by Tara Lain
“Merle, are you serious?” Maybe he’d have one of those heart attacks people talked about.
He must have looked funny, because Merle said, “Oh no, is it too late? Did I blow it?”
“Oh my God.” Tom jumped up and cleared the space between them, practically leaping over the coffee table. He landed next to Merle in the big chair, but the chair wasn’t big enough and he almost squashed him. “Really? You want to be with me? I love you so much.”
Merle touched his face. “You do?”
“You’re like the only dream I ever had. I always knew I shouldn’t ask for too much, but then I saw you on Main Beach. It was like the most perfect thing I could ever imagine came to life. I never thought I could have anything so amazing.”
Merle shifted and Tom traded places and pulled him onto his lap.
Merle touched his cheek. “You’re teaching me not to settle. You’re teaching me what love is.”
“Does that mean you’re going to jump my bones?”
Merle grinned. “Oh yeah. We just have to be quiet so we don’t wake Mist.”
“We could do it right here. Like, I could sit on that footstool and you could sit on me. Like jumping my boner.” He laughed and Merle laughed too and it felt so good it was ridiculous—almost as good as fucking.
Merle sneaked into the bedroom and got condoms and lube without bothering Mist. Tom closed the blinds and stripped while Merle put lube in his own hole. Wow, just watching could make him come.
Tom ran to the kitchen for a towel, spread it over the footstool, and sat on it. His cock stuck up between his legs like it didn’t want to miss anything. Then came the best part. Merle walked really slow and sat on Tom’s lap, fitting all the parts together. Tom slid inside, all hot and tight and wonderful.
“Sweet Jesus, I missed you so badly.”
Tom tightened his arms. “Oh, Merle, it’s good to finally be home.”
Merle’s breath sounded funny but nice.
He pushed up into Merle’s beautiful ass and they fucked and fucked, but best of all were the times when Merle said, “I love you, Tom.” He said it a lot. That made fucking perfect.
When they lay side by side on the couch covered in a warm throw, Tom said, “Fucking in the great room is great.”
“I agree. And fucking in the kitchen will be nutritional and fucking in the bathroom will be clean and fucking in the garage will be full of horsepower and I plan to try them all.”
Tom’s brain couldn’t catch up. “So you really want us to live here?”
“For sure.” Merle smiled. “It’s at least as much your house as it is mine. Mist is your dog before she ever belonged to me. The whole universe has been telling us we should be together.”
Tom rested his head against Merle’s shoulder. “I don’t know if I can be this happy.”
“So is that a yes?”
“Yes.” The word sounded like when Alicia sang.
“Do you think we can get you moved in—” Merle looked toward the windows, where soft light was filtering in. “Can you move in today?”
“Really? You don’t want to think about it?”
“Do you?”
“No. It hurts my head.” Tom laughed.
“I’ve thought about it every minute of every day for weeks. I know what I want. Let’s go get your stuff and grab Lily and the boys and move you in.”
Tom thought his heart would explode.
Merle chuckled. “I want to get you settled, because our first big outing is Friday. I have to go to a party for my TV series, and you’re coming with me.”
“What? No.” His exploded heart kind of turned green.
“Oh yeah. You’re my boyfriend, and we do stuff together. If you hate it, I won’t make you go again, but we’ve got to give it a try, okay?”
“O-okay.” Oh man, this could be the shortest dream ever.
MERLE TURNED the car onto Mrs. Allison’s street and stopped at the intersection. He and Tom had enjoyed sex, breakfast, and spent some time changing Mist’s bandage. Next step, changing their lives. Whoa. Yes, he’d decided. Yes, he’d been the one to counter Tom’s doubts, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t freaked out. No one, underline no one, would take this decision calmly—his friends would question it, the press would be amazed at it, and his parents would loathe it. It took tons of personal resolve to keep him moving one foot in front of the other, but actually Tom’s doubts made Merle that much more certain. Of course, epic sex didn’t hurt his decision-making. Tom made him happy. Period.
They stopped in front of Mrs. Allison’s, the door opened, and Lily ran out with the boys leading her. Tom jumped out of the Audi and met them all with arms wide. That defined Tom—embracing the world no matter what it brought.
Lily hugged Tom, then marched over to Merle. “So what happened? Are you okay? Is Mist okay?”
“We’re both great—now.” He smiled. “Mist ran out the gate and got tied up in some wire. Tom saved her.”
Lily looked at her brother. “He’s good at that, isn’t he? Saving.”
Merle followed her gaze and watched Tom playing with the two little dogs. “Yes. I think that’s his job.”
“Yeah.” Her piercing eyes, like the laser version of her brother’s, leveled on Merle. “You could have gone either way, my man. Me too, actually. I think he saved us both.”
The deep truth of that flowed through his veins. “Lily, how would you like to come and live at my house?”
“What?”
“Yeah. I’d like you and the boys to come with Tom and live with me.”
“Wow. Did Tom say yes?”
He nodded with a grin.
“Yahoo!” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged. “I’m so happy you and Tom will be together.”
“Me too.” His grin had to be sappy.
She looked back at the house. “But Mrs. A. would be alone.”
“We’d come see her all the time.”
She shook her head. “She depends on that rental income.”
“We could—”
“She’d never take it if she thought it was charity.”
“So—”
“What if I stay? I mean, she’s got more rules for me than you two ever would, so child services can’t have a problem with me living with my stand-in grandmother, right? Hell, it’s only a few minutes away, so I’d see you guys all the time anyway, right?” Her eyes widened. “I mean, I know that would cost more, but I could get a job.”
“I don’t think that would be necessary. Mrs. A.’s rent is pretty reasonable.”
“Cool.”
“You really love her.” He grinned.
Lily shrugged. “I never had a grandmother I knew. She worries about me almost as much as Tom, and I like hanging with her. She’s cool, you know?”
“I do know. Let’s see how Tom feels about it.”
The door to the house opened and Mrs. A. came out on the porch. “Anyone want some iced tea?”
Lily nodded. “Sure. We’ll be right in.”
Tom came over with the boys dancing at his feet. “Did he tell you, Lily? Are you excited?”
“I am excited, Bro. But let me tell you my idea.”
Tom got the plan quickly, and they all flocked inside to Mrs. A.’s small living room. When they were seated and sipping, Lily said, “Guess what? Tom and Merle are moving in together.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Oh really? So you both came to your senses and realized you were a lot more than friends.”
Merle nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She frowned. “So I guess Lily will be going too?”
Lily sat on the edge of her seat. “The thing is, Mrs. A., Merle’s house isn’t really set up for a teenage girl, you know. I was thinking I’d love to stay here if it would be okay. I mean, I’d abide by your curfew and everything.”
Her face lit up. “Are you sure?”
Tom said, “It would sure help us out, Mrs. A. I’d know she was safe, and no one would rag on her for living with two gay guys.�
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“I can see that.” She nodded seriously, but she looked so relieved it was almost funny.
Merle sipped tea. “I was thinking she might like to go to Laguna Beach High School for her last couple of years. We’d make our address her official home, but she could live here—with you.”
Her eyes got shiny. “Well, it’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me, Tom. I’d make sure she did all her homework and doesn’t stay out late on school nights.”
Unlike almost any other sixteen-year-old girl on the planet, Lily smiled at that pronouncement. Hell, after her home life, a little benevolent discipline must seem like heaven.
Lily said, “The boys will be going with Tom, so what do you say, Mrs. A.? Maybe we can get a dog of our own?”
Mrs. A. smiled. “Maybe we can, Lily. Maybe we can.”
“KNOCK KNOCK.”
Ru looked up from the sketches he was showing to his seamstresses and smiled.
Merle smiled back. “Don’t mean to interrupt.”
“No problem, dear. I’m dying to hear all the juicy details.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s early for lunch.”
“Actually, I want to consult with you in a professional capacity. I have a serious rush order.”
“Oooh, fun. Let’s go in my office and talk.” He waved a hand at the women. “Carry on, darlings.” They walked down the hall and collapsed on Ru’s couch. “So what do you need in a hurry?”
“A new suit.”
“Really. Didn’t we just suit you out?”
“Uh, I need a new suit in size forty-six or forty-eight long.”
Ru’s brows shot up. “You’re either planning some serious body building, or we have a major story here.”
“Yeah.” He smiled.
“You and Tom—” He made a circular motion with his hand.
“—are going to a party for my series producers on Friday night.” Merle jumped ahead. “Right after we’ve unpacked his clothes and personal items and settled his dogs into my house.”
“Holy shit!” Ru hurled himself against the sofa back, rebounded, and threw his arms around Merle’s neck. “Oh my God, I’m so happy!”
“You are?”
He grabbed Merle on either side of his face and held him, staring into his eyes. “We all are, dear.”
“But you seemed so, I don’t know, worried and uncertain.”
“Right. Like I told you, Tom’s special. Even for you, dear, dear friend, it wouldn’t be okay to hurt him or treat him in an offhand way. Now that you’ve realized you deserve Tom, I couldn’t be happier.”
Deserve Tom. He pressed a hand against his mouth.
Ru smiled. “Right.”
Merle said softly, “I deserve to be happy.”
“Yes, dear, you do. So when do I get that gorgeous hunk to measure?”
“I’ll send him over tonight.”
As Merle drove home a few minutes later, Ru’s words thrummed through his nervous system like a new mantra. Deserve to be happy.
His phone rang and he glanced at it. “Okay, universe, not funny.” He took a deep breath. After all, his mother didn’t call every day. Right, only when the fucking cosmos wanted to test his resolve. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, dear. I just called to see how you’re doing. You ran off so suddenly. I’ve been hoping everything was okay.”
“Yes, it’s great. Never better.”
“Oh, really. Well, that is news.” She chuckled. “And how’s René?”
Get ready. “No idea. I haven’t seen him since I left you guys together. He’s up to his earlobes in postproduction.”
“I assumed you’d see each other, uh, socially.”
“No. We’re just friends, Mom.”
Silence. “But he’s such a lovely person.”
“Yes, he is.” Deep breath. “But I have a boyfriend.”
Longer silence. “Tom.”
“Huh. How did you know that?”
“Because you’re an idiot, and I saw how you looked at that man.”
“That pretty well defines it, Mom. Tom makes me happy, and I recently learned that I deserve happiness—no matter what anyone else expects or prefers.”
“Dear God, are you seeing a shrink or a guru?”
“A friend. Tom lives with me now, so take that into consideration if you decide to visit.” He smiled. “We have three dogs.”
“You’re joking.”
“I never joke about happiness.”
Chapter Thirty-two
“ARE YOU sure I don’t look funny, Merle?”
Merle leaned against the headboard of the bed—their bed—his bare feet stretched out in front of him. “Baby, you look so far from funny, I’m going to have to beat people off all night—men and women.”
Tom chuckled in that sweet way.
In a suit, Tom was a sight to warm the cockles of his balls. The deep blue gabardine hugged his huge shoulders, caressed his narrow waist, and made love to his long, long legs. Ru had complemented the relatively conservative suit with an astonishing polka-dot shirt. Not little dots. Big huge dots in brilliant yellow with a high, stiff white collar and long white cuffs. Ru-style outrageous, and Tom provided the perfect setting for the masterpiece. He looked so damned elegant, he’d make every man feel underdressed without yellow polka dots.
“Okay, let’s get going.” Merle slid off the bed, put on his socks and shoes, shrugged into his own fabulous Maitland Design suit jacket, and went over to give Tom a kiss. Tom looked gorgeous—but haunted. Merle pulled down his head and pressed his lips to his nose. “If it’s too unbearable, we’ll leave really early and go fuck in the car.”
That produced the laugh Merle counted on—even if his own butterflies had pilots named Maverick.
Alicia pretty much drove the car to LA. Tom stared out the window and kept clutching and unclutching his hands in his lap. Merle gripped the steering wheel and tried to let the music soothe him. No matter how much they said they didn’t give a shit, this evening loomed large in their future. Merle kind of wanted to turn back. The likelihood that the words party and disaster would end up synonyms seemed assured, and he didn’t want to put Tom through that—but he also didn’t want to insult Tom by underestimating him. He’d had a lifetime of that.
He glanced over. Shit. He sure looked fabulous and scared.
The beautiful sprawling house in the hills was barely visible thanks to all the vehicles and humans surrounding it. A valet ran to Merle’s Audi and opened the door. “I’ll take it, sir. Not an available space in two miles.”
“Thanks.” He slid out, gave the guy his keys, and a fiver just to take good care of it. Tom was standing on the other side of the car, staring at the crowd like a Sasquatch in the headlights. Merle came up beside him. “You okay?”
Tom nodded—unconvincingly.
“Just stay with me.” He wrapped a hand over Tom’s. “I need you.”
That produced the cute smile, and the tension ratcheted down a notch.
Despite the fact that it was a private party, a lot of reporters gathered outside, including some TV vans. As Merle and Tom approached, voices yelled, “Merle, Merle, over here.”
Holding Tom’s hand tightly, he walked to the entertainment news reporter, Fiona, who he liked pretty well. “Hi, Fi, great to see you.”
“Merle, my oh my, don’t you look divine.” She eyed Tom. “It must be your new accessory.”
Here we go. “Fi, this is Tom Henry, my—” He took a breath. “—partner.”
Tom’s eyes flashed to him.
Fiona about dropped her teeth. “You heard it here, folks. Meet Merle Justice’s partner. Hi, Tom. I’m so happy to meet you.”
He smiled and icebergs melted in the Arctic. “I’m happy to meet you too, Fiona.”
“Are you in film also, Tom?”
He chuckled. “Oh no, I could never do that. I’m in construction.”
Fiona made a fanning gesture. “Well, that’s certainly the movie’s loss.” She look
ed at Merle with that reporter shark expression even the best of them got. “This is quite a surprise. I’d heard rumors you and René Montrose were an item.”
Merle smiled. “Like he kept telling people, we’re close friends and collaborators. He’s the world’s greatest director, and working with him is an amazing honor.” With careful calculation, he brought Tom’s hand to his lips and kissed, as if it were a thoughtless gesture. One he did all the time.
She pressed the hand not holding the mic to her chest. “When can we expect to see this amazing film we’ve heard so much about?”
“It’s in post now. I’d imagine release by early fall next year, but you’ll have to ask René.”
“Oh, I will. So Tom, are you a fan of Merle’s series?”
“I love it. Merle’s so sexy I have to drink ice water.”
She giggled. “He sure is. But does it make you jealous to see him hooking up with all those pretty girls?”
Tom chuckled again, that sound like vibrating sex. “No, Fiona. The pretty girls all love Merle, and Merle loves me.”
For an instant she just stared at him like she’d made him up. “Whew. I can certainly understand why. Great to see you.”
Merle gave her a touch to the cheek. “Thanks, Fi.”
They turned and headed into the house. Merle laughed softly.
Tom said, “She’s nice.”
“Yes, she is.” He laughed more. First hurdle—sailed over.
The mass of humanity inside made it hard to see any individual. A voice came from behind Merle.
“Hey, Justice.”
He turned to find one of his producers, RJ Heltman, who owned the house. “Hey, RJ. Quite a party.”
“Glad you made it.” He stuck out his hand to Tom. “I’m RJ.”
Tom nodded and shook his hand but looked a little overwhelmed by the crowd.
RJ said, “There are bars in the big room to your right and out by the pool. Food’s in the dining room. Make yourselves at home. Sorry for the crush. I think everyone invited everyone. Lots of people looking forward to seeing you, though.”
“Thanks. Have you seen Jerry?”
“He’s in there somewhere.”
Merle took Tom’s hand, and they threaded through the crowd where, as predicted, Tom got eyed appraisingly by both men and women. Merle got a lot of slaps on the shoulder and enthusiastic greetings—noticeably more recognition than the last party he’d attended. The combo of the Emmy nomination and the film seemed to have worked its magic. Of course, showing up with Mr. Hunk of Gorgeous probably didn’t hurt.
