Your Forever: The Eight of Wands (4 page)

Del laid his hand over his eyes and let his legs sprawl open. He felt Theo’s breath on his skin before the soft touch of his tongue, and he reached for Theo’s shoulder, his stomach quivering.

“Relax, Del,” Theo whispered, gently rubbing his thighs. “You’re crazy-tense.”

“Sorry, I’m-- I mean, you’re--”

“I’ll take care of you,” Theo said. Del opened his eyes and looked down at Theo, and touched the side of Theo’s face with his fingertips. Theo pressed Del’s hand to his mouth in a gentle kiss, and held onto it as he slid Del’s cock into his mouth.

Del breathed through his mouth, his eyes wide. The blowjob was good -- Theo’s mouth was hot and his tongue was agile -- but Del had never had anyone hold his hand like this, just hold his hand like it was normal. “Theo,” he breathed and clutched Theo's hand tighter as he shuddered and came.

Theo pulled off and wiped his mouth. He then got onto the bed with Del and threw a leg over his hip. He was smiling, too, and his big hand took Del’s again, warm and grounding. Del played with his hand, running his thumb over the inside of Theo’s wrist and measuring the length of Theo’s fingers against his own. “What do you want to do?” he said, and looked up into Theo’s eyes. “Whatever you want to do, I think I’ll be okay with that.”

Theo thought about it, biting his lip, and said, “I want to watch you smile.” Del chuckled and Theo said, “And more stuff later, but I like this right now. I feel like I’ve won something.”

Del blinked a few times. “C’mere,” he said gruffly and rolled Theo onto his back. Theo went easily, smiling again and letting his limbs fall open so Del could lie on top of him. Del kissed Theo's mouth slowly, keeping his eyes open for as long as he could. Theo breathed harder beneath him as his hands moved slowly over Del’s back, and he grunted when Del slid his mouth down Theo's neck and over his chest.

He is so big, Del thought as he touched Theo's body. There's just so much of him. Del couldn't even wrap his hand entirely around Theo's upper arm. He nibbled at Theo's muscles and Theo laughed.

He kept his hand on Theo's belly as he sucked Theo off, sliding it up sometimes to rest over Theo’s heartbeat to feel it rapid and steady under his palm. And then down again to Theo's stomach, which trembled and fluttered as Theo moaned. Del sucked him slowly, until Theo grabbed at his hair and gasped, “Del!” and Del pulled up to catch Theo’s come on his tongue.

Del flopped onto his back and ran his hand over his face. Theo groped for his hand and grasped it, and Del found he had just enough energy to smile.

“Sorry about the noise,” Theo whispered.

“No problem. Jeff sleeps like the dead.” He looked at Theo and reached over to run his fingers over Theo’s profile. Theo rolled onto his side and pillowed his face on Del’s hand. Del stroked Theo’s lips with his thumb. “We should sleep, as much as I’d rather stay up. We should leave for the lake by five.”

“I’d rather stay up, too,” Theo said. “But on the other hand, my flight home doesn’t leave until Sunday.”

“So we have some time. Just not tonight.” Del stroked Theo’s lips once more and pulled his hand away so he could shove off his jeans and pull down the blankets. “Come on. Under the covers, kid.”

Theo stripped off his clothes as well and got under the blankets with him. “Does Jeff knowing make you nervous?”

“Not nervous.” Del wrapped an arm around him when Theo laid his head on Del’s shoulder and pressed his lips to Theo's dark hair. “Jeff has enough on his mind. If he notices you didn’t sleep on the couch we can just say you fell asleep in here, talking.”

“Yeah,” Theo murmured. “Talking.» He was quiet a moment. «I'd rather not lie to him. I mean, we don't have to make a big announcement or anything, but if he notices we should just say we like each other.»

Del smiled down at Theo. “Yeah. Yeah. I like that.”

“Okay,” Theo said. “No big deal.” He patted Del’s chest and moved off him to lie his head on the other pillow. “Will there be a place for me to sleep on the boat? I’m not a morning person at all.”

“We’ll find a place for you,” Del said. “We can tuck you between the nets and the tackle boxes. You fold up small, right?”

“I’m this big when I want to be.” Theo peered at Del through a circle he made with his fingers and Del laughed.

“Sleep, you. We’ll find a place for you in the morning.”

“Good night, Delany.” Theo leaned over and lightly kissed his lips, lay down his head and closed his eyes.

“Good night, kid,” Del said and reached over him to turn out the light.

***

Jeff was obnoxiously chipper in the morning, whistling as he started the coffee and dropped slices of bread into French toast batter. “You’re not supposed to cook,” Del said, grumpy and still half-asleep. “I’m supposed to do stuff like that.”

“Don't be an ass. I like cooking and you just woke up.” He gave Del a bowl, and Del gave its contents a sniff: cream cheese and marmalade. “Stir.”

“Okay,” Del said and sat at the kitchen table to stir the mess together.

“So,” Jeff said from the stove as he turned toast from one side of the other, “where’s Theo? Did he get lost looking for the bathroom?”

Del started guiltily but kept stirring. They'd agreed to be straightforward with Jeff, after all. “He’s still asleep.”

Jeff didn’t say anything for a bit, just hovered over the cooking toast and soaked up the last bit of batter with a few more slices. “You slept with my brother?”

“Yeah,” Del said, not looking up from the bowl.

“Oh, for God’s sake, Del! You just met!”

“I know that,» Del said with a sigh. «It’s just, we’ve hit it off, really connected, and you know I don’t meet people that often. It’s not going to get in the way of the wedding.”

“I’m not worried about the wedding,” said Jeff. He slid a spatula under a few slices of toast and put them on a plate. “I just know you. I know that with Carson, the only time I’ve seen you in an actual relationship, you weren’t yourself the whole time. You were on your guard, with this guy you were supposed to be in love with, and you were tense and miserable. I don’t want you to do that again, and I certainly don’t want you to do that with my brother.”

“I wasn’t in love with Carson,” Del muttered. “And Theo and I are both aware it’s just a weekend. What do you want me to do with the topping?” he added, hoping Jeff would let the subject drop.

“It just goes on the toast.” He scooped up a few more slices from the griddle. “Delany... I don’t know, man. Don’t get his hopes up.”

“I’m going to wake him up,” Del said and escaped to his bedroom.

Theo still slept, one long leg exposed, his arms wrapped around his pillow. His back was strong and sleek, his face peaceful. Del sat on the edge of the bed and tugged Theo’s earlobe until he stirred and made a muffled, irritated noise. “What?” he said finally and peered at Del. He smiled, suddenly and beautifully, and sat up. “Hey. Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Del said and kissed him, morning breath and all. “Breakfast is ready, Jeff knows, and we need to leave soon.”

«Wait, what?» Theo blinked at him.

«Jeff knows. Come eat.»

“Okay,” Theo said with a jerky nod. “What should I do?”

“Put some clothes on and come eat French toast,” Del said. “It’ll be okay.”

“Jeff’s never met anybody I’ve dated before,” Theo said. “I have no idea how he’s going to react.”

“He’s already threatened to break your neck if you impugn my honor.” Del grinned and Theo scowled as he threw the blankets aside and swung his legs over the bed. Del started to rise to get out of his way, but paused at the sight of him, long limbs and bulging muscles, and put his hand on Theo’s shoulder. Theo looked at him, one eyebrow arching, and then smiled and leaned forward to kiss him. Del held him by the shoulder and kissed him back leisurely, as if their breakfast wasn’t cooling in the other room and Jeff wasn’t banging around pans with a little more intent than earlier.

Finally Del pulled away and stood. “It’s going to be a long day,” he observed.

“As long as I finish it intact, I’m happy,” Theo replied.

***

They finally got on the road twenty minutes later than planned, and Theo stretched out in the little seat of the extended cab and went back to sleep. He had the guitar and his backpack with him, along with a novel he’d brought with him for the flight and another taken from Del’s collection, but Del thought he wouldn’t get much reading done even if he woke up long enough. Jeff was determined to have him cast a line or two before they left Lake Isabella.

Familiar pick-up trucks and a sedan were parked at the lake shore by the time they arrived and the sun was starting to come up. The boat belonging to Jeff’s head chef was already out on the water, waiting for its passengers to climb aboard. Del jumped down from the truck as soon as Jeff parked, waved to their friends and reached into the cab to pull on Theo’s booted foot. “We’re here.”

Theo sat up, blinking, and smiled at him in the same delighted way as earlier. “Cool. Sunscreen?”

“Wait until we get out on the water. There’s a lot to do first.” He reached into the cab to snag Theo’s backpack and taunted him with it. “Come out, come out, little Theo.”

“Little,” Theo muttered and climbed out of the truck. He stretched his arms up over his head, and his T-shirt crawled up to expose a bit of belly. Del licked his lips and glanced back at the trees that lined the lake, wondering if he could make an excuse to take Theo back into them any time during the day.

“Hey!” Carson slapped Del’s back, and Del managed to smile at him. “You guys are late. Who’s this?” His eyes swept over Theo, and he gave Del a questioning look.

“I’m Theo,” Theo said cheerfully as he hung an arm around Del’s neck. Del held his wrist and smiled back at him. “Jeff’s brother.”

Carson’s eyes flicked from Del to Theo and back. “Really.”

“Really,” Theo said, and Jeff looked as skeptical as Carson now. “Thanks to him I was introduced to Del, and, well, one thing led to another.”

Del shrugged. “Sometimes you’re just swept off your feet.”

“You’re absolutely right, snookums,” Theo said sweetly.

Del beamed at him and nudged his ribs with an elbow.»Oh, you.»

Del introduced Theo to the rest of the groomsmen, and they all packed up the boat and went out on the water. Theo promptly found himself a nook beside the cooler and promptly fell asleep, his baseball cap angled over his face to protect it from the sun. Del took a place near him, which meant he had to pass out the beers and Cokes but also meant he could watch Theo as he twitched and mumbled to himself. If he turned his head so that sun shone on his eyes, Del gently turned him back.

After an hour or two Jeff moved from near the outboard motor to the end of the boat where Del sat. He cast his line and watched the lure bob, and waved off the beer that Del offered him. “So,” Jeff said eventually as the boat rocked and small waves slapped against the sides.

“So,” Del said. “What do you think of your last day of unmarried life?”

“It’s not bad.” He stuck a toothpick in his mouth to chew on. “Can I tell you something?”

“Always.”

Jeff wore a cowboy hat to keep from getting sunburned, and he took it off for a moment to sponge perspiration from his forehead with his arm. He resettled his hat back on his head. “I am... a little weirded out at how not worried I am.”

“You have no reason to be worried.”

“No, I know. I’ve been waiting for cold feet to hit and it hasn’t. I hope this doesn’t mean Marianne is the one who’ll get scared.”

“Marianne’s put up with a lot from you over the years,” Del reminded him. “If she were going to leave she would have done it already.”

“I don’t know, man, things change when people get married.” Jeff shook his head slowly.

«I’d get married in a second if I could,” Del said.

“It’s just a matter of time,” Jeff said. “People will come around.” They were silent a while as the lake lapped around them. “Would you, really, if you could?”

“If I met the right guy, of course. I don’t know if that’s ever going to happen.”

“It will. It would happen faster if your standards weren’t so high.” He leaned past Del to look at Theo. “Though there’s no explaining him.”

“He’s gorgeous,” Del said patiently.

Jeff held up his hands. “No details, please. I guess I'm surprised that's all you need.»

Del tugged his fishing rod and said, “It’s just a weekend. It’s just for fun.”

“Okay,” Jeff said. “So you’re not thinking about--”

“Oh, good God, no. We just met.”

“I was worried for a second.” He pulled in his line and recast. “It’s a scary thing, marriage. All this meaning and history and shit, and nobody knows how to do it right. My parents divorced, Marianne’s parents are divorced, two of her sisters are divorced, Theo can’t--” He glanced over his shoulder.

“Theo can,” Del said, glancing back, too, but Theo appeared to be sleeping on, unaware of the discussion about him. “He was with the same guy all through college. Did you know that?”

Jeff was quiet a moment. “No. We didn’t talk much then.”

“You should have,” Del said. “You’ve missed out on a lot with him, starting with the fact that yes, he could have a long-term relationship despite the family history.” He recast his line, unhappy with the lay of the lure.

“Yeah, I guess.” Jeff’s line jerked, and he reached behind for a net. “I got something, I got something!”

Del laughed and put the net in his hand, and Theo woke at the commotion and cheered him on, and proudly held the cooler open when Jeff caught the fish in the net and brought it into the boat.

***

Around ten they all came to shore. Two of the chefs from Jeff’s restaurant cleaned the catfish they’d caught while the rest of the men started a fire and got to work on the meal: cobbler in a Dutch oven, potatoes wrapped in foil, onions and peppers sliced and peeled to cook with the fish. Theo was assigned most of the slicing, and amused himself with singing songs Del remembered from elementary school himself: “John Henry” and “Darling Clementine” and “Down by the Bay.” The others nudged each other and smirked at him, particularly when he sang about polka-dot whales, but stopped after Del, and then Jeff, joined in.