Sunset Hearts (16 page)

* * * *

Jerald pushed the cart through the store while she checked items off the list. He studied her while she walked. She wore an aged air, more an attitude than her actual appearance. He would have guessed her to be much older. Not from lines on her face, but the cautious mask, the hesitation in her smile. The soft volume of her voice even after opening up to them and trusting them.

He wouldn’t admit it to Alan, but he enjoyed his time alone with her. Not that he didn’t love Alan any less, but he enjoyed having her personality, a balance to Alan’s playfulness, to ground him.

“You need to buy some clothes, kiddo. You realize that, right?”

She blushed. Dammit, he loved that. She looked so cute. “I’ve got boxes of them at my storage unit. I never got around to moving them to Daytona. I’m scared to go there now. Fortunately I paid the rent a year in advance, cash. Paulie gave it to me when we moved. Most of the clothes I had Paulie hated anyway. He wanted me to dress ‘sexy.’ Which is another word for slutty.”

The more he learned about Paulie Scorsini, the more he hated him. “How do you normally dress?”

She snorted, amused. “You won’t be impressed. Shorts, jeans, and T-shirts, usually. I don’t mind dressing up to go out, but he liked to see me dressed up all the time.”

Jerald detoured them out of the grocery section and to the women’s clothing section. “Why don’t you get some stuff?”

She shook her head. “I’m okay. I can’t afford to spend money on clothes anyway right now.”

“I’m buying. You’ve got four pairs of dime-store shorts and you’re using our shirts. Not that we mind, babe, but you won’t break me if you let me buy you a few pairs of jeans and something a little better than what you’ve got.”

It took him another few minutes of prodding to get her to do it. She tried on a couple of things, and when he saw the sizes, he grabbed more in different colors and tossed them into the cart. “Get yourself some more undies and stuff, too. And you need something other than flip-flops and sneakers.”

She bought inexpensive multi-packs of underwear. He’d hoped for something lacy and silky he could imagine on her body, but she opted for plain cotton briefs. In the shoe department, she picked up a pair of sandals on sale for five dollars.

“You are a cheap date, kiddo,” he teased. “You know that?”

She blushed. “I told you, I normally don’t dress up. Paulie would spend more on one outfit for me than I would make in an entire month before. I just don’t like to shop for clothes.”

He laughed. “A woman who doesn’t like to shop for clothes? Honey, I think I love you,” he teased.

After they returned from the store and unpacked the groceries, she carried her new clothes into her bedroom to put them away. Alan returned while Jerald still worked preparing dinner. He kissed Jerald. “How are you?”

Jerald smiled. “Your question is really, how is Daphne? The answer, she’s fine. I took her shopping. Go get a shower, you smell like bait.”

Alan laughed. He swatted Jerald on the ass as he walked past him down the hall, to their bedroom.

Their
bedroom.

Jerald let that sink in. Okay, so getting used to having her around the house had been easier than he’d anticipated. Once he knew the truth about her and could trust her, he found it easy to open up to her. To want to take care of her and protect her.

He tried to cut off that line of thinking. It could only take him bad places. He loved Alan, was
in
love with Alan, and didn’t want anyone else as his life partner or lover.

He wouldn’t deny watching Daphne walk down the hall, the way her hips curved and swayed under her shorts, could stiffen his dick.

After dinner, the men hugged her goodnight and retired to their bedroom.

“So what’s going on, tough guy?” Alan asked as he snuggled against Jerald’s side.

“What are you talking about?”

“That look. Like you’ve got mental constipation. There’s something on your mind. Might as well spill it.”

“Is it that obvious?”

Alan rolled onto his side and propped himself up on one elbow. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Living together had gone better than Jerald had expected. Yeah, the men had crazy hours and sometimes their days off didn’t mesh, but being able to sleep in the same bed together nearly every night had made Jerald realize this was exactly what he wanted and needed.

He told Alan about the property. Alan quietly listened, without interrupting, until Jerald finished. “Well?” he nervously asked.

Alan smiled as he let one hand follow the thin trail of dark hair that ran from Jerald’s navel down to the soft nest between his legs. “You’re asking me if I would mind building a house together with you.
Our
house.”

Jerald nodded.

A slow grin played across Alan’s face. “You gonna carry me across the threshold when we move in?”

“It might not look very graceful. Might have to sling you over my shoulder.”

“Good enough for me.” He kissed Jerald. “I’m in. I can’t think of anything better than to do that together.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Jerald wanted to make love to him right then and there, yet he could see how tired Alan was from his long day. “Why don’t we cuddle up tonight, and I’ll take a rain check on the hot celebratory sex?”

“Who says you can’t read minds, tough guy?” Alan once again curled up close to Jerald’s side. Within minutes, he’d fallen asleep.

Jerald lay there and listened to him breathe. His mind swirled.
Their
house.

Daphne’s face flashed before him. Would she still be with them? As he closed his eyes and tried to drift to sleep, he realized he wouldn’t mind her moving in with them permanently.

Not in the slightest.

* * * *

The next morning, before the alarm went off, Jerald awoke from a pleasant dream of Alan deep-throating his cock to find that Alan was, in fact, deep-throating his cock. He wrapped his fingers in Alan’s hair and rocked his hips in time with Alan’s movements.

“Oh…yeah!”

Alan’s lips and tongue worked at his shaft while his hand played with his sac. Considering he usually woke up with a morning woody anyway, it didn’t take Alan long to bring him to climax.

Jerald didn’t move as he felt his pulse slow. He lay there stroking Alan’s hair when the alarm went off. He reached over and slapped the snooze button.

Alan lifted his head. “Time for a quickie?”

“For you, anytime.” He sat up and shut off the alarm. While his hand hovered over the bedside table, he grabbed the bottle of lube and handed it to Alan. Alan moved out of the way as Jerald rolled onto his knees.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of Alan’s hands stroking his back, his thighs, his ass. Alan’s gentle hands. A little rough from salt water and hard work, but pleasantly so. He felt the mattress dip as Alan nudged into position between his legs. Then the feeling of cool lube, followed by Alan’s hot, hard cock pressing against his rim.

He closed his eyes and relaxed, enjoying the feeling of his lover inside him, joined together. A few years ago he never would have admitted he could love this.

Alan’s balls brushed against his ass as he sank his cock completely inside him. Then his warm hands stroked his back.

“Jesus, you feel so good,” Alan softly moaned.

Jerald flexed his hips. “Then show me how good.”

Alan’s fingers tightened around Jerald’s hips. Jerald let Alan set the pace, joining him, rocking his hips. “Isn’t waking up like this worth living together?” Alan asked.

Jerald grunted his approval, now distracted by his own cock wanting seconds. He reached between his legs and stroked his meat. Eyes closed, he dropped his head to his pillow. “Harder,” he grunted.

Alan laughed. “Aw, you just love my cock so much you can’t get enough of it, can you?” Alan picked up the pace and force of his thrusts.

“Fuck me!”

“I am. Have patience. I don’t want to finish first and leave you hanging. Pound that sweet cock for me.”

Lost in the sensations of the cock in his ass and how good it felt fisting his own cock, he let out a loud moan as he climaxed.

Alan slapped his ass as his own thrusts increased. “That’s what I wanted to hear.” With that he let go, burying his dick inside Jerald with a last hard stroke. They fell to the bed, Alan on top.

“Holy fuck,” Alan gasped.

“That a good ‘holy fuck’?”

Alan chuckled as he caught his breath. “You know it was, buddy.” He kissed the back of Jerald’s neck before carefully untangling himself. “I’ll go get the coffee started if you want to get the shower going.”

After a quick stop by the bathroom, Alan pulled on a robe and padded out to the kitchen. While he was setting up the coffee pot, he heard Daphne’s bedroom door open. Dressed in one of Jerald’s old T-shirts, which hung almost to her knees, she walked into the kitchen as she yawned.

“Morning, sweetie,” he said, smiling as he kissed her forehead.

“Eight-point-five. Although the Russian judge gave you a six for waking me up so early.” She bumped her hip into his.

He snickered. “Sorry. I was too tired last night.”

She took the coffee scoop from him. “I’ll bring it in when it’s ready. You go get in the shower with him. You’re going to be late.”

He planted a kiss on the nape of her neck as he passed her. “Thanks, honey. You’re the greatest.”

She watched him walk down the hall.

Le sigh.

The men had actually grown quite comfortable with her presence. Jerald had started leaving the bedroom door open in the morning when they were getting ready for work, although he still didn’t discuss their sex life.

For her part, she didn’t care if they caught sight of her naked.

Hell, she secretly hoped maybe they’d want to take advantage of more than just her housekeeping abilities.

Once the coffee finished brewing, she poured Jerald’s, black, and fixed Alan’s with a little milk and sugar. She carried the mugs into their bedroom. The bathroom door stood open a few inches, enough she could see them in the shower through the shower curtain.

Damn, they were cute.
“Guys?”

“It’s safe, sugar,” Alan called. “Bring it in.”

She pushed the door open with her foot and set the mugs on the counter. “Need any help scrubbing your backs?” she joked.
Or your fronts?

Alan stuck his head out and waggled his damn cute eyebrows at her. “Why? You volunteering?”

“Hell, yeah. Any time.”

She heard Jerald’s rumbling laugh join Alan’s as she left the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

* * * *

Alan grinned at Jerald and planted a long, lingering kiss on his lips. “She’s really fitting in, isn’t she?”

Jerald stepped under the spray to rinse off. “You were right and I was wrong. Happy?”

“That’s not what I meant.” He pressed his body against Jerald’s. “I’ve seen you checking out her ass.”

Jerald’s face reddened. Before he could stammer an answer, Alan grinned. “Hey, it’s okay. Hell,
I’m
checking out her ass. She’s got a cute one.”

Jerald studied him. “You’re not mad?”

“Not if you’re not.”

Jerald kissed him, hard. “Well, your cock was buried in
my
ass this morning, so I suppose I have no reason to be jealous.”

“None at all, buddy. None at all.”

But as Jerald finished his shower and stepped out, Alan had an idea.

Maybe even one that would earn him a perfect ten from that pesky Russian judge.

* * * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Alan took any and all opportunities to mention Daphne during his lovemaking with Jerald. Usually with explosively hot results. He knew Jerald only saw this as a scorching hot fantasy addition to their sex life, but Alan used it to lay the groundwork.

He also pushed Daphne together with Jerald any chance he got. Unfortunately, even though he saw how well they got along together, and how comfortable she was with him, no prime opportunities arose to take things to the next level. As Halloween approached and Daphne felt like a permanent part of their lives, he noticed how Jerald watched her, how she watched him.

As he walked through the grocery store buying items for dinner the next evening, his mind drifted back to the Keys trip, the first time he made love to Jerald. Maybe that was the answer, a little liquid courage for all of them. He had planned a little cook-out for the three of them the next evening anyway, celebrating that both he and Jerald had the next two days off together.

With a smile, Alan added several six-packs of Jerald’s favorite beer to the shopping cart before he headed off in search of condoms.