On the Same Page (Secrets Book 4)

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On the Same Page (Secrets Book 4) Page 23

by K. C. Wells


  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Four months later

  “HEATH!”

  He turned to find Maggie coming down the hall toward him. “Maggie, how are you feeling?”

  “Right as rain, thank you. What about you?” She grinned. “How’s the temporary accommodation?”

  He laughed. “I’m getting used to it.”

  Her eyes sparkled. “Living with someone can be challenging, can’t it? Even if it’s only temporary?”

  Heath had moved into Xavier’s place while the renovations were carried out on the street level. Not working at the shop was proving more of a challenge—Heath wasn’t used to being a man of leisure. Not that there would have been much in the way of business during the last couple of months. The oldest building at the end of the street had gone, and work had begun on its replacement, so the area was basically a construction site. The refurbishments on the outside of the buildings that contained the bookshop, coffee shop, and restaurant were progressing, and Heath hoped to be back in there for most of December. He didn’t want to miss out on Christmas.

  As for his “temporary” accommodation, Xavier had offered to put Heath up as soon as the work had started on cladding the exterior of the building. Heath was glad to have somewhere to stay, but he was trying not to get too comfortable. The shop could resume business soon, but there was no way to continue living in the flat above, not while it was being remodeled.

  That wasn’t the main problem, as far as Heath was concerned. What troubled him was that he might not want to leave Xavier’s home once he had his flat back.

  He chuckled. “There were a few hiccups at first, but to be honest, we get along really well together.” He smiled inwardly at the vast understatement. He and Xavier fit together in a way he could only have dreamed of.

  And he didn’t want to give that up.

  “Have you seen what your flat will look like once they’re finished?” Maggie peered closely at him. “They are letting you keep your flat, aren’t they? I mean, once there are all those nice new apartments, you won’t have to pay out for one of them?”

  Heath patted her arm. “You can stop worrying. I have it in writing that the apartment above the shop will still be mine, rent-free. After all, I still own the building. Only now, there’ll be a whole new entrance, so I won’t need to go through the shop anymore.” He hadn’t seen the plans yet, but Xavier had promised to give him a sneak preview as soon as he could.

  Maggie gave a relieved sigh. “I’m glad. You hear all these stories in the press about businesses screwing people over. Mind you, I suppose it helps when your boyfriend is a bigwig in the company, right?” There was that twinkle again.

  Heath snickered. “Is there anything you don’t know?”

  She shrugged. “I just pay attention, that’s all. Besides, I see you two every time you come here. Well, I see you up here and when you’re in the bar together. No one sees what else you get up to, because you’re always in one of the rooms.”

  He gaped. “Maggie!”

  “What?” She gave him an innocent stare. “There’s not a lot that goes on in this club that I don’t get to see.”

  Heath wasn’t about to let on to her that he already knew that part. And so far, he and Xavier had kept their role-playing behind closed doors. It felt a little… weird to think of acting out a scene in front of a lot of guys he hardly knew, and besides, doing their scenes in the rooms gave them an intimacy that heightened Heath’s senses.

  All the reading he was doing while he wasn’t working in the shop gave him plenty of ideas for scenes too.

  Living with Xavier was doing a whole lot for their relationship. Xavier talked freely about his new job, and Heath loved that he shared his ideas and opinions. He’d involved Heath from the start on the renovations to the shop front, wanting his input, and Heath couldn’t wait to see the finished product. He’d snuck in a visit or two to check on proceedings, unable to stay away.

  “Anyway, I’m glad I caught you. The boys and I are planning a trip, and I wanted to ask if you’d like to come along.”

  “Oh? Where are you going?” Heath couldn’t help feeling that a trip anywhere with Maggie would be far from innocent.

  She leaned in. “I’m taking them to a strip club, but we’re telling everyone we’re going shopping. Maxwell has an appointment nearby, so he’s going to drop us off before he goes.”

  A warm laugh rolled out of Heath to have his suspicions confirmed. Maggie was one of a kind.

  “You don’t know how much I wish I could. Won’t the guys get in trouble?”

  She shrugged. “Sometimes it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission.”

  The words struck home for Heath, because they were exactly how things went between him and Xavier.

  “Thanks for asking, but I have a date tonight. I needed to stop at Subspace to grab my jacket.” His cheeks warmed as he remembered why he’d forgotten it. Xavier had suggested trying out a bit of Harry Potter fanfic he’d found online, and Heath, playing Ron Weasley, had gotten up close and personal with Harry’s “wand.” Who knew there really was some magic in that thing? And then Heath had turned the tables and told Xavier he’d read one with Harry and Draco, and how Xavier would need some good acting skills to pull off that one.

  Fuck. It turned out that Xavier was very good at acting, and there had been enough oomph in his wand to cast multiple spells.

  Heath had never had so much fun—or so much sex.

  “You’re blushing.” Maggie stood there with a wide smile.

  “Sorry, just thinking.”

  She sighed. “I remember thoughts like those. I think the last time I had one was… hm. Yesterday?”

  They both broke out laughing. When Maggie put a hand on Heath’s arm, he stopped. Her expression had gotten so serious.

  “Love him, Heath. I’ve seen the two of you together, and you’re beautiful. I can see in his eyes how much he cares for you, and when you look at him…. Don’t let a day go by where you don’t tell him how much you care. Life is too short to forget the important things. Promise me that.”

  The change in mood startled him. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. “Maggie, are you okay? The last few times I’ve seen you, there’s been a touch of melancholy about you.”

  She nodded. “Got a birthday coming up. I always think about life when that happens. But I’m fine.” She glanced down at the lovely watch on her wrist. “I should go. I need to tell fussy pants a whopper so he believes me and the boys are going shopping.”

  She pulled him down and kissed his cheek, then turned and headed back to where the security guard sat. Heath watched as she leaned over and whispered something in his ear. When the guard sat up straight and cried out, “Oh, shut up, you did not!” Heath had to chuckle.

  His jacket retrieved, Heath went down to meet Xavier. As he passed through the club, he waved at Tim, Sam, and Aaron, then noticed Nick sitting at the bar, chatting with one of the bartenders. Nick caught sight of him, then gave Heath a smile and raised his glass. He was glad Nick decided to stick around. Being the hopeless romantic that he was, Heath hoped one day Nick would find someone he could be himself with.

  “Are you ready to go?” Xavier appeared at his side.

  Heath slipped his jacket on. “I am. What’s the plan for tonight?”

  “I was thinking dinner at the pizza place you and Maxwell went to. We could do a little dancing, maybe share a snog in the booth.”

  “A snog?” Heath laughed. “What are we, fourteen?”

  Xavier reached down and cupped Heath’s crotch. “I thought you liked role-play.” He leaned in for a kiss. “Seriously, though, I want to have a nice dinner with you, and then I’d like us to go home so we can talk.” He withdrew his hand.

  Heath gave him a wry smile. “Oh, talk, huh? And will this talking involve less clothes and getting hot and bothered?”

  Xavier rolled his eyes. “Believe it or not, talk can mean just talk.”

  “
Hey, you started this. If you don’t want to get me thinking hot and dirty, don’t touch the dick.” Heath loved the easy banter that had developed between them.

  “I want to discuss an idea I had with you, but it has to have your approval.”

  Okay, that was different.

  “How about if we pick up a pizza from Carlotti’s and then head home?” The idea of a quiet night in really appealed to him. “We can always see what’s playing on Netflix or something.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Then do a proper snog on the couch.”

  Xavier laughed. He reached out and cupped the back of Heath’s head. “Do you know what I love best about you? The fact that no matter what role we play, you fall into character so easily.” He kissed Heath, a lingering kiss with a hint of heat to come that night. “You make my life exciting.”

  That was good to know, because he did the same thing for Heath.

  “Pizza, then. We’ll have a cuddle on the couch with a glass of wine, and maybe some popcorn.”

  “I’d like that.”

  As they walked out of the club toward Xavier’s car, Heath reflected that moving back into his own place was going to be a real wrench. I could so get used to this.

  On the ride home, he got the feeling Xavier was distracted. He kept looking out the window and tapping his thumb on his leg.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Hm? Oh, yes. Just got something on my mind. We can talk about it soon, but right now I’m trying to get it all right in my head. Is that okay?”

  “Sure.” There it was again, the feeling that something different was coming.

  “They’ve started work on the new building at the end of the street,” Xavier remarked. “The rate it’s going up, they should have it ready pretty soon. Did I tell you what’s going to be in there?”

  “Not that I’m aware of, no.”

  “Eli and Jarod, the owners of the club, have been putting together a charity to help children and young people who are put out by their parents because they’re gay. When they heard about us refurbishing the area, they went to Mr. Church and asked about headquartering it here. He was ecstatic about the idea and is partnering with them. It’ll have six floors, with office space, plus rooms for kids in need on the upper floors. It’ll also have a kitchen to serve food to them, as well as offices for counselors. They’re going all out on it. Mr. Church’s son is going to volunteer there, he says.”

  “Oh, that’s great.” A warm feeling stole through Heath.

  This is really going to happen.

  HEATH WAITED until all the pizza was gone and they were seated together on the couch before speaking his mind. “You know the suspense is killing me, right?”

  “What?” Xavier’s gaze snapped to Heath’s. “What do you mean?”

  “You’ve been so quiet since we left the club. Plus you said you had something you wanted to discuss. Well? I’m dying here.”

  Xavier sighed. “I’m sorry. I’ve just…. Let me ask you a question. Are you happy with the plans for the front of the shop?”

  Happy didn’t even begin to cover it. The picture window with Wordsmith emblazoned proudly on it no longer rattled when it was windy, and the colors were bright and festive. In fact, the whole area was taking shape.

  “I love everything your company is doing. Why do you ask?”

  Xavier pulled out his phone and tapped a few buttons. “Okay, we were going over the blueprints today for the new apartments. There will still be three floors above the shop, which are all yours, as promised. So I have a few questions. Your flat takes up the first floor. How do you utilize the floors above?”

  “For the most part, it’s empty space. I do store some books on the second floor, but by and large the space is sitting unused.” Heath’s cheeks heated. “I kept them closed off because I couldn’t afford to get them fixed, and the cost of heating them would have been prohibitive.”

  Xavier nodded. “Okay, that’s what I thought. So listen, I have an idea, and I want to run it by you. Before anything else, let me put out there that this is only an idea and you don’t have to go along with it if you’d rather not.”

  “All right,” Heath said slowly. “What’s going on? You’re acting weird tonight.”

  Xavier blew out a breath, then turned his phone toward Heath. “This is your building, yeah? We—well, I—thought that maybe, if you’re willing, as well as renovating your flat, we could also renovate the two floors above it and make them livable space. I’m envisioning a bedroom on the top floor, with a fireplace, room for a king-sized bed, a small sitting area, and the like. On the middle floor, there’s enough room that it could be a proper office.”

  Heath frowned. “Why? I don’t need that much space. One floor is perfectly big enough for me.”

  Xavier’s cheeks flushed. “Yes, but is it big enough for two?”

  Two? The penny dropped. “You mean you…. You want to live there, with me?”

  Xavier bit his lip. “The thought may have crossed my mind a thousand times, give or take a few. I mean, you’re living with me now, right? Why not make it a permanent arrangement?”

  Heath blinked. “But… you have this place. It’s way nicer than mine.”

  “It might be nicer than your present flat, but wait until you see the new one. And yes, I do, but your place has certain amenities mine doesn’t. For example, my place doesn’t have someone who will kiss me when I come home from work at night. It doesn’t have someone I can wake up with in the morning and sit down to breakfast with and discuss our day. It doesn’t have someone who can tell me what a pretentious prat Merrick Smithson is. But most of all, it doesn’t have my heart.”

  “And you’d live there? With me?” Heath knew he was repeating himself, but God, how amazing would that be? “What’s the catch?”

  Xavier grinned. “Well, the other apartments aren’t like this. I pulled some strings with Mr. Church, who agreed to the renovations with the explicit codicil that the two of us live a long and happy life together. I’m going to be paying for the renovation of the upper two floors, but he’s providing the labor and things like that. It’s one of the perks of my new job. Of course, I’d have to work out of the flat sometimes, and we might need to have people come over to discuss projects. Hence why I suggested having a separate entrance so as not to disturb the bookshop.” He bit his lip again in the shyest, most adorable way. “This assumes, of course, that you’d be okay with having me there.”

  Heath didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes! I want you to live there.”

  He grabbed Xavier’s face and pulled him in for a kiss. It was soft, gentle, and sweet, and made Heath think of a future where he could have these all the time.

  And nothing would make him happier.

  XAVIER BROUGHT them both a glass of wine and rejoined Heath on the couch. Heath was looking through a box of books he’d brought from the shop, making notes in his folder and reading the blurbs on the covers. After a few minutes of observing him apparently unnoticed, Heath jerked his head up and caught Xavier watching.

  “Why are you staring at me?” he asked with a smile.

  Xavier gave a quick shrug. “Having a hard time believing this is real, I guess.”

  Heath’s eyes glittered. “Oh? Do you need me to pinch you again?”

  Xavier chuckled. “No, I’m okay on that. It’s just…. If you had asked me a year ago, I would have told you that this life we’re sharing right now could never have happened, because I had my focus on one thing. I let friendships fall away in my quest to chase what I thought would make me happy. Then someone called to remind me that I needed to bring a gift to his birthday party, and that led me here.”

  He got up and walked around until he was behind Heath. He reached out and gripped Heath’s shoulders, rubbing gently.

  “The thing I don’t think he realized was that though it had been his birthday, it turned out I got the gift.” Xavier kissed the top of Heath’s head.

  “Well, if we’re comparing lives… I alwa
ys thought that book men were better than real ones. They couldn’t hurt you or disappoint you, and you could always find them right where you left them. They became my friends, always at the ready when I needed to immerse myself in their world.”

  Xavier still couldn’t believe how much this beautiful man had changed since he got the call about Kyle’s birthday. He’d met a shy, quiet man who lived between the pages of his books, and from there had emerged this capable, confident, engaging man who rocked Xavier’s world to its core.

  “Then this man with the most beautiful eyes showed up on my doorstep and whisked me away to a world I’d only fantasized about. That was how I came to understand that the men in those books are still important to me, but not as important. I’ve found real friends, ones who have my back in ways no book guy can. Instead of having dozens of book boyfriends, I have one amazing man who is everything they are and more, all in one smart, incredibly sexy package. If I look at my life now and compare it to what it was when we met, I wouldn’t recognize the person I’m becoming. It’s scary and fun and I love it.”

  He reached up with both arms and pulled Xavier down into a kiss. Xavier half tumbled over the back of the couch into his arms, the kiss growing in depth until something stirred in him, the need for naked flesh, soft skin, and the desire to bury himself in tight, silken heat.

  Then he remembered what awaited Heath in the bedroom, and Xavier stifled a chuckle.

  Heath broke the kiss and gazed at him with narrowed eyes. “You’re up to something.”

  “Me? Whatever gave you that idea?”

  Heath clearly wasn’t buying his innocent look. “Uh-uh. Tell me.”

  “It’s just that the other day, you were talking about how much you liked dogs, and it got me thinking.”

  Heath’s eyes widened. “You got us a puppy?”

  Xavier bit back his laughter. “Not quite.”

  He couldn’t wait to see Heath’s reaction to the puppy tail butt plug that Xav bought for them after seeing Heath’s unmitigated joy when they’d watched 101 Dalmatians.

 

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