by Lynn Hagen
Matthew had never had a more perfect night in his life.
Or been with a more perfect man.
* * * *
“About fucking time.” Darien smiled when the supply trucks pulled in. With a lot of hard work and long hours, they could get back on schedule in no time.
“I have good news,” Seoul said when he and Matthew walked onto the site where the new school was being built.
Darien turned and his smile widened. Matthew was dressed in one of his expensive business suits, but damn if he didn’t look good enough to eat. Darien’s heart expanded as Matthew smiled back at him. He felt like a goofy teenager with his first crush.
In truth, this was his first crush. Darien might be closing in on forty, and he was no stranger to sex, but no one had ever made his palms sweaty and his stomach fill with butterflies.
But his feelings for Matthew went much deeper than adolescent infatuation.
“What good news?” Darien asked.
“Have a few couples coming to look at the finished homes.” Seoul clapped Darien on the shoulder. “Tell me that isn’t fantastic.”
“It would be nice to see people enjoying our hard work,” Darien admitted. His gaze cut back to Matthew. He couldn’t stop himself from searching out his lover’s gray eyes. Every time they glanced at one another, Darien grinned like an idiot.
“Matthew and I were just checking out the finished homes to make sure all tools and whatnot were removed before the realtor started showing the properties,” Seoul said.
“I’m pretty sure everything was cleared.” Darien spotted Cory rounding the Dumpster. “Hey, Cory, come here!”
Cory glanced their way, and Darien groaned when he saw Winkie trotting next to Cory. He’d hoped neither man would say anything about a dog on the jobsite.
Cory glared at Seoul, stuck his middle finger up, then turned and kept walking. Darien’s jaw dropped. So had Matthew’s. Seoul thinned his lips but didn’t say anything.
One of Matthew’s brows rose. “Was that a dog?”
“Don’t ask,” Darien grumbled as he left them standing there and took off toward Cory.
He caught up to him and pulled Cory to a stop. “You mind telling me why you just flipped off one of the men who provides our paychecks?”
“Not particularly.” Cory crossed his arms, his chin stuck out defiantly.
“I want you to apologize to Seoul, Cory.”
“Not in this lifetime!” Cory glared Seoul’s way. “Hell will freeze over before I say another word to that man.”
Darien narrowed his eyes. “Did he do something to you?”
He really hoped Seoul hadn’t. Because if he had, Darien would risk the job by breaking the bastard in half.
Cory flung his arms around animatedly. “That’s just it. He hasn’t said two words to me since you spoke to him that morning. That reminds me. I’m mad at you, too.”
“For what?” Darien frowned when the dog winked at him. He didn’t care if it was a condition or not. That was just weird.
And a bit creepy.
“Cockblocking, duh.” Cory stomped off, Winkie hurrying behind him. The dog stopped for a heartbeat, growled Darien’s way, then quickly caught up to Cory.
Darien sighed. Seoul had apparently taken his advice and left Cory alone. He just hoped Cory didn’t stay in a funk for the remainder of their time in Wildfire.
Chapter Ten
Three couples had purchased homes, happy they would live in a town where they weren’t persecuted for loving their partner. Now that Wildfire was finally coming together, Matthew was really getting into Seoul’s vision for the town.
Matthew would’ve been happy if he hadn’t been in a meeting all morning with his lawyers. He’d flown to Virginia the night before, wishing Darien could have come with him. But Darien was already overloaded with work, and Matthew didn’t want to put him more behind schedule than he already was.
Matthew hadn’t been gone a whole day and he missed Darien like crazy. He also craved to have his lover’s strong arms around him as Matthew sat in this dismal meeting.
“Those text messages are damaging,” Paul said from the other side of the table. “They give you motive, Mr. Honeywell. You have the means to hire someone to kill William. Any prosecutor would salivate to try this case.”
The more Paul talked, the more Matthew’s heart sank. He didn’t bother to argue that he could prove his whereabouts because that wouldn’t matter. Matthew could have been on the other end of the earth. A hitman could be hired with a phone call.
Right?
“I want you to continue lying low in Wildfire while we work this case,” Alfred Stanhope said. Another of Matthew’s lawyers, he looked old enough to be in some museum instead of giving Matthew advice.
“I’m not lying low,” Matthew said. “I’m living there so I can oversee the renovation of the town.”
“Whatever you want to call it,” Alfred said. He was really starting to piss Matthew off with his dismissive tone. “Just make sure you don’t talk to anyone about the case.”
“The texts are circumstantial,” Matthew argued. “Damming, but circumstantial. A prosecutor would have to find the person who did the actual killing and tie him to me, which they won’t be able to since I didn’t hire anyone to kill William.”
There was no way in hell he was telling them about Dagger’s friend because Matthew was holding out hope that the man was telling the truth about not having been able to find William. He knew the lawyers were there to help him, but Alfred acted as if he were the prosecutor and not Matthew’s high-priced attorney.
“True,” Paul said.
“But after last year’s debacle, and the texts—”
“Enough,” Paul cut Alfred off. “We need solutions, not an argument of why Mr. Honeywell might be guilty.”
Alfred huffed but didn’t say another word.
“I want all of you out of here except Paul.” Matthew had spoken so calmly that he’d even impressed himself. It was the way he usually spoke in business meetings—with a strong, self-assured voice and a tone that dared anyone to argue with him.
The room cleared.
“Give it to me straight, Paul.”
“To be honest, you’re in for one hell of a fight,” he said. “I don’t agree with Alfred’s way of laying things out for you, but he’s right, Matthew. So far you’re shaping up to be the prime suspect in this case.”
Matthew slammed the side of his fist on the table. “Then I want your team to earn the outrageous salary I pay you. Prove I didn’t kill William, because I didn’t!”
He hadn’t meant to lose control, but this had gotten way out of hand. The kicker was, Matthew couldn’t be one-hundred percent positive Dagger’s friend hadn’t committed the crime.
Matthew was utterly fucked if he had.
Someone knocked on the door. Matthew’s anger mounted. The door opened and one of the young lawyers—Matthew couldn’t remember his name—stepped into the room.
“I thought I said I only wanted to speak to Mr. Acosta,” Matthew snapped.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Honeywell.” The man appeared flushed, but he was smiling. That pissed Matthew off even further. There was no humor in him being accused of murder.
“What is it, Mr. Palmer?” Paul asked.
Mr. Palmer hurried to the table. He had an iPad in his hand. He set the iPad down and tapped the Play button of a video. Matthew leaned in closer and watched as Frank Peete, billionaire owner of the largest toy company in the United States, was taken from his home in handcuffs.
“The police arrested a hired gun after a witness placed him at the scene of the crime. The hired gun, Eddy Smith, sung like a canary, telling the cops Frank hired him to kill William Black because William was blackmailing Mr. Peete. I made a few calls,” Mr. Palmer said with excitement, “and found out William Black was doing the same thing to two other wealthy men.”
Matthew felt bad for Frank Peete, but sagged in his chair. Relief washed over
him like a tsunami. He looked at Paul to see him grinning.
Matthew sat up. “I want your team to represent Mr. Peete.”
Paul’s brows rose. “I’m pretty sure he has his own lawyers.”
“He might, but you guys are the best, and after the hell William caused him, Mr. Peete deserves a fighting chance.”
“You have a good heart, Mr. Honeywell.” Mr. Palmer grinned.
Matthew stood and shook their hands. “I’m heading back to Wildfire. Keep me in the loop.”
“I will,” Paul said.
Matthew glanced around at the prestigious office, the high-end furnishings, and thought about his own company headquarters. The passion he once held for working himself to the bone no longer appealed to him.
Maybe small-town life had seeped into his bones. Maybe the close call had woken him up. Matthew wasn’t sure what had made the ambition to make millions slowly bleed away, but one thing was for sure—he no longer wanted to spend countless hours in a boardroom when he had a town to rebuild and a sexy lover waiting for him.
Seoul’s vision had taken root and flourished inside Matthew. He wanted to see Wildfire thrive. “Paul, I want to meet with you in the near future to talk about selling Honeywell Corporation.”
Paul’s brows shot to his hairline. “You can’t be serious.”
“As a heart attack.” Matthew strode from the room, anxious to get back to Darien—the man who had stolen his heart and changed his entire outlook on life.
Matthew had taken a risk and Darien had been well worth it. Now he had a house to buy with a gorgeous back deck, and a man to convince that making a home and life together was the perfect plan.
* * * *
Darien sat on the deck of the green-and-white house and leaned back on his elbows, his legs stretched out. He stared up at the night sky, wishing Matthew were here with him.
He hated that he wasn’t able to go with Matthew to Virginia, but his lover had insisted he remain behind and keep to the work schedule. But the work meant nothing to Darien if Matthew needed him.
So all he could do was wait for word of what was going on. And the longer Matthew didn’t call him, the more worried Darien became.
As he sat there, he thought about what Matthew had said. Darien envisioned them sitting on the deck, curled together on a cushioned chair, sharing a quiet evening together. And the longer he entertained the thought, the more Darien craved making the illusion a reality.
Would living with Matthew be so bad? The idea of buying a house together scared Darien, but the thought also brought him a measure of comfort and security he’d never felt before.
Wildfire had grown on him. Matthew’s promise of open shops and residents strolling the streets made him want to make the town his home.
“Got room for one more on this beautiful, spacious deck?”
Darien’s heart kicked wildly as Matthew came from the side of the house, a huge smile on his face, his eyes sparkling.
“Depends,” Darien said.
“On what?” Matthew took a seat next to him.
“You bring a chair we can curl up together on?”
Matthew seemed confused by his furrowed brows and the tilt of his head. But slowly, his brows rose. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Darien looked over his shoulder. “The deck would look nice with a large grill, too.”
Matthew threw himself into Darien’s arm, kissing him along his jaw. “I love you!”
“Whoa.” Darien pulled him back and gazed into his pretty, gray eyes. “First you have to tell me what happened.”
He sat there and listened to Matthew tell him the play-by-play, from the time he exited the plane in Virginia until he’d driven back to Wildfire from the airport.
Darien was dumbfounded. “That’s bad for the toy king, but I’m glad you’re off the hook.”
“It’s kind of bittersweet, but now I can put all that behind me and start my life with the man I love.”
Darien gave a low growl as he pulled Matthew’s shirt over his head.
“You’re determined to get us caught, aren’t you?” Matthew kicked his shoes off, wiggled out of his pants and underwear, and tossed his socks aside. He might complain about having sex outside, but he apparently had no problem getting naked in the backyard of what was soon to be their home.
“We have plenty of privacy.” Darien hadn’t had his shoes on, or a shirt. All he had to do was take off his jeans and underwear. He grabbed the packet of lube from his pants and ripped it open with his teeth as Matthew straddled his lap. Matthew bent forward, lapping at Darien’s lips as Darien stretched him, eager to bury himself balls-deep in the man he loved.
Matthew rolled the condom down Darien’s cock, then hissed as he impaled himself. “Feels so damn good.”
“Yeah, you do.” Darien grabbed Matthew’s hips and started to thrust upward.
Darien had come to Wildfire to rebuild a town, but had also found a man he couldn’t live without.
Epilogue
Word of Wildfire spread, and same-sex couples started showing up to see if an LGBTQ town truly existed. Homes were being sold before the renovations were even complete, but the four investors also made sure there were plenty of rentals, as well.
The building that would house Seoul’s software division was underway, and the one for Glen’s tool manufacturing and sales business finally had the foundation poured.
One couple had bought the old bakery, with plans already laid out for fixing it up. Another rented an empty shop with ideas for a swank coffeehouse.
Matthew, Seoul, Dagger, and Glen stood in the center of downtown Wildfire smiling as their dream was finally coming to fruition.
Seoul nudged Matthew. “Was I right or was I right?”
Matthew shoved playfully at him. “So you were right. Big deal.”
Matthew was happy and finally content with his life. The paperwork had been drawn up for the sale of his company, and he had enough money to live off for ten lifetimes.
Now he could concentrate on the blossoming town and the man he loved. He and Darien now owned their green-and-white home with the back deck—including big, comfortable cushioned chairs and a gas grill.
Darien was already making plans to move his business to Wildfire, and his crew had agreed to stay.
“Here comes trouble,” Seoul said as Darien crossed the street and headed their way.
Matthew drooled at the sight of the tool belt around Darien’s narrow waist. They’d yet to have sex while he wore it. Matthew planned on making that happen later—on the deck, of course.
“Hey, handsome.” Darien pulled Matthew into his arms and kissed him like a starving man.
“Get a damn room,” Glen said as the three walked away.
“As yummy as you taste, I can’t stay.” Darien pulled back. “Now that the school foundation has been poured, we start work on rebuilding it. I have to go over everything with the different crews this afternoon.”
“You can give me a drive-by kiss anytime you want.” Matthew chuckled.
“Or walk-by.” Darien winked. “You all set up at city hall?”
“Yep. I am now the official accountant for Wildfire.” Matthew pulled from Darien’s arms. “I’ll be the one telling you all the time that whatever you want to build isn’t in the budget.”
Darien grinned. “You’re just dying to say that, aren’t you?”
“Busted.” Matthew gave him another kiss.
“If you don’t stop groping me, I’m going to fuck you right here in the park.” Darien grabbed Matthew’s ass and gave it a light squeeze.
Matthew glanced around, wondering if they could find a private area to make that little fantasy come true.
“I told you,” Darien said, taking a step back. “You have sex on the brain all the time.”
Like Darien didn’t? He was insatiable when it came to fucking Matthew in every room in the house. But their favorite spot would always be the steps of the deck.
/> Matthew grinned. “Why fight a billion-year evolutionary drive?”
Darien glanced around, then hurried to a secluded part of the park. Matthew followed. He would always follow Darien Lockmere no matter where the hunky construction owner led him.
THE END
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