Page 98 of Poolside

“Smells good,” Tommy said, sliding up beside Chuck and wrapping an arm around his middle. “What are you making?”

Chuck dropped a kiss onto Tommy’s forehead while stirring a pot on the stove. “Mashed potatoes, rosemary and lemon baked chicken, and a mushroom risotto.”

Tommy groaned. “Sounds incredible.”

“I wanted it to be done before you got home, but you’re early.” Chuck shot him a teasingly annoyed look. “How was your first day?”

Tommy leaned into Chuck’s side, hooking his thumb into the elastic waist of Chuck’s nylon running shorts. “Different, but really good. The people are great.”

“That’s what’s important to you, right? Working with good people?”

“You know me too well.”

Chuck grinned at him. “I try.”

“So, Courtney called me while I was driving home.” Tommy saw Chuck’s expression shift, something that looked like hurt tightening in his eyes. “Hey. Baby,” Tommy said, pulling Chuck’s hand until he turned to face him. “My marriage is over. I’ve moved on, and so has she. I’m here with you because there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Chuck nodded, his shoulders slumping forward. “I know, T, I just… You had a whole life with someone, a life that you thought was going to last forever. It’s a lot to compete with.”

“You aren’t competing with anything.” Tommy reached up, cupping Chuck’s jaw in his hand, admiring the rasp of stubble and the square, masculine structure of his face. “Yes, I was married. Yes, I loved Courtney and was happy with her. But people change, Chuck. You’ve helped me understand that. I’m not the man I was then, just like you aren’t the same guy I met in college.” Tommy paused to appreciate the blue of Chuck’s eyes and the soft slope of his upper lip. “Our romantic relationship may be new, but it’s built on a foundation that has grown over years and years of friendship. There’s a reason I came to your house when my marriage ended. There’s a reason I kept inviting myself over, why I kept finding myself on your couch. There must have been a part of me that knew, even subconsciously, being with you was what I’d been missing. Thatyouwere the one I was supposed to end up with.”

Tears filled Chuck’s eyes. He let out a wet laugh and ran the back of his hand over his nose.

“Why do you say the most beautiful things?”

“Because they’re true,” Tommy said, rising up on his toes to press a soft kiss to the corner of Chuck’s mouth. “Now, how can I help with dinner?”

“You can’t.” Chuck shot him a smile, all of the stress and hurt gone from his eyes. “Go relax, and dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”

“What if I want to stay here and hang out with you?”

“Fine, but you have to go sit at the bar,” Chuck said, pointing with a long wooden spoon. “Stop distracting me with your fucking hot shoulders in that undershirt.”

Chuck set the table with candles, a vase full of the colorful zinnias from his backyard sitting in the center. The food tasted even better than it smelled, and Tommy happily tangled his feet with Chuck’s under the table as they ate.

“Thank you for this,” Tommy said as they worked together to clean the kitchen.

“Of course, T. Today was worth celebrating.”

Tommy snagged Chuck’s hips as he put the last of the leftovers into the fridge. Tugging him close, he kissed the back of Chuck’s neck, taking a deep breath of his now-familiar scent. “You are wonderful,” he said softly. “Want to join me in the shower?”

Chuck turned around in Tommy’s arms and kissed him hard, his mouth hot and demanding. Tommy felt the kiss all the way down to his toes, letting out a needy groan as he responded in kind.

“Baby,” Tommy breathed as they broke apart, their foreheads pressed together. “Tell me what you want tonight. Whatever you want, it’s yours. Want me to wash your body for you and then hold you while we fall asleep? It’s done. Want me to get on my knees and swallow your dick? It’s done. Want me to eat your ass until you can’t remember your name? I’m your man.”

Chuck’s breaths came out in hot little gasps, his hands tightening as they gripped Tommy’s upper arms. “The second one, T. Need your mouth on me.”

He kissed Chuck one more time, sighing into the heady warmth of his mouth. He would never get tired of this—of kissing Chuck, of wanting and having him.

Tommy had followed Chuck’s lead in the month since the Fourth of July. Chuck had explained that his desire for physical intimacy would likely be infrequent as he waded through the different medications. Some of the science behind what Chuck was going through went over his head, but Tommy trusted him to tell him what he wanted and needed.

Of course he missed sex. Being with Chuck had sent his libido into overdrive; little things like seeing his long legs and his lean muscles and red hair, or waking up to his sleepy blue eyes and wild bed head, had begun to leave Tommy hard and wanting. But he was happy to put all of that aside for as long as Chuck needed.

There had been more of Tommy jacking off while Chuck watched, and a lot of long and lazy make-outs in Chuck’s bed at the end of the day.

When they reached the en-suite bathroom, Tommy put a hand up to stop Chuck’s hands where they’d started to lift the hem of his shirt. “Are you sure?”

Chuck’s expression softened. “I’m sure, T. I would tell you if I wasn’t.”

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