by J. M. Snyder
Just the Three of Us
By J.M. Snyder
Published by JMS Books LLC
Visit jms-books.com for more information.
Copyright 2013 J.M. Snyder
ISBN 9781611529609
Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com
Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.
All rights reserved.
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This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It contains substantial sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published in the United States of America.
* * * *
Just the Three of Us
By J.M. Snyder
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 1
Remy McIntosh glanced up from the papers strewn across his desk to sneak a peek at the time. The display on his desk phone read 4:51, which meant he still had thirty-nine minutes before he could call it a day.
Thirty-nine minutes seemed like an eternity.
It didn’t help matters that this was his last day of work for the year. In thirty-nine minutes, he’d turn off his computer, switch off the light, and lock his office door, and not think about contracts or grants or plat maps or anything work-related for the next fourteen blessed days. He had saved up his vacation to take a full two weeks off at Christmas and New Year’s. He had plans—a long, leisurely holiday away from everything, and everyone, except Lane.
Just thinking of Lane Anders made Remy smile. A photo of his lover was propped against his monitor, right next to his son’s latest school picture. Braden McIntosh was eight years old, in the third grade, and the only good thing to come from Remy’s short-lived marriage. Braden didn’t know Lane, at least not yet, but Remy hoped to change that in the near future. He was thinking of maybe inviting Lane over the next time he had visitation with his son—for just a few hours, nothing major, but the thought of the two most important men in his life meeting made him nervous. He knew Lane would love Braden, but would his son be as open and accepting of his father’s male lover?
He didn’t know. But it wasn’t anything to worry about just yet; introductions between them were still something he hadn’t quite planned out. Not to the level of detail he had planned his Christmas break. Remy wanted to have every I dotted, every T crossed. Any meeting between Lane and Braden would be brief, preferably at Remy’s home, and not until after his son’s birthday in April. As that got closer, he’d work out the details.
Christmas, though…Remy’s next two weeks were firmly pinned down. He’d rented a cabin in the mountains, within sight of a manmade lake whose flat surface winked with sunlight all day long. Tall pine trees hemmed in the small, cozy cabin. There was a fireplace that faced a large, main room, a well-stocked kitchen complete with all the modern amenities, a bathroom that housed an actual claw-foot tub, and three bedrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the lake. He’d seen photos online and fell in love with the place before he even picked up the phone to make reservations. There was electricity, and a generator, and not another cabin in sight. It appeared to be far from civilization, but within driving distance to a small cluster of shops where they could stock up on provisions when needed.
Remy had found the place in July, when he first began thinking about a holiday getaway for just the two of them. He knew Lane would love it. In his late thirties, Lane Anders wasn’t much of an outdoorsman, but he liked nature. He just didn’t like too much nature. Tall, with a shock of thick, dark hair, Lane had pale blue eyes that seemed depthless and a quick smile he flashed frequently. Those were the first things Remy noticed about him. Those eyes, that hair, his grin.
* * * *
Lane was an architect, and when Remy’s urban planning firm had contracted with the City of Richmond to revitalize their downtown image, Anders and Associates was the low bidder on the design work.
The first time they met, Remy had looked into Lane’s pale eyes as they shook hands, and he could’ve sworn he felt something arc between them, something electric. It ran from the tips of his fingers straight down to his cock. It was two years ago, and he was newly divorced, and just beginning to revel in his newfound freedom. He had always known he liked men, but in his twenties he played on both sides of the fence, and when his girlfriend learned she was pregnant, he did the right thing. They married. And were miserable. Braden came along and they pretended things were fine, but they weren’t. Kate wanted out, and Remy couldn’t agree more.
But it was hard finding his groove again after six long years, and Remy doubted himself. He had been on the bar scene a time or two, but found that it wasn’t as fun as it had been when he was younger. He was no longer interested in drinking or getting drunk, in hanging out all night long, in shouting over loud music or hooking up with anonymous men in the back seat of his car. He wanted something more permanent. Something real.
Enter Lane.
Throughout their first meeting, Remy sat on one side of the table, Lane across from him. There were other associates present, and Remy spent most of the time gazing at the man who had elicited such a physical response from him. Lane had a long face, long hands, and long legs that stretched underneath the table. Remy had accidentally kicked one when he sat down. He couldn’t seem to look away from the architect, but all he got in return were darting glances and half-smiles. Talk focused on the contract, and after they had outlined what was expected from both firms, the meeting adjourned. Remy’s firm, JDM Planners, would take the lead role and deal directly with the city; Anders and Associates would work with them. As Remy followed the rest of his team, Lane walked them out. He held the door for the others, then stepped in front of Remy before the planner could follow.
“Nice meeting you today,” Lane said softly.
Remy glanced around. They were alone. The other associates had either gone back to their desks or were out in the hallway with Remy’s planners. “I know we’ll work well together.”
The words were out before he could stop them. Not I hope but I know. Inwardly he groaned. Slick one, Rem.
Lane’s smile lit up his face. “Hey, listen, how about we meet up for drinks tonight, or something? If you’re free.”
Remy nodded. “I’m sure the guys will be up for—”
“Just us,” Lane interrupted.
Suddenly the space between the two men seemed close, too intimate. When had that happened?
“You and me?” Remy asked, clarifying the obvious.
Lane stared at him openly, almost hungrily. A hint of a smile teased the corners of his mouth. “You can say no.”
&nbs
p; “No, I would—I mean, yes, that’s…” Remy sighed. Had dating been this hard before his marriage? He honestly couldn’t remember. Taking a deep breath, he said simply, “Yes. I’d like that.”
* * * *
That first date turned into another, and two years flew by almost without Remy realizing it. He was always upfront and honest about his past—Lane knew of Braden, and Kate, Remy’s ex-wife. But he had never met the two, mostly because Remy didn’t want Kate to feel as if he were trying to steal his son away from her. She had as much difficulty as he did when it came to dating; more so, really, because she was a single mother and many men shied away from that sort of commitment. When Remy told her about Lane, she had said she was happy for them, but he knew her well enough to know she was more than a little jealous, too.
At first, though, she hadn’t wanted Braden to meet Lane. Not because he was the boy’s father’s male lover—she was much too open-minded for that. Part of her attraction to Remy in the first place was because he’d been with men as well as women. But she was hesitant to introduce their son to anyone who might prove to be only passing through, a casual relationship not meant to go any farther than a few dates. A young boy like Braden could possibly misunderstand if things didn’t work out between Remy and Lane.
Remy agreed. As things heated up between he and Lane, though, he had to think about how to introduce the two. Lane knew Remy was a planner, in work as well as play, and every detail of the first meeting had to be hammered out until it was perfect. Lane was willing to wait until Remy felt the time was right to merge together the two most important aspects of his life.
First, though, Christmas.
Much of Remy’s workload sent him all over the state, and on a business trip to a small town at the base of the Appalachian Mountains, he diverted from his return route home to stop and see the cabin himself. It was, in a word, perfect. In the summer, the place had been bustling with tourists; the lake was abuzz with motorboats and jet skis, families picnicked on the shore, kids tossed rocks into the water off the end of the pier where men were trying to fish. The sun dappled through the trees, casting the world in a peaceful green glow. The people renting the cabin at the time let him in to take a look around and he fell in love with it. Before heading back to Richmond, he stopped at the rental office to make sure they had him down for the last two weeks of the year. He had given his credit card number online, but he signed the rental agreement then, eager for his turn in the cabin. He could only imagine what it would be like in winter.
* * * *
At two minutes after five, the phone on Remy’s desk rang. He pushed aside the plat map he’d been studying and leaned back in his seat to answer. His administrative assistant usually announced who was calling before sending them back to Remy’s office; since she hadn’t bothered, that meant the call was from one of two people. This close to quitting time, he hoped it was Lane.
It wasn’t.
“Jeremy,” his ex-wife’s voice snapped in his ear.
Instantly Remy sat up straight, no longer comfortable. “Kaitlin,” he replied. Two could play that game. Then, to diffuse the situation, he offered, “Merry Christmas.”
“That’s four days away,” she reminded him.
Remy rolled his eyes. She always had to be so damn literal. “True, but it’s Friday, and I’ll be out of town the next two weeks, so—”
“Actually, that’s what I’m calling about.”
His guard went up. “Kate, we talked about this. Braden already knows I’m not going to be visiting next week, and he’s okay with it. So what’s the big deal all of a sudden?”
“The big deal is now I have plans, too,” she admitted.
Remy waited. He knew she wanted him to ask what kind of plans, but he wouldn’t. If she wanted him to know, she’d tell him.
So she did. “Mike has two tickets for a holiday cruise,” she said softly. “It’s a couples-only thing. I tried telling him no, but he has his heart set on the Caribbean. He doesn’t much care for snow.”
“This is Virginia,” Remy snapped. “We hardly ever get any real snow. Who’s Mike?”
Kate sighed. “You met him last month. He came over for Thanksgiving, remember?”
Oh yes, now Remy could put a face to the name. Funny how Kate could have her new boyfriend celebrate Thanksgiving with the family but Lane was excluded.
Though, really, that wasn’t fair. Mike wasn’t the first guy Kate had dated since the divorce, but he was one she was most serious about. And Lane had been invited, but chose to visit his family in New Jersey, instead. His father was ill, and his sister had a new baby he wanted to see. Remy took a red-eye flight Thanksgiving evening to spend the rest of the weekend with Lane. His lover’s family was awesome—they jokingly referred to him as the “in-law,” and it had been nice to get away for a bit.
If Remy remembered, Mike was a nice enough guy. Totally opposite of what Remy had always thought of as Kate’s type, which was, well, himself. Tall, lean, slim, with broad shoulders and a full head of wavy blond hair. Mike had none of that, but he hadn’t seemed intimidated in the least when Kate introduced him to her ex-husband. Chances were she had also told him Remy was gay. That might have helped curb any jealous inadequacy he might have felt.
The mental image of Mike’s pale, paunchy belly hanging over a pair of Bermuda shorts wasn’t pleasant. Remy pinched the bridge of his nose to make it go away. “Wait, so you’re going on a cruise? When?”
“We leave Sunday,” Kate admitted.
For a long moment, Remy stared at the screen saver on his computer. His plan was to leave tonight for the cabin. Lane was meeting him after work, and together they’d head on out to the mountains. It was a three hour ride, easy, and with rush-hour traffic, it might stretch closer to four hours or so. They’d arrive late, but Remy was already looking forward to a quiet evening in front of a roaring fire, making love in front of the warm blaze, dozing in his lover’s arms until noon Saturday morning…
“What about Braden?” he asked.
Kate said, “That’s just it, Jer. We can’t take him with us. Mike only has two tickets.”
“Well, is it too late to buy another?” Remy had never been on a cruise before, but he’d seen ads on the TV. His son would love the boat and the islands.
“It’s a couples’ cruise,” Kate repeated.
Ah yes, she had said that. “Like The Love Boat?” Remy joked.
He knew Kate wouldn’t find that funny, and she didn’t. She sat on the other end of the line, silent.
“So, Braden?” Remy asked.
“You need to take him,” Kate said. Before he could argue, she hurried on. “My parents can’t, you know that. My mother’s still shaky from that bout of colitis she had back in October, and my dad has his hands full with her. Your parents might—”
“No, they couldn’t,” Remy interrupted. To be honest, at the moment he wasn’t exactly sure where his parents were. Upon retirement, they had locked up their house, sold both cars, bought an RV, and hit the road. Every few weeks, he got a postcard from them, usually an odd, out of the way place he had never heard of before. The last one came earlier in the month and showed his mother and father standing side by side, though his mother loomed unnaturally over his father. Both were grinning madly, and above their heads was written The Oregon Vortex and the House of Mystery. If they were still on the west coast, there was no way they would be able to return by Sunday to watch Braden. If he even knew how to contact them.
Kate said again, “Then you need to take him.”
Remy sighed. “Katie, I’m going out of town—”
“It’s Kate.” The correction was curt, a warning. “You can take Braden with you. He’d love a week in the woods.”
“Two weeks,” Remy corrected. “And it’s supposed to be just me and Lane—”
“Damn it, Jer! Can’t you give me this?” He heard tears in her voice, and knew she was close to breaking. “You’ve been with him now for two whole years. Yo
u have every night alone together while I take care of your son. Mike is the first good thing that’s happened to me in a long time. Can’t you see that?”
Remy closed his eyes. She was right. Since he and Lane had begun dating exclusively, they spent as much time together as possible. He saw Braden every other weekend, but that didn’t really give Kate the break she deserved. And Braden was his son. Remy loved the boy to death, and the thought of spending Christmas with him—without Kate—was exhilarating.
Softly, he said, “Fine. Let me ask Lane—”
“Ask me what?” came a deep voice from the doorway.
Remy opened his eyes to find Lane standing just inside his office. He wore a heavy winter coat that hung, unzipped, over a dress shirt, sweater vest, and pressed khakis. The knot in his tie had been loosened, and his cheeks were pinked with the wind. He looked so carefree and young, so vibrant, and so damned sexy, Remy wanted to ravish him right there.
Instead, he settled for a simple, “Hey, babe,” and puckered his lips.
Lane leaned across the desk to give him a quick kiss. “Who’s on the phone?”
“Jeremy?” Kate asked in his ear.
Covering the receiver with one hand, Remy said, “Kate needs me to watch Braden all next week.”
Lane’s smile didn’t disappear so much as…well, fade was a better word. It became suddenly cautious. “Okay,” he said, thinking it through. “Does this mean the cabin’s out?”
Despite Remy’s hand over the phone, Kate obviously overheard. “Braden would love the cabin,” she said. “Don’t be so damn selfish, Jer. He’s your son.”
“She says he’d love the cabin.” Remy gave Lane an apologetic shrug, like what can I do? “It’s supposed to be just the two of us…”
“So three will make it better,” Lane said, his grin returning. “I’ve been dying to meet the kid forever. As long as she’s cool with it—”
“God, I love that man,” Kate gushed in Remy’s ear. “Yes, I’m totally cool with it. Tell him.”
“Kate—”
