Time Out of Mind (Suncoast Society #43)(47)

“Anything you want to, Sir,” he mumbled against Doyle’s shoulder, his breath warm through the fabric of his shirt.

“Don’t say that and not mean it, or say it without knowing what it means.”

“It means I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Sir.”

Every time Mevi called him that, it embedded more deeply under his skin, like a velvety barbed hook that only hurt if you tried to tug on it, remove it.

And he didn’t want it out.

He wanted to be balls-deep inside his boy, right that moment.

Although the fact that they were on a public beach also complicated things.

“I love you, too,” Doyle finally admitted. “I’ve been attracted to you and it’s been getting harder not to admit it.”

Mevi relaxed against him, nearly melting into him. His embrace tightened around Doyle.

“I never thought I’d ever hear you say those words to me. I was terrified you’d turn me away and leave when I confessed.”

Doyle nuzzled Mevi’s hair. Even that felt perfect between them, his soft, dark hair, now its natural color, a few grey strands coming in here and there.

“I should. This is wrong for so many reasons, but I’m only human and I’ve never felt about anyone the way I’ve felt about you. And if you need me to sign papers, a prenup or something, I will.”

Mevi’s head snapped up, nearly clipping Doyle’s jaw. “Why would I make you do that?”

“Uh, to protect you.” Yeah, in some ways, Mevi was too trusting, even if he didn’t want to think he was.

That’s what got him ripped off in the first place, that he trusted despite red flags and warnings from others.

“I don’t need to be protected from you.”

He cradled Mevi’s face in his hands. “I think Clark will disagree,” he gently said. “Have you ever been in love before?”

“I—” Mevi’s lips pursed into a tight line before he continued. “I’ve been in lust, but I’ve never been able to show it before. So it never got to love.”

“Exactly. You might hate me in a few months. All the more reason for us to go slow and not turn loose of our normal lives yet while we figure this out between us. When we get back tonight, the first thing we do is call Clark and talk to him. Both of us. Together. In fact, if we can get him on FaceTime it’d be even better so he can see us.”

“Then what?”

Doyle pressed a long kiss to his forehead. “We’ll figure that out then. One step at a time.”





At least the anonymity of the deepening dark allowed Mevi to hold hands with Doyle all the way down to the path where they had to cross the dunes via the boardwalk to the parking area. On the way back to the apartment, Doyle held his hand as he drove, and Mevi fought the urge to bring the man’s hand to his mouth and suck his fingers.

Anything.

Just to taste him.

On the way back, Doyle didn’t say a word when he pulled into a Walgreens parking lot and left the car running while he went inside.

When he emerged a few minutes later with a bag, he put it in the backseat and stared at Mevi for a long moment before leaning in to kiss him.

Without speaking, he backed out of the parking space and they continued the drive home.

Mevi didn’t dare break the quiet for fear of destroying whatever spell it was he was now under.

He wanted this to continue. Wanted them to continue.

When they arrived at the warehouse, Doyle didn’t get out. He also didn’t speak, at first. He sat there with the car still running, the AC keeping the humid night at bay.

“Once we do this,” he finally said, “it can’t be undone. Are you certain this is a step you want to take? We can always wait until I’m off contract, or your tour is over, and then do this.”

Panic filled him. “I don’t want to wait, Sir. Please don’t say that. I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life, and that scares me in good ways, Sir.”

“Why?”

“Because it means I really can’t f*ck this up. I’ve been lucky enough I could fake my way through life before now. This is reality. This is serious. I desperately don’t want to f*ck things up with you and I don’t want to waste a second of time we could be together.”

Doyle’s gaze searched his face before he gently cupped the back of his neck again, the way he had on the beach. “I’m not perfect. We’ll both make mistakes. The fact that I’ve fallen for you proves I’m not perfect. Don’t think I’m perfect, because I’m not. Far from it.”

“I know, Sir.”

Doyle leaned in and kissed him again, tenderly, exploring. “If anything, I’m going to be harder on you from this point on than I was before. It’s personal for me, too. I’ll expect a lot more from you as my partner than I did as my client.”

“I understand, Sir. I want that. I want to make you proud.”

He didn’t understand why it looked like Doyle was close to tears over that comment. “You do make me proud, my sweet boy,” he whispered. “You have ever since we met.”





Chapter Seventeen


This was a new one for Doyle. He’d never ended a contract early. As they sat on the couch and Doyle called Clark, he shoved his guilt away and reached out and held Mevi’s hand.