by David, Luna
Jamie felt heat color his cheeks and flutters in his stomach. He didn’t know what else to say in that moment, but Ronan didn’t give him a chance. He was ushered to the dining table where Ronan served them a meal worthy of any five-star restaurant, cooked by Ronan himself. Afterward, they sat out on the open deck that overlooked a panorama of trees and hilltops, watched the sunset, talked, and kissed.
Jamie had fallen just a little bit harder for Ronan that night.
He found himself standing at the front door once again, ringing the doorbell of Ronan’s house and waiting for him to answer. He hadn’t seen Ronan’s SUV in the driveway, but with the severe rainstorm that was expected that night, Jamie wouldn’t be surprised if he’d parked in the garage.
His phone sounded loudly, startling him. Pulling it out, he saw a text from Ronan.
Just getting out of the shower. Door’s unlocked. Come on in.
Jamie went in, putting his bag down on the floor next to the dining room table as he walked toward the family room and took a seat on the couch in front of the fireplace. One of Jamie’s favorite spots.
The fireplace was on, which was rare being that it was early summer, but that night was rainy and cold and perfect for the low fire Ronan had burning.
A couple of minutes later, Ronan walked out of his bedroom dressed in gray sweats, a white long-sleeved t-shirt and bare feet. Even dressed down, he was like walking fucking porn. In a suit or sweats, it was the same. He carried a confidence that Jamie found so goddamn sexy.
“Hey, boy.” Ronan smiled, walking over to Jamie and leaning over the back of the couch. He cupped his chin and tipped his face up until their lips pressed gently together.
“Hmm, hey to you too.” Jamie smiled up at Ronan. His boyfriend. He felt the need to giggle like a teenager with a crush but suppressed it so he wouldn’t embarrass himself.
Ronan had the same answering smile. “We’re going to veg on the couch in front of the fireplace, watch movies, and eat pizza. I don’t plan on moving much at all for the rest of the night.”
Jamie laughed. “That sounds like fun. Why don’t you want to move?”
“I went to the gym today with Brad, and now I’m dying. This is my final wish.”
Shaking his head, Jamie laughed again. “Melodramatic much?”
“Yes,” Ronan said as he stood to his full height and walked back toward the kitchen, opening the drawer by the fridge. “But I deserve it after what he put me through.”
“It couldn’t have been all that bad. You’re in good shape. You have a home gym you use regularly.”
“If you think so maybe next time you can go workout with him.”
“Umm, no thank you. I’m sure I’m allergic to the gym.”
Ronan laughed. “Of course, you are. Sausage and pepperoni okay?”
“Sounds good.”
Ronan called in their food then came back to the couch, crawling onto it until his face was buried in Jamie’s stomach with his arms wrapped tightly around his middle and his belly flat on the cushions. Jamie looked down, smiling. He placed one arm around Ronan’s back and used the other hand to run his fingers through Ronan’s hair.
A muffled, “You’re warm,” vibrated against Jamie’s stomach as Ronan spoke.
“I’m always warm.”
Ronan nodded then took an audible breath. He was breathing in Jamie’s scent. He’d done it so often, Jamie was no longer surprised. But it did warm a small part of him that Ronan loved and craved his smell that much.
After twenty minutes of Ronan dozing on Jamie as he sat comfortably looking out the big picture window, the doorbell rang. Immediately, Ronan was pushing up, kissing Jamie—again—and walking to the front door to pay for the pizza.
Ronan came back loaded with boxes of pizza, paper plates, and bottles of water he’d grabbed from the fridge.
“You don’t mind that I have the fireplace going, do you? I’m a little cold.”
Jamie laughed, thinking he needed to get the man some slippers since he was always freezing. “Ronan, you’re always cold. And not at all. I might need to grab a bag of ice to cool off, but that’s okay.”
“Funny boy.”
They found seats on the couch and ate. In between bites, they talked about Ronan. About his being born in Powell’s Point but how his parents, born and raised in the UK, had moved them all back to England for a head surgeon position for his father when Ronan was ten years old. Jamie was fascinated with the life Ronan had led and even more fascinated by the path he chose. Which all led to him becoming the doctor he was now.
“I meant to ask you yesterday before we left work. How was Sam at his follow-up appointment?”
“He was good. Still cautious and a bit skittish, but that’s to be expected. He’s healing nicely. I have him doing physical therapy for the leg now that the cast is off, and it seems to be doing some good.”
Jamie was glad to hear that. They’d had a busy day Friday, so Ronan had been the one to call Sam back, not wanting him to sit out in the waiting room with others making him uncomfortable.
“That’s good. And his mental health? Did you get him to agree to go see a therapist for his abuse?” Jamie asked.
“Yes, but that was actually a few weeks ago when I called him to check in, and we talked for a bit. He’s somewhat isolated since he’s in a whole new place with only the one friend. I’m guessing lots of time to think made him realize on his own that he needed it. I just gave the final push.”
“That’s because you’re a good doctor. I’m happy to hear he’s getting some help. I wish he had more support though.”
Ronan reached over, grabbing Jamie’s hand and lacing their fingers together. “I do too. There’s not much we can do at this point for that. It’s too soon for him to even go to a munch. His fear of his old Dom finding him through those channels is like this living thing inside him.”
Jamie watched as Ronan stared at their joined hands, caressing the skin and fiddling with Jamie’s fingers. “Then we’ll give him time and make sure he at least has his doctor’s support.” Jamie smiled.
Ronan looked up at him, returning the smile. He leaned in, thumbing Jamie’s bottom lip then across his jaw before grasping the nape of his neck. “You are beautiful,” Ronan whispered.
Jamie flushed, still not used to all the compliments Ronan heaped on him. “You are too.”
Ronan moved forward, kissing and licking at Jamie’s lips. Jamie savored these quiet moments. Just them touching or kissing or holding each other.
Their connection was growing stronger. Jamie found the small things he’d learned about Ronan in their time alone—like his favorite color was green, he’d never had a dog, and he was afraid of roller coasters—were the things that mattered most. They were things that most people didn’t know about him, but Jamie knew them. Jamie was allowed in behind the curtain to see who the real Ronan was.
Pulling back from their kiss, looking into those brown eyes like he’d done so many times over the last few months, Jamie found he liked being in this place with Ronan. He liked who he was with Ronan because Ronan made it okay to be who he was.
Jamie smiled and leaned back in, kissing the man who was coming to own his heart.
RONAN
The following week was brutal. When Friday night rolled around, they were both exhausted. Ronan, always one to prefer cooking dinner himself, even agreed to Chinese takeout. There was a terrible virus sweeping through their community that he’d nicknamed the sludge. He’d had to fit more patients in that week than he’d had to do any other week of his career, that he could remember. He found himself treating the individual symptoms to at least help his patients feel better.
If his friends hadn’t called to cancel their Friday-night scenes, he’d have called to cancel them himself. Jamie had dark circles under his eyes, and they’d been so busy during the week, Ronan had to force Jamie to sit down and take enough time to eat a quick lunch each day. All Ronan wanted to do was take care of him and make
sure Jamie got a solid ten hours sleep.
The only thing they had planned that weekend was the wine tasting and the concert at Tate’s vineyard, which didn’t start until late Saturday afternoon. They could relax all morning then laze about on their blanket, drinking and eating while the concert was going on. Sunday they’d do some more vegging. He’d do his best to ensure the bags under Jamie’s eyes were gone, and he was back to his old self by Monday.
One of the things Ronan loved about Jamie was his commitment to putting their patients first. Jamie was like him that way. But when it came down to it, Ronan wanted to take care of Jamie. His refusal to take adequate breaks and leave on time meant food and sleep had been low on the list of Jamie’s priorities. Ronan would have to figure out how to fix that so that, next time, his boy wasn’t so affected by it.
As they were cleaning up their mess from dinner, Jamie asked, “Am I finally going to be able to meet the mysterious Brad you always talk about?”
Ronan smiled but shook his head. “No. He called today and canceled. He’s not feeling great. Apparently, several people on his payroll have been sick, and he’s caught it. Didn’t want to get us sick and didn’t have the energy for a social outing tomorrow.”
Jamie nudged him with his elbow before he rinsed his dish and put it in the dishwasher. “You know, I might start to think this Brad guy is a figment of your imagination. I’ve been working for you for five months now and have yet to meet the man.”
“Yeah, yeah, brat. I get it. We’ve both just been so busy with work, and I haven’t wanted to share you much.”
“What’s he do?”
Ronan snorted. “Well, the condensed version is, he’s a house flipper.”
Jamie crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the dishwasher door he’d just closed. “Why do I get the feeling the condensed version is leaving all the fun out of the story?”
Ronan stepped into Jamie’s space and pulled him close, loving how Jamie’s arms automatically wrapped around him so tightly. It was like the kind of hug you gave someone you hadn’t seen in forever. For some reason, every single time Jamie gave him that type of hug, Ronan reveled in it, knowing Jamie was communicating with him, telling him without words how much he cared.
He leaned down and whispered in Jamie’s ear. “I’ll tell you the fun bits. Go on and sit at the bar while I finish up.”
Jamie pulled back to look up at him. “But you hate those paper boxes so you’ve still gotta transfer all the leftovers into your glass containers.”
Ronan leaned down to kiss him softly on the lips. “And I will, but I want you to go sit. You’re dead on your feet. I’ll put the kettle on and make you some chamomile tea to help you sleep and get you some of the biscuits you love so much.”
Jamie squeezed him tight again and whispered, “I thought you were out of the cookies.”
“I was. They were delivered yesterday.” He stocked Jaffa Cake biscuits and several other favorites from the UK he didn’t want to live without. As the water heated up in the electric kettle and he went about putting the leftovers away, he continued. “So, the less condensed version of Brad’s story is that he was born to old money on his father’s side. Even though he and his father were always at odds, he’d gotten an enormous inheritance from his grandfather, which his father tried and failed to keep from him.”
Ronan steeped their tea and put some biscuits on a plate, putting milk and sugar along with everything else on a tray. “Come, let’s enjoy this in front of the fire before we go to bed.”
They both sat after fixing their teas, Jamie snuggling in against Ronan’s side, the plate of biscuits on his lap. “Brad, because who wants to be called Rupert, went to Oxford with me and graduated with a master’s in economics. That’s where we met. He didn’t want to live in England, so when I told him I was moving back to, what I considered, my hometown, he decided to come along.”
“A master’s degree from Oxford, and he’s a house flipper?”
Ronan laughed and nodded. “Yes. The one and only thing his dad did right was marry his mom, but she was ‘beneath his station,’ so when she died, Brad was shipped off to boarding school. He only came home during summer holiday. Because it drove his dad nuts and because Brad loved it, every year, he’d spend the whole summer with his uncle on his mom’s side, who was a carpenter. So, that’s how he learned to fix up the old and make it like new. He loves what he does and has become quite a success at it. He renovated Gina and Melissa’s house, actually.”
Jamie turned a bit and smiled up at him. “Nice. I like the less condensed version. I’m excited to meet him.”
“I think you two will get along very well. I’m going to clean up. Go ahead and go get yourself ready for bed. We need to get to sleep early tonight. We’re both knackered from the week.”
He met Jamie in the bedroom. He was already undressed down to his boxer briefs. Ronan smacked him on the ass as he walked by and got undressed. They both brushed their teeth, quiet for several minutes as they took care of the domestic task. Jamie rinsed his mouth and asked, “Speaking of Gina, are she and Melissa and baby Spencer still coming to the concert tomorrow?”
Ronan grinned and nodded, happy that Gina had agreed to their double date. “She is. They’re not going to the wine tasting because Spencer gets fussy when they’re out too long, but they’ll be there for the concert.”
Jamie tilted his head. “So, they’re coming to the vineyard and not drinking wine?”
Chuckling, Ronan answered, “Oh, they’re drinking wine all right, or rather, Melissa will probably have one glass and let Gina drink her fill. She’s been storing up breast milk all week in preparation for tomorrow night and as Melissa puts it, ‘Gina needs a night of fun.’”
Jamie snorted. “Don’t we all? We’ll have to pick up some wine for them while we’re there.”
Ronan smiled, loving that Jamie thought of Gina as a friend and wanted to be sure she was taken care of. “That’s the plan. They don’t know much about wine and always love the ones I pick. I keep them stocked.”
Late the following afternoon at the vineyard, after the wine tasting ended, Ronan was putting some of his purchases in the back of his Range Rover. Jamie, carrying a case of the last box of red Ronan had bought, shook his head as he approached. “You weren’t kidding. You do keep them stocked. I think you bought two of everything. Do you realize you probably spent the amount of one of my paychecks on fermented grapes?”
Ronan took the box from him, placing it in the back next to all the others. “I don’t hear you complaining when you’re drinking it with every meal I make.”
Jamie scoffed. “Pfft, I’m not stupid. I never bite the hand that feeds me.”
Ronan felt his dick shift in his pants, regardless of the fact he knew Jamie hadn’t meant it like that. He pulled Jamie flush against him. “I’m gonna feed you something tonight.”
Heat flared in Jamie’s eyes as he whispered, “I look forward to it, Sir.”
Ronan popped him on the ass and clasped his hand. “Come on. Let’s take a little walk. We’ve got some time before the concert. We’ll come back in a bit and drive to the opposite side of the vineyard where the amphitheater is.”
They walked in companionable silence through the parking lot back toward the wine-tasting barn. It was actually one of those huge “party barns” made for events such as the obvious wine tasting, but also for weddings and other big events. It didn’t resemble a barn Ronan had ever seen, but he loved the charm and grandeur of something that was usually only built for function.
As they passed by the open doors of the barn, one of the ladies walked out with two glasses of red wine. “Oh, Dr. Kincaid. I’m glad I didn’t miss you. Tate called us and said you usually stay and walk among the vines for a bit before leaving and asked me to open our best red available and bring you a couple glasses.”
Ronan chuckled, took the wine glasses from the woman, and handed one over to Jamie. “Thanks, Aubree. Tell your boss
that one day I’ll be in and out of here like a ghost, and he’ll never know.”
She smirked and shook her head. “Good luck with that.” She pointed two fingers at her eyes and then back at his. “He’s always watching.”
She backed away from them, gave a little wave, and then turned and headed back into the barn. He was about to lead Jamie around the back and into the fields but realized he was the only one walking away. He turned and saw Jamie’s confused expression. “What the hell was that about?”
“Tate prides himself on knowing every single thing that goes on here. I rarely tell Tate when I’m coming, but without fail, he finds out. I know it’s gotta be one or more of his employees, but one of these days they’ll forget, and then I’ll be able to give him hell for it.”
Jamie snorted and rolled his eyes. “You have weird friends.”
Ronan wrapped his free arm around Jamie, and they began to stroll behind the barn. “Well, at least you don’t think I’m weird.”
He turned his head to catch a glimpse of Jamie’s raised brow. “Oh, I never said that.”
Ronan leaned in and bit the boy’s earlobe which never failed to tickle him. Ronan laughed as Jamie skittered away, shivers going through him. “Okay, okay, stop!”
He laughed. “Come on. I’ll take you on a tour. But first, let’s take a selfie with our wine glasses and send it to Tate and Kai.”
They took several selfies and Ronan couldn’t help but realize they were the first pictures they’d taken together, so he took extras for good measure. He sent one to his friends, sending Jamie some as well so he’d have them, then ignored the response that came in as he put the phone in his pocket and clasped Jamie’s hand.
They sipped their wine as they walked hand in hand. The concert started in another hour, so they weren’t in a hurry. As they meandered through the vines, Ronan did his best to get Jamie to talk about himself. He’d never get enough of the sound of his melodic voice. “Did you ever learn another language in school?”
Jamie finished his sip of wine and shook his head. “No, but I’ve always wanted to learn one. Did you?”
