Finding Home (12 page)

Adam took Dillon’s hand and placed it on his crotch, when he felt Adam’s semi-hard cock through his thin, wet boxers. It took Dillon a second to realize what Adam was trying to explain. “I fucking came without you touching me at all, Dillon. Kissing you and bringing you to orgasm was so damn hot, I couldn’t help myself. Does that make me pathetic?”

“Of course not!” Dillon shook his head emphatically and then looked into Adam’s eyes, searching for something. “I really did that to you?” he asked shyly, peeking up from under his eyelashes.

Adam snorted. “You really don’t have any clue how hot you are, do you?”

Dillon crinkled his forehead in disbelief. “You’re delusional.”

“No, I’m not,” Adam countered. “You just don’t see yourself clearly. I promise I have no reason to lie to you.”

Dillon sighed. “I just have a hard time believing that someone like you could want someone like me. It’s like I’m just waiting for you to realize that I’m not what you think I am and ask me to leave.”

Adam’s heart broke a little hearing that. “Dillon, do you know how many boyfriends I’ve had in my life?” Dillon shook his head. “Just two, and you’re one of them. I don’t let people in easily, and when I do, there is a reason. I care about you so much, and I don’t want you to be anywhere but here, okay? I’m not going to ask you to leave. You can trust in that, alright?”

Dillon knew better than to put any faith into that, but he nodded. “I know you don’t believe me,” Adam told him. “But I’m going to be here every day proving to you that I want you here. I want to be the one who helps you realize how awesome you are and how much you’re worth. I’m going to show you that you deserve every good thing that comes your way. I’ll make you believe me eventually.”

Dillon swallowed loudly. He wanted to believe Adam so badly but it just wasn’t something he could make himself do. “Okay.”

Adam knew that Dillon wasn’t convinced, but he meant every word that he’d said, and he was going to prove it. “Should we shower before bed?” Dillon smiled because he knew that was the end of the conversation. Adam smacked Dillon on the ass playfully as they headed into the bathroom… together.

While Dillon was at work the next day, Adam devised a plan to make sure that Dillon knew exactly how much he meant to him. Adam was so glad for his scheduled day off so he could accomplish everything he wanted to before Dillon got home.

A trip to the grocery store and Wal-Mart had him set with everything he needed. Dillon didn’t have a clue how freaking special he was, and Adam intended on fixing that. When he’d confessed to Adam the night before that he was basically waiting for Adam get tired of him, it had broken Adam’s heart. His parents had failed him so badly that it made Adam want to spit fire, but he was determined to reverse the damage to Dillon’s self-worth in any way he could.

He started in his bedroom, which he was hoping to be officially sharing with Dillon soon, and, as soon as he got that set up, he went into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner for Dillon. He hadn't thought to ask Dillon what his favorite food was, but judging from the way that Dillon inhaled pretty much anything Adam put in front of him, he'd be happy with whatever Adam made. So Adam had decided on lasagna with garlic bread and a salad for the side, which was pretty standard for date food. He set all of his ingredients out on the counter and followed the recipe that he'd called Grams for that morning. He wasn't a great cook, but he figured it had to be easy enough to follow simple directions.

It took him longer than he'd thought it would, but he got the dish put together and in the oven with plenty of time to cook before Dillon would get home. As he set the table in the dining room, he smiled to himself trying to remember the last time he'd gone through so much trouble for someone, but when he remembered, his smile faded quickly.

He wasn't about to ruin his day by thinking about Blaze, who had been his first and only other boyfriend, this day was supposed to be all about Dillon. He placed the real candles he'd bought in the middle of the table and sat the plates next to each other. There was no way for him to be able to handle being too far from Dillon, so he decided not to place them across from each other. Then, while dinner cooked, Adam hurried into the bathroom to shower, shave, and dress in the clothes he'd already picked out.

He wanted to look his best for his boyfriend and show him that he was worth the effort. So he slid into his best pair of jeans, the ones that put his ass on display. Adam knew that Dillon would appreciate that. Then he put on a black polo that stretched nicely across his chest and emphasized his arm muscles. He sprayed himself with cologne and put gel in his hair quickly before hurrying back into the kitchen to check on the lasagna. It was cooking perfectly, and he prepped the salad and bread, waiting until the lasagna was almost done before throwing the bread into the oven to warm up.

*****

Dillon was due home from work in less than fifteen minutes and Adam's heart was starting to race the butterflies that were fluttering in his stomach. Why in the hell was he so nervous? Dillon was going to love what he'd accomplished, right? He wasn't going to think that Adam was trying too hard to impress him or that Adam was just trying to get in his pants. Or was he? Adam started to completely second guess himself. He was hoping that the night would end in that way, but not because he was in a hurry to get into Dillon's pants. He wanted to make Dillon's first time a night he would always remember. Adam needed him to know that he wasn't going to take him for granted, that he would treasure the trust that it took for him to give up his control to Adam.

The sound of the front door shutting snapped Adam out of his thoughts. Dillon was exhausted as he walked into the house. He kicked his shoes off, dropped his bag in the hallway, and checked the living room for Adam. When he didn’t see him, he headed toward the kitchen. He stopped dead in his tracks when he hit the dining room. Adam stood there grinning ear-to-ear at Dillon, and, judging by the look on his face, he was completely caught off guard, which was what Adam had been going for. "Welcome home, babe," Adam greeted him. "I made dinner."

Dillon looked around with wide eyes, trying to take it all in. The lights in the dining room were dimmed and the candles had been lit. The food smelled delicious, and Dillon's stomach growled just thinking about it. "You did all of this..." He swallowed loudly. "For me?" He couldn’t believe it.

Adam beamed and nodded. "I wanted to do something special, and we've been eating take-out so much lately that I figured you'd appreciate it if I made dinner for you."

"You figured correctly, Adam," Dillon assured him. "You didn't have to do all of this for me; you know that right?” Dillon felt like he owed Adam so much already, and this just made them more uneven in Dillon’s eyes.

"I wanted to," Adam insisted, walking over to Dillon and pulling him into his arms. "You're worth it."

Dillon didn't know what to say. He'd never felt so special in his life and he was completely thrown off guard by the new feeling. "Thank you," he whispered before dragging Adam's head down into a sweet kiss. Nothing frantic or aggressive, just something to show Adam how much he appreciated it. When their lips parted, Dillon asked, "Do I have time to shower? Cody had me working in the stockroom today and I'm filthy. Plus, I feel completely under-dressed."

"Yes, of course. Dinner will stay warm in the oven until you are ready."

Dillon hurried to his room and when he closed the door, he leaned back against it in disbelief. He wondered if this was the universe trying to make up for all the shitty years he'd had to endure. If that was the case, he sure as hell wasn't going to complain. The sexiest guy he'd ever met, his actual fucking boyfriend, was in the kitchen finishing up a romantic dinner for him, and he felt like the luckiest person on earth for the first time ever. He quickly grabbed some clothes and headed toward his bathroom.

Adam heard the shower shut off so he figured it was safe to start plating the food and set it in the places he'd designated for them at the table. Parker was safely tucked away outside so that he wouldn't be his little beggar self and ruin the mood he was trying to achieve. When Dillon walked back into the dining room, he took Adam's breath away. He was wearing the jeans he knew Adam loved and his emerald green button down which accentuated his eyes and made them fucking sparkle. Adam didn't care that he was waxing poetic about the guy, he was allowed to if he wanted, and God did he want to.

“You look amazing.” Adam couldn't help himself as he walked over and stole a kiss from Dillon before pulling out the chair and inviting him to sit. Dillon did and Adam took his place on the side directly to the left of him so that he could face him and still be within touching distance. "How was work?" Adam asked.

"It was long and tiring," Dillon told him before taking his first bite. He moaned in appreciation at how incredible it tasted, and Adam’s cock took notice. The sound was erotic as hell. "Although I'm really starting to like my supervisor, Cody. He's pretty chill and we seem to get along really well," Dillon continued. Adam couldn't help the growl that was starting to build in his chest. Dillon noticed the quick change in Adam's demeanor and chuckled. "Oh, calm down. I mean I like him as a friend. You see, I've got a pretty terrific boyfriend right now that I'm not willing to give up." Dillon flashed him a wide grin that showed his teeth and Adam wanted nothing more than to pull Dillon out of his chair and lead him directly to the bedroom, but there would be plenty of time for that later. Instead, they carried on a conversation that flowed from one topic to another seamlessly, though they were both eating at the same time.

Suddenly Dillon remembered something that he'd wanted to ask Adam. "Do you remember that day that I went to Inkspiration with you and watched you tattoo that girl?"

"Yes, why?" Adam inquired curiously. He was hoping the conversation was leading in the direction he'd been waiting for.

"Well, Cody was showing me a couple of his tattoos today, and I'm thinking that since I have an actual income, I might be able to afford a tattoo now. I want you to be the one to do it. Will you?" Dillon asked with his eyes full of hope, as if Adam could ever say no to him even if he wanted to. And he definitely didn't want to.

"I've been waiting for you to bring it up since that day and yes, yes, yes!" Adam answered excitedly. "Do you have a design in mind already, or do you want me to draw something up for you?"

Dillon thought about it carefully for a few minutes before answering. "I've been trying to come up with something all day, and I haven't got the slightest clue what would be good for me. What do you suggest?"

Adam went into professional mode for a moment. "Well, my advice to anyone who comes in looking for a tattoo, without a clear idea of what they want, is to think long and hard about the things that you like and don't like. Are there any sorts of designs you've seen that you like? What sort of colors or themes do you think you might like? Do you have any special hobbies or anything that means a lot to you? And my number one rule of tattoo design is, you never tattoo someone's name on your body unless it's family. It's just not a good idea, because if something goes wrong and the friendship or relationship doesn't work, then they always come back for some sort of cover up, which is not easy or cheap."

Dillon listened carefully to Adam and took his words to heart. "I've been trying to think of something all day that means something to me or that I like a lot, and the only things I can come up with are music, especially Coldplay, and books. Those were my escape when I needed to not focus on reality but I don't know how you would incorporate that. I'm pretty open to suggestions from the professional on this." The tiny glimpse of trust that Dillon was displaying in leaving it open for Adam's input meant a lot to him. He knew how hard it was for Dillon to trust anyone.

"I'll think about it and if I come up with something any time soon, I'll start drawing it up and see what you think. Does that work for you?"

"Yeah, that's great," Dillon answered.

They'd finished dinner at some point during the tattoo conversation, and Dillon got up to start clearing the table but Adam stopped him. "No, tonight is your night to relax. Let me take care of this, okay?"

Dillon knew better than to try arguing with Adam when he had his mind set on something, so he resumed sitting. Adam made quick work of the dishes and was soon back in the dining room with Dillon. “I’ve got to do something really quick, but I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Okay,” Dillon replied easily. “I’ll be in the living room.”

*****

Adam sneaked off to his room to begin switching on all the electric candles he’d placed around and to get his phone set up on the dock so that the playlist was queued up and ready. It took about ten minutes to get everything ready and then Adam shut off his light, letting the candles and the moonlight take care of the mood lighting.

He walked quietly into the living room and stood in front of Dillon with no words at all. He simply held out his hand, silently asking Dillon to trust him and join him. Dillon cocked his head to the side, which was normally Adam’s thing, and looked up at him questioningly. Adam gave him a reassuring smile, and Dillon reached out and took Adam’s hand, pulling himself off of the couch. They padded down the hallway and Adam opened the bedroom door, revealing his biggest surprise yet.

Dillon’s eyes blurred instantly. “What…” he tried to ask but his words got stuck in his throat. He took in the sight before him and was dumbstruck by what he saw. Adam lightly placed his hand on the small of Dillon’s back and guided him into the room, closing the door behind them.

He crossed the room to his dresser and hit play on his phone. Chris Martin’s voice filled the room and Dillon’s heart was so full of emotion. Adam had put so much thought into making the night special for him, and he had nothing to offer Adam in return. He was so conflicted inside. Why couldn’t Adam see that he wasn’t anything special?

Adam was back in front of Dillon in an instant and pulled him into a tight embrace. Dillon was focusing on Adam’s touch, which seemed to be his anchor in the storm and kept him grounded in reality. Was it really real though or was Dillon dreaming it? Adam held on to Dillon tight, swaying them back and forth to the music. Dillon had never danced with anyone before so he felt self-conscious, but somehow, Adam’s presence soothed all of the bad feelings. He tried to let go of the negativity and focus solely on the positive thing that Adam was doing for him. He didn’t want to ruin the evening with his uncertainty.

As they danced, Adam turned his face into Dillon’s neck and just reveled in the closeness. He couldn’t believe how lucky he’d gotten. He placed a gentle kiss just behind Dillon’s ear, and the gasp he earned from Dillon was music to his ears. Dillon’s hands skimmed lightly down Adam’s back, stopping at the hem of his shirt. He hesitated and pulled back, asking for permission. Adam granted it with a wicked grin, and Dillon slowly peeled Adam’s shirt off, revealing his ink covered skin. As much as Dillon had wanted to before, he hadn’t had a chance to really look at all of Adam’s tattoos, so he leaned in closer and examined each one. Adam loved the feeling of being on display for Dillon, and his cock began to swell more each time Dillon leaned in and kissed his skin.