “No. Isaac. Is everything okay?”

  “I’m not sure. She wasn’t home last night. Oh god, I need to call Lucy.”

  “Let me know if she’s okay,” she said before disconnecting the call.

  I felt chilly all of a sudden.

  I rang Lucy’s cell, but it went to voicemail. I left a message asking her to call me back.

  “Is everything okay?” Fernando asked.

  “I’m not sure. Max’s sister, Lucy, is staying with us. She missed her sleepover last night, and I don’t know where she is.” I started pacing the office. “Oh my god, what if she ran away again?”

  “Do you want us to help you look for her?” Diogo asked.

  “If it’s not too much to ask. All our friends are abroad or traveling, so it’s just me and Max. Oh god, he’s going to think this is all his fault.”

  I didn’t want to waste precious search time by waiting for Lucy to return my call, so I called Max.

  His phone went to voicemail, so I grabbed my stuff and went to the hospital with Diogo and Fernando.

  32

  Max

  I knew the universe was conspiring against me when I arrived at work and Jacki asked me to help her with the paperwork that was piling up on her desk. According to her, it was my turn to help out, plus she wanted all the gossip on Isaac.

  We spent the first two hours doing paperwork and me answering all her questions. For a moment, I wondered if she’d ask me to bring Isaac to work one day just so she could interrogate him and ask his intentions toward me.

  I assured her t
hat his intentions were absolutely unchaste. She laughed all the way to the door and then left me to finish up my tasks.

  The rest of the morning was quiet. Too quiet for my taste. I loved a busy emergency room, the rush of the activity and seeing lots of patients. When it was quiet, there was a lot of time to think. And with all the paperwork caught up on, there was not much for me to do between checking on the few patients that had come in.

  My mind kept revisiting the conversation I’d had with Isaac last night after our session of out-of-this-galaxy lovemaking. God, Isaac was so perfect; he moved when I moved, he loved when I loved, and he played when I played.

  I’d never been so in tune with another human being in my life, but that wasn’t what was playing on my mind.

  After our shower, Isaac had prepared us a snack and had then called me out on my behavior toward Lucy.

  I’d been defensive at first, but Isaac knew me too well to let me off. After all, he knew some of my history.

  “I’m terrified,” I’d confessed.

  “Of what?”

  “Of messing things up with Lucy, but mostly that looking after a teenager will come between us and I’ll lose you. You never signed up for this.”

  “Max, I signed up for loving you. Whatever happens, I will always love you. Come teenagers or overprotective cats, we’ll face it all together.”

  “Thank you, baby. I love you, too, so much.”

  I realized I was slowly acknowledging some of my biggest worries, and not just relating to Lucy and Isaac.

  We’d talked about my parents and the chances of them being out there looking for Lucy, what they would do if they found out she was with me, and my fear of seeing them again after all these years.

  We’d talked about the possibility that Lucy would live with us permanently and how I felt about that.

  The answer was that I was excited. I wanted to know Lucy better.

  I wanted to do what my dad had failed to do: care for her and protect her. Now that her bruise was completely gone, I could see how she was a carbon copy of her mother with her darker skin, perfect nose, plump lips, and those trusty brown eyes.