Page 44 of For the Love of the Lawyer

Mickey plopped down on Jon’s lap, wrapping his arm around Jon's neck. "Miss Ruthie, you're just givin' him trouble because you don't know him. He's mine."

Mickey then turned to Jon and smiled. "She's the librarian in town, and I've been spendin' a lot of time there while I'm studyin' for my GED. She's just givin' ya hell.” Mickey then kissed Jon on the lips in front of everyone.

It sent a shock to Jon's system because he'd never been kissed in front of so many people, but it felt good. It felt natural, so he pulled Mickey down for another kiss, keeping it chaste, but enjoying the feel of their lips molded together.

When they pulled away, Jon was sunk. In his wildest dreams, he never thought he'd be so stupid as to fall in love with a white boy with bronze hair and bright-green eyes who worked with horses and had more compassion in his little finger than anyone Jon had ever met in his life. It seemed his soul settled in that very moment.

Jon took the lady's hand and shook it. "Miss Ruthie, it's a pleasure to meet you, and if you think this guy's slacking off on his studying, please call me. I'll get you one of my cards before you go home.” Mickey’s slow grin lit up his face.

"How you feel about helpin' me clean up the kitchen and put the food away before we start poisonin' people?"

"Show me the way, baby.” Jon patted that hot ass as the young cowboy hopped up.

They carried dishes in from outside, throwing away most of the food that had been out in the heat of the day for far too long. After they cleaned up the mess, Mickey went to a refrigerator in the laundry room and brought in two ice-cream cakes.

He opened the lids and showed them to Jon. "Tim drove all the way to Roanoke to get ‘em. They're cute, right?"

One cake had a turtle standing on its back legs, wearing a mask of red, and some sort of armor with a weapon in his otherhand. Jon was confused. The other cake was Ironman, and he understood that one completely. "What's the turtle?"

"Oh, come on. You were a kid once, I'm sure. It’s Raphael from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He's Ryan's favorite. Turns out Rocky's favorite is Ironman. Trust me, they argue about whose hero is the coolest for hours on end.”

Mickey set the cakes on the counter and headed to a drawer. Before he got too far away, Jon grabbed the hot cowboy and pulled him into his arms. "After cake, can we slip away somewhere and maybe spend some time alone?" Jon’s thumb caressed Mickey's tanned cheekbone where the bruise was forming. If the man was his, Jon had definitely struck gold.

"Like I said earlier, Matt and Tim had a change of heart regarding guests, and I'm able to entertain a gentleman caller in the event he's serious, and it's not just a one-night stand. Your thoughts?" Mickey cocked his head and met Jon’s eyes.

Jon leaned forward and kissed Mickey's soft lips. "I promise you, it's not a one-night stand, Mickey. Let's serve the cake and work the crowd. I'll meet you in your room at ten if I'm judging this right."

"You're on.” Mickey shoved the candles in the cakes and Jon lit them. They carried them outside for the boys to make their birthday wishes.

Ryan and Rocky were extremely happy when they saw the cakes, and Jon remembered some very happy birthdays of his own, but as he watched the cowboy, he could see him taking in everything with a pained smile.

As Jon observed Mickey while the boys enjoyed an off-pitch rendition of the birthday song, he vowed he'd find a way to make up for things that hadn't been exactly wonderful in Mickey's past.

Jon felt like he might be able to make the future better for the young cowboy if they were a couple. Based on what he'd heardabout Mickey's parents, he was pretty damn sure he couldn't make it worse.

Chapter Seventeen

"I picked up all the bottles and cans, and I put 'em in the recycling like you ordered. Can I go to bed now?" Mickey turned from the sink where he was washing dishes to see Matt with a pouty expression on his face.

The birthday party had been a great success, and Mickey knew the boys had appreciated all of it, including the horsebackrides for their friends and the silly game Mickey had bought at Walmart. Everyone had been a good sport, and at the end of the party, it seemed Miss Jeri was the only one who hadn't taken a face-full of whipped cream. Everyone participated and nobody complained.

"Hang on, bull rider. It's still okay if I sleep with Jon, right? I know how you feel about things happenin' in the house, but the barn loft didn't work out so well.” Mickey touched his bruised cheek and the cut on his brow for emphasis.

Mickey had been half-hard all damn day around Jon, and all he wanted was some relief. He wasn't about to let Matt cockblock him again, but he didn't want to break the trust he'd gained from Matt and Tim.

Matt scowled. “I don’t know why you gotta—"

"Matthew, don't be an ass.” Tim stood in the doorway of the kitchen holding more dishes from the party.

"I'm not tryin' to be an ass. I was just lookin' out for—"

"Don't even try it. That beating Mickey and Jon took? That's partially your fault because you told Mickey he couldn't have guests. Did you think he was gonna fuck someone on the kitchen table with the boys watching? You owe Mickey an apology, and we owe him some time off to go to Richmond when he wants to visit Jon. Say you're sorry, Matty, before I cut you off," Tim threatened.

Mickey felt a hug from behind as he continued cleaning the pots that couldn't go into the dishwasher. "I'm sorry, Mick. I was just lookin' out for our boys, but I shoulda known you had common sense. You have my blessin' to fornicate with the lawyer if you wanna. Wash your own sheets.” Mickey laughed at Matt’s taunt. Mickey did the lion's share of the household chores, anyway, including the laundry.

A deep laugh caused Mickey to turn toward the kitchen doorway where Jon was standing, grinning at him. "I guess Ineed a kiss as well, Matt." He pointed to his bruises and laughed when Matt actually kissed him on the cheek.

"Don't charge me for the time it takes to heal.” Matt’s joke made Jon laugh.

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