The Sweetest Thing

by E. M. Denning

  “It’s exactly like I remember,” Scotty said as he climbed out of the truck. Nathan appeared at his side a minute later, basket in hand. He’d tucked a folded blanket between his arm and his side. “Dinner is this way.”

  “You packed a picnic?”

  “Don’t get too excited, I didn’t cook a single thing.”

  “Oh my god, I so don’t care. You made me a picnic.” Scotty beamed and stuffed a hand into Nathan’s back pocket. They walked away from the small crowd at the main beach to a more secluded, and lesser used section of the shore. Nathan set the basket down, then unfurled the blanket.

  “I wish I would’ve brought my trunks.” Scotty said as he lowered himself onto the blanket and cozied up to Nathan’s side. “We could’ve gone for a swim.”

  “Maybe we’ll wait until everyone leaves, and then we won’t need trunks.”

  “Well, there’s a new item on my bucket list.” Scotty reached for the basket and popped it open.

  “You’re not going to wait for me to get everything set up?”

  “I’m hungry. Lunch was early, and I had the sweetest little bride in, but I wanted to low key stab her bridesmaid slash best friend, who kept poo-pooing everything I tried.”

  “Sounds rough.”

  Scotty dug into the basket and handed Nathan a container. Scotty’s stomach growled as he pulled more containers out of the basket. “Does this thing have a bottom? It holds a lot of food.”

  “I didn’t know what to bring. So, I brought everything.”

  “I can see that.” Scotty twisted around and kissed him. “And I approve.” Scotty rubbed his hands together. “Where to begin?”

  His cheeks flushed hot when Nathan leaned over and kissed his temple. “Anywhere you want?”

  Scotty licked his lips. “Dessert?”

  “Later.” Nathan’s voice was filled with promise and in spite of the fact that this was so far the most perfect date ever, Scotty couldn’t wait until he could be alone with Nathan again.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Nathan

  Scotty stretched out on the blanket, the remnants of their dinner packed away. His hands lay folded on his stomach and his head was cradled in Nathan’s lap. Nathan carded his fingers through Scotty’s hair, and they watched the water break against the shore. The lake was calm, and now that most of the lingering people had gone, it felt like they had the whole thing to themselves. The fading warmth of the day heated Scotty’s skin and Nathan dragged a finger down Scotty’s cheek.

  “You’re going to get burned.”

  “Many people pay good money for the sun kissed look, I’ll have you know.”

  “Many people aren’t as gorgeous as you are.” Nathan bopped Scotty on the nose with his index finger. “Hey, is the boat still here? The one old man Hallaran left here for everyone to use?”

  Years ago, when Nathan had been a young teenager, an old man passed away and left a boat at the lake. No one had ever come to claim it after his passing. Nathan and a group of his friends painted it white and named it the SS Hallaran. It wasn’t a very big boat. It sat two people comfortably and pretty much everyone in town had been in it after the death of Mr. Hallaran.

  Scotty was up before Nathan could blink. “Let’s go see.”

  They walked down to the dock and sure enough, pulled up on shore a short distance away was the boat.

  “I don’t know if we should get in this thing.” Nathan said as he examined the boat, but Scotty had already removed his shoes and was tugging it toward the water.

  “Come on, Nathan. It’ll be fine.” Scotty shoved the boat into the water and hopped in. “Get over here or I’m rowing away.”

  Nathan shook his head and caught up to Scotty. He kicked his shoes off and abandoned them on shore, then climbed into the boat. He took the rear seat, and the oars, and set about rowing them away from shore.

  Several long strokes took them out into the lake, then Nathan started rowing at a more leisurely pace.

  “See, I told you this would be fun.”

  “You did.” Nathan met Scotty’s gaze. With an entire world to look at, including a dazzling sun set, Scotty chose to stare at Nathan, and he hoped he’d always be worth such consideration.

  “Remember that time my entire family came to the lake and you turned up? The MacIntyres were here too, and Mike tried to drown me in the lake.”

  Old anger flared to life again. “That motherfucker. And then he tried to say it was a joke.”

  “Yeah well, guess who tried to pick me up one night?”

  The bottom dropped out of Nathan’s stomach at the idea of Scotty and Mike, or Scotty and anyone else for that matter.

  “You didn’t.” Nathan finally ground out as he continued to row.

  Scotty scoffed. “Of fucking course, I didn’t. Can you believe he still tried to say he was joking that day?” Scotty rolled his eyes, then squeaked. “Oh shit, Nathan.” Scotty pointed to Nathan’s feet and Nathan looked down. Water had started to come on board and was already almost touching Nathan’s feet.

  “I told you this was a bad idea.” Nathan said as he turned the boat toward the shore.

  “Then why didn’t you talk me out of it?” Scotty laughed. “God, please let us make it to shore.”

  The water came faster now and although his feet were already submerged, watching Scotty try to bail the water out by hand had Nathan laughing.

  “You’re ridiculous.” Nathan peered over his shoulder. “We’re not going to make it, Scotty.”

  “We can. Row faster.” Scotty shouted through his own fit of laughter as he splashed around, attempting to bail the water over the side. Scotty squeaked, his laughter now bordered on hysteria. “Nathan, dear, I don’t want to have to swim in skinny jeans.”

  “We’re almost there.”

  Scotty looked hopeful for a split second, then the water practically swallowed the boat. “Scotty, we have to swim for it.”

  “Fuck.” Scotty finally stopped attempting to bail the water out of the boat. “If you jump, I jump.”

  “Are you quoting Titanic right now?”

  “It was either that or we’re reenacting The Little Mermaid, you know, the part in the boat and they’re almost kissing, but the eels tip them over.”

  Scotty bailed out of the boat and Nathan followed. They swam a short distance away from the boat and watched it sink below the surface.

  “Well,” Nathan said as he started for shore. “That did not go as planned.”

  “My bad.” Scotty had stopped laughing, but probably because he needed to concentrate on swimming.

  They made it to the shore without incident, though Scotty immediately groused about the condition of his clothing. “I need to get out of these jeans, Nathan. They’re fucking awful.”

  The lake was now completely deserted, but Nathan didn’t want to take any chances. He scooped up their shoes and headed back toward the blanket. “Come on. You can strip down and cover up in the blanket.”

  “I cannot go back through my building dressed in a picnic blanket.”

  “You can come home with me.” Nathan suggested.

  “I think this date is going to turn out exactly as you planned.” Scotty worked the buttons of his shirt and then peeled out of it. “I hope it’s not ruined.” He frowned at the fabric and Nathan took it from him, gently, and set it on top of the basket. He made a note to take Scotty’s clothes to the dry cleaner his grandpa used.

  Nathan whipped his shirt off and wrung it out. There wasn’t a thing he could do about his pants though. He gathered the blanket up and wrapped it around Scotty’s shoulders. Scotty undid his pants and shoved at them, wriggling back and forth he tried to force them down farther.

  “Here, hold this.” Nathan let Scotty take the blanket and he knelt at Scotty’s feet. He grabbed onto Scotty’s soaking wet pants and gave them a tug. They were practically glued to Scotty’s flesh. By the time Nathan managed to get them off Scotty, he was panting, and Scotty sat on the ground while Nat
han worked at getting his feet out of the leg holes.

  “Let’s bring trunks next time.” Nathan suggested.

  “You’re the worst.” Scotty laughed through chattering teeth.

  “Come on, let’s get in the truck and get the heat on.” Nathan helped Scotty to his feet and ushered him into the truck. He turned it on and blasted the heat, then went back to collect their belongings. He dropped the wet garments on the floor in the back seat and climbed into the truck.

  Scotty sat in the passenger seat, already he looked warmer, though his hair was still wet and plastered to his face.

  “Did my mascara hold up okay?”

  “Not a single run.”

  “Perfect.” Scotty adjusted one of the vents to blast hot air at himself.

  Once they arrived back at the house, Nathan ushered Scotty inside and told him to get in the shower. “I’ll be there in a second.”

  Scotty handed him the blanket then traipsed upstairs, the shimmy of his hips sinful and alluring. Nathan couldn’t wait to follow.

  When Nathan entered the shower, Scotty greeted him with a blistering kiss. “Mmm, you taste much better than lake water.”

  “I can’t believe we sank Hallaran’s boat.”

  Scotty pressed their naked bodies together. Rivulets of water traveled down between them, disappearing where their flesh met. “We might have died.”

  Nathan snorted. “I’d have saved you.”

  “My hero.”

  Somehow, they managed to shower without ravaging each other. Nathan enjoyed the domesticity of the event. The passing of the shampoo. The careful dance to trade places so the other person could enjoy the spray. And as much as Nathan enjoyed shower sex, the payoff was worth it. He eyed up Scotty, who had slipped into a pair of Nathan’s sweatpants. Going shirtless had been the absolute right decision, Nathan decided.

  “I like you in my clothes,” he confessed. He wound his arms around Scotty from behind.

  “You like me out of your clothes, too.”

  “I do.” Nathan rocked into Scotty, his cock had been awake and ready for action for hours. Scotty had that effect on him, it seemed.

  Scotty turned his head and their lips met in an awkward kiss, but it was perfect and heady, and it sent frissons of pleasure and need through Nathan’s body.

  “Nathan,” Scotty arched his back and pressed his ass into Nathan’s groin. He ground his hips and his ass felt delicious rubbing against Nathan’s cock. “Fuck me, Nathan.”

  “Mmm.” Nathan hummed, his body coming alive at the thought of plunging deep into Scotty’s ass. But he had other ideas. “I could.”

  Scotty whined. “Then I’ll fuck you.”

  “Mmm.” Nathan nuzzled the slope of Scotty’s neck. “You could.”

  “Or?”

  “Or you could shut up and lay down.”

  “Shutting up. Laying down.” Scotty stretched out on the bed and Nathan was quick to follow him. He climbed on top of Scotty. Scotty, ever impatient, grabbed Nathan and kissed him. He spread his legs and Nathan settled there. He held tight to Scotty, groping, grabbing, kissing, and the whole time he bucked against Scotty. Their cocks, though hidden behind layers of fabric, pressed together and the friction was enough to take Nathan to the brink far sooner than he anticipated.

  Nathan needed oxygen, but more than that, he needed Scotty. He buried his face in the crook of Scotty’s neck. Scotty’s hands were on him, down his back. Under the waistband of his pants and he gripped the cheeks of Nathan’s ass, encouraging him to rut harder.

  “Fuck.” Nathan’s voice broke on the word. He wanted to warn Scotty he was close, but Scotty must have known, because his finger dipped into the crease of Nathan’s ass and pressed against his hole.

  “Come for me,” Scotty rasped, and Nathan could tell he wasn’t the only one about to lose control. “Come for me, baby.”

  It wasn’t the first time someone had called him baby. It wasn’t the first time he came in his pants. But it was the first time either of those things felt important and earth shattering. What happened between him and Scotty felt big, far bigger than Nathan had imagined it could be. His feelings for the man beneath him had snuck up on him, but there was no ignoring the way he felt.

  Even with the cum sticking to his pants and his cock, he had no desire to separate himself from Scotty. He wanted to take this moment and drink in every last sensation. Every breath against Nathan’s skin. Every brush of Scotty’s lips. He wanted to etch this day so deep into his memory he’d never forget a single moment of the day he realized he was hopelessly in love.

  Chapter Twenty

  Scotty

  Scotty winced as he peeled the soiled sweats off and tossed them in the laundry basket. He didn’t need them anymore, anyway. Nathan had warmed him thoroughly. “You know,” Scotty said as he returned to Nathan’s side. He draped an arm around Nathan’s middle. It had been a long time since Scotty had felt insecure about anything. And this was probably the stupidest thing in the history of sex to worry about, but he had to know. “You could’ve fucked me, Nathan. I wanted you too.”

  Nathan’s arm wound around Scotty’s shoulders and he pulled him into a tight embrace. “I did. There’s a million ways to get off with someone, baby, and we’ll do that one day. We’ll do them all.”

  Scotty smiled against Nathan’s shoulder. He liked the idea that they’d have time enough together to have all the sex in all the ways. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  Scotty liked how certain Nathan sounded. Nathan was steady as a rock and Scotty, though he was well versed in standing on his own two feet, liked having Nathan to lean against sometimes. He could picture a future here with Nathan. They could hang out with Tod and the cousins. Baby-sit Mason together. They could help his grandpa out so he wouldn’t have to go into an assisted living facility. They could go to the lake whenever they wanted, and maybe someday they’d swim with trunks, and then without. Something occurred to Scotty and he propped himself up on his elbow to look at Nathan. “Do you want to top tonight?”

  Nathan lifted his head and kissed the tip of Scotty’s nose. “It’s tempting, but,” Nathan’s hand trailed down Scotty’s back. “You have to admit, there’s something about the frenetic energy created when you hump someone to completion with their clothes on.”

  “Mmm. You might have a point.” Scotty draped a leg over Nathan. He was already half hard again, and usually he’d go for another round, but he wanted to see what kinds of things Nathan wanted to do. The greedy part of his brain, of course, told him how amazing it would be to slide inside Nathan and fuck him cross-eyed.

  “I might?”

  Scotty trailed a finger down Nathan’s chest. “Maybe we should make out.”

  “Yeah? You want to make out with me?”

  “Yeah.” Scotty’s dick was all for it, apparently, because it throbbed against Nathan’s leg.

  For all Scotty’s talk, Nathan made the first move. He started off like he was unsure. With a simple, delicate, peck on the corner of the mouth. Then a more assured kiss. Their mouths were still closed, and Scotty followed Nathan’s lead, letting him set the pace. He didn’t open his mouth until Nathan’s tongue slid along the seam of Scotty’s lips.

  The exquisite slide of Nathan’s tongue entering Scotty’s mouth set his soul on fire. He dug his fingers into Nathan’s hair as his world spun on its axis. Being kissed this way made him light-headed. There was no question about it. Scotty could spend his whole life doing nothing but lying in bed with Nathan, kissing him. He wouldn’t need anything else. Nathan’s presence in Scotty’s life had shattered any illusions about what love was and what falling in love felt like.

  He’d always loved Nathan. But loving someone from a distance was different from loving them up close. His crush, once unrequited, had blossomed into warmth that filled every bit of him. It spread through his whole body, every cell was consumed with this light Nathan brought into his life.

  He was in love with Nathan and it
was the singular most wondrous feeling in the world. His body felt too small to contain it all, like if Scotty loved him even a little more, he’d split apart at the seams.

  Nathan had rolled over on top of Scotty. His weight pressed Scotty into the mattress, but he loved the feeling of being beneath him. There was something about being with Nathan that made him feel treasured.

  Nathan’s cock brushed against Scotty’s, but neither of them seemed to pay any attention. They were both too consumed with their mouths, their tongues, their hands. Nathan kissed Scotty until they were breathless, and then he slowed. Their kisses grew lazier, still passionate, but less hurried.

  Nathan’s kisses traveled up Scotty’s jawline.

  A breathless laugh escaped Scotty. “That wasn’t like any make out session I had when I was a teenager.”

  “If we were teenagers, I’d have come all over you about five minutes ago.”

  “If we were teenagers, I’d be too young for you.”

  Nathan laughed. “God, your mom would’ve killed me.”

  “I wouldn’t have let them hurt you,” Scotty promised.

  “No?”

  “Uh uh. Not even a little.” Scotty held Nathan’s gaze. “I loved you then. And I love you now.”

  The way Nathan looked at Scotty in that moment cut him in half. He gazed at Scotty, struck dumb, and then he fucking smiled the widest, silliest, biggest grin he’d ever seen on Nathan’s face. And then they were kissing again. Nathan clawed at him, like he was trying to climb inside him so they could be one. Or maybe that’s what Scotty was doing, it was hard to tell with all the groping and kissing, the manic movements and the frenzied friction.

  Everything melded together and Scotty knew it would be a memory he’d visit for years. There was no holding back. Scotty dug his fingers into the meaty globes of Nathan’s ass, they rutted together, and Scotty knew he’d never been fucked like this before. He’d never been loved like this before.