Wild Trail (Clean Slate Ranch #1)(79)

Opposites attract, right?

They cleaned up the food like a couple who’d done it a hundred times, wiping the table and refilling their drinks. He still hadn’t quite gotten over how thoughtful it was of Wes to buy Mack’s brand of beer. Mack liked knowing there was something of his in Wes’s apartment, to show he was part of Wes’s life even when he wasn’t around.

Once the kitchen was tidy, Wes turned to him, smirking over the rim of his wineglass. “Whatever shall we do now to occupy ourselves?”

“Let’s watch a movie,” Mack replied.

Wes’s eyebrows shot up. “A movie?”

“Yeah. I don’t have to be anywhere tomorrow, for a change, and we’ve never sat down and watched TV together.”

“This is true. I guess we really have been all about the sex and comfort, but not the simple dating things.” Wes grinned. “A movie sounds great. What do you like to watch?”

“Believe it or not, I’m a fan of the classics. Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn. Also Alfred Hitchcock.”

“So not much for contemporary screwball comedies?”

“I’ve gotta be in the mood, but there are some pretty amazing older comedies. It’s just a different kind of humor. More polite, less raunchy.”

Wes settled next to him on the sofa, then grabbed the remote. “I’ve watched some of the classics for my acting classes. How about we take turns with what we pick? Get to know each other’s taste in movies.”

“All right.” Mack snagged the remote, happy to see Wes had a good streaming setup going. He searched until he found one of his favorite Cary Grant comedies.

“Father Goose?” Wes said. “Is this about nursery rhymes?”

Mack chuckled as he selected the film. “Hardly. It’s about a grumpy old loner whose quiet life is upended by a beautiful woman and a bunch of kids.”

“Sounds like a familiar plotline to me.” Wes leaned over and kissed him soundly, tasting like wine and Thai spices. “Do they make it in the end?”

“We’ll have to watch and find out.”

By the time the film ended, Wes had given up on his wine because the movie made him laugh so hard. Mack adored watching the joy the film brought to his boyfriend.

“Oh fuck, that was so good,” Wes said. “I took an acting class once that required us to study the acting style of an older actor and mimic it for the class, and I did Cary Grant from His Girl Friday. I didn’t realize he was so fucking funny, even as he got older.”

“It’s one of my favorite movies if I’m having an off day. How about you? What movie always picks you up?”

Wes didn’t even pause to think. “Enchanted. Where Amy Adams plays a cartoon princess come to life and falls in love with Patrick Dempsey, and then saves the guy from the evil queen.”

“I remember ads for it but never saw it.”

“Well, then I guess we’re watching it the next time you sleep over.”

Mack chuckled. He liked the idea of making future plans with Wes. “We’ll have to keep taking turns watching each other’s top ten movies when we’re together. Should keep us busy until Christmas.”

Wes’s easy smile wobbled. “Yeah, sure.”

Okay, not incredibly enthusiastic, but maybe Wes was more interested in bedroom shenanigans than in a lot of movie viewing. “I’m sure we’ll find good ways to keep ourselves entertained.”

The flirty line did its trick as familiar teasing fire lit up Wes’s eyes. Mack was very much on board with moving things into the bedroom. “I’m sure we will,” Wes replied.

Mack fixed on the smirk he’d discovered turned Wes’s crank. “Got any idea what we can do with our time now?”

Wes licked his bottom lip. “Whatever it is, I hope it ends with your dick in me.”

“Oh, it will, boss. It will.”

Wes pounced.

“Excellent news, daddy.”





Chapter Nineteen

Wes ignored a soft pang of guilt over never mentioning the movie script when he and Mack finally parted ways on Sunday afternoon. After having sex into the wee hours of the morning, they’d slept in, and then fucked again before finally getting out of bed. Wes’s ass had been delightfully tender when they went out in search of food. Mack found a cute little bistro with a rainbow flag in the window, and they served a delicious brunch menu, complete with mimosas. They rode the trolley, because Mack never had. And then Wes drove him across the Golden Gate Bridge, because Mack had never done that, either.

“How have you lived less than an hour from this city for five years, and you’ve never done basic tourist stuff?” Wes had teased him as they enjoyed iced coffees, while strolling around Golden Gate Park.

“Never been much of a tourist,” Mack had replied. And then he’d reached between them to clasp Wes’s free hand with his own.

Wes had nearly stumbled over a divot of grass from his surprise at the gesture. The only way Mack was saying he’s mine.

“The only reason I did studio tours and shit like that in LA was because Geoff wanted to.” Mack had flinched at the memory, probably still raw from Colt’s confession last week, so Wes had changed the subject and enjoyed holding his boyfriend’s hand in the park.