Page 104 of Leather and Longing
The temptation to stay and work out what was bothering Adam was huge, but he knew Adam wouldn’t be happy if he did.
Paul fished out his phone and went to his call history. “Taylor? I’ll be down there in a minute.” He disconnected the call, the last sound he heard a whoop from Taylor. Paul took a deep breath. If he were honest, he could do with talking to his friends.
Maybe they can help me sort out the mess in my head.
Adam leaned on the railing of the veranda, the sun warm on his face. Paul had left about ten minutes ago, under strict instructions to enjoy time with his friends. He needed some downtime.
He pulled his phone from his pocket. “Call Seth.”
After three or four rings, Seth answered. “Hey, everything okay?”
Adam took a deep breath. “You got time for a chat? I need to talk through some stuff, and you’re the first person I thought of.”The only person.
“I’ve always got time for you,” Seth replied. “What’s on your mind?”
Adam took a good gulp of salty sea air and poured out everything that had happened: Paul’s curiosity about BDSM, the toys scene, the conversation about flogging... He laid bare his feelings, because if Seth was going to advise him, he needed to know everything. Seth listened without a sound and when Adam had finished, he felt wrung out.
There was a moment’s silence before Seth spoke. “Well, fuck. I leave you alone for five minutes and you go and fall in love.”
Adam wasn’t about to deny it. “It doesn’t matter if I have. I don’t think this can work.”
“Why not? Paul sounds perfect for you. He stands up to you, sasses you, encourages you… and he clearly cares for you.”
“And what if he wants more than I can give him?”
Silence. “Adam, whatdoeshe want?”
“I don’t know!” The groan was wrenched from his lips.
Seth sighed. “Then you need to find out,” he said practically. “Was that the only reason you called? To tell someone all this?”
“I told him I couldn’t do a flogging scene—but I saidyoucould.” He paused. “Well, youdidsay you’d come over here for a visit.”
“And how did he react?”
“Once I’d assured him I’d be with him the whole time, and that you’d be here strictly to flog him and nothing else, he said I was to call you.” Adam swallowed. “Well? What do you think?”
Another pause. “I’d do anything for you, okay? And yes, I’ll do it, provided I get to meet with him first, talk things through, get a feel for him… Does he have a safeword?”
“Not yet, but he will have by the time you arrive. And I’ll make sure his head is in the right space too.”
He caught the flick of pages.
“I can be there tomorrow afternoon.”
Adam blinked. “So soon?”
“I’m looking at what time I can give you, and to be honest, it’s not a good idea to leave him hanging, not once you’ve brought up the subject and got him thinking about it. I’ll check the ferry times and let you know when I’ll be there. I’ll bring the bike. Message me the address, and I’ll use Google Maps.” He chuckled. “I can’t wait to meet this guy.”
Adam breathed easier. “I’ll make you laugh now. Wait till you hear what he did for my birthday.” He spent the next few minutes regaling Seth with the story of the cake. When Seth stopped laughing, Adam said his goodbyes and disconnected. He slipped his phone into his jeans pocket and stood on the veranda, listening to the cries of the seagulls overhead. The following day would tell both him and Paul a lot.
The sun warmed his face, and he caught the sound of children’s laughter down on the beach. It was such a beautiful day.
Adam’s heart pounded when the idea occurred to him.
Time to step out of the comfort zone.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
