by Pandora Pine
“I’ll take that as a yes!” Landon pushed back the covers, climbing out of bed with his back facing his host so Noble couldn’t see his morning wood. “I’ll hit the head and then I’ll take Charlie O-U-T.”
Locking himself in the bathroom, Landon let out a frustrated sigh. It had been months since he’d gotten laid. He guessed it wasn’t surprising his over-active dick would react this way to Noble.
Pushing his pants to his ankles, Landon took his cock in hand, slowly stroking it from tip to root. “Fuck, yes!” Landon sighed, this time with pleasure. He set a slow, steady rhythm, wanting this to last as long as possible.
In his mind’s eye, he could see Noble the way he looked last night, shirtless in the fire’s dancing glow. He’d looked like a bronzed god with his rippling muscles and broad shoulders. He was the kind of man the Greeks would have sculpted with his six-pack abs and ripped pecs.
Moaning, Landon bit down on his lower lip. As far into his fantasy as he was, he didn’t want Noble to overhear him pleasuring himself.
What Landon would give to run his tongue over Noble’s abs, tracing them and nibbling his hot flesh as he made his way further south to Noble’s leaking cock. Landon could see himself down on his knees, looking up into Noble’s blue eyes, which were so dark with need, there was only a thin ring of blue showing.
More than anything, he wanted to taste Noble, feel his cock nudging against the back of his throat. “Please, Noble,” Landon whispered, speeding up his hand. He wanted to feel Noble’s cock jerk and pulse while his lover roared through his orgasm, his hands fisted in Landon’s dark hair. He wanted to swallow load after load of Noble’s sweet cream.
“Fuck, Noble!” Landon cried out, his cock spewing in his hand. Ropes of come blasted from his slit to land in the bowl. Bracing a hand against the wall behind the toilet, Landon closed his eyes, trying to get his ragged breathing back under control.
It was going to be a long two weeks at Sand Dollar Shoal if all Landon could think about was fucking and sucking Noble Killington to within an inch of his life.
XX
Noble was cracking eggs into a bowl. He could see Landon out the kitchen window walking with Charlie who was behaving perfectly for him. She wasn’t yanking on the leash or dragging Landon down the beach behind her. She was acting like a perfect little lady.
Rolling his eyes, Noble opened a package of bacon and started laying strips on the hot top. It had been a long time since he’d made breakfast for another man.
While he’d been married to Vincent, they’d always spent leisurely Sunday mornings around the house. Vincent would read sections of the Boston Globe to him while Noble cooked for them. He was usually able to get breakfast on the table without burning it, unless Vincent came up from behind him while he was cooking, distracting Noble with his full lips and nibbling kisses.
If he were honest with himself, cooking for Landon felt pretty good. He’d surprised himself last night by asking his uninvited guest to stay here at the hotel for the next two weeks. Having Landon here made him realize how foolish he was to have been here all alone in the first place. Part of the reason he’d spiraled out of control with his drinking was because he was alone so much after Vincent died.
He heard Landon laughing and went to the window to see what had triggered it. Noble snorted when he saw Landon flat on his back in the snow with Charlie standing on top of his chest looking down at him and licking his face off.
One of the things that had really stood out to him about Landon was how damaged the other man was, but watching him laugh now, all signs of the darkness within him were gone. They were both damaged men, Noble with his dead husband and fragile sobriety and Landon with his writer’s block and his career on the line.
Landon was finally able to get the eager Charlie off his stomach and managed to roll over and stand back up. Noble saw him point to the hotel and Charlie took off like a shot. Just as Noble was about to turn away, Landon waved to him.
Shit, caught red-handed. Noble waved back before heading to the flat top to flip the bacon. He’d just flipped the last slice when Charlie burst into the kitchen, skidding to a halt next to Noble. “Hello pretty princess.”
“She’s more demon than princess!” Landon called from the dining room. When he came into the kitchen a few seconds later, his face was red with the cold and his hair was soaked and sticking up crazily.
Noble burst out laughing. “I saw you go out with her. She was walking on the leash, not tugging and not dragging you and the next thing I know, you’re laughing like a loon. What happened?”
Landon shook his head, rubbing his hands together. “She was behaving perfectly until she started running around me, tangling the leash around my legs. I ended up flat on my ass in the snow.”
Noble dumped the eggs onto the flat top, grabbing a spatula. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Landon grabbing plates. “How is the writing going?” He turned to look at Landon who had an odd look on his face. “Am I not supposed to ask?” Shit! Noble hoped he hadn’t offended the other man.
Opening and closing his mouth, Landon finally shook his head. “No one, outside of my agent, has ever asked me that question before.”
“Seriously? Not your friends or your mother?” Even though he hadn’t known Landon that long, Noble could see writing was the most important thing in his life.
“My mother is so lost in her own private pity party, she doesn’t even know what day it is half the time. All that she cares about now is the money my writing makes so I can continue to support her, but she couldn’t give two fucks about the process.”
“Damn, man. That sucks.”
Landon shrugged, dipping the measuring cup into Charlie’s kibble before dumping it in the bowl. “Num-nums, Charlie.” Landon stepped back when the dog came barreling toward him and the food dish. Charlie ate like she hadn’t been fed in weeks. “As for friends, I don’t really have any, aside from other authors and fans I keep in touch with online. My fans are rabid for the new Marcus Pike book, but that only makes me feel guiltier for not having any updates to give them.”
Noble thought about what Landon had just said while he was scooping up fluffy scrambled eggs onto plates. “I know social media is a great way to attract fans and introduce your books to new readers, but have you thought about taking a break while you’re here?”
“What do you mean?” Landon’s look was cautiously curious.
“Last night when you were writing, there were absolutely no distractions. No television, no ringing phones, no annoying master builders trying to talk your ear off.”
“You could have interrupted me, Noble.” Landon dug in to his eggs.
“No way in hell! The only reason I would have interrupted you was if the hotel was on fire.” Noble laughed. “What about posting a pic of the hotel on your Facebook page and saying that you’re on location writing and you’re not going to be online for a few weeks while you work. Only you’ll say it better.” Noble grinned, eating half a slice of bacon in one bite.
“Actually, that’s a pretty good idea. Maybe you can take a picture of me later when we go out to shovel?”
“Sure thing. So, do you mind if I ask about your writing? Or would you rather I not?” Noble’s stomach twisted in knots. He was seriously interested in Landon’s book and wanted his new friend to have someone he could talk to about his struggles and his triumphs.
Tilting his head to the side, Landon seemed to be thinking it over. “It’s okay if you ask because you’re actually interested in knowing the answer. Not because you’re rabid for the next book.”
Noble burst out laughing. “I read about five chapters of Killer Cure last night and it just keeps getting better. By the end of it, I’m sure I’m gonna be just as rabid for book two as all of your other fans.”
Laughing along with him, Landon scooped up a bit of eggs on his toast. “I wrote the prologue and the first two chapters. I introduced a police officer named Norris Fulsome. He’s gonna team up with
Marcus Pike to catch the killer.”
“Hmm,” Noble hummed, his mouth full of eggs. “I think he should be about 6’4” with blond hair and these amazing blue eyes that cause hearts to stop beating wherever he goes.”
Landon rolled his eyes. “He does look like that, with the exception of the eyes.”
“HA! So Norris is me!” Noble crowed. “And come to think of it, Marcus Pike has dark hair and hazel eyes and has an affinity for chocolate, so he’s you, isn’t he?”
Blushing, Landon nodded.
“I knew it! So are Marcus and Norris gonna get in on?” Noble waggled his eyebrows.
“Ask me that question another time.” Landon shook his head and threw his empty plate in the trash before walking back into the hotel dining room with Charlie hot on his heels.
What the fuck just happened? Noble could hear Landon putting his boots back on. There was a lot of work to do outside before they tried to get out to the supermarket.
Whatever it was that made Landon shut down like he did, Noble was going to give Landon all the time he needed to chew it over.
9
Landon’s back was on fire. He had been out in front of the hotel, shoveling the stairs and front walk. He’d also started shoveling a path to Noble’s hulking, black Ford pickup truck which was parked facing the drive leading to the main road. The road itself looked plowed but there was a huge mound of snow piled up at the end of the hotel driveway.
Fuck me with a chainsaw. Landon leaned on his shovel, trying to catch his breath. He’d guess it was about eight hundred feet from where the truck was parked to the main road. How the fuck were he and Noble going to shovel all of that by themselves?
While he’d been outside shoveling, he’d been thinking over Noble’s question about Marcus and Norris hooking up. God, what a twisted metaphor for real life. Landon knew it wasn’t a coincidence that he’d created a strong male character to partner with Marcus who just so happened to be a dead ringer for Noble Killington.
Things were changing for the better when it came to gay rights in the United States. Landon really wanted to write romance into the plot of the next book which he tentatively was calling Killer Instinct, but he didn’t think the publishers or the American reading public would go for a gay leading character.
Landon shook his head. He’d been such a dick to Noble. Again. All he’d done was ask a simple question, in jest, and Landon, instead of giving a flirty answer back, had walked away.
“Wow! You’ve gotten a lot done out here.” Noble was all smiles with Charlie following along behind him.
Landon felt a blush rising up his neck. Thank God it was cold out and Noble wouldn’t be able to tell he was blushing. No one had ever complimented him so much as Noble had done in the last three days. “I’m just worried about shoveling all the way out to main the road.”
“I was thinking we’d just throw the truck in four-wheel drive and blast through the snow. We might have to shovel out the end of the driveway where plows built up a mound there.” Noble pointed.
“That sounds a hell of a lot better than trying to shovel the road out. Why the hell don’t you have a plow on this beast of a truck? Or a snow blower at the very least?”
“My dad is coming down in a few days with his plow. I figured I’d be okay here without it. I have enough food for me and Charlie to last weeks.”
Landon nodded. “I’m sorry I was a dick earlier. Again. I’m just not used to people doing nice things for me or who take a real interest in my writing.”
Noble grinned tapping his black glove against the side of Landon’s face. “At least you’re good at apologizing.”
“I’m trying to be a better friend too.” He meant it. He liked Noble, beyond wanting to jump his bones. It would be nice to have someone to lean on for a change.
“Is that what we are now? Friends?” Noble’s smile lit up the gloomy Cape Cod morning.
“I hope so, Noble. I sure could use one.”
“Me too.” Noble wrapped his arm around Landon’s back. “Come on. Let’s try to get out of here.”
XX
Working together, they managed to get the hard-packed snow piled up at the foot of the driveway cleared away in no time. Noble knew the next time the plows came by that the end of the driveway would just be snowed in again.
“Where’s the closest grocery store?” Landon pulled off his hat and gloves, setting them on the truck’s dashboard near the heater.
“There’s a Whole Foods here in Hyannis and a Star Market out in Dennis. Whole Foods is closer, but more expensive.”
Landon grinned. “Since I’m paying, let’s go to Whole Foods.”
“Why are you paying?” Noble pulled his eyes off the road to smile at Landon.
“Because you’re letting me stay with you and because I want to.”
Noble nodded. He knew why Landon was doing this. He was trying to make up for being a dick earlier.
“Do you read a lot?” Landon asked out of the blue.
“Yeah, I try to. Griff sent me a Kindle when I was in rehab with a gift card to Amazon. He and all the guys sent me their top must-read books. I got in the habit of reading before bed while I was in California and that’s one healthy habit I carried forward when I came home.”
“I always like reading to wind down at the end of the day.” Landon paused, glancing over at Noble. “Would you read a book if the main characters were gay?”
“Duh!” Noble snorted, rolling his eyes.
“So would I,” Landon agreed, “but what worries me is the mainstream people who probably don’t even know anyone who’s gay, Bible-belt Midwesterners and uber religious Texans.”
“Well, what if it’s subtle between Marcus and Norris? No tonsil hockey, no hot blow jobs in a restaurant bathroom or molten hot monkey love back at the hotel after a long day on the case. Maybe at the end they just kiss each other?”
“I don’t know…” Landon shook his head, looking uneasy.
“You said this is the last book in the series, right?”
Landon nodded.
“So what does it matter then?” Noble’s attitude was to go for it and let the chips fall where they may.
“My publisher will probably edit the kiss out anyway.” Shrugging, Landon turned to look out the passenger window.
“What if he doesn’t?” Noble didn’t know why he was pushing so hard for Landon to consider what he was saying, other than it seemed like writing that kind of story was what Landon wanted. The only thing stopping him was his fear of public ridicule and scorn, which Noble understood all too well.
Turning back to look at Noble, Landon smiled. “I’ll think about it.”
Noble grinned at his new friend and pulled into the nearly empty parking lot at Whole Foods. “You ready to shop?”
Laughing, Landon unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out of the truck.
Noble followed him, hoping that his well-intentioned advice was helpful.
10
Landon’s entire body ached. Muscles he didn’t even know he had were screaming in agony. Instead of writing at his makeshift desk, Landon was lying down on his mattress, his feet warming up in front of the fire.
When he and Noble had gotten home from the grocery store, he’d started the beef stew while Noble sat watching him. Landon hadn’t cooked for anyone else since he’d left his mother’s house and found that it was enjoyable to have Noble around.
After they made the stew, Noble had gone up to check on the light while Landon went back out to work on shoveling the driveway. The forecast was for the temps to dip into the single digits after midnight and Landon knew that meant that the fallen snow would freeze solid. They needed to clear off the rest of the road leading to the hotel.
Landon could see perfect reason in spending the afternoon working hard with Noble, but lying here now in more physical pain than he’d ever felt in his life, Landon was regretting his actions.
“Are you okay?” Noble was still damp from his shower.
“Every muscle in my body is rebelling against me.” Landon groaned, trying and failing to sit up.
Noble chuckled, rustling around his bag until he came up with a bottle of Aleve. He dropped two tablets into the palm of his hand and handed them to Landon. “Here, let me help you sit up.” Kneeling behind Landon, Noble gently pushed him up until he was sitting.
“Christ, I’m such a freaking wimp.” Landon sighed, throwing back the pills and washing them down with a sip from his bottle of water.
“No, you’re just not used to using your body like that. How about a back rub?”
Christ, was Noble serious? All he wanted was for Noble to put his hands on his aching body. Not that there was much Landon could do to reciprocate in this condition. “Sure.”
Sitting behind Landon on the bed, Noble reached out his hands to Landon’s shoulders.
Charlie woofed, grabbing her new rainbow rope toy and carried it with her to Landon’s bed. She made herself comfortable in Landon’s lap. “Oh, you want a back rub too, huh?”
“Thanks for getting Charlie some toys at the store today. I hadn’t really thought about doing that for her."
It had been fun shopping for Charlie at Whole Foods. They’d gotten so much stuff that they’d needed two carts to carry it all to the checkout. Landon had wanted to be prepared in case another big storm hit. “I had a great time today.”
“Yeah? I did too. Thanks for helping out with the shoveling. I know you probably wanted to be writing instead.”
Landon shrugged his sore shoulders. “The one thing shoveling was good for, besides helping me to get rid of my gut, is thinking.”
Noble slid his hands down Landon’s back and around to his stomach. “I think you’re perfect the way you are.”
Landon could hear the sincerity in Noble’s words but didn’t want to dwell on Noble’s hands on him or the way he was practically nuzzling the back of Landon’s neck. “I was thinking about what we talked about in the truck.”
“About Marcus and Norris having a subtle relationship?”
