The Rhubarb Patch

by Deanna Wadsworth

  “You sure?”

  “Yes.” Grinning and back to that giddy mood he’d been in when he’d dragged Scott out into the night, Phin pulled up his pajamas for him, but not without a gratuitous groping and another languid kiss.

  Though spent, Scott was sure if Phin kept kissing him like this, he’d be ready to shoot again in about five minutes. He pulled back. “Unless you plan on bending me over that raised bed and plowing me hard all night, we better take this party inside.”

  Phin’s gaze shot to the nearest garden bed, intrigued. “We’ll put that on the to-do list.”

  Throwing back his head with a laugh, Scott took his hand and led him to the porch. In the dark, his eyes had adjusted, but he slowed his pace so he didn’t trip over anything.

  He should’ve been more worried about tripping over Phin.

  As soon as they neared the door, Phin pressed him hard against it, grinding his erection into his ass. Clutching the doorframe, Scott groaned, humping back, eager to have Phin inside him.

  To his shock, Phin got on his knees again and pulled down his pajamas, this time all the way to his knees. Phin tapped his thighs apart and Scott obediently spread. He fondled Scott’s balls, and his cock twitched, still a little hard even though he’d come. Phin spit in his hand, then slipped behind his balls to tease his pucker.

  “Oh, Phin,” he cried out when Phin breached him.

  “Stick your ass out for me,” Phin ordered in a gravelly growl. “And spread ’em.”

  Weak-kneed, Scott was powerless to do anything but obey.

  Hands on the house like a criminal getting patted down, Scott moaned in surprise. What Phin did to his asshole had to be illegal!

  He pushed Scott’s cheeks as far apart as his pants allowed and jerked his hips closer. Those powerful hands spread him wide, stretching his hole tight. Phin licked him from balls to top, growling and burying his face in his cheeks.

  “Oh! Unh!” Scott whimpered, trembling.

  Phin held his hips, preventing him from collapsing. No one had ever reached him so deep like this, spread him so hard. Been so hungry for him. Phin’s tongue probed, he spit, slurping up his hole. Then a finger went inside, probing and pulling.

  “Oh, just fuck me,” Scott whimpered. “I need you in me!”

  “Can’t,” he breathed. “No condom.”

  Scott laughed breathlessly. “Didn’t think this one through, did you?”

  Phin licked him, wiggling his tongue and making Scott squirm. “Or did I?” He stroked Scott’s cock faster. “You wanna come?”

  “Yes! Yes!” he screamed, not knowing if he had anything left but wanting so bad to give it the ol’ college try.

  Chuckling, Phin pulled on his ring, stretching him. He flicked his tongue inside Scott as he fingered his ass deep. Phin gripped his shaft with powerful confidence. Scott’s back arched hard, and he cried out again.

  “Scream for me,” Phin ordered, his tone gruff and lust-drenched. “Make me hear how bad you wanna come.”

  Scott lost himself, unchecked, wild sounds pouring from his mouth. He held nothing back and neither did Phin. Two, then three fingers stretched him. The delicious pain of being penetrated wasn’t enough.

  “More! More!” he cried, wanting, no, needing a cock inside him. “Just fuck me. I don’t care.”

  “No, Mouse, this is all for now,” Phin told him very firmly. Then those fingers curled down, jabbing his prostate. At the same time, Phin sucked in one ball, hard.

  Scott screamed.

  Close, he joined his hand to Phin’s, taking his shaft and beating it hard while Phin polished the knob with his palm. Those fingers pulled on his ass, and Scott jerked his overstimulated cock, groaning like an animal in rut.

  “Harder!” he cried, grunting. “Unh! Ugh…. Aaaagghh!”

  Cum burst free, his body spiraling in ecstasy and convulsing. Phin kissed his ass, probing his prostate and milking him as he came. When it ended, Scott collapsed, knees buckling.

  Phin was there to catch him.

  Never in all his days had he come that hard or in such quick succession. Phin scooped him up into his arms, kissing him deeply. “You okay, Mouse?”

  Trembling, Scott clung to his neck, nodding. Phin carried him over the threshold.

  His body was hot and shaking, sweaty and damp. He shook and his throat was raw. “Was I too loud?”

  Phin chuckled. “Not loud enough. They didn’t hear you in Gilead.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  PHIN WATCHED Scott asleep in his bed, his face childlike in slumber and his cheeks flushed. He hadn’t intended to get so physical so quickly, but just one kiss… and he’d totally lost control. Just thinking about the sounds Scott made, the taste of his body, and the sight of him coming stirred Phin’s own arousal.

  But it was imperative they talk before things went further.

  From the beginning, Scott had sparked more than just his body. He’d intrigued Phin’s mind. As they became friends, the wanting had grown stronger. It had been the opposite with Tom. Teenage passion first, then friendship and love. With Scott the friendship had come so easily it should’ve been no surprise the passion came effortlessly too.

  But love?

  Would Scott even be interested after he learned the truth? Phin stroked Scott’s cheek, a warm sense of affection stirring him.

  God, I hope so….

  A sharp bark came from downstairs.

  Phin quickly disentangled himself, whispering assurances to the sleeping man that he would be right back. He’d stripped down to the nude to cuddle, so he slid on his underwear and hurried downstairs. Katie had been barking to go out in the middle of the night lately, and he didn’t want another accident.

  “I’m coming, princess.” He crouched down and picked her up.

  She’d been unable to do the stairs for a year now, so he’d moved her bed into the kitchen. Now that she’d become such a picky eater, she’d lost weight, gotten weaker. He held her slight body with one arm and slipped on his Crocs. Flipping on the porch light, he headed outside. Rather than make her walk down the ramp—she fell off it yesterday—he carried her out into the yard.

  “There ya go, baby.” He set her in the dewy grass and gave her a rubdown to get her muscles moving. She struggled to get moving after she slept. Every time he took her out, his heart broke a little more, remembering how spry she had been a mere six months ago.

  She stood still for a moment, disoriented. Then she inched forward and squatted down to potty. It upset him to see how she struggled, her back legs not working the way they used to. At sixteen years and four months old, they’d been on borrowed time for a long while.

  He waited for her to sniff around a bit. When she stopped and stood still, he came up to her and gave her a caress. She leaned against his leg.

  “You all done?” When she didn’t answer, he scooped her gently into his arms. Upstairs he noticed his bedroom light had been turned on. Scott was awake.

  Probably for the best. They really should’ve talked before the sex. He had so much to explain.

  Phin settled Katie in her bed after she drank some water. He gave her a biscuit, which she sniffed and ignored. He left it on her bed, hoping she would eat it later. Tomorrow he planned to roast another chicken, see if she wanted to eat some. She hadn’t eaten much lately, and for a dog whose appetite always rivaled that of an anaconda, it was far more unsettling than he wanted to think about.

  Tamping down the pain, he returned to his bedroom. He found Scott, wearing his pajama bottoms again, examining the framed photographs on his dresser. There was the photo of Phin and Edmond as boys at Lake Michigan. His aunt’s graduation picture. But most were of Phin and Tom. One taken in Sonoma. Their college graduation picture. A kiss with the sunset behind them on the cruise they’d taken to Greece….

  A wash of guilt swamped him. Should he have taken them down before he brought Scott up here?

  “You had hair,” Scott teased.

  “I did.” Coming
up to embrace him from behind, Phin was pleased when Scott burrowed back into his arms.

  “Blond hair.”

  “Yeah, and I lost enough of it by the time I was twenty-six I decided to shave it all off.”

  Scott reached up and rubbed his head. “I like it bald.”

  “That’s good,” he said, kissing his neck, behind his ear. “Considering I’m not planning on finding out how little I have left.”

  “Is that your brother?”

  Phin pointed at Edmond. “Yup. The other one’s me.”

  “Is it okay that I was looking at your pictures?”

  “I did leave you in my bedroom.”

  Scott turned in his arms, making Phin shiver from the friction on his groin. “Yeah, but it’s not weird for you. You know… after?”

  He grinned at the shy way Scott referred to their earlier endeavors. “Honestly, it is a little odd. I bought a new bed. Maybe I should’ve taken his pictures down too.”

  “You bought a new bed for me?”

  “More like I bought it for me,” he explained. “My old bed was mine and Tom’s. I’d been holding on to it longer than I should have. My back was actually hurting. But I couldn’t let it go.”

  “Oh.”

  There were a million things that “oh” could’ve meant, and Phin was unsure he wanted to ask. His stomach already ached, thinking about everything they needed to discuss—should’ve discussed before they got physical.

  He cleared his throat. “Since we’re up, are you hungry?”

  “I could eat.”

  “I’ll bet. You had quite a bit of exercise earlier,” Phin teased, rocking his hips.

  “Earlier,” he whispered, then cleared his throat, his smile sleepy and adorable. “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced. Thank you.”

  “I’m glad you liked it.”

  “You sure I shouldn’t”—he slid a hand below his belt—“return the favor?”

  Phin let him play but chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure. There’ll be plenty of time for that.” Then he hesitated. “That is if you’ll have me after we talk.”

  He chewed his lower lip. “Um, so what do you wanna talk about?”

  “C’mon, Mouse.” Hand in hand, they headed to the kitchen. Phin had leftover mashed potatoes, gravy, and chicken legs in the fridge. He showed Scott the tray. “How’s this?”

  “Awesome. I’ve missed your cooking.”

  Phin almost stopped himself from replying, but decided to be honest. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I was just next door.”

  Though they’d been physical, Scott still held Phin’s departure against him.

  Just tell the truth, Phineas.

  Once he had the plate of food warming in the microwave, Phin retrieved a bottle of Pinot. “Wine?”

  “Why not?”

  He placed the bottle on the table and went to the hutch for glasses. He selected the wineglasses today.

  Time to move on….

  “Fancy,” Scott observed. “No Mason jars?”

  He hesitated, wanting, no owing Scott the truth.

  All of it.

  “I’ve always had glasses. But….” He offered Scott a shy smile as he twisted the corkscrew. “Tom bought these.”

  “Oh.”

  There was that word again.

  Phin filled their glasses, and the microwave dinged. Sharing the plate, they ate in silence. As Scott forked in food, he leaned into the island, one arm crossed close to his body in a protective stance.

  Phin took a fortifying swallow of wine. “I thought I came to grips with losing Tom a long time ago. But when I met you, I realized I hadn’t. Not really.”

  Scott studied him as he chewed, thankfully not saying oh again.

  “Nancy reminded me that I could be happy and I could move on,” he explained. “But I never believed I’d meet another man. I mean, I already had the fairy tale. That should’ve been my one shot. I was completely resigned to being alone. Just me and my dog. Then you moved in.”

  “Oh.”

  Damn, I hate that word! “The first night I had you over….” He hesitated, staring at the glass in his hand, a symbol of his inability to move on. “I had them on the table. Then I just couldn’t use them. Not with another man. Until that moment, I hadn’t realized I was still afraid to let go.”

  When he looked up, Scott studied his glass too. “Are you still afraid? Is that what you meant when we were outside?”

  Phin took a bite of potatoes, a few spots cold from the microwave. “Yes and no. I needed to get my head together, to really ask myself if I wanted to pursue a relationship.”

  “And do you? Because earlier….” He cleared his throat, and then his brown eyes pierced Phin. “That meant something to me.”

  Hearing the defensiveness in Scott’s voice, Phin quickly took his hand and drew his arm away from his stomach. “Believe me, Mouse, it meant something to me. But once I realized I didn’t want to be alone for the rest of my life, I worried you might not want me if you knew….” He swallowed hard.

  Scott narrowed his eyes. “Knew what?”

  His heart raced, and he opened his mouth, then closed it. His mind whirred, and he suddenly asked, “Are you gonna move back home?”

  Brows raised, Scott shook his head and set his wine down. “Who says this isn’t home now?”

  “Is it?” Phin needed to know before he threw everything on the table.

  “I think it could be. But, well?” Scott hesitated and their eyes met. “My mom told me something pretty surprising.”

  Then Phin listened—in utter shock—as Scott told him a story about Nancy taking him as a small child and keeping him from his mother for several days. Phin could hardly believe his ears.

  “Wow,” Phin breathed after he thought for a moment. “You really don’t think it was a misunderstanding?”

  “Why didn’t she check on my mom at the hospital, let her know I was with her?” he said, sounding defensive. “That was pretty shitty.”

  Hard to argue with that. “Was Dale there?”

  “No, I don’t think so. My mom didn’t mention it.”

  “Maybe Nancy was trying to keep him away from you,” Phin offered.

  “Maybe.”

  Phin wasn’t sure what else to say, but he was sure Nancy had never intended to hurt Scott. His friend had been the kindest, most generous soul, but in honesty, he knew little of her past. Phin recalled all the times, after a few too many BV7s, his old friend would talk about regret, mistakes. Had this been one of them? She’d mentioned many times her son Dale had been “troubled” and “untrustworthy.” Once she’d even said she wished she’d been tougher on Dale as a kid. So perhaps she just wanted to protect her grandson from a volatile situation. After all, by Scott’s own admission, he had no recollection of the cops coming or his mother in the hospital.

  How could Phin ever know Nancy’s reasons?

  But if this was true, no wonder she’d left Scott everything she’d owned. It had to be her way of making it up to him.

  Phin wanted to say something to that effect, but the stubborn set of Scott’s jaw told Phin he might not be open to hearing it yet.

  More importantly, Phin needed to discuss their current situation and potential relationship—not dredge up a past neither of them could change.

  Scott let out a weary sigh and twirled his glass. “I know I brought it up, but I really don’t wanna talk about my mom and Nancy. I already had a big fight with her over it, and the whole thing is just exhausting. Like why didn’t she tell me? And what difference does it make now? It’s Mom’s issue, not mine, right?”

  Earnest brown eyes captured Phin’s, and he thought a moment before he spoke. “I suppose it is her issue, but you are involved.”

  “I don’t want to be. I thought I was starting to get to know Nancy, to maybe even like her, and this is just messing with my head. Sometimes I swear, my family isn’t happy unless there’s drama. When they came down, it reminded me of
why I left. I wanted a change. A new scene. I needed to find myself. My real self, not the self some man thinks I should be. Or who my family thinks I am.”

  “Have you found it?”

  “I’m learning to. I just….”

  “No more unfinished sentences. I think that was your rule.”

  Scott smiled bashfully. “Phin, I’m tired of being influenced by everyone around me. My family, boyfriends. I need to be my own man for a change. And I really like you, but I don’t want to lose myself with you. I don’t want to become what you want instead of who I need to be.”

  “Did I do something to make you think that?”

  “No, but it’s my pattern. I like a guy, and then I become whatever he wants me to be. Just like my mom does with Dumbass. If he doesn’t want her to spend eleven dollars on flour, then she won’t.”

  “Flour?”

  Scott waved it off. “Another long story. But Mom and I change when we meet a man. That’s part of what we fought about. How we let men control us. Brent paid my way, told me what to wear, what to think—but I let him.” Scott finished his wine and topped off their glasses. “I don’t want a man to use me and never care about what I want. I don’t want to end up like my mother.”

  Phin swallowed hard. “Have I done that?”

  “No, not once. Outside, you were so… selfless. Only worried about me. I’ve never experienced that before. Most tops are always about what they want. I’m like an afterthought. An accessory.”

  Christ, you’ve had some terrible lovers if that’s what you think. Rather than say that, Phin cupped Scott’s face. “I can promise you this, Scott Howe. You will never be an afterthought with me. If we decide to give this a real shot, it might get on your nerves how important you become to me.”

  He grinned. “Sounds terrible.”

  Phin leaned in and brushed his lips across Scott’s.

  Scott gave him a boyish smile. “This might sound stupid, considering I’m thirty years old, but I feel like I’m being very adult telling you all this stuff.”

  “It is very adult, thinking and talking things through.” Phin smiled and released his face. “Mouse, I care about you, and I want this relationship to be 100 percent honest. I wanna tell you the things I’ve never told a soul.”