by Shea Balik
“Pushy,” he murmured. “I was enjoying the sensation of you surrounding me.”
“Well, enjoy it another time,” Cabot quipped back to him. “I’m ready to come.” Boy, was he ready. Like about to frickin’ explode ready.
One more tender kiss was pressed along his nape, then Patrick put a hand on Cabot’s hip and one at his shoulder. The feel of his length sliding from his channel had Cabot clamping his muscles down even harder in an effort to keep the man right where he was.
It wasn’t until Patrick reversed direction and slammed back into him that Cabot let out an appreciative sigh, moan, whatever noise it had been. All he knew was that he was getting exactly what he wanted.
Way too swiftly, his orgasm barreled down upon him. When his balls pulled up and every cell in his body tingled with his impending release, Cabot cried out in a mix of dread that this was about to end, and sheer bliss.
The hand on his hip tightened and Patrick shifted just the barest amount, but that was all it took for his thick cock to hit Cabot’s prostate. His world exploded as stars formed before his eyes and his body tightened seconds before his seed spurted onto a pillow Patrick had thankfully shoved beneath him. There was nothing worse than sleeping in wet bedding.
He could hear Patrick’s cry of pleasure just as he thrust deep once more then froze. A second later heat flooded Cabot’s channel, filling up the condom. If only they didn’t need it. Then again, if this was forever, Cabot would be willing to get tested so they could ditch them.
That was something he’d never once thought he’d do for anyone. Yet, with Patrick, it was a gift he wanted to give, as well as receive.
CHAPTER 14
Floating on a cloud of endorphins and pure bliss, Patrick wrapped his arms around Cabot and spooned up behind the man. He definitely could get used to having the man in his bed. The sex had been phenomenal, but he had to admit, holding him like this was… well, it was how he wanted to end every day and wake up each morning.
Although, with Cabot having to go to work so early, the waking up together might not happen as often as he’d like. Still, the thought of having this man in his arms all night long was something he’d only ever dreamed about being able to do. That it was Cabot only made it that much better.
“I think I could get used to this,” he murmured in Cabot’s ear. “You, curled up against me.”
Cabot’s throat chuckle settled something inside of Patrick, like he’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop or something. “You mean after a sweaty round of unbelievable sex?”
That had Patrick’s smile widening until his cheeks hurt. “Unbelievable, huh?” He brushed his mouth against the shell of Cabot’s ear, before nipping on the fleshy lobe. “Does that mean I get that second round you talked about?”
This time the laughter seemed to burst out of Cabot like he just couldn’t contain it. “As much as I’d like to say yes, it might be a while before I recover enough to get it up again.”
Yeah, they categorically weren’t teenagers any longer. Patrick was completely wiped. That didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little fun. “Okay, gramps. You let me know when you get that second wind.”
“Gramps,” Cabot said in mock outrage, even smacking Patrick lightly on the arm. “I’ll have you know, I’m only…” Cabot stopped mid-sentence, a frown on his face as he glanced over his shoulder. “Wait, how old are you?”
But before Patrick could answer, Cabot was turning over so they were on their sides facing each other. “We did this whole relationship backwards.” He held up a hand to stop Patrick when he was about to argue that point. “I’m not complaining, but usually things like age, job, or the reason you decided to take on two kids you didn’t even know are discussed before sex, at least when it’s not a hook-up.”
Patrick kissed him hard, refusing to let Cabot even insinuate this might not be something that would last. “This is absolutely not a hook-up,” he said when broke off the kiss. “I want you to move in with us. To be part of our family. To be mine.” He’d whispered that last part, fear that he’d said too much gripped him.
But Cabot smiled softly as those blue eyes gazed at him with so much love it took his breath away, easing all of Patrick’s insecurities. “Okay,” he admitted. “You might be right about us doing things backwards, but that’s easily resolved. How old are you?”
“Oh no.” Cabot shook his head emphatically. “I asked you first.”
This time it was Patrick who ended up chuckling. “Fair enough. I turn thirty January twenty-seventh.” When Cabot didn’t say anything, Patrick lifted one eyebrow in silent askance. When he still didn’t say anything, Patrick asked, “Are you going to tell me how old you are?”
Cabot shook his head. “I think we should save some things for surprises later.”
Rolling their bodies so that Cabot was underneath him, Patrick narrowed his gaze at the man. “Come on. It’s only a number. How old are you?”
Red crept up Cabot’s neck and into his face as he pressed his lips together stubbornly and shook his head.
Deciding on a different tactic, Patrick cocked his head as if he were studying Cabot closely. Then he said, “You know forty isn’t that old.”
“Forty,” Cabot choked out with indignation. Then he curled up his fingers into a fist and playfully punched Patrick on the arm. “I do not look forty.”
Patrick lifted a shoulder as if not sure. “I don’t know. You have laugh lines around your eyes and mouth.”
Although, he didn’t at the moment as Cabot was scowling. “That’s because I smile and laugh a lot, you ass.”
It took him biting his tongue to stop from laughing as Patrick peered closely at Cabot. “Are you sure? I mean, it’s not like forty is a bad age. I can only hope to look as good as you do when I get there.”
Cabot’s full lips flattened as he glared at Patrick. “You call me forty just one more time and that second round of sex is off the table,” he threatened.
As much as Patrick would love another round with his sexy lover, he was having too much fun to stop. Although, he would skirt saying the word forty if he could help it. “Well, in fairness, at your age, the odds of a second time in one night…”
A hand clamped over his mouth. Cabot’s blue eyes were spitting fire at him and damn if it wasn’t the sexiest thing Patrick had ever seen. “I’m only thirty-two, you ass.”
Not even close to being done, Patrick pulled his head away from Cabot’s hand and said, “Lying about your age isn’t necessary. I doubt anyone else would guess you’re almost over the hill.”
Cabot let out a gasp of pure outrage. “You did not just call me, ‘over the hill’.”
Knowing he was on the edge of having gone too far, Patrick leaned down and kissed the frown right off of Cabot’s face. It wasn’t until he was once more pliant and actually kissing Patrick back that he rolled to his side once more so they were facing each other.
“Now that we’ve settled you are a cradle robber…” he hadn’t even gotten that far, when Cabot again covered Patrick’s mouth with his hand.
“Not another word about my age, mister,” Cabot warned. Then he laughed and rolled his eyes. “I am never going to hear the end of this, am I?”
Patrick waggled his eyebrows. “I can always be bribed.”
That had them both laughing. Lord, but he loved spending time with Cabot. Patrick had been a little worried about them being alone, without the kids, and finding out they didn’t have anything to say to one another.
“Okay, so I know how old you are,” Cabot said. “But I have no idea what you do for a living, or why you moved to Winter.” There was the briefest frown that appeared on Cabot’s face before melting away as he asked, “You did recently move here, right? I mean, Winter’s a pretty small town and I don’t remember seeing you or the kids before.”
Yeah, they really hadn’t done a lot of getting to know one another. He only knew Cabot owned the bakery because they’d gone there after winning the prize that
first night of the festival. Otherwise, he might not even know that much about Cabot. Yet, even though he was missing some of the details, he knew what was important.
Cabot’s always present smile that wasn’t just a façade, but actually reached his eyes, told Patrick he was someone who was happy in life. The kind, easy way he interacted with everyone, especially Liam and Maya. And his patience in dealing with both their overexuberance as well as their other quirks, like Maya’s shyness and Liam’s difficulty dealing with disappointment. All of that said more about the man than his age, job, or where he lived.
“I work in marketing for Welsh Enterprises.” They had recently opened a factory in Baxley, which was a fifteen-minute drive from where he lived. He actually lived in between both towns.
“Right,” Cabot said. “I forgot they opened a factory there. Why did you move to Winter instead of Baxley?”
“The schools.” Winter was rated better than Baxley and since the drive was still short, he had decided it was more important for the kids to be in the right school, than for his drive to decrease by a few minutes.
Cabot traced a finger along Patrick’s jawline. “That’s one of the things I love about you.”
Patrick’s heart skipped a beat at hearing those words. He wasn’t sure there would ever be a time when he wasn’t affected by Cabot’s admission of love.
“The way you are with those kids is so sweet. I know you mentioned meeting them because your grandfather and their grandmother were in the same ICU, but how did you even find out they were going into the foster care system, much less decide to take them into your home?” Cabot leaned in closer, his head resting against Patrick’s shoulder.
He loved the way Cabot snuggled against him. As if any distance was just too much to bear, even when it was only a few inches.
If he could have this… life with this man, Patrick would consider it the gift of a lifetime. He would never need to ask for anything else for as long as he lived.
CHAPTER 15
Warmth surrounded him as Patrick wrapped him up tightly against him when Cabot had placed his head on the man’s shoulder. He was sure there was no better place on earth than in Patrick’s embrace. Cabot definitely didn’t want to be anywhere else.
He could almost feel the wheels turning in Patrick’s head as he decided on the best way to answer his question. He’d begun to wonder if the man was going to talk about what had to have been the most challenging times of his life. Losing his grandfather, the one person Patrick had felt connected to, then suddenly taking on two small children couldn’t have been easy.
His eyes had started to drift closed after his long, albeit satisfying day, when he felt Patrick’s chest rise as he sucked in a breath. “As I mentioned, my parents had never really noticed me. When I was six, they’d wanted to go on a trip to Europe. It was supposed to be for two weeks. My grandpa had agreed to take care of me, he’d even planned a trip of our own.”
Patrick’s body shook slightly as he let out a small grunt of laughter. “My parents were so pissed when they found out he was taking me to Disney World, then on a Disney Cruise to the Caribbean without them. Grandpa did everything with me. He even waited in all the lines so I could meet the characters.”
Cabot was happy that Patrick had someone to care for him like that. He tried not to be jealous, not because of Disney, but that he at least had someone who gave a damn about him growing up.
“We were due home two days before my parents. Except.” There was a sigh, along with a small shudder as if Patrick were remembering something bad. “They never came home. I mean, eventually they did, but…”
When Patrick’s voice trailed off, Cabot lifted his head and stared down at the man he was falling more and more in love with every minute they were together. “When did they come back?” he asked.
It was obvious by the way Patrick didn’t want to look at him that he wasn’t comfortable talking about it, but he did finally answer. “Two years. My grandpa had a lawyer fill out paperwork to make him my legal guardian.”
“Oh, love, I’m so sorry.” That couldn’t have been easy. It was one thing to lose one’s parents, but to have them just abandon Patrick? That had to have been horrible.
“It’s okay. I mean, I always knew they hadn’t really wanted me.” Patrick shook his head, as if that act would clear all the bad stuff away. If only that were possible. “Anyway, when my grandpa was admitted to the ICU, we both knew he wasn’t coming out. They tried to save him, but it was his time and he’d told me he was ready to meet my grandmother in heaven.”
Cabot leaned in and pressed his cheek against Patrick’s. “That had to be hard to accept.”
“Yeah,” Patrick choked out. After he cleared his throat, he said, “It was, but, at the same time, he’d been deteriorating for several years. His quality of life had diminished and I didn’t want him to continue having to live like that.”
There were tears shining in Patrick’s eyes as he talked about the man who had raised him. In an obvious attempt to change the subject, Patrick asked, “What about your parents? How did you end up in foster care?”
“My mom died of an overdose, and my dad went to jail for vehicular manslaughter when he killed someone after shooting up on heroin.” As much as he’d hated foster care, Cabot knew he’d been lucky. For if he’d remained with his parents, they either would have ended up killing him with their own carelessness, or he would have probably ended up being a junkie.
Patrick pulled him in for a long, sweet kiss. It had no heat of passion, but it was comforting and full of love. Something they each needed at the moment.
“And how did you end up with Liam and Maya?” Cabot asked after several minutes of lying quietly wrapped up in Patrick’s arms.
“I wish I knew,” Patrick said on an exhale. “The whole thing was pretty surreal. Apparently, they were staying with a neighbor and when the social worker assigned to their case came to check on the grandmother, she was told the woman had just died. Honestly?”
Patrick stared hard at the ceiling as if it held all the secrets to the world. “My grandfather had just died, and I was still standing at the nurses station waiting for them to give me his personal affects. I only vaguely heard anything the social worker had said to the other nurse, but as I was waiting for the elevator, the social worker was there too, talking on the phone to her superior, I guess.”
Those caramel eyes shifted from the ceiling to Cabot, with a bit of confusion. “It wasn’t until we had entered the elevator that I started to listen to her though. I couldn’t say what it was about her voice that caught my attention, but by the time we reached the main floor, I knew what I had to do.
“So, I got her attention and asked what it would take to adopt them.” Patrick’s whole body moved as he laughed. “Mrs. Sanchez had to have thought I was a nut job. But she gave me her card and told me if I still felt the same way in a week to call her.”
One of his shoulders lifted up toward his head. “The rest, as they say, is history.” But then he frowned for a moment before a huge smile crossed his face. “Actually, it was more than that. I mean, not the process, but in that moment, on the elevator, something clicked inside of me that told me these kids were meant to be mine.”
His caramel eyes shone brightly as they stared right at Cabot. “Exactly like the moment I met you, I just knew you were mine.”
Happiness built up within Cabot at those words. “Because we were meant to be a family,” he added. It had been exactly how he’d felt, too. It made no sense. Yet, it was no less true.
“Family,” Patrick repeated. “That’s exactly it.” Another burst of laughter spilled from his lips. “If Mrs. Sanchez thought I was crazy before, she’s going to think I’m completely insane and ready for the looney bin, strait-jacket and all.”
“If that’s true, I’ll be there with you, because I feel it too.” At least he’d be there with the man he loved. For in reality that was all that mattered.
That, and their
kids.
“So,” Patrick said after they’d contemplated all they’d talked about for a few minutes. “You mentioned there possibly being a round two. You up for it, old man?”
Cabot moved fast as he climbed upon Patrick and pinned his body to the mattress with his own. “Who do you think you’re calling an old man?”
There was a twinkle in Patrick’s eyes as he said, “I think that would be the one who is nearly over the hill.”
Cabot took Patrick’s wrists in his hands and held them in place over the man’s head. The position had Cabot’s hips tilted just right to press against Patrick’s groin. Moans spilled from their lips as their dicks rubbed together. Cabot was also leaning down, so their lips were nearly touching.
“You take that back,” he warned, intentionally brushing his mouth along Patrick’s, yet not so close that they were actually kissing.
A shiver worked along Cabot’s body when Patrick grinned up at him with mischief in his eyes. “What are you going to do if I don’t, old man?”
Cabot rolled his hips causing Patrick to hiss in pleasure as his prick slid along the length of Patrick’s. “I’ll just have to prove to you who has more stamina.”
Then he scraped his teeth along the column of Patrick’s neck before nibbling and licking his way down to one of his nipples. “Are you going to concede that I’m not old?” Cabot asked.
“Never, old man,” Patrick teased. “You’re just going to have to prove me wrong.”
That was exactly what Cabot planned to do. He just hoped they would always have this joy together, for there was no gift as sweet as laughter.
CHAPTER 16
“Mrs. Sanchez,” Patrick opened the door expecting to see Cabot with suitcases and boxes as he was moving in that day, only to be surprised to find his caseworker there. “Did we have an appointment I forgot about?”
