All the Things I Didn't See (15 page)

Josh took off down the hallway, stopping only long enough to slip on his sandals before he was out the door.

Sam chuckled at Josh’s enthusiasm and set about going through some of the hundreds of text messages he’d gotten in the past week.

W
HEN
Josh reached the dock, he was greeted by the sight of Paul signing an autograph for a young girl of about sixteen. He was surrounded by four suitcases, a duffle bag, a garment bag… and… a cat carrier?

Paul spotted him and waved him over. “Dude, check it out. Mandy, here, is a fan of the show.”

Josh chuckled. “You don’t say?” He walked forward and extended his hand. “Hi, Mandy, I’m Josh. It’s nice to meet you.”

The girl turned and gaped like a fish, head swinging between Paul and Josh.

 

She slowly reached out and shook Josh’s hand, the contact jolting her out of her daze.

“N… nice to meet you too.” She shook her head, trying to clear it, and he could see the exact moment when it hit her. “Oh my God, Josh, how are you doing? How’s Sam? God, it was so awful, what happened.” Her eyes filled up with tears.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He awkwardly patted her on the shoulder. “We’re both going to be okay.”

She gave him a watery smile. “Sorry, sorry. I know you probably don’t want to think about it.” She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “My mom is never going to believe this. We’ve been watching the show together since I was a kid.”

Josh laughed. “Do you have a camera?”
She nodded and pulled out her phone.

“Good.” Josh took it and walked over to an older man standing nearby at the ferry office.

 

“Could you take a picture of us, please?”

The man nodded, and Josh showed him how to work the camera. He positioned the girl between Paul and himself, and the man took the picture.

Josh shook his hand and thanked him before turning back to where Paul and the girl were talking.

“Mandy, I have a big favor to ask.” His tone was serious as he gave her back her phone. “I’m asking you to not tell people that I’m on the island. We’re here while Sam recovers, and the press is still sniffing around, and the last thing he needs to deal with is a reporter. What do you say? Can you do that for me?”

Mandy nodded. “Of course I can, Josh. I get it. And we don’t need a bunch of idiots wandering around our island, anyhow.” She smiled at him. “Your secret’s safe with me, I promise.”

Josh hugged her and said good-bye as Paul stood there looking at him speculatively.

 

“Dude, let’s get back to the house. You can flirt with the fans later.”

Josh laughed out loud. Paul had no idea how wrong he was.
Josh walked over and looked in the cat carrier and was greeted by the dozy faces of Muffin and Gizmo. He couldn’t help but smile. Sam was going be so happy.
He turned and grabbed Paul, hugging him hard. “You rock, dude!”
“I know.” Paul actually blushed. “What was I gonna do, leave Sam’s kids there? He never would’ve forgiven me.”
“Come on. Let’s go reunite them.” Just then, his phone chirped. “Speak of the devil.” He looked at it and saw it was indeed a message from Sam.
What’s taking so long? I have NEEDS!
Josh laughed and texted back a frowny face.
Sorry sweetheart. We got sidetracked. Back in a couple.
Hurry please. Think my back teeth are starting to float
.
“C’mon Paul, we have to hurry.” They gathered all the stuff together and headed back to the house.
Paul cleared his throat. “So… how’s he doing, really?”
“About as well as can be expected. But he’s going to be fine… eventually. We have our first counseling session booked for the day after tomorrow, and I think that’ll help too.”
“Good idea. And if there’s anything I can do…?” Paul was not a talking-about-his-feelings kind of a guy, but he was trying.
“You already did the best thing you could do.”
Paul just blushed again and shrugged.
Walking into the house, the guys quickly set everything down in the entryway. Josh hurried along the hall and into the bedroom, not realizing that Paul was right behind him.
He crossed the room to the bed and leaned in to kiss Sam. God, he loved kissing him.
There was a gasp from behind him and then a chuckle.
“Okay, aren’t you two taking this ‘art imitating life’ thing a little too far?” Paul looked surprised, but he was smiling. “Hey, buddy, how you doing?”
Sam just grinned. “I’m pretty good.”
“Yeah, I can tell.” He walked over to take Sam’s hand and give it a squeeze. “Damn but it’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too. But if you don’t get the hell out so I can get up, I’m gonna kick your ass.”
Paul backed out of the room, hands held up in surrender. “I’m gone!” He disappeared down the hall, chuckling.
Josh got Sam up and into the bathroom. While Sam took care of business, Josh pulled out a fresh pair of sweats for him.

He glanced down the hall and saw the cat carrier was gone and smiled. Sam walked out of the bathroom, and Josh helped him dress before heading into the living room. Sam sat on the couch, looking around for Paul.

“Hey, where’d he go?”

 

There was a soft meow from around the corner of the couch, and then Sam had a delicate lapful of feline love.

“Muffy! Oh God, I missed you.” His eyes had widened almost comically when the cat appeared, and now they filled with tears. When Gizmo climbed up beside him and rolled over to rest his head on Sam’s lap, Josh wished he had a camera to capture the moment and keep it forever.

Big hazel eyes looked up at Paul, who had come around the corner after the cats. “Thank you so much. I never expected….” He trailed off, his voice choked off by the lump in his throat.

“Don’t sweat it, Sam. What was I gonna do, leave them with the jackass?”

 

Sam smiled at him.

“You’re just lucky they like me. I wasn’t sure I’d get them in the damn thing.” He sat down on the couch beside Sam.

“What’s not to like? Besides, you always smell like food to them!”

 

Josh just smiled. This was the best life could be at this moment.

“You two chat. I’m going to get the grill going.” Josh started to move away, but Sam tilted his face up for another kiss, and he complied readily. Paul grinned and tilted his head up and pretended to bat his eyelashes at Josh.

“Do I get one too?”

 

Josh leaned in and puckered his lips, laughing as Paul almost fell off the couch trying to escape the kiss.

“Eww, dude. Gross!”
Josh patted him on the head and went to the kitchen.

The evening passed quickly as the friends laughed and talked and hung out on the porch. It was just what they needed.

They tucked Paul into Josh’s old room for the night, promising to wake him in time to catch the early ferry in the morning, then headed to bed.

Josh woke up once in the middle of the night to find both cats curled up on the bed on either side of Sam’s knees. He didn’t think he’d ever been so contented.

T
HE
next month passed quickly. Chris came twice a week at first, but Sam progressed quickly, just as Josh had predicted.

He managed to wrangle another week off from Barker, but at the end of the third week, Josh was commuting in to the studio to film scenes of Philip interacting with other
After Sunset
characters.

Sam was thrilled that something good came from his shooting. Josh’s part had been beefed up so Sam’s workload would be easier on him when he returned to the set.

He always said Josh was being shortchanged and underutilized on the show, and now it was going to be proven.

Sam’s parents had been calling often and sending lots of pictures of Sam’s new baby nephew, James Robert. Mary and Kenneth had landed in Vienna just a few hours before Miko gave birth and were delighted to see the whole thing.

As Sam got better, his patience became shorter, and he found himself being unintentionally demanding with Josh. Sam always apologized quickly, but Josh would simply wave it off. He could handle a few temper tantrums.

Several friends and family members had visited like they promised. On the third Saturday at the Kismet house, Josh and Sam hosted a barbeque, inviting Jared and May and their kids along with Paul and Kathy, Elizabeth, Jessy and Cassie, and their families.

It was an awesome day, with everyone pitching in to help out.
Sam and Josh didn’t make a formal statement regarding their relationship, but they didn’t really need to. The fact that they seemed to be in gravitational orbit around each other and the way their faces lit up when the other one came into sight was enough of a clue for their friends.
The night before Sam’s first day back on the set, they walked out to sit on the beach, and Josh wrapped his sweater around Sam’s shoulders to guard against the cool night air.
They sat side by side on the sand, watching the sun go down, with Sam’s head on Josh’s shoulder and Josh’s arm wrapped around Sam’s waist.
“You sure you’re ready to go back tomorrow? I could talk to Barker….”
Sam kissed his cheek. “I’m sure. I know you’ve tried really hard to keep me busy, but I’m getting so fucking bored sitting here. I need to get back to work.”
Josh hung his head. “I know. I’m just worried.”
“Josh, you know I’m going be babied ten ways to Sunday by everyone at the studio. Plus you’ll be there the whole time. I’ll be fine.”
Josh looked up and grinned at him. “Maybe I’m just not ready to share you yet.”
Sam reached up to cup Josh’s face in his hands. “You won’t be sharing anything. Not really.” He pulled him down to kiss him, both of them moaning when Sam’s tongue slipped into Josh’s mouth.
Up to now, they hadn’t moved past kissing and one spectacular mutual hand job that left them both sated and sleepy, curled around one another.
Realizing that they’d just had sex in Josh’s parents’ bed made them both blush and laugh.
Josh had been reluctant to move forward, and Sam was starting to worry that it was all just too much for him. Maybe he wasn’t ready for the next step.
But when they were like this, tongues sliding together and Josh’s hand slipping under the back of Sam’s shirt to spread over the warm skin, Sam wasn’t sure what the problem was. “Josh, take me to bed.”
Josh pulled back, and Sam groaned but held on to the front of Josh’s shirt, not letting him go far.
“What’s the matter, Josh? Are you just not ready?” Sam had tried to be patient, but his patience was just about gone… for everything.

Josh blushed and shook his head, looking down for a second. He took a deep breath.

 

“I’m scared of hurting you.”

Sam smiled and pushed Josh down in the sand, carefully crawling over him so he was straddling his lap. Their groins were perfectly aligned, the proof of both their arousals rubbing together.

“Josh, you aren’t going to hurt me. The doctor said sex was fine as long as we were careful. And Josh, I know you wouldn’t be anything but careful. So please, baby, make love to me.”

He leaned down, kissing along Josh’s jaw line, sucking a little red mark just under his ear. He slid both hands under Josh’s shirt, feeling his way across hard abs and soft skin.

When his fingers reached Josh’s hard, peaked nipples, he gave them a little twist, causing his boyfriend to squirm and moan.

Sam rocked his hips, grinding their erections together through two layers of fabric, shuddering at the friction.

“Sam, God, I want….” Josh’s voice cut off as Sam sucked his earlobe into his mouth and bit down gently, causing Josh’s hips to buck.

“I need you, Josh. Come on, just let us have this.” He pushed himself up and took Josh’s hand and held it to the bulge in the front of his sweats, moaning and rocking into the pressure.

It was all Josh could take. He sat up, wrapping both arms around Sam’s waist, and plundered his mouth. One hand slid up to tangle in the silky blond strands of Sam’s hair while the other slipped down under the waistband of Sam’s sweats, sliding his fingers into the crease of his ass and ghosting the tight little muscle. Sam pushed back against the touch, and Josh knew it was time to take it inside.

He gave Sam one more desperate kiss before gently pushing off of him so he could stand up. He pulled Sam to his feet, unable to stop himself from moving into another kiss.

They only stopped when they both needed air. Sam led them onto the porch, pausing outside the bedroom door to brush the sand off each other and slip out of their shoes.

Once inside, they closed the door and made their way over to the bed. Sam stood quietly while Josh reverently undressed him. Josh unbuttoned the shirt Sam was wearing—another one of Josh’s—and slipped it off his shoulders. He leaned down to mouth gently across Sam’s chest until he reached the scar that no longer needed to be covered.

“Tell me if it hurts.”

 

Sam’s hands were on his shoulders, his eyes hooded and dark with lust. “It won’t.”

Josh pressed kisses as gentle as butterfly wings all along the scar and up his throat, pausing to leave a mark of his own there.

The show’s makeup people were going to kill him tomorrow, but he didn’t care. The thought of leaving his mark on Sam was just too tempting.

Returning to those ridiculously perfect bow lips, he nipped and sucked them till they were swollen and red and glistening with saliva. It was his tongue breaching Sam’s mouth this time until it took both their breaths away.

“I love you, Sam.” The words were whispered against Sam’s mouth, and Josh could feel the answering smile against his lips.

“I love you too.”

 

Josh pulled his shirt off over his head and dropped it to the floor, relishing the increased heat in his boyfriend’s gaze.

“You are some fucking beautiful sweetheart.” Sam’s voice was low and sex-rough, and it went straight to Josh’s cock.

Josh reached for Sam’s sweats and slowly pushed them off his hips and over that perfect ass until they fell to the floor of their own accord. Sam stepped out of them and kicked them away, standing somewhat shyly in front of Josh, letting him drink in his fill of his naked lover.

“Jesus, Sam, you’re the one who’s beautiful.”

He lowered Sam gently to the bed, arranging him on the pillows, and stood there for a second to gaze at the wanton picture before him. Sam’s skin was flushed, shiny with a slight sheen of sweat. He had one arm over his chest, the hand playing with a pert nipple, while the other slipped down his stomach and through the coarse hair surrounding his leaking erection.