Haunted Heart (16 page)

“No.” Duncan kissed Ruben on the lips. Salty sweat, a trickle of blood from a bite, and Duncan’s natural taste filled Ruben’s mouth once he licked the wetness off. “There are many ways to have sex. You might have noticed we both came, right?”

Ruben chuckled. “That didn’t escape my notice, no.”

“Well, I suppose any activity that involves two, or more, guys naked together, with the intent of sexual release, constitutes gay sex.” Duncan smiled, a cocky gesture. “You liked what we did, didn’t you?”

Ruben wasn’t about to lie or diminish what had transpired. “Yes.”

“What we did tonight, by the way, is called frotting.” Duncan smiled wickedly when Ruben’s frown deepened. “Or, as I like to call it, rutting in heat.”

Ruben snorted. “Nice image.”

Duncan laughed too, hugging Ruben closer. “Yes, well. Rubbing is another word. Or mutual stroking, or—”

“Does the precise term matter?” Ruben cut in, yawning. “I liked it.”

Duncan kissed him on the forehead. “I didn’t want to rush things for you. In regards to anal, I mean. Some gay men never do that. It’s fine. Not penetrating the ass doesn’t make them—or you—any less gay.” He looked at Ruben meaningfully. “Even if you and I never do it, we’re still gay. And like I said, there’s plenty more we can do to get close.”

That thought lifted Ruben’s spirits even more. A worry about an escalating sex life in the near future had given his panic cause to twitch, as if threatening to emerge. But now he knew he had no reason to fret. “You won’t mind? Waiting, I mean? Or that we might never…?”

Duncan sighed contentedly, hugged Ruben tighter, and said, “Nope. I just want you, love. To be a part of your life. Everything else is a bonus.”

And to that assurance and endearment, trusting his lover and confident in their shared future and in himself, Ruben fell fast asleep.

“Y
OU
GONNA
call him today, or do I have to…?” Duncan leaned in over the back of the couch slowly to whisper the colorful threat he had in mind in Ruben’s ear.

As a result, Ruben blushed, giggled, and squirmed on the couch, all at once. “But I’m working,” he protested weakly.

He lifted his drawing tablet above his head, waving it about in a show of I-told-you-so. The high-tech graphics tablet was thin and ultramodern, allowing Ruben to draw and paint an entire picture with a stylus, transferring it straight to the computer. No scanning required.

Straightening up, Duncan scoffed loudly and tousled Ruben’s dark hair, mussing up his bed-head hairdo. “Don’t even think it, babe. I
am
your employer, after all. As the head of the art department, I know exactly when the deadline for that cover is, so… hop to it!”

Ruben mumbled something indelicate under his breath.

Again, Duncan leaned over the back of the couch, right next to Ruben. “What was that, beautiful? I didn’t quite catch that.”

“I said”—Ruben enunciated each word carefully, with a furious tone—“you’re a bully.” At least he had left out the imaginative cussing Duncan was sure he had heard.

Duncan chuckled, stealing a kiss from Ruben’s pouty lips. “Why? ’Cause I want you to mend fences with your brother? God, what a terrible ogre I am. How do you cope with me?” He let his sarcasm sink into Ruben, who was busy fuming, his gaze stubbornly aimed at the art tablet, but his hand unmoving.

Finally, Ruben let out a frustrated huff and tossed his tablet on the other end of the couch. “Fine! You’re such a—” Thankfully, he stopped before uttering something that would give Duncan reason to tickle the boy to death.

“Here you go.” Duncan offered Ruben the phone, waving it in front of Ruben’s face until he snatched it, snarling. “Aw, I just love you all surly.”

That had the effect of making Ruben’s expression soften, and a smile twitched at the corners of his lips. To hide his pleased reaction, he ducked his head, concealing his face behind a veil of dark strands, and then he dialed.

“On speakerphone?” Duncan suggested. He didn’t want to pry, but he was admittedly curious how the brothers interacted. “Coffee, babe?”

Ruben looked up, smiling, completely appeased. He nodded. “African blend?”

Duncan smiled back. “Of course.” Then he headed for the kitchen. Since the sunroom wasn’t far and Ruben had put the call on speakerphone, he heard the entire conversation. Not even the percolating coffee machine got in the way.

“Hi, Ben,” Ruben said, his voice quivering a little.

“Ruben?” Benjamin sounded surprised but pleased. “Great to hear from you. What’s up?” There was rustling in the background, then footsteps on stairs, and finally a door opening and closing and wind whistling. Duncan guessed the artist had gone up to the roof garden of the gallery for some privacy, peace, and quiet.

“Well, I….” Ruben took a deep, empowering breath. “I was wondering if you might like to come up here for dinner one night this week? Nothing fancy. Just, you know, eating and… catching up.”

There was hesitation in his tone as he made his request, but Duncan could understand that. In the past two weeks, since their first time having sex, Ruben had become more assertive, more confident about how to do things. He took daily trips around the porch—still blindfolded, though—and once he had actually managed to walk down the steps to the backyard. Ruben had wiggled his bare toes in the grass, a soft giggle escaping, before he paled and asked to be led back inside.

Duncan considered that day a huge win. He was planning a celebration for that—and for the two of them knowing each other for over three months now.

Ruben’s relationship with his brother, though, was still not dealt with. Duncan saw his lover hedging, unsure, and he had gently prodded the boy a bit more every day to get him off his ass and try to reconnect. Duncan knew both brothers wanted to, so he didn’t think he was stepping over too many lines with his meddling.

While the coffee machine bubbled, he refocused on the conversation.

“That sounds wonderful, Ruben,” Benjamin said, and one could hear the smile on his face. “How about Saturday? I have a meet and greet with potential investors for the gallery—”

“Why are
you
meeting them? I thought Lissa—”

“Oh, yeah, um….” Benjamin chuckled. “Lissa and I, we now co-own the gallery. The previous owner retired, moved off to the Caribbean. We bought him out.”

“Oh Ben, that’s great news.” Ruben was happy for his brother. It was evident in his delighted tone. “Congratulations. It’s what you’ve always wanted.”

“It’ll be a lot of work, I think, but Lissa’s a capable girl, and….” Benjamin sounded a bit wistful.

“Honestly, Ben, when are you going to pop the question?” Ruben huffed, frustrated.

“Well, actually, now that you mention it….” His voice trailed off, but the amusement and pride was there, loud and clear.

“Oh my God, Ben. That’s even better news.”

“Yeah, yeah. I guess I finally got off my ass to see what I was missing.” A soft giggle came from the background, a decidedly feminine intonation. “I’ll be there in a sec, baby. Hold your horses.” Benjamin’s briefly muffled voice became clearer again. “I have to go, Rube.”

“Oh, right, of course.” Ruben sighed. “Call me later, and we can talk about particulars for the weekend, okay?”

Benjamin laughed. “Sure thing. Oh, speaking of which. Is your, uh, significant other gonna be joining us?”

A deafening silence ensued, and Duncan held his breath. He wasn’t truly worried that Ruben would deny their relationship, but he was curious to hear what Ruben had to say.

“So you
did
set us up,” Ruben commented, though his accusatory tone wasn’t all that serious.

Benjamin chuckled. “I liked Kerr. You should’ve seen him, Rube. When I was being pissy with him, he had steam coming out of his ears. He was already all yours, baby brother.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Whatever. But I don’t hear you denying it.”

For a moment it was quiet. Then Ruben said, “Duncan loves me. And I love him. Yes, he is going to be here. I’m going to ask him to move in with me.”

At that point, Duncan was so astounded that he didn’t even realize the coffee mug was no longer in his hands until he heard the clay breaking as the cup hit the linoleum floor. “Shit.” He knelt and started picking up the pieces. Thankfully, the cup had been empty, since the second batch of coffee wasn’t ready yet.

Then Ruben was kneeling at his side, apparently off the phone, and he helped Duncan gather up the broken bits. “Can’t leave you alone for five minutes, can I?” he muttered, but the amused smile he was sporting ruined the reproach.

Duncan stopped, simply staring at the boy he had come to love. “To be fair, love, it’s not entirely my fault. Not when you spring such a surprise my way. You knew I’d be listening.”

Ruben feigned coyness, again failing since his grin was downright cocky now. “So, you don’t want to move in with me?”

Duncan gripped Ruben’s hands in his own, forcing him to meet his gaze. “Just set the time and I’ll be here.” He leaned forward to kiss Ruben’s soft, warm lips. “I’ll always be here for you, love. You know that.”

This time when a shy smile replaced the playful smugness and those gray eyes glistened with unshed tears, they were real reactions. “Duncan…,” Ruben whispered, his voice soft and shuddering. “I love you so much. You have no idea.” Then a wet, choked chuckle came out. “I do want you to move in here with me. I know it’s far from your work and—”

Duncan’s chuckle halted Ruben’s speech. “You worry too much. I work for an e-pub. I can work both from the office and from home. Same as you. If you had an office, that is.” Duncan gave a teasing wink.

Ruben rolled his eyes. “The sunroom’s my office. That’s where I work. Where I have my tablet, and my Masonite board, and my easels, and—”

“But it’s here, at your home, so it doesn’t count.”

“Pfft.” Ruben scoffed. “You are a pedantic—”

Duncan kissed him silent, letting his mouth mold over Ruben’s lips. When he pulled away, his thoughts mostly consisted of erotic imagery. He cleared his throat to clear his head too. “As I was saying—”

“Let’s go upstairs,” Ruben enticed, licking his lips seductively.

Duncan swallowed hard, his cock rising in his jeans. It was his day off, and he had all day to spend with his lover. “When I move in, will I get to share your bedroom?”

Ruben blinked, surprised and wide-eyed. Then he shook his head as if baffled, but it was mostly for show, it seemed. “
Our
bedroom. Silly Duncan.”

When Ruben wrapped his arms around Duncan’s shoulders and kissed him breathless, the coffee was forgotten.

S
USAN
L
AINE
, a multipublished author of GLBT erotic romance and a Finn through and through, was raised by the best mother in the world. She told her daughter time and again that she could be whatever she wanted to be. The spark for serious writing kindled when Susan discovered the gay erotic romance genre. Today she writes for several publishing houses.

Anthropology is Susan’s formal education, but she has set her long-term sights on becoming a full-time writer of sizzling hot man love. Susan enjoys hanging out with her sister, niece and friends in movie theaters, bookstores, and parks. Her favorite pastimes include pop music, action flicks, chocolate, and doing the dishes, while a few of her dislikes are sweating hot summer days, tobacco smoke, and purposeful prejudice.

Visit Susan’s website at http://www.susan-laine-author.fi/ or write her an e-mail at [email protected].

By
S
USAN
L
AINE

N
OVELS

Falling for Rain

S
ENSES
AND
S
ENSATIONS

A Luminous Touch

Love in Plain Sight

Sensible Commitments

Sounds of Love

The Sweetest Scent

L
IFTING
THE
V
EIL

Book One: The Wolfing Way

Book Two: Genie’s Wish

Book Three: Hunter’s Moon

Book Four: Monsters Under the Bed

Book Five: Love of the Wild

S
ECOND
C
HANCES

Accidental Chemistry

Twice by Chance

T
HE
W
HEEL
M
YSTERIES

Book One: Sparks & Drops

N
OVELLAS

Haunted Heart

Lofty Dreams of Earthbound Men

Published by
D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com