Chapter 37

Actually, Gavin doesn’t want to wait, either. It’s been a long day. A glass of wine would be nice, but losing himself in his lover’s embrace would be worlds better.

He lays Evie on her bed, then struggles to pull the covers out from under her. She’s already fast asleep and no help at all—she curls up against the pillows with a sigh, hugging her stuffed horse, and Gavin has to lift her in parts to get her under the covers. First her head, then her torso, then her waist. One leg, then the other. Just as he gets her free, she rolls away across the expanse of the bed and back on top of the sheets.

Finally he gets the covers down and repositions her beneath them, half-rolling, half-cajoling her into place. He gives her forehead a tender kiss as she snuggles down into the sheets with a contented sigh. Leaving the bedside table lamp on, he angles the shade away from her and tiptoes from the room. He leaves the door open a crack so she won’t get spooked if she wakes in the middle of the night and doesn’t know where she is. Then he hurries across the hall to the bedroom where Brody waits.

He finds his lover silhouetted against the sliding glass doors, staring out at the ocean. Brody likes dim lighting for some reason, Gavin’s noticed, and he’s ignored the overhead light in favor of the small table lamp beside their bed. It casts a golden hue around the room but doesn’t quite reach the window, so Brody looks like a dark shape against the night sky beyond the glass, and the waves rolling in on the unlit beach are clearly visible.

Crossing the room, Gavin eases his arms around Brody’s waist and leans against his lover. “Hey, sexy,” he purrs against the back of Brody’s neck. “Miss me?”

Brody clasps his hands over Gavin’s, where they rest on his lower belly. “You have no idea,” he says, half-turning to claim a quick kiss. “Evie asleep?”

“Out like a light.” Gavin presses his lips to Brody’s cheek, then moves to Brody’s ear. Nosing aside the array of earrings there, he nuzzles in behind Brody’s ear and kisses the soft skin back there.

Brody shivers in his arms. “You know just where to touch me to turn me on,” he sighs, leaning back against Gavin.

Tightening his hug, Gavin drops his hands lower, over Brody’s belt buckle, lower, until he cups the budding erection at the front of his lover’s jeans. “Hmm,” he sighs against Brody’s neck, “is this for me?”

Brody arches his back a little, rubbing his ass against Gavin’s crotch. “Only if you have something to give me in exchange.”

With a thrust of his hips, Gavin grinds against his lover. “I think we might be able to work something out.” He plucks at Brody’s zipper, inching it down enough to dip his hand into the open fly. Only Brody’s thin underwear separates his hand from Brody’s cock, already hot and stiffening beneath his touch. Gripping the bulge, Gavin gives it a healthy squeeze and murmurs, “Let’s take this over to the bed, what do you say?”

Brody turns in Gavin’s embrace, his arms easing over Gavin’s shoulders. “I say—oh. Wait.”

He takes a step back, looking past Gavin, who turns to find the bedroom door open and Evie standing there. She looks bedraggled and half-asleep, her eyes blinking heavily as she leans on the door knob. “Honey?” Gavin asks, stepping in front of Brody to give his lover time to zip up again. “It’s time for bed, isn’t it? Your room’s across the hall.”

“It’s scary over there by myself,” Evie mumbles. “Can’t I sleep in here with you?”

Gavin opens his mouth to say no, she’s too old for such nonsense, but before he can answer her, Brody says, “Sure, sweetie. The bed’s big enough for all of us.”

Gavin glances over his shoulder, one eyebrow cocked in question.

Brody shrugs. “What? It’s a strange place to her.”

For a long moment, Gavin doesn’t speak. He looks at his daughter, blinking sleepily at him, her hair already a rat’s nest of tangles and knots. She still has that stupid stuffed horse under one arm like a security blanket. His heart melts at the sight of her. “Come on, get in,” he says, nodding at the bed.

She doesn’t have to be told twice. Vaulting onto the large bed, she crawls under the covers and settles into the direct center of the mattress. “This is my spot,” she says as she wriggles to get comfortable.

“That’s myspot,” Gavin tells her. “Scooch over to one side, okay? If you’re going to stay in here, we all need to be able to fit.” Over his shoulder, sotto voce, he tells Brody, “The only person sleeping next to you is me.”

Evie moves over to the far side of the bed, making enough room for all three of them. “Like this?”

“That’s good,” Brody says. “I’ll sleep on the other side, and your daddy will sleep in the middle.”

When he moves towards the bed, though, Gavin catches his wrist and pulls him back for a lingering kiss. “I love how cool you are with her.”

“She’s a cool kid,” Brody murmurs against Gavin’s lips. “With a sexy dad. And hopefully she’ll be sleeping in her own bed tomorrow so I can finally have you all to myself.”Part 6: Brody

29

Saturday dawns sunny and warm, the temperatures already in the seventies when Brody wakes a little after six. He has a lot to do to get ready for this afternoon—this is his first art show, and he’s more nervous than excited at the moment. Several hotels and businesses lining the boardwalk have galleries displaying the participants’ artwork, and weeks ago, he spent hours reviewing each drawing of his with Gavin to pick out the best ones to display.