by Megan Slayer
* * * *
Shaun waited in his seat until the game concluded and the crowd thinned. By the time he walked past the concession stand, the garage-type door had been pulled down. Closed. So much for one last chat with Kevin.
He made his way through the stadium. The noise of the game was gone and the excitement of the experience had died, too. The smells of the food lingered in the air. The flags flapped in the breeze and Shaun understood the thrill of being at the ballpark. The energy in the crowd had been palpable. He missed the electricity. It wasn’t quite as exciting as being with Kevin, but nothing compared to his boyfriend. Kevin fascinated him. He had no idea how Kevin managed to keep all the orders straight. He’d mix everything up, while Kevin took the chaos of the concession stand in stride.
Shaun wandered out to his car. Instead of driving straight home, he opted to locate the houses he’d looked at online. Each of the homes had something in common—three bedrooms—enough for an office and guest room—two bathrooms, a two-car garage and especially a large back yard. Two of the homes ranked high on his list because they featured tall fenced-in yards or privacy shrubs. He liked the layout of the third house, but it didn’t have a large yard or two-car garage—but there was room to add on. Did he want the headache of home improvements? Not yet.
He’d have to show the houses to Kevin and do some walk-throughs. Not impossible.
Shaun drove into the parking lot of his apartment. Once he parked and gathered his things, he locked the car and headed up to his unit. He wanted a bigger place, but the smallness of his one-bedroom apartment became glaringly obvious. It wasn’t just small. It was cramped. Time for something new.
He turned on his tablet and sent an email to Tony, the realty guru at the newspaper. If anyone would know what to do, it would be him. Shaun needed help navigating the housing market. After he wrote and sent the email, he headed to the bathroom for a shower. He should’ve run today, but he’d rather veg a while and run with Kevin tomorrow.
He also should’ve called Cheryl to let her know he was still alive. She’d want to know and want updates on Kevin. Calling her wouldn’t be a short chat. She liked to talk—then again, so did he. If he wanted to accomplish anything else while he waited on Kevin, he’d have to call her later.
He wondered how long Kevin would be at the stadium tonight, though. A while, probably, since the second game didn’t start until seven. He checked the clock. Six-fifty-five.
Kevin would be a long while and he’d have time to call Cheryl.
His phone rang and Shaun checked the ID, hoping it was Kevin. Not his lover. Not even Cheryl. His heart lodged in his throat.
His ex-partner, Jonah.
Shit. He hadn’t heard from his ex in over a year. What could Jonah possibly want? He should let the call go to voicemail. At one time, he’d loved Jonah. Sure, they’d parted on okay terms, but still. He’d had his heart broken when Jonah had brought around his new boyfriend before he and Jonah had split.
His phone silenced and he allowed himself to breathe. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath. Maybe the call was a misdial.
Shaun sagged in his seat. He’d wondered more than a few times what he’d feel like if he ever ran into Jonah again. Would he be worried? Concerned? Drawn to him all over again? The love hadn’t faded?
He wasn’t sure, but if his initial reaction was anything, then the love was gone.
His phone rang again. Jonah.
Shaun sucked in a ragged breath and swiped to answer. Just get it over with. “Hello?” He’d once cared about this man and wanted to marry him. How could he just ignore him now? Easy. Jonah wanted to move on with his life and didn’t care about it. If he did, he had a strange way of showing it.
“Hi,” Jonah said. “How are you?”
“Good. You?” His voice wobbled. Damn it. He couldn’t show any weakness. “Is everything all right?” They hadn’t spoken since the split. Why wait this long to call? “You don’t talk unless you want something.”
“I needed to hear your voice—that’s what I wanted.”
“You did?” Shaun asked. Jonah hadn’t said things like that when they were together. Jonah wasn’t the romantic type—unless he wanted to get someone into bed.
“Yeah.” Jonah chuckled. “We were together for a long time and I do miss you. I miss how it feels to have someone in the house, to know you’re on the other end of the phone line, to kiss you when I’ve had a rough day…the little stuff.”
“That’s…yeah.” He hated sounding indecisive. “You do?”
“It’s not like we parted hating each other,” Jonah said. “It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad, and I have fond memories of you. I look back at what we had and it makes me smile.”
Shaun wouldn’t say that. Since the last year of their relationship, he wasn’t Jonah’s biggest fan. Most of the time, he couldn’t stand being in the same room with him. “Sort of. It was pleasant.” Ish. He paused. “You told me you hoped I’d end up falling in front of a bus and I’d never find love again.”
“I was angry and that was harsh. I’m sorry.”
Sorry? Jonah had to be dying. He never apologized for anything. “Uh, okay.” Christ. This was harder than he’d ever imagined. “Did you need something? It’s not like you to wander down memory lane.”
“I’m finding in my older age that I do like to reminisce. I’m not a total shallow jerk, you know. While going through my stuff, I found some photographs that are yours. They’re of your parents when they were married. I think one is a wedding photo,” Jonah said. “I assumed you’d want them. You do, right?”
“I’d like them, yes.” He’d lost those photographs when he and Jonah had broken up. Having the pictures back would be nice, but the timing didn’t add up. “Where did you find them?”
“In one of the hutch drawers.”
Interesting. He didn’t keep his pictures in the hutch. “When did you find them?”
“About a month ago. I wanted to send them, but I worried they’d get lost in the mail. You know how things are,” Jonah said. “It wasn’t safe, so I hesitated. I’d feel terrible if I mailed them, texted you they were on the way and they never made it. All those memories…poof.”
“That makes sense and I appreciate your kindness. The mail has been slow lately.” Somehow, though, he doubted Jonah’s story. He could’ve sent them via the specialty mail services and had them tracked. “Then how are you going to ensure I get them back?”
“I wanted to meet up to give them to you in person. I’m going to assume there are coffee shops where you are, right?” Jonah asked. “Where are you now?”
“Cedarwood. I followed Mom up here and got a job.” He’d forgotten he hadn’t mentioned to Jonah where he’d moved. He’d severed that part of his life and until now hadn’t wanted to revisit it.
“I knew you would go with your mom. You’re so close to her,” Jonah said. “How is your mother? Are you seeing anyone? I haven’t seen you out and wondered.”
“Mom’s fine, but she’s doing her thing. We don’t talk much, but I am seeing someone—his name is Kevin.” He’d bet this was why Jonah wanted to see him. He wanted to get nosy.
“Older? Younger?”
Is it any of your business? “My age.” Jonah liked to lord the fact he was older than Shaun over his head.
“Ah. Does he love you?”
His irritation rose. “It’s still new, but yeah.” He wasn’t lying. The passion between them was strong and he believed it was love.
“Ah, so you’re living together and fucking like rabbits. Does he know you’re talking to me? That you still have my number in your phone?” Jonah asked.
“Stop.” He wasn’t in the mood for this shit.
“Come on, Shaun. Be honest. Why not delete me? I’ll bet he doesn’t know your secrets.”
He’d had enough. Jonah could be a manipulative shit when he wanted to and this wasn’t the time to push. “First, I want my pictures back, and I’ll meet yo
u in Ashland at the truck stop to get them. As for Kevin, we’re good. We are in a great place and happy, so don’t ruin it. Got me? Don’t be this way.”
Jonah snorted. “Who says I’m being that way? I just asked,” he said. “When do you want to meet?”
“How about Wednesday? I’m available after three.” He just wanted to get this over with.
“Four on Wednesday. I’ll be there,” Jonah said. “Should I wait in the car or inside? I don’t want you to be disgusted by seeing me.”
“Wait in the food court.” Jonah would have to add the little derogatory comments. The ass.
“We used to be good together, Shaun,” Jonah said. “We used to make each other happy. Where did we go wrong?”
“You wanted to sleep around.”
“I never wanted to get married,” Jonah said. “You assumed the sleeping-around part. You never asked me for clarification.”
Shaun thanked God he was sitting down. Jonah’s declaration would’ve knocked him over if he hadn’t been seated. “Wait. You had a boyfriend and I remember meeting him.”
“You did, but not until after we split.”
Not true.
“I didn’t invite you to meet him until after we were done because I wanted to know it was the truth,” Jonah said.
Something didn’t feel right. He remembered meeting a guy—Stephen or Karl, or maybe it was Dave—but he and Jonah hadn’t split yet. He recalled the guy coming over to the house they were renting and Jonah explaining Shaun and the man should be friends.
“Yeah, I thought you’d forget,” Jonah said. “I want to see you. I miss you and miss us. It’d be good to have a bit of time together.”
“I suppose.” Closure would be nice. “Just be there on Wednesday.” He’d have to tell Kevin soon. He doubted Kevin would be upset, but still. They had to be open with each other. Jonah was his past and Kevin was his future. He was starting to understand what love was and it defined his feelings for Kevin.
“I’ll see you and I will bring the photos,” Jonah said. “Bye, Shaun.”
“Bye.” He hung up. Shaun closed his eyes and rested his head against the cushion. Well, fuck. He’d thought Jonah was out of his life. Thought he’d moved on, but Jonah had found a way to pull him back in. That was Jonah, though. He lived for the push-pull. One day he never wanted to see Shaun again, then the next he missed Shaun.
Jonah probably did have photographs and could be acting nice enough to give them back, but the story didn’t make sense. If Jonah knew about the photos, had he really found them a month ago? Why not call before now? When he and Jonah were together at the end of their relationship, they couldn’t be in the same room at the same time because Jonah had thought he was fucking every other guy there.
He rubbed his forehead. He and Jonah did want different things. Jonah wanted to be with everyone and his actions spoke to his desires. For someone who said he hadn’t been sleeping around, why had Shaun found him in bed with someone else three different times?
He shoved the phone away and closed his eyes. Why did his ex want to fuck with him?
Because Jonah can.
Shaun sighed. He wished he were at Kevin’s so he could pet Leo. The cat gave him comfort. Plus, it meant he’d be there to see Kevin when he got home.
He groaned. Fuck. He needed to tell Kevin right now about Jonah. He slapped for the phone, then grabbed the device. He should check the score to see if Kevin would even be available. What was the schedule for the team like on Wednesday? Maybe Kevin could come with him.
He scrolled through the remaining dates. Shit. A game on the meeting day. Hopefully Kevin wouldn’t care about the quick meet-up and would give him strength.
Shaun left the sofa and made himself a snack. He wasn’t hungry, but needed to eat something. Once he returned to the living room, he turned on the stereo. Right now, he needed music to soothe his soul. His phone buzzed with a new email.
He tapped the icon to check the message. It was from Tony, the realtor. According to the message, he’d been given time slots to view each of the five houses he’d sent inquiries in for and Tony would be happy to help him.
At least something was going right. He spent the next hour talking with Tony about the tours and house buying. He knew what he wanted in a home and how much he wanted to spend. Now that he had a plan, he couldn’t wait to get started and tell Kevin. Home buying was turning out to be a strange but interesting journey.
His phone buzzed and he retrieved the new message as well as the charging cord. He plugged in the device. His spirits lifted. A text from Kevin.
He settled on the sofa.
Miss you.
Shaun grinned.
Miss you, too. Good game?
Kevin replied in seconds.
Good enough. Kept it close, but we lost.
Damn. They’d been ahead when he’d looked last.
Bet you’re tired.
Kevin’s reply came almost as quick as if they were talking on the phone.
Exhausted, but I miss you. Can’t sleep without talking to you.
No? Shaun rubbed his chin. He liked knowing Kevin was just as caught up as he’d become in just a short period of time.
Are you home?
Kevin replied a moment later.
No. Taking 5 in the break room. Needed a breather. I’ll leave in 45.
Ah. He could work with that.
Mind if I come over?
Kevin didn’t reply right away and Shaun wondered for a split second if he’d overstepped.
Yes. Please?
Shaun sagged in his seat and exhaled the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
You’re sure?
He needed to know he wasn’t pushing.
I want you there. Need you.
He clutched the phone and his desire for Kevin rose.
I’ll be there. I’ll relive your tension.
He’d pack a bag in a moment and meet Kevin in the parking lot of his apartment.
You’re the best stress relief because you calm me.
Kevin’s reply made Shaun’s day. His heart belonged to Kevin. God, he’d fallen hard for him. He sent two texts to Kevin.
You make me feel like me. See you in a little while.
<3
He didn’t care that he’d texted a heart. Kevin was his person and he wanted everyone to know it was love. He couldn’t wait to see him. Right now, he needed to be loved and cherished. He wanted to prove his devotion to Kevin, too. He’d become a better man because of his boyfriend. He’d found his other half. Now he had to figure out how to keep him.
Chapter Eight
Kevin arrived at his apartment building and spotted Shaun’s car. His heart leapt. He’d wanted to see Shaun and his desires had come true. Right now, he needed to hold him. He parked, then left his car.
Shaun remained behind the wheel of his for a moment, then opened the driver’s side door. “Have you ever had one of those days?”
“I have.” He ventured over to Shaun.
“I want to turn off my brain and exist. No thinking, no trying to sort other people’s shit out.” Shaun left the car and closed the door. “I need you.”
“To do what?” Kevin grasped Shaun’s hand. “Listen to you? Play therapist?”
“No.” Shaun slid his arm around Kevin, then tugged him close and kissed him. Fire lit in his eyes. “To be inside you.”
Kevin shivered, despite the warm, late-summer-night air. “Yes.” Blood rushed to his dick and his heart beat faster. “Come with me.” He dragged Shaun upstairs to his apartment. His long day had just gotten better because Shaun was there. He headed into his place, and while Shaun closed the door, Kevin ensured Leo was okay, then focused on his boyfriend.
“You made my day when you texted.” He kicked out of his shoes. He tossed his wallet, keys and phones onto the counter. “I needed to see you.”
“Did you?” Shaun abandoned his keys, phone and wallet with Kevin’s, then wrapped him in his embrac
e. He crushed his mouth on Kevin’s. This wasn’t a slow or sweet kiss, but rather a claiming, demanding kiss. He sucked on Kevin’s tongue and stole his breath.
Kevin simply went along for the ride. He breathed Shaun in, savored his taste and the way Shaun touched him.
“You’re my drug,” Shaun said. He pressed Kevin to the apartment door. “Need you.”
“You’ve got me.” Kevin squirmed free long enough to tug Shaun to the bedroom. “Shower with me.”
“God, yes.” Shaun shoved Kevin’s shirt over his head. He unbuttoned Kevin’s pants, barely giving him the chance to consider what was happening.
Kevin didn’t care. He pushed his pants and boxers down to his ankles and stepped out of the wadded-up clothing. When he turned to twist the knob in the shower, Shaun embraced him from behind. He nibbled along Kevin’s shoulder. Steam billowed as the shower water heated up.
“You smell like fries,” Shaun said. He raked his teeth along Kevin’s neck. “But you feel so hard and sexy. I like it.”
His skin tingled. The stress washed away with each kiss and touch. He wasn’t in the shower yet, but felt better than ever.
Shaun nudged Kevin’s ass with the bulge in his trousers. “Want to be inside you.”
“I want you inside me.” He stepped into the shower. “Come on.”
Shaun stripped, then filed in behind Kevin. Instead of speaking, Shaun dipped his head and turned Kevin around. He sucked on Kevin’s nipple and palmed his ass as he embraced him.
“Shaun.” His senses shifted into high alert.
“Love your ass,” Shaun murmured. He swatted Kevin and switched his attention to the other nipple.