Harper and Wyatt were waiting at the front door by the time Del and Justin reached them, Justin tugging his hand out of Del’s to get the keys. The porch light wasn’t on—it had been busted for as long as Justin could remember—but the moonlight was bright enough that he didn’t need it to get the key in the lock. And then Harper was shoving through the door first and turning the hallway light on anyway.
It flickered garishly for a moment before it filled the hallway with light.
“Go brush your teeth!” Justin called at Harper as she veered toward the living room. She huffed and headed for the bathroom with Wyatt at her heels.
“You want me to get Scarlett ready for bed?” Del asked.
“Yeah, that’d be great,” Justin said. He leaned in and kissed Scarlett’s forehead. “Goodnight, Scarlett.”
She squealed.
Justin went into the kitchen and put the food in the refrigerator. Then he checked to see Harper had clean clothes for school tomorrow, and that there were no leftover snacks going bad in her backpack.
He tried not to think too hard about how easily he and Del worked together to get the kids showered—bathed in Scarlett’s case—changed, and into bed. They were both familiar with this routine, whether it took place here or at Del’s house. Then, as Justin sat in the living room and listened to Del’s voice as he read a book to Wyatt and Harper, he wondered what Del got out of this. The kids, obviously. It was clear that Del loved kids and would make someone a great father one day. Were Harper and Wyatt and Scarlett just a consolation prize until that happened? And Justin didn’t think that was really true, but he couldn’t quite drown that insidious thought. And where did Justin fit in? Would Del have even taken any notice of him if he hadn’t had the kids? Was…was Del parenting Justin here too?
He closes his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
The couch cushions sank beside him. “What’s that face for?”
Justin opened his eyes and looked at Del. “Did you always want kids?”
“Yeah,” Del said. “I really did, but sometimes life doesn’t work out like we plan.”
Didn’t Justin know it?
“Because you’re gay?” Justin asked.
Del snorted. “No. We could have fostered, or adopted, or used a surrogate. Clyde didn’t want kids. He said it’d be bad for the restaurant if I had to cut back my hours there, but what he really meant was it’d put a crimp in his lifestyle.”
Justin nodded. “You’re so good with the kids.”
There must have been something in his tone, because Del’s brow creased. “Justin?”
Justin blurted it out: “Do you like them more than me?”
“More than you?” Del’s eyes widened. “Justin, I love those kids. They’re great. But you…I think of you in an entirely different way.”
Justin’s breath caught as he thought of the bath. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Del’s voice was as low as a growl. “Jesus, Justin, I haven’t been exactly subtle, have I?”
“Maybe I’m just slow on the uptake,” Justin murmured, heat flaring in his belly. “Maybe you need to show me.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have left the bathroom tonight,” Del said. His eyes were dark, his gaze intent. “Maybe I should have stayed there, watched you jerk off in front of me.”
Justin squirmed as a bolt of need went through him.
“You like the sound of that, hmm?” Del’s mouth curled. “I do too. I can see it. You lying there, legs flung either side of the tub, your dick in your hand as I tell you how to jerk off for me. Tell you to slow it down, or to go faster. Tell you how pretty you look for me. Making you come when I pinch your nipples.”
Justin’s hips jerked forward, and he grabbed his dick as it grew hard in his jeans.
“Come here,” Del said, and Justin didn’t even hesitate.
Del reached out for him and pulled him into his lap. Justin’s knees dug into the couch cushions on either side of Del’s thighs. Del’s hands cupped his ass through his jeans, and Justin gripped Del’s shoulders. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to pull away, or shamelessly grind himself against Del, so he let Del make the decision for him and pull him close. His dick throbbed in his jeans, and he could feel Del’s pressing up against him too. It made him heady with desire, almost dizzy, and he dug his fingers into Del’s shoulders tightly and sucked in a shaking breath.
“Come on,” Del said. “Come here, babe.”
Something about hearing that word out of Del’s mouth made Justin shiver. He leaned forward at Del’s urging, mouth hanging open slightly, and then they were kissing. Justin tangled one hand in Del’s hair, his heart trying to pound out of his chest as Del’s tongue slid along his bottom lip and then into his mouth.