And easily, they slept.
Chapter 15
The day, Landon must admit, had been perfect. They’d started early, he and Jay, waking in the same bed, warm and content. After quick handjobs, showers, and a simple breakfast, they’d set to work, finishing up Jay’s deck. The day had been more brisk than the previous, so shirts and hooded sweatshirts stayed on, but that didn’t stop them from subtly finding ways to touch one another.
Jay’s surprising affection grew more frequent, as well as his easy, relaxed smile. There was a comfort in their little place, hidden from prying eyes, out in the country. Aside from acting like horny teenagers, they had a light lunch of sandwiches, made small talk, and managed to finish all but the final staining of the wood.
The more time Landon spent with Jay, the more a blossom of hope grew in his chest. He knew the real test would come when reality and Jay’s children returned to call, but sitting on the finished deck as the sun disappeared behind the tree-line, sipping coffee, made it hard to stress.
Okay, so the seed of doubt existed on the same plot as that blossoming hope. But each day in Jay’s sunlight over the last week, each hour, had made the hope bigger than the ugly doubt. There were still no promises between them, but Landon had to think they’d moved to something… more. Something bigger and more important had transpired, especially the night before. And their easy camaraderie throughout the day had to be a sign this was no longer just Jay experimenting. Even Jay’s words led Landon to believe so. It was too soon to be thinking of love and Jay coming out. Hell, Landon didn’t even know Jay’s kids well enough to think Oh, let me sign up to be your stepdaddy.
Even the thought of those words made Landon shudder.
“Somebody walk over your grave?” Jay asked. Landon turned to look at Jay’s smiling face, sitting like a man without a care in the world in his cheap plastic chair on his new deck next to Landon. Landon chuckled and stretched out his legs in front of him, working out some of the soreness from working so long that day.
“Just got in my head a bit. ‘Borrowing trouble’, as you say.”
Jay huffed. “I’ve done enough of that lately without you doing the same.” Jay fell silent and they both looked back out toward where the sun made its final descent, dipping their part of the world into night. The sound of Jay’s coffee cup plopping on the cable spool they were using as a side table drew Landon’s attention back to his friend—lover? Jay’s face morphed into a frisky smile as he stood and came to straddle Landon’s lap.
“Hello,” Landon drawled. “Did you want something?”
“Thought I’d show you one of my favorite new tricks for getting out of my head.”
Landon tilted his head, wondering briefly if that meant before, Jay was too in his head during sex, but he had no desire to think on Jay’s sex life with women. Also, the thought was a silly one to base any further hope on. And the warm, lightly chapped lips on the column of his throat made him concentrate solely on that point of pleasure and his steadily rising cock.
But suddenly, Jay hopped off Landon’s lap with a hissed, “Damn it.”
Landon blinked for a moment, trying to catch up with Jay’s reason for switching gears so quickly. Still a bit lust drunk, Landon just barely noticed the sounds from behind him inside Jay’s house, until a light flicking on from inside startled him.