Authors: Eden Winters
"Yes, but you said you wanted to take it slow."
"I'm not talking about tonight, tomorrow, or even next week. While we talk about a lot of things, you always dance around the subject of a relationship."
Adam cut off Barry's attempt to protest. "I already told you that your actions speak louder than words. Still, every now and then, we need to touch base, make sure we're moving in the right direction. You're an action man, I’m better with words."
"Do you foresee us living together some day? I really like having you here, and the boys love you." A gross understatement. Tom I and Tom II showered more
affection on Adam than they did on Barry, who
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suspected the man of wearing catnip-laced cologne.
Wait. Was catnip another trigger for Adam's allergies?
"It's crossed my mind, but this is still pretty new.
Let's give it time. We're in no hurry."
Barry's hope started composing a "goodbye, cruel world" letter until Adam added, "My lease is up in August. That gives us plenty of time to decide, and this summer I'd like to take you down to Georgia, introduce you to my family."
Barry's alpha-male-protector tendencies spoke up.
"Could we go again in the fall? Maybe during hunting season?"
"You're a hunter?"
"No, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to take your brother-in-law out in the woods with guns and ammo involved." Barry twisted around toward Adam, missing the contact but needing to see the man's face.
"My family is gonna love you," Adam said, grinning.
Without so much as batting an eye, he added, "I know I sure do."
"You do?"
"Yeah, I do."
That lopsided, little-boy grin warmed Barry's heart.
"Good to know. It'll make things less painful for you when I lock you in this house and refuse to let you leave."
What the hell? When did you become a stalker?
his conscience screamed. He told it to shut up.
Oh, crap. Adam had said "family."
Barry cringed, chewing at his bottom lip. "Speaking of family, I sorta invited mine down tomorrow, roads permitting. I volunteered us men to watch the kids while Karen and Mom get a break." He watched for Adam's reaction. "Dad's been asking to spend some time with you. Get to know you. Pry into my personal life." He
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shrugged. "I'm sure you know how that goes. Think you'll be up to it?"
"I'd love to," Adam replied.
Barry released the breath he'd been holding.
During the past two hours, Adam's hoarseness had slowly lessened. "As long as we're not taking your nephews bowling or ice skating, or anything strenuous.
A few hours of video games will be all right."
Barry soaped a washcloth, making short work of
cleaning up. "Let's go to bed," he suggested, reluctantly leaving the pleasant-scented bath. He mentally added more of that oatmeal bath stuff to his "need to buy" list, batting Adam's hand away from the towel rack. "Allow me."
"I'm not helpless."
"No one said you were. You've had a rough day, and I want to take care of you."
Adam allowed Barry to dry him off but hung back
when Barry opened the door. "I gotta, you know..." He glanced at the toilet, then back at Barry.
"Oh! In that case..." Barry gave Adam some privacy, hurrying into the bedroom to turn the covers back and fluff the bed pillows.
Adam stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes
later, holding... Oh shit! He'd found the bag! "Uh, mind telling me why this was stuffed behind the toilet?"
"Uhmm..." If Barry's cheeks flamed any hotter, he'd spontaneously combust. "I, errr... " He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "They were for you, but you deserve better than cheap, last-minute gifts."
"For me?" Adam's entire face lit up. "I saw them in the living room but wasn't sure they were mine." He grinned as if he'd been given gold and pulled the rose from the bag, gazing at the silk petals with an admiring eye. "No one's ever given me a rose before!" Reaching
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in again, he removed the stuffed cat. "Awww... He looks just like the boys!" As excited as any child at Christmas, he exclaimed, "I'm naming him Tom III and putting him on my desk at work." Wrapping Barry in a hug, he murmured, "Thank you. Every time I see them, they'll be another reason to think about you."
Barry relaxed into the embrace, repeating, "You deserve better."
The words Barry had spoken to Pat days ago came
back to him. "It's the thought that counts. Besides, I think they're great. They came from you, didn't they?"
Regrets chased away by Adam's obvious delight,
Barry pressed their foreheads together. Hey! Adam looked good even as a Cyclops! They nuzzled noses and shared goofy grins. "We've got it bad, don't we?" Adam asked.
"Define 'bad.'"
In answer, Adam leaned in, connecting them mouth to mouth. The kiss started slow and sweet, a faint brushing of lips, and ended on a contented sigh.
"Yup, definitely bad," quipped Barry. "And if that's bad, I don't want to be good ever again."
A sleepy yawn stretched Adam's mouth, and Barry
led him to the bed, tucking him in. "I'll be right back,"
he said.
He made the rounds, shutting off lights, securing the house for the night, and setting the alarm system. When he returned to the bed, Tom I and Tom II were curled at the foot. They usually spent the night (actually, the majority of their lives) on the couch. Maybe Adam did wear catnip. The rose and stuffed cat sat on the dresser.
Sliding beneath the covers, Barry turned off the light, spooning against his lover's back. "Good night, I love you," he whispered, planting the lightest of kisses against Adam's neck.
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Snuggling in, he heard, "Love you, too."
In years to come, hopefully he'd get better at all this romance and gift-giving stuff, but at that moment, he couldn't imagine a better Valentine's Day.
Oh, right. Officially, February fourteenth wasn't until Sunday. He still had time.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.
Fanning the Flames
SINGLE SHOTS
An imprint of Torquere Press Publishers
PO Box 2545
Round Rock, TX 78680
Copyright © 2011 by Eden Winters
Cover illustration by Alessia Brio
Published with permission
ISBN: 978-1-61040-214-9
All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. For information address Torquere Press. Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680.
First Torquere Press Printing: May 2011
Printed in the USA
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