by Pandora Pine
Landon burst out laughing. “God, I’m such an asshole. Ask me again.”
Nodding, Noble looked up at him. “Will you go out with me tomorrow, Landon?”
“I would love to go out with you.” Landon pulled their joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of Noble’s hand.
“Good, it’s settled.” Noble looked pleased with himself. “My favorite part of the book so far is the relationship between Marcus and Norris. It sort of reminds me of our relationship, if you take out the living together.”
Landon grinned, finally digging in to his dinner. “So much of what I write is pulled from the headlines of my life.”
“Interesting,” Noble muttered.
“What’s interesting?”
“Well, that for a man who claims to only be interested in friends with benefits and fuck-buddies, it kind of seems like you’re slowly shifting away from that, like maybe you want something more.”
Did he want something more? Right now, he didn’t have enough information to make that decision. “What was it like to find your husband?” Maybe Noble could help him decide if he really did want something a bit longer lasting.
Noble seemed to be thinking his question over. “Is this research for your book or are you asking me?”
Landon shrugged. “I’m asking you. I’ve never been in love before.
Noble smiled slowly. “Vincent and I were friends for years. We’d gone to elementary school together and later he went to work for my father. He was the one who ran things when my dad had his heart attack. I had two months to go in my senior year of high school and then I joined Vincent on the job site when I graduated. Taking care of my dad was each other’s first priority. I think that’s what first attracted me to him. Well, besides his dark hair and tight ass.”
“What do you mean? You were attracted to Vincent because he loved your father?” Was Noble saying it was Vincent’s personality that was the initial draw?
“Vincent loved my father like he was his father. That was the first thing I fell in love with about him. Then when my dad was back on his feet, he worked the office, while Vincent and I worked the actual remodeling jobs.”
Landon huffed. “I’ve never known anyone well enough to fall in love with things about them.” It was definitely something he was going to think about later.
“Always keeping people at arm’s length, huh?” Noble took a long sip from his bottle of water.
“Is it that obvious?” Noble was dead on in his assessment. If Landon didn’t let anyone get close, then no one could hurt him. Only now, with Noble, he’d broken his own rule. Noble had gotten close and was getting even closer with each passing day.
Noble burst out laughing. “Yeah! You’re prickly like a porcupine sometimes.”
Landon shrugged, knowing Noble had a point. “After my father left us, my mom’s motto was, ‘men suck!’ She’d get drunk and ramble on about how they just want to fuck you and it’s off to the next hole.”
Noble cringed. “She wasn’t bitter much, was she?”
His mother was bitter and angry to this day and his father had left her seventeen years ago. “Instead of pulling herself and her life back together, she let my father’s infidelity destroy her.”
“In a twisted way, I get that. I was letting Vincent’s death destroy me. I felt like my life was over without him in it. Is it possible you’re letting your mother’s jaded view of men affect the kind of relationships you have with them?”
Was it possible? Landon knew not every man was like that tool he’d dated years ago, but he’d always been too scared to put that theory into practice. Noble Killington was nothing like that guy. For that matter, Noble was nothing like any of his so-called friends with benefits either. Landon sighed. “You might have a point.”
“I’m glad you’re at least willing to consider it.”
“Where are we going tomorrow?” The last person Landon wanted to talk about now was his mother.
Noble winked at him. “It’s a surprise!”
Landon grinned at him. Everything that had happened to him since he met Noble had been a surprise. What was one more?
19
“Wordsmith? You about finished making yourself beautiful?” Noble was shouting up the stairs to the second story bathroom they’d been using.
“Almost done!” Landon shouted back.
“Stop painting the peacock! Daylight’s wasting!” Noble shouted. He’d had a rough time sleeping last night, feeling like it was Christmas Eve. He was so excited to be going out on a date with Landon.
The last time he’d been out on what he considered an actual date was the night he’d proposed to Vincent. They’d gone to see a performance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and during the intermission had proposed to the man of his dreams.
Noble knew that today was a giant step forward for him in terms of moving on with his life. He could only hope Landon saw this date in the same light.
“Okay, here I am.” Landon came down the stairs dressed in dark-wash jeans and a blue button down.
Noble grinned as Landon reached the bottom step. “You look amazing.” He brushed a kiss against Landon’s clean-shaven cheek.
“So do you.”
Noble looked down at himself. He’d decided to wear a nice pair of jeans matched with a blue sweater that made his eyes look even bluer than they actually were.
“Are you gonna tell me where we’re going?” Landon pressed a kiss against Noble’s neck, licking out to taste his skin.
“You trying to bribe me with those sweet lips?” Noble wrapped his hands around Landon’s hips, pulling the other man flush against him.
“Either that or I can’t wait one more second to taste you.” Smiling against Noble’s skin, Landon kissed him one last time and pulled away.
“I’ll give you a hint, how’s that?” Noble loved that Landon was as excited about this date as he was. After his lover had fallen asleep last night, in Noble’s bed where he belonged, Noble had done a little research on what was open in Provincetown this time of year.
Provincetown, Massachusetts was the last town on Cape Cod where the arm of land sort of curls into a fist. It’s best known for its friendly LGBT community. Mostly, it’s a beach town. Unfortunately, when the summer season ends in October, a lot of the stores and other businesses close down for the winter.
Before taking Landon out there, Noble had wanted to be sure there would be places for them to walk around and enjoy. The other thing Noble had been researching were places that were dog friendly. After the incident the other night with Charlie, Noble wasn’t going to leave her alone in the hotel for the entire day.
“I’d love a hint.”
“Charlie’s coming with us.” Noble grinned, moving away from Landon to grab their coats and Charlie’s leash.
“Well that narrows things down.” Landon turned around to slip into his coat as Noble held it up for him. “All that really matters is spending the day with both of you.”
“You really mean that?” Noble had been wondering what Landon would think of this day. Would it be fun for him or would he wish he was back at his keyboard pounding out the next chapter of Killer Instinct?
“Of course I really mean it…” Landon trailed off smiling mysteriously. “Unless of course our day out includes running a half-marathon or cutting down trees with an ax. Otherwise, it’s gonna be great.”
“Well damn, there go my plans for the day.” Noble burst out laughing. “I’d signed us up for this weird biathlon where we run a half-marathon and then go chop down trees like Paul Bunyan.” Noble kissed Landon, nibbling his lips. “Guess we’re gonna have to wing it.”
“Lead on.” Landon gestured toward the front door.
Twenty minutes later, Noble was turning right onto Route 6. They’d stay on this road until they got to Provincetown. It was Noble’s plan for the two of them to walk around Commercial Street which was the city’s main tourist drag.
Some of the shops and resta
urants there were open year-round. While Landon had been in the shower, Noble had been busy calling around to the different restaurants to see if they would let Charlie dine with them.
On the last call he’d made, Noble got lucky and found a place that would let the puppy come in, for an added fee. Noble had agreed instantly not wanting their first date meal to consist of quarter pounders eaten out of a greasy paper sack in the truck.
“Where are you with getting over losing Vincent?” Landon asked out of the blue.
Noble was stunned at Landon just coming out and asking where he was in his grief process with no preamble, but he was happy to say that he wasn’t shocked. To be honest, the question made him smile. It meant Landon was thinking about a future together. “For the most part, I’ve stopped crying. His birthday and our wedding anniversary are still hard though.”
Noble sighed. Answering this question was a bit harder than he thought it was going to be. “I’ve accepted the fact that he’s gone and I think that by moving this thing between us forward, I’m showing you that I’m ready to open myself up to someone new.”
Landon nodded, but stayed silent.
“Whoever I get with next needs to understand that he’ll always be a part of the man I’ve become.”
Noble’s words seemed to shake Landon out of his head. “I don’t think you’re the kind of man who’s going to settle for anything less than what you deserve. The man who’s lucky enough to earn your love would definitely be someone who would understand the role Vincent still plays in your life.”
Was Landon being hypothetical or was he talking about himself? “You think Vincent still plays a role in my life?”
Landon nodded. “Yeah, I do. How can he not? I can see that you’re worried about giving your heart away again knowing that life is so fragile. I’d be willing to bet you weren’t leery with Vincent about that like you are with me.”
Noble reached his right hand out to Landon. The man had a point. “You’re right. When it came to my relationship with him, I jumped in with both feet. I never worried for one second that my life with Vincent would end the way it did.” Noble squeezed their joined hands. “But just because I’m more cautious in my older age doesn’t mean that I’m uninterested in you. In us.”
Landon nodded. “Spent most of the morning thinking about what we talked about last night. After taking this time to get to know you, I don’t want another fuck-buddy or friends with benefits arrangement.”
Noble’s smile burst across his face.
“But,” Landon continued, “I’m not sure if I’m boyfriend material either.”
That took some of the wind out of Noble’s sails. “What do you mean?”
“I’m thirty years old, Noble. I’ve had one serious relationship in my entire life and that was when I was nineteen years old. I’m practically a relationship virgin.”
Noble grinned. Landon was nervous that he wasn’t going to be a good partner. Noble had a lot of theories about what had been holding Landon back from engaging in relationships for all of these years, but worrying about not being a good boyfriend was probably the last reason he’d expected to hear. “Before you came to stay at the hotel, had you ever used a nail gun before?”
Landon rolled his eyes. “I told you I’d never used one of those things before.”
Marcus Pike had been quiet one day last week and Landon had come up to the guest room he’d been working on asking if he could help. Noble showed him how to use the nail gun and they’d spent the afternoon hanging drywall.
“Right! After ten minutes though, you were nailing like a pro.” Noble waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“Infant.” Landon raised a skeptical eyebrow. “There’s only one way to use the gun, Noble. Set it against what you want to nail, make sure your fingers are out of the way, and pull the trigger. Unlike the gun, there are so many variables in a relationship.”
“We’ve been together almost constantly since you arrived at the hotel. Don’t you think the time we’ve already spent together has been a crash course of sorts?”
“I don’t understand.”
“We’ve split the chores. You cook and I clean up. We both take care of Charlie. I shut up when you want to write. You leave me in peace when I’m struggling with memories of the past. Don’t you think those are examples of two men working out how to be in a relationship together?”
“Well, yeah, but that wasn’t…” Landon stopped, looking up at Noble with shock in his eyes.
“That wasn’t your intention.” Noble smiled. “I think we’ve learned to compromise and we always listen to each other or back off until the other one is ready to talk. I’d say that’s a pretty solid foundation. Throw in the red-hot sex and I think that sets us up nicely for whatever is to come.”
“I think so too, Noble.” Landon relaxed back into his seat, clutching his lover’s hand.
20
Half an hour into the drive Landon knew where they were going. Once Route 6 curved from east to north, Landon knew they were headed for Provincetown. As built up as the lower Cape was, the upper Cape was a lot of wide open spaces, some of which consisted of reserve land. It was not as thickly settled as the Hyannis area.
Landon was content to sit back and let the wintery countryside pass by. Charlie had settled down on the back seat bench and was taking a nap. After their deep relationship discussion earlier, both men lapsed into a comfortable silence, which shocked Landon.
He was never comfortably quiet. Landon had always felt the need to fill every silence with something. Usually he’d tell a funny story he’d read online or would just start rambling on about a TV show he’d watched. This was different. This was nice.
“Provincetown city limits.” Noble grinned as they passed by the sign announcing the city.
“This is so exciting! I’ve never been to P-Town before.” Landon was all smiles. Letting Noble announce his surprise had been so much better than blurting it out when he’d muddled it out for himself. Maybe he could figure out this relationship thing after all.
“Really? You’ve never been here before?” Noble looked surprised.
“When we came to Hyannis on vacation, we stayed put at Sand Dollar Shoal. My father always said he did enough driving for his job and he wasn’t about to drive on vacation.”
Noble sighed. “God, he was a dick.”
Landon burst out laughing. “No arguments here.”
“I came out here a couple of times with the guys during spring break while we were still in high school. None of them ever wanted to go back home for the week, so they’d all stay at my house instead. It was such an eye opening experience to come to a place where no one minded if two men held hands or kissed each other.”
Landon leaned over the center console to kiss the side of Noble’s face. Charlie whimpered from the backseat. “Look who’s awake from her nap. Hello there, sweetheart.” Landon reached a hand back to run over Charlie’s fur.
“I thought we’d walk around a bit and then have dinner.” Noble parked the truck, turning to smile at Landon.
“That sounds great but what about Charlie? How will she be able to come with us on this date?” Landon wouldn’t feel comfortable going it to a restaurant and leaving Charlie alone in the truck.
At hearing her name, Charlie barked, hopping off the backseat and jumping up on the center console.
Noble smiled, reaching around Charlie to kiss Landon. “I called around to the restaurants up here and found one that would allow Charlie into their dining room. I made a reservation for dinner for the three of us.”
Landon burst out laughing. “My first date with you is a ménage.”
Noble laughed along with him, while Charlie licked his face.
Hopping out of the truck, the wind off the water slapped Landon’s hood against his face. Shivering from the cold, Landon tugged the zipper of his jacket up higher, while Noble put Charlie in her harness and attached the leash.
“Ready to go?” Noble was setting
Charlie on the ground and closing the truck door as Landon came around to the other side of the truck.
“I sure am, but what about Charlie. I don’t want to leave her outside if we go into a store.”
Noble smiled, brushing a kiss against Landon’s lips. “Thank you for loving her so much. A lot of the stores up here are pet-friendly. We’ll only go into stores that allow Charlie in too.”
“How about that candy store over there?” Landon pointed across the street to a cute little shop with Abbot’s Candies painted in red on the store window. Beneath the elegant scrawl was the tagline Treats for you and Fido!
“They look pretty pet-friendly.” Noble held out his arm to Landon.
Landon’s stomach twirled at Noble’s small sign of chivalry. He took his lover’s arm and walked across the street to the candy shop where he saw a sign in the window welcoming pets. A small bell tinkled when Noble opened the door and ushered Landon and Charlie inside.
“Hi guys! Welcome to Abbots!” An older gentleman wearing a red t-shirt with the store’s logo greeted them. “Who is this little cutie pie?”
Noble hooked his thumb toward the other man. “This is Landon.”
Landon burst out laughing. “Noble, he didn’t mean me! He meant Charlie.”
The shop owner laughed along with them. “Hello, Charlie.”
The puppy sat down and offered her paw.
“Well aren’t you well mannered.” He came around the counter to shake paws with Charlie. “Your Daddies must spoil you rotten, huh?”
Landon opened his mouth to tell the owner that he wasn’t Charlie’s Daddy, but saw Noble shake his head no. If Noble wanted him to be Charlie’s Daddy for the day he would be more than happy to fill that role.
“I’m Tim. I’ve owned this shop for thirty years with my husband, whose home nursing a bad cold today. Now that the introductions are out of the way, what can I get you boys?”
Landon had stepped away from Noble to look at the case filled with different types of fudge. He knew he should walk away now, but what harm would looking do? Since he’d been at Sand Dollar Shoal, he’d lost almost ten pounds. Not ordering out for pizza and fried ravioli every night had certainly helped his waistline.
