Page 2 of Off Limits

“It’s already taken care of. The food should be about ready, actually.”

I blinked in shock. “You cooked?”

“Hell no; I’d burn the house down. That was Gavin too.” He chuckled at my relieved sigh as I put my phone back into my pocket. “Come on, he’s in the kitchen.”

As I followed Wade towards the next room, the aroma of chicken and vegetables hit my nostrils, making my stomach growl. But what made my mouth water was the sight of a taut, round ass bent over as its owner pulled a dish from the oven.

My first thought was that the guys had someone visiting; that maybe he was even a boyfriend of Gavin, the lucky bastard. Whoever he was, I couldn’t look away. I stared unashamedly as he stood up, his sleek muscles bunching beneath his tight shirt as he placed the dish on the countertop.

The man turned to face me and my jaw dropped when a pair of familiar brown eyes locked with mine. I’d looked into them countless times before, but they’d always belonged to a scrawny, clumsy kid with shaggy hair. That was not the man who stood before me today.

“Gavin?” I squeaked out as my eyes quickly roved over him. His hair was cut high and tight, and his square jaw was shaved smooth. He had to have grown at least four inches since the last time I saw him, and his body filled out nicely. Very nicely; he was still slim, but I could clearly make out the cuts of his muscles, even through his clothes.

“You look…” I wasn’t sure what to say. Different didn’t seem to cover it. Sexy was more accurate, but that was a wildly inappropriate thing to say to my son’s friend. But damn if it wasn’t true.

“Hot, right?” Wade said, as though he’d read my thoughts. He flicked Gavin’s nipple before laughing and walking towards the dining table, while Gavin smirked and rolled his eyes at my son’s antics.

Many different thoughts and emotions tumbled around in my brain. Shock was front and center, though lust was being awfully pushy. And I couldn’t deny the spark of jealousy that lingered in the background.

But why was I jealous? Because Wade got to touch the nipple that I could see was now so hard and pointed I could hang a picture from it? Yep. But I had no reason to be jealous of the touch; the two of them always joked around. And unless something changed during his time at college, I knew my son wasn’t gay.

Holy hell, what is wrong with me? It didn’t matter if Wade was gay, or if he was romantically involved with Gavin. I ignored the way the thought made my stomach tighten. This man was twenty five years younger than I was. I needed to settle my sack and push away any inappropriate thoughts. You’re just in shock, I told myself, and I almost believed it.

But no matter how many words rolled around my head, none of them made it to my mouth. I just stood there, gaping at him like a trout.

“It’s nice to see you again, Richmond,” Gavin greeted in a voice much deeper than I remember him having. His balls must have dropped. Sweet buttered fucks, why am I thinking about his balls? Blood rushed to my face and heated my cheeks. My forty-eight year old ass stood there blushing like a hormonal teenager.

The blush only deepened when I realized he’d called me Richmond. In the past, Gavin only addressed me as Mr. Holt; never by my first name. Why did he have to sound so confident and mature? And why did I like it so much?

Wade snorted in the distance, releasing me from my stupor. I noticed that Gavin’s hand was outstretched, so I slipped mine inside. His grip was firm, but his skin was soft.

“It's good to see you too,” I finally replied, though it was the understatement of the year.

Just as I realized I was holding onto him far too long, I noticed Gavin wasn't pulling away either. He kept cradling my hand, gazing at me with a soft smile. Did he want to touch me? Was he just following my lead? Was I freaking him out, but he was too polite to say so?

At any rate, I came to my senses and released his hand. Wanting a distraction, I looked around until my eyes fell on the dish he'd placed on the counter. It contained a golden brown chicken which was surrounded by vegetables. It looked wonderful and smelled even better.

“So…you cook?” I asked dumbly. Wade snorted again, but when I looked back at Gavin, he was still wearing his kind - and quite handsome - smile.

“I do.” He leaned in closer and added, “I learned a lot of things in college.” He threw in a flirty wink before he turned away, and my heart nearly raced out of my chest.

School certainly had changed Gavin. He was no longer the nerdy, quiet boy I remembered, who hung out with Wade to play video games and read comic books. He was all man. I wondered what grownup activities he enjoyed now.

I was pulled from a string of highly inappropriate thoughts when Gavin asked, “Will you grab some drinks for us?”

“Sure.” I needed to cool off anyway. I opened the fridge and grabbed three bottles of Miller Lite. I knew Wade hadn’t done the grocery shopping, and it foolishly gave me a little thrill to think that Gavin bought the brand because he knew it was my favorite.

I placed the bottles on the dining table and sat next to my son. Gavin placed the dish in the center of the tabletop and took the seat across from me.

“Thank you for dinner,” I told him when I realized I hadn’t done so yet.

“You’re welcome,” he replied with a smile. “It’s the least I can do after all the meals you’ve made for me.”

It was true that I’d cooked for him many times over the years. But I was happy to do so; I enjoyed cooking, along with the words of appreciation Gavin always gave for the meals. I knew he wasn’t getting them from his own home, so I always made enough to share. If I worked late at the office and purchased fast food on my way home, I made sure to grab some for Gavin as well, as he was usually at my house when I arrived.

“It was my pleasure,” I assured him.

Gavin flashed his pretty smile once more. “And this is mine.”

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