by Cara Dee
“She is so smart for her age. The way she engages—I adore her.” He smiled at the screen and wiped a hand over his jaw self-consciously when he noticed the flour.
“Hey, that was my favorite part.” I leaned in for a quick kiss on his jaw.
“You know what my favorite part is?” he asked, lowering his voice. A faint grin tugged at the corners of my mouth, and I waited for him to get dirty on me. “You and Bella.”
Oh. Not what I expected. Fuck, this was worse. Was the bastard actively trying to make me fall in love?
Because it was fucking working.
Nine
Everett
“Why are you torturing me?” I grumbled into my coffee and sat down at my kitchen table. “I could be asleep right now.”
Adam laughed over the line, and I put him on speaker instead. I was so tired, I didn’t even want to hold my phone. If that wasn’t an accomplishment, I didn’t know what was.
“There’re people who take lunch this early,” he said. I could hear heavy traffic in the background. “What’s wrong with you? You usually leave for work before seven.”
“Not on Thanksgiving,” I defended, “and not when I’ve only slept four hours.”
Or thereabouts. Last time I’d looked at the clock, it’d been six a.m.
“Didn’t you go to bed after we left last night?” he wondered.
Yes, but I wasn’t able to get comfortable. “I tossed and turned most of the night.”
“Ah. Thinking about Grace?”
For the majority of the night. “And you and me.”
“Uh oh.” His chuckle sounded strained, and it hadn’t even been on my radar that he might interpret that so incorrectly.
Here goes. “I want to take you out on a date after this weekend,” I said and braced myself. “I know you said we had to take things slowly and keep everything under the wraps in case I freak out—your words, as you know, certainly not mine—but I wish to renegotiate those terms.”
Silence met me on the other end, except for the constant city noise.
“Are you there, Adam?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m here,” he said quietly. “Going out means being in public, Ev. You’d risk being seen by people you know, however unlikely.”
“And?” I pressed. It was the secrecy I was getting tired of, goddammit. It was possible patience wasn’t my strength all of a sudden, and I winced at how I was trying to pressure him. “I’m sorry,” I backtracked. “I’m moving too fast, I know. I just—” I sighed heavily.
“What?” he asked softly. “Tell me.”
I swallowed and swiped a finger over some leftover flour I’d missed during cleanup last night. “If we were dating, an occasional sleepover would be acceptable. You and Bella wouldn’t have to go home at the end of the night, and I would get to take you out and do things. With both of you.”
There was another beat of silence, and then he told me to hold on while he got on the train. He’d dropped Bella off with Kell and Teresa, who had just enough time to treat “their girl” to a Thanksgiving breakfast while watching the parade, and Adam hadn’t been able to deny them. Or Bella, for that matter. She truly did view them as grandparents.
Adam spoke again. “Say you and I take Bella to the park or something. Or we’re downtown for whatever reason, and I lay one on you, and one of your partners at the firm sees it. Or Melinda finds out—I don’t fucking know. Then what?”
“Then they’d know I was kissing you,” I replied frankly. “That particular stigma has no place in my life, Adam. I may have been confused about a lot of things lately, but I’m not fucking ashamed.” I paused. “I once pulled away from our entire family because they’re toxic. Do you believe I would tiptoe around anyone who might judge me based on sexual orientation? I have limits.”
I was absolutely certain people would be shocked, especially my closest, but they’d get over it. Besides, Mick’s eldest son came out two years ago, and one of my partners had a daughter who was married to a woman. I sincerely doubted I’d have problems with the people I knew, and I told Adam as much.
“Well, all right,” he answered awkwardly. “I see someone came prepared to this negotiation.”
I dared a smirk to myself. “I have some experience.”
“Clearly,” he chuckled. “You know I do wanna date you, right?”
He’d made the hope of that clear, yes, so I believed it was time to stop this nonsense of holding back.
“You could show me,” I told him. “You and me, dinner next week, I pick the restaurant, you let me hold the door and pull out your chair.”
“You’re gonna make me swoon, Uncle Ev.” Damn jokester. But then, in a more serious voice, he finished, “I’d love to, baby. But we’ll save the discussion about sleepovers until I’m at your place. I feel like I need the upper hand now.”
I could work with that. I assumed he had plans for me, given that he’d woken me up with strict instructions.
“I showered like you told me to,” I said quietly. “When will you be here?”
He hummed. “Forty minutes, give or take. I gotta bring the turkey and dig my massage table outta the back of my closet.”
Holy fuck.
I’d died on a massage table and gone to heaven.
I hadn’t expected this, to be honest. I’d hoped for some quick role-play kind of thing, where he took advantage of me on the table. Instead, he was going all out. He’d been rubbing the kinks out of my neck and back for at least half an hour, and he wasn’t done yet. It seemed that whatever I anticipated, Adam was going to show me something a hundred times better.
“Oh God,” I groaned under my breath.
“Your shoulders are stiff,” he murmured. “I think we need to make this a regular thing.”
“No argument from me.” I drew a deep breath as he rubbed more oil into my back.
Rather than using whatever oil most people used for this purpose, Adam had a mini-sized cooler with a container of coconut oil chips. It was an intoxicating feeling. He’d drop a few chips on my back, and they’d melt within seconds.
Every now and then, he adjusted the towel covering my ass. He’d told me not to wear anything underneath, so naturally I wasn’t.
“You’re amazing,” I mumbled. I would fall asleep if it weren’t for the moments that hurt. A good hurt, one that left me boneless and sluggish.
“And you look good enough to eat,” he answered quietly. “You don’t know how much you’re tempting me right now.”
I was all his. He could do whatever he wanted, and I wasn’t sure I could physically remove myself from this table anytime soon. It was surprisingly comfortable too, padded properly with a soft sheet he’d put on, and…fuck.
“No, no, why did you tense up?”
“Because it just hit me that if you become a massage therapist, you’ll be doing this to other men.” The words tasted bitter, but I couldn’t help it.
He exhaled a laugh. “You’re too cute.”
“I’m glad you think so,” I muttered. So this was what jealousy felt like. I wasn’t a fan. It burned in my gut and tightened my chest. “All this time, you’ve been worried about me, but I should be the one worrying. You could trade me in for someone younger.”
When his feet appeared in my line of vision, I knew I’d said too much. He was going to make me lift my head from his glorious hiding hole and—
“Look at me, Ev.”
Damn it.
My head weighed a ton as I complied and lifted my gaze.
He squatted down in front of me and gripped the edge of the table, his fingers glistening with oil.
“I haven’t been with anyone in over three years,” he reminded me. “Not ’cause I don’t have the time, but because I tried it. Call me an early bloomer, but I was out there for a long time looking for something serious. And do you know how many I found?” He didn’t give me time to respond. “You gotta consider what I’m into. Family-oriented men, preferably older, who are masc
uline and assertive but wanna hand over control in the bedroom while still topping. Seriously.” He widened his eyes pointedly, and I did my best to smother a smile. “I wasn’t meant to find anyone with those odds stacked against me.”
“I’m most of those things.” I had a bit of work to do before I could call myself assertive again.
“Yes, you are.” He leaned in and pecked me softly. “You’re also anything but a jock, thankfully. And those are the ones I’d be working with if I ever do become a massage therapist. I’m interested in rehabilitating all the fucked-up injuries they sustain, not get chatty with ’em.” He gave me another kiss that ended too fast. “Oh, and one last thing. Not one of them is you.”
The man had a way with words. It was incredible how quickly the tightness in my chest eased. I smiled, appeased, and stole one more kiss before he moved away.
“You can be so adorable sometimes.” He squeezed my shoulder gently and stood up. “Can I put my hands back on your gorgeous body now?”
“Yes, please.” I grinned and lowered my head again.
“Good.”
It didn’t take him long to catapult me back into heaven, and my eyes fluttered closed as he kneaded the backs of my thighs.
In slow, deep strokes, he eradicated every ounce of tension in me, tension I didn’t know was there in the first place. I couldn’t remember if I’d ever been this relaxed.
“You workin’ out is really paying off,” he murmured. “Your legs are fucking perfect. ’Specially these thighs…” He stroked me upward and inward, causing a drawn-out shiver to run through me.
I parted my legs a bit and exhaled in contentment.
The buildup was maddeningly slow, and I barely managed to stave off the urge to ask for more. He was in charge; I’d be good and wait.
Goose bumps covered my skin as he shifted his hands to my lower back. His touch was lighter now, and every now and then, he would merely ghost his fingers across me.
“Do you mind if I remove the towel?” he wondered.
No, I insist.
“I don’t mind,” I replied drowsily.
Colder air hit my skin with the towel swept off me.
The oil was next, though he didn’t place the chips directly on my skin this time. He rubbed them into his hands and kneaded his way down my buttocks to my thighs again.
Using both hands, he massaged the fleshy part right below my ass, his fingers dipping between my legs each pass. And all it took was a brush of his fingertips against my balls for me to ignite.
“Sorry about that,” he said.
I didn’t know whether he was playing or…whatever else. With Adam, I could never be sure, and it was part of why being with him was such a rush.
“Can you spread your legs some more?”
It wasn’t only his touch that rocked me with lust. His seductive voice too.
I lifted slightly and parted my knees, making sure my cock wasn’t pressed against the table uncomfortably.
“That’s good,” he responded. More oil, more sweeping strokes of his skilled hands, more buildup. He wanted me to lose my mind, I understood that. “Apologies in advance. I have to reach…” He trailed off and dipped his hands between my thighs, and I tensed up briefly when he came in contact with my balls again. He could pretend to rub that soft crease all he wanted; I knew better, and it was getting difficult to bite back sounds.
My cock started thickening as the blood flowed south.
“Have you ever received a lingam massage, Ev?”
“No?” I didn’t know what it was.
“Would you like one? I should warn you, it’s not appropriate, but we can keep it platonic and purely physical, right?”
Sweet Jesus, he was going to be the death of me. “Sure,” I replied, feeling anything but.
If it was inappropriate, I figured I knew what was involved.
It’d become abundantly clear that he was playing, and I was the schmuck who couldn’t resist getting sucked into his devilish play.
“Great. You can roll over,” he said. “I’ll be one hundred percent professional, I promise.”
That’s what I was afraid of. Because it meant he’d make me beg for what I wanted.
The table creaked as I turned over, and I did my best to dodge his gaze. He had the ability to render me stupid with a single look, which he knew very well. I stared straight up at the ceiling instead, and I waited while he coated his hands in more oil.
I jumped as he carefully lifted my cock, and I took a deep breath.
One thing was certain: he wouldn’t be giving this kind of massage to anyone else.
I had to ask, though… “Is this something you’ve practiced?”
“Only on myself,” he replied with a smirk in his tone. “No, I’m saving this for people I trust. And I can trust you, right?”
“Yes,” I was quick to agree. “Only me, in fact.”
“Perfect.” He massaged my cock with the same unhurried strokes he’d used on my back and shoulders, only now it was impossible for me to relax fully. I was already getting hard, and it would lead to one single thing: me aching for more.
I closed my eyes.
Adam cupped my balls in his hand and rolled them gently while he stroked me from base to tip.
I let out a pent-up breath.
“You seem to like it, unc.”
A little too much. He had me rock hard in no time, and it took all my strength not to thrust into his grip. Goodness fucking gracious, being jerked off by two hands was another level of sweet agony. Hands that were warm and slick and knew what they were doing.
“Okay, so we’re obviously not gonna do the last step of a lingam massage.”
“Which is?” I bit out.
“Ejaculation, of course.”
Of course.
I sucked in a deep breath and scrubbed my hands over my face. I had no choice anymore. Either I joined his game, or I would suffer some other cruel form of punishment.
“You can keep practicing if you want.” I couldn’t keep the lust out of my voice, no matter how hard I tried. “You can use my body.”
“Really?” The innocent hope in that one word caused my brain to spiral out of control.
“Yes, really. Whatever you want to try,” I promised. “It’ll be our secret.”
“Wow. That’s generous of you. In that case, turn over again.”
What! Fucking hell, no, that wasn’t what I meant.
I tried to argue, to no avail. I’d promised he could use my body for practice, so he would. And he wanted me on my stomach again. I rolled over reluctantly and winced at how trapped my poor erection was.
This time, I parted my legs as much as I could on the table. If I lifted just a little, he’d be able to reach my cock again.
“I’ve barely massaged your backside,” he mentioned. “I need to practice that too.”
Lucky me.
I waited somewhat patiently while he rubbed oil into my ass, and the little bastard managed to shove me halfway toward bliss once more. He was a master. Knowing exactly when to stop and when to push. He was on a mission to make sure my erection didn’t go down, all while I enjoyed his massage to the point where my eyes nearly rolled back.
“That’s nice,” I sighed.
He chose that very moment to draw one finger between my ass cheeks and brush against my opening, and my eyes flashed open as an explosion of unease and excitement went off within.
I’d asked him to push me…
“I didn’t mean to get oil in between.” How he could pull off the act and sound so apologetic was beyond me. “I’m almost done.”
“Don’t,” I blurted out. “I mean—it’s okay. Maybe you should continue.”
“That doesn’t seem right. Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. You should massage me everywhere, shouldn’t you? To make sure you can handle it.”
He hesitated for the sole reason of being a goddamn sadist. “I guess so.” He drew a circle around my opening with the pa
d of a finger, and I had to bite down on my lip to prevent a groan. Holy hell, I was sensitive there. “Like that?”
“Exactly like that,” I exhaled. “It feels so good.”
He hummed and let a few chilly coconut oil chips melt between my buttocks, and then he alternated between rubbing me in persistent little circles and teasing along the length of the crease.
Heat bled across my skin, and his ministrations were enough until they weren’t. The second one of his fingertips threatened to slip inside me, I couldn’t help but roll my hips.
“Ev,” he chastised.
“I’m sorry,” I panted. “Please keep going. You’re being such a good boy.”
He cursed under his breath. “I am? You like it when I push here?”
“So much,” I admitted. “You…you could try wriggling it inside. I think I’ll like that a lot.”
“Okay.” He applied pressure with his middle finger, and it didn’t take much for half of it to disappear inside me. It ignited a burn I hadn’t seen coming. “You know what one might think, Ev?”
“No, what?” I moaned.
“That you’re trying to play me.”
Fuck.
“I wouldn’t,” I insisted. “You’re in charge, sweetheart. I promise. I just love it when you touch me.”
“Exactly what a newborn ass-whore would say.” With those words, he made me lose the ability to respond. “I want you on your knees on the couch, hands on the back.”
Despite that my arms and legs felt like jelly from his wonderful attention, I moved off the massage table in the blink of an eye. He was going to do something to me, and I couldn’t wait. I hoped it was something dirty, something that embarrassed me.
Reaching the couch, I kneeled on the middle seat and grabbed on to the back cushion. Adam brought over the container with oil, and I wet my lips, watching him over my shoulder. The top button of his jeans was undone, and he wasn’t wearing anything else. I only had to make him lose the jeans too.
He came to a stop behind me and brushed his hand over my ass. “Have you thought about me fucking you yet?”
