Looking for Trouble(53)
When they pulled apart, Dylan said, “Tell me some of your favorite things about him—stuff he liked. That’s how we can honor him.”
Dylan lay in Clay’s arms again, and Clay did just that. He talked about Gordon in ways he never had. Told Dylan he hated sushi but loved California rolls. That he was ambidextrous, and had a strange laugh, and backpacked through Europe.
It was exactly what he needed, and it didn’t surprise him that Dylan was the one to give it to him.
They talked for hours, well into the night. When they were finished, he didn’t let Dylan go, held him until he fell asleep, wanting every day to end with the two of them together, just like that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Dylan
“Let’s have breakfast naked,” Dylan said the moment Clay opened his eyes the next morning.
He gave Dylan a soft laugh. “Okay. I’m still half-asleep, but you won’t get any arguments from me there.”
“I should hope not.” He pressed a quick kiss to Clay’s mouth, rolled out of bed. “Chop, chop! We have to eat, and then we have fishing to do today!” Dylan pulled his jock off, leaving it on the floor, and went into the bathroom. He still smelled like sex and come, which he liked. He didn’t want to shower and wash Clay off his skin.
He took a quick leak and washed his hands. The night before had been intense in ways Dylan hadn’t expected. The sex…fuck, the sex had been incredible. It had felt like more than just sex, which was scary and exciting all rolled into one.
The talk about Gordon had changed everything, though, at least he hoped it had. He wasn’t going to pretend it wasn’t hard to hear about Clay loving someone as much as he’d loved Gordon. It had hurt in some ways, the obvious adoration he’d heard in Clay’s voice, but then, Clay was there with him. Clay was sharing with him. He’d let Dylan into his life in a way that he hadn’t since Gordon, and they’d danced. Clay had said he wanted Dylan to be his. Those things had to mean something, didn’t they?
“You plan on washing your hands all day?” Clay asked, startling him.
“Spaced off,” he replied. Thinking about us…
Clay swatted his ass playfully. “Chop, chop, remember?” he teased.
“Fine. I’ll go start breakfast.”
“I just have to piss and wash my hands. I’ll be right there.”
Dylan went into the kitchen. Dakota looked up at him from where she lay on the couch, before turning away as though she wasn’t happy to have been locked out of the room the night before. “Sorry, sweet girl,” Dylan told her. “Daddies needed some bonding time.”
He took eggs out of the fridge and began to crack them into a bowl. He’d just gotten them on the stove when a naked, sexy, sleepy-eyed Clay joined him and said, “I’ll start some toast.”
They did as Dylan suggested and cooked and ate breakfast naked, after which Dylan took his pill. They didn’t mention anything they’d said the night before—nothing about the sex or Gordon. Clay didn’t say whether he was serious about wanting Dylan to stay.
It about killed him not to mention it.
Clay had to put clothes on to take Dakota out before Dylan stripped him bare again, and they showered and jerked off on each other, then washed themselves again.
It was much later than Dylan had planned when they went to the pond, fishing gear and chairs in hand.
“I feel so rugged,” Dylan teased, getting a playful eye roll from Clay.
“You know, it was actually your dad who taught me how to fish,” he said as he opened the tackle box.
“Really?” Dylan asked. The thought sent a flutter through his chest. He wasn’t sure if it should or not. Maybe it was strange that Clay had been friends with his dad, but he didn’t think so.
“Yeah. We were about ten years old. We took off without telling our parents what we were doing and went to the lake in town. We had a lot of fun. Caught three fish. Then we decided to go exploring and got lost. We were supposed to come home when the streetlights came on, but it got dark. My parents and Mike’s mom almost killed us when they finally found us.”
Hearing that story about his father made his pulse beat erratically. His dad hadn’t shared a whole lot of his childhood with Dylan and no stories of Clay. “I love that story. I think…I think it’s cool you guys were close. And now I have someone to share memories of him with.”
“Yeah.” Clay smiled. “That’s what we should do today. You let me talk about Gordon last night, so we should talk about Mike today. Let’s get you all set up and cast out first.”
Clay helped him get the lure on and everything set up. It took Dylan three times to cast his line out well enough, but eventually he got it. Clay had grinned wildly, like he’d been incredibly happy for Dylan, and yeah, he’d been happy for himself too. But seeing Clay’s reaction made it even more amazing.
Clay made quick work of his, getting it done in no time before he pulled the outdoor camping chairs from the bag and set them up.
Dylan knew they were going to have to talk soon, and yeah, it was important, but he wasn’t too stoked to share either. His stories made him feel…stupid and irresponsible. “Will you share some more about when you guys were kids, first?”