Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
AUSTIN
It was May, and the weather was holding out, which was promising for a good season.
Given their location, many of his clients needed work on their grounds regardless of the weather, but when you had a hot summer, people spent more time in their gardens and wanted them to look excellent.
This was primarily driven by snobbery and one-upmanship, but business was business.
His Heartwood clients weren’t like that, but then, this little village was unique in its community and the people who lived here.
Liam had joined him and Maisie for dinner every night the past few weeks, and Austin had woken up with his arms wrapped around the man who had his heart almost every morning.
It was worth the early wake-up calls just to have Liam close to him, but Sundays were special as neither of them had to be up for anything, and Maisie was one of those kids who loved her sleep.
She was never grouchy about getting up for school, but she’d happily lie in all day if she could.
The past two months with Liam had been amazing, but something kept niggling at Austin.
Since his weekend in London with his old flatmates, there’d been a shadow in Liam’s eyes.
It was only because Austin could never take his eyes off the man that he’d noticed, as Liam was usually nothing but smiles when they were together.
It had been a while since they’d had time together, just the two of them, and Austin had planned for them to have a night out in Roseville at the weekend.
Maisie was staying with Giselle and Henrietta, who appeared to have scaled back on their meddling, although whenever they snuck a kiss in public, one of them would be there with a knowing smile.
Austin was convinced the two of them had to be witches with the way they seemed to appear out of thin air.
Before their weekend alone, it was trivia night, and the first one Liam was attending.
Austin had high hopes for their team. Liam was a clever guy – not that the rest of them were thick.
Nathan had aced every test he’d ever done, and could probably earn a fortune if he wanted to, but he hated being in an office environment and had a job working at home, which he loved.
“Who’s that?” asked Tony.
Austin could practically hear his friend vibrating, so he looked up.
“That’s Rodrigo. He owns the gym.”
“I can see that,” said Tony, with a purr.
Austin couldn’t help chuckling. To be fair, given Rodrigo was wearing a slutty vest top and showing off many a bronzed muscle, he could see why Tony was practically wagging his tail.
But he also knew his friend’s fuck-and-chuck attitude to sex, and from what he knew of his personal trainer, that wasn’t his MO.
He’d had his heart broken a couple of years ago, and moved out of London to get away from that approach to relationships.
He’d set up his own business here, and everyone was grateful for it, especially many of his female clients.
“Is he on our bus?” asked Tony.
“Which bus?” asked Austin. “The I love dick bus, or the bisexual bus?”
“He’s bi,” said Liam.
“How do you know that?” asked Austin.
“He’s my PT. We talk during our sessions.”
“Fantastic,” said Tony, rubbing his hands together. “Is he a bottom or vers? I can work with both.”
“How would I know?” asked Austin.
“Total top,” said Liam.
“What?” said Austin, unable to stop the growl which came out of him.
“Down, boy,” said Liam, gripping his thigh with a smile. “Just girl talk in the gym. Nothing for you to go all caveman about. Well, not until we get home.”
Austin couldn’t stop himself leaning forward for a kiss and pushing his tongue into Liam’s mouth possessively. He responded with a moan, and his tongue tangled with Austin’s.
“Get a room!” snapped Gerard, making them both jump.
Austin couldn’t help but smile, especially at the blush on Liam’s face. Tony was watching them with a shit-eating grin.
“What?” asked Austin.
“Thanks for the show. It’s a shame Gerard had to be a party pooper. I was looking forward to seeing how far you took it. It was better than porn. Well, it could have been if you’d kept going. I was waiting for you to throw Liam over your shoulder and take him back to your cave.”
Austin snorted. He wasn’t wrong. Austin had never been a possessive guy. He loved fiercely, but he trusted as well. It had sometimes been to his detriment in the relationships he’d had before he met Ellie, but there was something different about Liam.
“Are you sure he’s a total top?” asked Tony.
“Are we still on this?” Austin grumbled.
“Said there was no need to flip with the equipment he had.”
“What the fuck!” snapped Austin.
Liam cracked up laughing, with Tony joining him. He glared at them both.
“Relax, we never talked like that. The top thing only came up because we were trying to guess what someone else in the gym was. He said he can spot another top from a hundred paces.”
Austin snorted. He had no idea what that meant.
“I have a question for Tony.”
“Ask me anything, Liam. And I mean anything.”
“Please don’t ask him anything, Liam. Not unless you want to hire a therapist.”
Liam chuckled. “How does it work when you’re both tops? Do you play rock, paper, scissors or something?”
Tony laughed. “There’s plenty you can do without clapping cheeks.”
“Huh, I suppose. I guess being vers has always meant fucking was on the table.”
Austin growled again. What the fuck was wrong with him? Liam was smiling at him affectionately, thankfully.
“I guess you don’t have relationships, so that wouldn’t really matter,” said Liam.
“What have you been telling him about me, Austin?” asked Tony, with a smile.
“That you’re a slut!”
They all laughed.
“And before you ask,” said Liam quietly to Austin. “I didn’t ask you the two tops question because I would have got all growly as well.”
Austin smiled, giving Liam a quick kiss.
He felt better about his primal need to growl at any other man who dared come near Liam.
It was something he’d need to get over. His man was hot as fuck, and people were going to hit on him.
At least it would only be Austin who’d have his arms wrapped around him at night, though.
“I’m sorry,” he said in his ear, not wanting Tony to hear them. “I didn’t mean to get like that. You know I trust you, don’t you?”
“Of course,” he replied with a smile. “I love it when you get all growly anyway. It usually means you’ll take your time with me later.”
Liam gave him a brief kiss, making Austin’s dick plump immediately. The downside of having a big dick was that it could be uncomfortable if he got hard sitting down in jeans. Not something he would ever say out loud. He wouldn’t put it past Tony to pull out a violin and serenade him.
“I bet I could get him to flip for me,” said Tony.
“Or maybe don’t fuck the only personal trainer in the village, Tony. It’s not like you don’t have plenty of options in London.”
“They don’t look like that in London, or if they do, I’ve already had them.”
Austin shook his head. “If we get banned from the gym because of something you do, then I’ll tell Giselle what you did with her niece.”
Tony’s jaw dropped. “What the fuck, Austin! Don’t tell anyone about that, even your man here. I’m not the only one with secrets, you know.”
“I’ve told Liam everything about my past.”
“Do you want to test that theory?”
Based on the look his friend was giving him right now, the answer was obvious – no! He had no intention of testing that theory. Liam was watching them with amusement on his face.
“What?”
“Nothing. You just remind me of Milo and me when we shit-talk each other.”
Austin chuckled. He needed to make time to meet Milo properly. He hadn’t been the friendliest on their one encounter in Sylvie’s Slice, but then he’d wrongly assumed something more was going on between them. Thankfully, he hadn’t said anything out loud, although Milo had clearly clocked him.
“Austin, please, don’t make me beg,” said Liam, as Austin buried his face between his arse cheeks.
They’d won trivia night for the first time, and it was all thanks to Liam.
He’d been instructed, in no uncertain terms, that if he ever came to trivia night without Liam again, he’d be banished from the group.
Well, that had been Tony being overdramatic, but Austin had to reward his man with some good loving.
He snorted at the term he’d used in his head.
“Good to know your mind is focused on the job,” snarked Liam.
Austin slapped him hard on the right cheek, and Liam gasped, followed by a groan. Austin moved up Liam’s body, kissing his neck, and pressing his hard cock against his crease.
“That’s interesting. You never said you were into spanking,” said Austin.
“We can explore that later. Just get your dick in me, or I’ll finish myself off.”
“You know I like to take my time.”
Liam snorted. “You’ve been rimming and fingering me for an hour. I think I’m prepped.”
Austin looked at the clock on the bedside table.
It had been an hour. He’d always been told he had an oral fetish; he guessed that proved it.
He grabbed the lube and slicked up his cock.
One thing they’d ticked off the list from Liam’s adorable drunken text messages was to get tested.
The only downside was that it was a lot harder to last once he sank inside Liam with no barrier between them.
“How do you want it?” asked Austin, licking Liam’s ear and causing his body to shudder. Fuck, this man was so beautiful with how responsive he was.
“Like this, but pull my cheeks apart with your hands.”