by Jerry Cole
When Grant could think clearly again, Robert was moving away from him. Grant’s heart beat wildly for a moment, worrying that he was going to be kicked out, but then Robert was coming back, washcloth in hand. Grant watched him through half-lidded eyes as Robert cleaned them both off and then tossed the cloth on the floor with his shirt.
Grant found the energy to shed his clothes, both pants and shirt sticky with cum, and ran his eyes appreciatively over Robert’s body as he climbed into bed next to Grant.
“S’good,” Grant mumbled, dragging Robert in for yet another kiss, lips moving against Robert’s and closing his eyes.
“Sleep,” Robert told him.
It was easy for Grant to obey.
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning, Grant woke slowly.
It took him a moment to realize that something heavy was pressed against him, and even longer to realize that it was Robert. He couldn’t wipe the stupid grin from his face, turning to nuzzle his face into Robert’s hair. Thankfully, it didn’t wake Robert up, who was dead to the world. His face was buried in Grant’s shoulder, one arm thrown over Grant’s stomach, and the other tucked up under the pillows.
Grant would have to move eventually; he needed to go to the bathroom, and a quick look at the clock told him that Morgan would be waking soon, and Robert would want him out of the room before that happened. As much as he would like to spend time in bed with Robert, it wasn’t as feasible as he would like it to be.
“Robert?” Grant brushed a hand through Robert’s hair.
Robert shifted, tightening his grip on Grant’s waist and he moaned. “What?”
“You might wanna wake up.” Grant ran his hand down Robert’s arm, tangling their fingers together.
Robert grunted and cranked open an eye. He didn’t look impressed at being woken up, but realizing who he was staring at, Robert grinned, pressing a kiss to Grant’s shoulder. “Did you sleep all right?”
“Your bed is surprisingly comfortable,” Grant said, turning on his side. He dislodged Robert’s arm, but rolled over so that he could suck a bruise into Robert’s collarbone.
Robert’s head tilted back, sliding a hand through Grant’s hair and holding on, muttering something under his breath that Grant couldn’t hear, but was probably a swearword. Grant smirked against the bruise and felt Robert’s grip on his hair tighten. He pressed into the touch, partly because it felt good, and partly to let Robert know it was all right, that he was into everything they were doing.
“Why’d you wake me up?” Robert groaned.
“Because your daughter will be awake soon,” Grant said, kissing up Robert’s chest. Robert sighed, and Grant could feel the vibration beneath his lips. “And I’m sure you don’t want me here when she comes in.”
“Who says?” Robert’s tone was petulant, but he tugged Grant in for a kiss, and then moved his hand to Grant’s cheek. “All right, fine. But I’d like to register a complaint about this.”
Grant laughed, rolling over and shifting away from Robert. “Duly noted.”
Robert stretched and sat up, the sheets pooling around his hips. Grant ran his fingers over the knobs of Robert’s spine, eying Robert’s body appreciatively. Robert shivered under his touch and peered back over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows. “Stop.”
“Fine.” Grant waited until Robert had padded his way into the en-suite and then remembered that he’d needed the bathroom himself. He grabbed his shirt and pants from the day before, resigning himself to having to wear dirty clothes, when Robert’s head peered around the corner.
“You can borrow some clothes, if you like. You’re a little bigger than me so they’re probably a bit small, but it’s definitely better than wearing anything you wore yesterday.”
“I was just debating whether I wanted to do the walk of shame.”
Robert snorted, darting back into the bathroom. “Dresser under the window.”
Grant dug around in the dresser until he found the largest pair of sweatpants, and a t-shirt that wasn’t going to stretch too badly. When Robert finally came out of the bathroom, Grant ducked in behind him, shutting the door and staring at himself in the mirror. He had a bruise on his collarbone, red and vivid against his pale skin. He touched it, brushing a thumb over the mark and he shivered as he thought about Robert’s mouth on him, the feel of his cock against Grant’s.
Washing quickly and using the bathroom, Grant lamented the fact that he didn’t have a toothbrush. “Do you have a spare toothbrush?”
“Under the sink,” Robert yelled, and Grant hoped it wasn’t loud enough to wake Morgan. “I’ll be downstairs.”
“All right.” Grant brushed his teeth, unable to look away from his reflection, and the fact that he had slept with Robert. Actually managed to sleep with Robert. Spitting into the sink, he grinned like an idiot, clutching at the sides of the bowl.
Lifting his head, he tried to compose himself, reaching for his shirt. If he didn’t appear downstairs soon, he was sure that Robert might come looking for him, and Morgan absolutely would. Shutting the door to the bathroom, he picked up his jeans from the floor, taking out his phone and keys and slipping them into the pockets of his sweatpants.
He could hear Robert and Morgan downstairs when he got out onto the landing, the latter giggling, and Robert saying something in a low tone. Grant was smiling when he turned into the dining room and could see Morgan sitting at the table, legs kicking back and forth as she tucked into cereal. Robert was sitting next to her, writing something on a piece of paper, occasionally looking up to stick his tongue out at Morgan.
“Morning,” Grant said, leaning against the doorjamb.
Morgan grinned up at him. “Grant! You stayed!”
“I did,” Grant said, meeting Robert’s eyes slowly. Robert’s gaze was heated and tore his gaze away, sliding into the seat next to Morgan. “How’s breakfast?”
“Daddy says he’s waiting for me to go to school to eat breakfast.”
Grant choked, even though he didn’t think she meant what was currently going through his head. Robert was smirking at him, so he obviously knew where Grant’s head had gone.
Morgan frowned. “Are you okay, Grant?”
“Yes.” Grant said. He leaned on the table, giving Morgan a quick smile. “What’s happening at school today?”
“Boring subjects,” Morgan said singsong. “It’s gonna be terrible but Daddy says I have to go and cultipate my brains.”
“Cultivate,” Robert corrected gently, grinning at Grant.
Grant nodded seriously. “You definitely have to do that. You’re going to be the most intelligent girl in the whole of Maine. No, the whole of America!”
Morgan’s eyes widened, and she giggled. “That would be too big, Grant.”
Grant pretended to pout, jerking his leg away from Robert when he kicked him under the table. What was wrong with trying to get Morgan to realize that Daddy was right? “I don’t think so.” Grant leaned in closer, pretending to whisper. “I think you’re gonna be amazingly smart.”
“Thank you, Grant,” Morgan said. She was blushing, her cheeks red, and she finished off her breakfast quickly. “Finished, Daddy!”
“All right,” Robert said, taking the bowl away from Morgan and gesturing for the hall. “Go grab your bag and Grant and I’ll walk you to school, if he wants.”
“Please, Grant,” Morgan said, puppy dog eyes in full force.
Grant sighed long and heavy, but winked at Morgan. “I guess that’s okay.”
Morgan didn’t want to wait for Grant to change his mind, so she jumped to the floor and raced out of the room. Grant laughed, meeting Robert’s eyes slowly.
“What?” Robert asked.
“Nothing.” Grant leaned against the table and gestured at Morgan’s bowl. “Better hurry up and wash that up, or we’ll be waiting for you.”
“I didn’t hear you offering,” Robert pointed out, but he made his way into the kitchen anyway.
Morgan yelled s
omething from the hall, so Grant made his way out to see what was up. Morgan was staring at the front door, eyes wide, and Grant immediately turned, seeing the man who had been at the B&B Grant’s second day in Maine.
“Robert!”
There was a beat. “Why are you yelling? You know exactly,” Robert trailed off as he saw who was standing at the door. Several emotions passed over Robert’s face in quick succession but before Grant could say anything, Robert turned a pleading look on him. “Would you take Morgan to school for me?”
“Sure,” Grant said without hesitation. Now wasn’t the time to ask Robert what it was about. Once Morgan was out of the B&B and Grant returned, he could find out who this guy was – and why he caused Robert to have such an emotional reaction. “Come on, Morgan.”
“But Grant,” Morgan started, so Grant swung her into his arms, causing her to squeal and clutch at his neck, and he slipped through the doors, ignoring the man’s friendly greeting, and letting the outer door shut behind him. “Why is that man here?”
Grant didn’t know what he could tell her, so he just swung her around and then placed her on the ground, giving her a kiss to the top of her head. “I don’t know, sweetheart. Maybe we’ll find out when you’re done with school, huh?”
“I guess,” Morgan said, not sounding sure.
Grant did his best to distract her from thinking about it, and pointed out various things on the way, telling her stories about his childhood and his mother so she wouldn’t worry about what was going on. By the time they got to the school, Morgan was taken with one of Grant’s stories about going on a boat and she had spent the last ten minutes telling Grant he had to take her on a boat with Daddy and then they would have a ton of fun. Grant wondered just how much of a challenge she would have trying to convince Robert to do that, but he gestured for her to run into the school and that he – or Daddy – would be there to pick her up as soon as possible.
It didn’t take Grant long to go back to the B&B, especially without Morgan’s little legs slowing him down. Part of him hoped that by the time he got back, the mysterious stranger would still be there. When he pushed open the door, yelling that he was back, Robert’s head poked around the corner of the dining room. He frowned at Grant.
“How come you’re back?”
Grant looked surprised. “Am I not supposed to be?”
“I thought you were helping Derek today?”
Grant cursed under his breath. “Shit, I should probably get going, huh?”
“I’ll say,” Robert said with a smirk.
“Don’t think this lets you off the hook,” Grant pointed out. “We’re talking about that guy later.”
Robert’s expression soured. “It’s fine.”
Grant didn’t bother saying anything else. He didn’t want to have a fight about it before he went out on the boat, so he just sighed. “I’ll see you later?”
“Sure,” Robert said, his smile was more genuine.
There was something to be said for the town being so small. He managed to get to the convenience store in under ten minutes. As soon as he entered the store, Derek, who had been leaning against the counter, pushed himself to his feet. “I was worried you weren’t coming.”
“I had to take Morgan to school,” Grant explained breathlessly. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right,” Derek said. “I didn’t think you’d forget about it.”
Grant wouldn’t have – if the guy hadn’t shown up at the door, he would have remembered well enough, but he still felt guilty. “You want me to carry anything down to the harbor?”
“Sval did everything last night,” Derek explained. “I was just collecting the sheets for the inventory. Robert texted to say that you would be late.”
Grant would have to thank Robert later, once he got back to the B&B. “Great. Shall we?”
Derek and Grant walked down to the harbor quickly. Grant posed the question about Robert and Morgan maybe joining them on the boat, and Derek was enthusiastic. It had been a long time since he’d hung out with Robert in a social situation and besides that, he loved showing children the ropes on a boat.
“I had some fourth graders once and two of their teachers learned how to work on a boat. It was tough, I’m not gonna lie,” Derek said with a wry smile, “But I enjoyed it. Fairly sure a second grader will be easy enough to handle.”
“You’ve met Morgan, right?”
Derek snorted. “I have and I see your point.”
The harbor was busy once again, and Grant could see why people wanted to spend time here; it also helped that they had a great trade system out of the town. Or so Derek and Sval had told him the last time Grant had been on the boat.
“Shall we?” Grant asked, gesturing toward the boat.
“We shall,” Derek said with a grin. “Let’s get this done.”
Chapter Fifteen
Grant was exhausted when he left the harbor, with Derek’s assurances that if Grant talked to Robert and Morgan, he’d find a day that worked for him and Sval in taking them out on the water. It hadn’t been long enough that Grant had forgotten what had happened, but he was less adamant that Robert tell him about the guy. He could understand why Robert might want to keep it a secret. They were new at being anything more than just friends – very new – and Grant didn’t want to upset it by being unnecessarily demanding when Robert had little reason to tell him everything about his history.
Grant hadn’t exactly been as forthcoming, had he?
Knocking on the door, when he pushed it open, he can hear the vacuum cleaner filling the house. Robert obviously wouldn’t hear him entering the house and he shut the door behind him, jogging up the stairs and knocking on the door of the room the vacuum was coming out of. Someone cursed and when Grant pushed open the door, he was surprised to see Darcy in the room.
“Grant. What’s up?”
“I didn’t know you did the housekeeping around here.”
“Robert pays me sometimes,” Darcy said with a shrug. “I don’t do it all the time, obviously, because he can’t afford it, but.”
The way she spoke about Robert’s money problems with such ease made Grant slightly uncomfortable, but he couldn’t say anything about it, especially with how he and Natasha had talked about it in the cafe, and with how Grant was always so keen to help Robert out even with Robert refusing.
“Do you know where he is?”
Darcy shut off the vacuum. “He should be down in the office, I think, but I’m not sure.”
“All right, thanks.” Grant smiled. He left her to the housekeeping and though he hadn’t been to Robert’s office before, he felt sure he knew where it was. Down in the sitting room, he could hear Robert’s voice coming out of one of the doors, which he assumed was the office. Knocking on the door, he heard Robert yell, “Come in,” and then tell someone on the phone he had to go.
“All right?” Grant said, letting Robert know before he entered the room who it was.
“Grant.” It may have been wishful thinking, but Grant was sure there was some relief in Robert’s tone. It was matched by Robert’s expression when Grant pushed open the door. “Hey. How was the boat?”
“Hard work,” Grant said. “But definitely worth it. How has your day been?”
Robert made a face. “Not sure I wanna talk about that. Stressful? Annoying? But Morgan’s due home soon and I’m sure it will improve.”
“That’s good,” Grant said honestly. He wanted to ask, it was on the tip of his tongue to ask, but he didn’t bother, stepping fully into the room, leaning against Robert’s desk. The office itself was simply decorated, as if Robert had to spend time there, but didn’t particularly want to. His desk was unusually bare, but for one photo of Morgan from when she was about four or five, grinning into the camera. “You look like you could use a smile.”
Robert looked surprised, but then laughed gently. “You’re telling me. I’m exhausted.”
“Well,” Grant continued, rounding the desk and
resting his hands on Robert’s shoulder, pressing a kiss below Robert’s ear. “We’ll have to make sure that your evening is relaxing and chill, won’t we?”
“Yeah,” Robert breathed, closing his eyes and leaning back into Grant’s embrace. He reached up, holding Grant’s arms and letting out a slow breath. “You haven’t asked.”
Grant kissed Robert’s neck. “It’s none of my business, not really. Besides,” he continued, certain in his thinking. “If you want me to know, you’ll tell me.”
Robert’s face was turned away so he couldn’t see the expression on it, but he could hear the shaky breath, and the kiss he pressed to Grant’s wrist. “I’m sorry I’m so bad at this.”
“Hey,” Grant said, turning Robert round in his chair and looking him in the eye. “You’re not bad at anything. We all have things we don’t wanna talk about, Robert, and I’m confident you’ll tell me when it’s time for me to know.”
“What if it’s bad?” Robert’s voice was low, scared, and Grant fought down the urge to find whoever had caused Robert to be so fearful and lay into them. It wouldn’t do anybody any good, least of all Robert, but Grant still wanted to.
“Then I know you’ll tell me when it’s time to,” Grant said. He was worried, he couldn’t deny it, but Grant couldn’t force it out of Robert, not if Robert wanted it kept a secret for a reason. “That guy, whoever he is, is obviously a question and I won’t deny that I want to know, but I know better than to fight you on it. I’m sick of doing that.”
“Yeah, me too,” Robert admitted, and pulled Grant in for another kiss. His eyes were still closed, and his expression was sad enough that Grant had to rub his thumb over Robert’s cheek, prompting him to open his eyes.
“Then we’re going to be okay.”
“Are we?” It was more question than Grant would have liked.
Grant nodded, touching their foreheads together. “Of course, we are. I have faith in us.”
Robert laughed gently and his eyes bright as he nodded. “Yeah, I guess we are.”
