Chapter 5 #2
Adam couldn’t even say that he’d been on his best behavior the whole time, because he wasn’t good about concentrating that long.
He’d been his usual clumsy self in front of Calder multiple times, and Calder had truly never seemed at all bothered.
He’d actually been amazingly good about steadying or catching Adam or whatever he was about to spill.
Or laughing off the food or drink that had wound up on his person.
(Because yes, it had happened more than once.
The ketchup had just been the first time.
Adam suspected there would never be a last. At least, not if Calder stayed with him…
and it seemed like Calder wanted to do that?)
Adam ended up thinking about it a lot, including the next time he was with Calder, which probably explained why Calder had to call his name so many times to get his attention. Despite their limited hours, Calder always came up with things for them to do, and Adam cherished their Mondays together.
“Adam! Adam, is everything all right?”
Adam startled, turned, and stared into Calder’s eyes, a blue so dark they were almost black—fathomless, and yet they seemed to be filled with a warmth that Adam had never experienced before.
And maybe it was this that was responsible for Adam throwing himself at the man and kissing him.
Well. Trying to kiss him. Adam’s aim was off, and he managed to mash their noses together, causing them both to jerk back. Adam could feel himself flush crimson, and he tried to pull away completely, but Calder still had his arms wrapped around Adam.
“I’m sorry. I don’t—I don’t know why I did that.”
He couldn’t quite meet Calder’s gaze. Oh, gods, he’d just thrown himself at Calder, and he hadn’t even managed to kiss him well, and now he’d ruined everything, and—
“Well,” Calder drawled, a small smile playing on his lips, “I like to hope it’s because you wanted to kiss me. Though maybe not quite as much as I want to kiss you.”
Adam’s gaze snapped to Calder’s, his efforts to flee fading. Calder’s eyes were bright, his expression fond.
“Really?”
He felt like an idiot as soon as he asked the question, but Calder didn’t tease him.
“Most assuredly. But I didn’t want to do anything you might not like.”
Adam’s already hot face got hotter. He groaned. “I should have asked first! I’m sorry.”
“You have my permission to kiss me any time you like.”
Adam blinked at him, a bit thrown. “What, forever?”
Calder smiled and said simply, “Yes.”
Adam’s gaze narrowed. “But what if you’re—you’re about to meet an important donor for the ocean!”
“Then I hope they don’t mind a bit of a show,” Calder answered without hesitation. “There’s no occasion when I wouldn’t enjoy your kisses, sweetheart.”
A full-body shiver ran through Adam. No one had ever called him by an endearment before, not as an adult, not like this.
Adam cleared his throat. “Not even when I knock our faces together instead?”
Calder laughed softly, but his laughter never felt like it was mocking Adam. Instead, it always invited him to share the joke.
“Not even then. But I wouldn’t say no to trying again.”
“Maybe you should be in charge,” Adam said, feeling the heat all the way to his ears.
Calder stared at him carefully for a long moment, and then he cupped Adam’s face in his big palms.
“It would be my pleasure, Adam.”
And he leaned in and pressed his lips to Adam’s.
Adam had been kissed before. He’d even had sex before, though it had mostly been underwhelming.
(And involved a grand total of three times where elbows or knees had hit guys in really awkward places.
Yes. Three times.) Adam had wanted to kiss Calder for weeks, and he’d been equally scared of the idea, of the change it could mean, of the possibility of it going wrong, of… everything, really.
Adam had been an idiot.
Kissing Calder was like nothing he’d ever experienced before.
It was soft skin and warm pressure and incinerating heat.
It was a gasp, a tongue, a groan. With Calder, Adam didn’t worry about what to do with his hands, he just clutched the man’s shirt and hoped that he wouldn’t ever have to let him go.
Calder’s hands slipped from Adam’s face—he’d angled everything just right, no noses had gotten in the way—and he pulled Adam even closer, his hands low on Adam’s hips but not quite dipping to his ass.
It brought them close enough together that Adam could feel how aroused both of them were.
He let out a sound that he was pretty sure was a whimper.
Unfortunately, this resulted in Calder breaking the kiss. Adam gasped in air, so maybe it was actually a good thing.
Calder cleared his throat and put a little bit of space between them. Roughly, he said, “This is probably not the venue for all the things I’d like to do with you.”
Adam startled and looked around. Right. They were in Colorado Lagoon, and public indecency was definitely frowned upon. He wasn’t sure what they were supposed to do next, only then Calder held out his hand.
“Shall we walk a little and try to, uh, cool down a bit? This is one of the only coastal salt marshes left on the West Coast.”
Adam slipped his hand into Calder’s and happily listened to him explain all the marine life, birds, insects, and plants that inhabited the area.
And weirdly, instead of feeling awkward, it felt exactly right.
They’d had the most amazing kiss ever, and now they were strolling around hand-in-hand just like they always did, Calder speaking with the unbridled enthusiasm that he always did about anything related to the ocean.
Calder wanted to kiss him and had said that Adam could kiss him whenever he wanted, but they got to do all their usual things, too.
It was so perfect.
They ate lunch together, and Calder escorted him home so that he had time to do laundry and errands before work tomorrow. With only one day off, there wasn’t a lot of time.
“I’m sorry I don’t have more time,” Adam apologized.
Their hands were still clasped. It seemed like it had become their default setting if they were walking. Adam loved it.
Calder squeezed his hand. “Valentine’s Day is only once a year.”
“Thank the gods!” Adam said fervently, making Calder laugh. Then he grimaced. “Although we’re busy at Christmas, too. Most of the holidays, really.”
“That’s not a problem,” Calder assured him, “as long as you’re enjoying it. There are times when I’m busy as well. I look forward to when we can spend time together.”
“Me, too,” Adam breathed.
So much.
Adam had always worked and taken the overtime pay, but maybe Maggie would be okay if he took a holiday next year instead?
Calder leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Adam’s mouth.
“Until next time, sweetheart.”
“Bye,” Adam said stupidly.
He almost floated up the stairs to his apartment—and then tripped and nearly fell on his face. He managed to catch himself before actually face-planting and made himself pay more attention until he got into his apartment.
But he couldn’t stop smiling.
“Oh, my gods! You actually kissed! Freaking finally!”
As Adam had theorized, he hadn’t even needed to say anything; Simon had just known. Given that Adam was still smiling on Tuesday morning, maybe this was no great feat.
There was cheering from the front, where Evie had evidently heard him.
Simon’s grin was manic, his hair bubblegum pink with frosted tips for the impending holiday. “Tell me everything!”
Adam cleared his throat, but he still couldn’t seem to stop the smile that curled up his lips. “It was amazing.”
He was scooping cookie dough onto a tray and carefully forming them into hearts. He’d perfected the optimal shape so that they’d cook evenly and still look like hearts when they came out of the oven. He had cookie cutters for some of the types, but chocolate chip was still shaped by hand.
Simon snapped his towel at him, but gently. (He’d learned the hard way that if Adam tried to dodge something, it would probably end in tears.) “Of course it was amazing! And if only you’d listened to me, you could have been doing this for weeks!”
Adam huffed a breath. Simon wasn’t totally wrong. “I wasn’t ready before.”
Simon’s expression softened, and he reached out to squeeze Adam’s arm. “I know you weren’t, boo. But Calder waited, and now here you are.”
Yeah, Adam still couldn’t really believe it. But he and Calder were still texting, and Calder had told him more than once how much he was looking forward to kissing Adam again, so it wasn’t like the whole thing had just been a fever dream.
Bashfully, he described his actions, and Simon chortled at Adam’s complete lack of game, but his smile was soft as he agreed that no doubt, Calder was the most amazing kisser to have ever kissed.
“I’m glad for you.”
Adam was glad, too. And greedy. Even though he was exhausted when he got home and needed to go to bed at approximately the same time as a toddler, he wanted to see Calder, and Calder had agreed to stop by…
possibly every day this week. And whereas Adam had always tried to behave reasonably and rationally before, now he just went for what he wanted.
So Calder brought over takeout so that Adam wouldn’t have to cook, and the two of them watched the Great British Baking Show or ocean documentaries for a couple of hours before Adam’s yawns got the better of him.
And now they kissed! Bright, beautiful kisses that made Adam melt and get hard all at the same time. But they didn’t do anything more.
“I want to take my time with you, sweetheart. Preferably when you’re a little less exhausted and frazzled.”
Adam nearly whined in protest—but it turned into a yawn, so maybe Calder had a point.
Calder was smiling at him. “How’d you like to get together on the 16th? Just because.”
Adam bit back a smile. Calder had remembered his rant about caring about people every day and not just on the 14th of February.
“I’d really like that.”
A soft kiss. “Good.”