Unfortunate Son (5 page)

E
VAN
CAME
awake from a light doze to the feel of Riley’s mouth around his cock, one of the best wake-up calls he’d had in ages. He moaned and reached under the covers to slide his hands into Riley’s curls.
Fuck
, he could suck cock like a pro. And Evan would know.

They’d sucked each other off earlier, after making out and playing around for a while, and then Riley had cuddled up and suggested a nap before round two. Looked like Riley was ready to go again, or so the tongue lapping at Evan’s balls seemed to be telling him.

Riley’s mouth disappeared, and the covers moved before Riley’s
head popped out. He grinned at Evan. “Fuck me,” he said, and Evan
had to laugh.

“Whatever you say.”

Evan watched as Riley reached for a condom from the bowl on his night table. The (big) bottle of lube had already gotten some use, since their sixty-nine had come with bonus ass fingering on both sides. Riley grinned down at Evan as he settled across his thighs and ripped open the package. “Don’t think I’m not still planning to turn this around at some point.”

Evan reached for the condom and rolled it down over his cock with practiced ease. “I’m counting on it.” He grabbed the lube and gave the latex a generous coating, then held his cock up straight. Riley didn’t waste time, shifting up to hover over him for only a second before lowering his lithe body one slow, delicious inch at a time.

Evan moaned when he bottomed out inside. “Hot.”

Riley gave him a dirty grin. “We’re just getting started, honey.”

The next fifteen minutes were an exercise in self-control like Evan hadn’t experienced in years. Riley moved like a dancer above him, his hips rolling in slow counterpoint to the steady, fast pace he set. Strong muscles bunched and flexed in his thighs as he lifted himself up and then dropped back down, driving his body hard against Evan’s, sending shockwaves out along every nerve ending. Evan ran his fingers up Riley’s legs, feeling those muscles move, the light dusting of near-invisible hair like fine-grain sandpaper against his oversensitive skin.

This was what Evan had been missing: real sex. No cameras or direction, just two bodies coming together in whatever ways brought them the most pleasure. It didn’t matter if no one could see where Evan’s cock breached Riley’s body, or whether Riley hid his cock from view when he bent forward to kiss Evan hard. Which he did, and often, and it made Evan want to wrap his arms around Riley and hold him there, fuck up into his tight hole until they both came, and then not let go.

He shook off the unwelcome, too-intimate thought. Instead, he braced his feet flat against the mattress and brought his own muscles into action, thrusting up each time Riley’s body dropped toward his. He wriggled his hips, changing angles until Riley gasped and a mottled pink flush spread across his chest.

“Yeah,” Riley breathed out. “That’s it.”

Evan grinned, though it felt like a grimace, and worked that same angle, knowing he was getting just the right spot inside Riley’s body. Riley had been fairly quiet until then, but his prostate must’ve been the volume knob, because his noises got louder and more wanton until he finally grabbed his dick and started rubbing the head. Evan wrapped his fingers around Riley’s hips and pounded him even harder, watching him lose control until Evan’s own orgasm wouldn’t be denied another second. His vision blurred and he groaned loudly, spurting three, four times inside the condom, his body jerking from overstimulation as Riley clamped down on him hard and his cum landed on Evan’s stomach and chest.

For a long minute, they stayed frozen, Riley still perched on Evan’s cock, one hand on the mattress next to Evan, the other holding his dick. Their harsh breathing echoed around them, until finally Riley moved, lifting his body off Evan’s and rolling onto his side on the mattress. Eyes partly hidden by his dampened, curly bangs, he looked up at Evan.

“You’re pretty fucking good at fucking.”

Evan laughed roughly and reached down to yank off the condom. “You’re pretty fucking good at riding,” he returned as he tied off the latex. He turned to the side far enough that he could see the wastebasket and tossed the used condom away before rolling back to lie flat. The ceiling fan rotated slowly ahead, cooling the sweat on his skin. Evan let his eyes fall shut and breathed deep, enjoying the smell of sex and the warm lassitude stealing over his throbbing body.

Riley shifted on the mattress. “I’m going to take a quick shower, honey, and get some dinner going.” A hand landed on Evan’s leg. “You rest up. You earned it.”

Evan smiled as Riley’s lilting laughter trailed behind him. The bed and pillows were soft, the room cool, and Evan let himself drift off, content.

“W
OW
.”

Evan stood in the entryway between the dining room and hall, having followed his nose from Riley’s bedroom. He felt underdressed in the clothes he’d tugged back on after a quick-and-dirty cleanup, even though Riley was dressed just as casually as he carried a steaming dish in from the kitchen. He shot Evan an easy smile. “Hungry?”

Evan nodded, his attention still on the table, which was covered with a shimmery, cream-colored cloth and set with sparkling, silver-rimmed china, silver flatware, and crystal goblets. Deep red cloth napkins sat folded on the plates, and two matching candles burned in silver candlesticks.

“You didn’t need to do all this.” It was all Evan could think of to say, but Riley just laughed and stepped over to tug Evan into the room by one hand.

“This is what I do, honey,” he said, directing Evan into the seat at the end of the table before taking his own seat next to him. “I like making things nice, and since I don’t have to work for my money, I have the time, so why not?” He nodded toward the ice bucket sitting to one side. “If you’ll pour the wine, I’ll serve our plates. I hope you like seafood. This is one of my favorites, and it’s so easy to make.”

Evan poured the wine as directed, letting Riley’s chatter wash over him as he took a sip of the sweet Riesling and watched Riley dish up what looked like enchiladas with a side of asparagus and large, fluffy rolls. He lifted an eyebrow at Riley. “Seafood… enchiladas?”

“Crepes,” Riley corrected, setting down the last serving plate and pushing the butter dish Evan’s way. “Not to say that I have anything against enchiladas! I had chicken and cheese enchiladas in Puerto Vallarta that would break your heart, they were so good, and I’ve been trying to find a recipe to do them justice ever since. I haven’t quite gotten there yet, but I have one that’s very close. Do you like Mexican food?”

Evan had just taken his first mouthful of crepe and blinked as the creamy, smooth flavor flowed over his tongue. “Mmmmm,” he said as he swallowed. “This is amazing. Yeah, I love Mexican, Spanish, Tex-Mex, all of that. Lucas always said—”

He stopped, his eyes widening as he realized what he’d said.
Holy shit
. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d said that name out loud. His stomach twisted, and he had to force himself to take another bite of the crepes. He forced a smile. “These are great, though. Did you have them in Mexico too?”

He hadn’t fooled Riley, he could tell from the look on his face, but to his relief, Riley just shook his head. “Key West,” he said. “Conch and shrimp there, but conch is so hard to find here, so I use lobster instead. But it’s almost as good with whatever you have on hand. It’s great for using up leftover fish and such.” He smiled. “This is all fresh, though. I’m not feeding you what I didn’t eat yesterday or anything.”

Evan took another bite, concentrating on the rich flavor and pushing aside the thoughts he couldn’t let intrude any further. He swallowed and took a sip of wine. “Puerto Vallarta, Key West… do you travel just to collect recipes, or is that a side benefit?”

Riley patted his lips with his napkin. “I travel for work.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I know I don’t actually
have
to work, but I can’t do nothing. I’ve tried it.” He shuddered. “I do design, of whatever kind strikes my fancy. I’m not much of an artist, but I can put together rooms, parties, clothes. I take jobs that appeal to me. Mostly I work for friends, or for charities. They get a bargain because I don’t charge them much, and I get to have fun.”

Evan nodded and kept eating. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was, and the crepes were amazingly good. Riley didn’t seem to mind. He kept right on talking around his own mouthfuls, telling Evan about a charity event he’d worked on a few weeks earlier. Evan remembered seeing an ad or an article about it, something with the art museum. Not his kind of thing. He liked art, and he’d been to the museum, but he figured the rich people gave them plenty of money. He’d rather put his more limited funds toward groups that needed it more.

Before he realized it, he’d finished eating, even wiping up a bit of the cream sauce with the last piece of bread. He finished his second glass of wine and wiped his mouth. “That was amazing,” he said, setting down his napkin and giving Riley a smile. “I’ve been to Key West too, and nothing I ate there was as good as that.”

Riley practically glowed from the praise. Evan thought he might have even seen a slight blush, though it was hard to tell, since Riley already had a hint of sun-kissed pink on his face and possibly some residual flush from their bedroom activities. Riley stood and began gathering up dishes. “Let me get this all put away, and—”

Evan stopped him with a hand on his arm. “You cooked and set all this up. The least I can do is clean up.”

Riley smiled at him, his eyes suddenly shy, and Evan’s heart flipped in his chest. Was this a glimpse of the real Riley, hidden under all the teasing and devil-may-care attitude? Evan knew all about building walls to protect a soft core. Had Riley done the same thing?

“I’m just going to rinse these, honey.” Riley moved away, and his expression slid back into its usual expression. “I have a housekeeper to deal with the rest of it. No need to put yourself out.”

Evan gave in, not willing to push over something that just wasn’t that big a deal, especially when this was just supposed to be a hookup.
On the other hand
, he thought, as he helped carry their dishes into the kitchen,
when was the last time a hookup did more than make scrambled eggs and coffee for breakfast the morning after?
A picnic lunch and a gourmet-quality dinner made this far from a typical hookup.

Still, he left Riley to his rinsing, and he’d just finished wiping his hands on a kitchen towel when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He dug it out and looked at the number but didn’t recognize it. Not unusual. He got calls from studios and their directors fairly often. He shrugged and answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Evan.”

Evan’s knees nearly gave out. He hadn’t heard the voice in years, but it wasn’t like he’d ever forget it.

“Mom?”

Evan saw Riley shoot him a curious look over his shoulder. He stepped out of the kitchen and around the corner. “How did—” He cut himself off from asking how she’d gotten his number. He’d had the same one for years; he wasn’t sure, but it might not have changed since the last time they’d talked. Either way, he didn’t want to start things off with an argument. “I mean, it’s nice to hear from you, Mom. How are you? Is anything wrong?”

“We’re fine, dear.” Her voice shook, just enough for Evan to hear it. “Could we… could we see each other, Evan? In person?”

Evan’s body jolted inside, as if he’d touched a live wire. The last time he’d seen either of his parents, his father told him he was a disgrace to the family name and no son of his. The words hadn’t come as a surprise. Being gay would’ve been bad enough for his conservative parents, but being dishonorably discharged from the Marine Corps as a result might carry an even heavier weight. He’d never expected to see them again unless by chance.

“I…. Mom, are you sure?”

“Yes, dear. I know it’s a surprise, but I think we have some things to talk about.”

Evan’s mind raced. “I’m… I’m on the road now, but I’ll be back in Atlanta in a few days.” The lie came out without him even realizing it. It wasn’t much of a stretch, since he’d be leaving for his shoot in Fort Lauderdale the next day.

“I can meet any time this week. Would you be free for dinner Friday night?”

Five days to get used to the idea. Evan thought he might be able to handle that.

“Okay,” he agreed. “Can you…. If you want to pick a place, just text me or call and leave a message if I don’t answer.”

“I will.” She paused for a long moment. “It’s wonderful to hear your voice, Evan. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you.”

Evan was sure he gave some kind of reasonable response before he hung up, but it wasn’t until he slid the phone back into his pocket that he realized he was trembling all over. He leaned against the wall in Riley’s nicely decorated hallway and watched his hands shake.

“Honey, are you okay?”

Evan lifted his head to find Riley standing a couple of feet away, a blend of concern and curiosity on his face. Evan managed a jerky nod.

“Yeah.” He pushed off the wall. “Just an unexpected call. I haven’t heard from my mom in… a long time.”

Riley shifted on his feet, and Evan could almost see a wall go up between them. “Well, I’m happy for you,” Riley said, his voice light, lilting, and obviously false. “It’s been great having you, but I do have a few things I need to take care of. Do you need a lift back to your place?”

Wow
. Evan blinked at the blatant dismissal. He shook his head. “No, it’s not far. I can walk it.”

Riley’s expression softened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like I was kicking you out. I really
do
have an appointment later, though. Oh!” He brightened and half turned toward the kitchen. “Let me give you a few things to take home. I can’t possibly eat all these peaches and tomatoes before they rot.”

Evan followed, confused by Riley’s sudden changes in mood. He watched as Riley moved between cabinets and refrigerator, pulling out several items and sliding them into a green canvas bag.