Chapter 11
Dakota
A few days into December, with the snow almost entirely melted, I checked my mail and found a holly green flyer tucked into the flag of my mailbox announcing the Pinehaven neighborhood cookie exchange.
The minute Colin pulled into the driveway, finally home from what I assumed was a long day of grant writing, I walked next door to ask him for more info.
I had barely knocked when he swung the door open, a wide smile on his face. “Just couldn’t stand being away from me?”
I laughed and waggled my eyebrows. “You know it. But that’s not why I’m here. I actually wanted to ask you about this.” I held up the green paper as I stepped inside his house and closed the door behind me. “This flyer says something about a cookie exchange?”
He chuckled and nodded. “We do it every year. Pinehaven is a very neighborly neighborhood. And speaking of being neighborly…” He grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me close for a kiss. I sighed softly, relaxing into it, soaking up the warmth that came from being around him.
When we parted, I gave him a little laugh. “I can see. Very neighborly. But tell me more about the cookie exchange?”
Another laugh from Colin. “Mrs. Harris across the cul-de-sac coordinates it. We’ll all go to her house with two dozen cookies, two varieties.
Everyone gets a half dozen of four kinds to take home.
Not everyone gets to try everything, of course—that would be a lot of baking—but you come home with as many cookies as you brought.
You’re not required to go, obviously, but most of the neighbors do. ”
I nodded, a thought brewing. “I’ll have Caroline that week. Would it be okay if I brought her?”
“Of course. It’s always on a Saturday, late morning. We could go to the winter market after.”
“The winter market?”
“It’s just a little craft market downtown. If you want, I mean. No pressure.”
I laughed again. “I know what the winter market is. I’m just surprised you want to go together.
” Colin opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off.
“That would be great. I’d love to go together.
All three of us. It’ll be fun.” The idea of going out in public with Colin was a little intimidating, I had to admit.
The whole town would quickly discover that we were…
whatever we were. Dating? Fuck buddies? Just very friendly neighbors?
Since the night of the snowstorm, just a week had passed, and we had barely had time to say hello, much less discuss the particulars of the situation.
“It’s a deal, then.”
I shifted my weight and rubbed the back of my neck. “Can I ask you something?”
His brow dipped, a frown on his face. “Sure. Of course. Anything.”
“I don’t mean to assume anything, but… I mean, I’m not worried about the neighbors so much. But Lina and her mom. What do I tell them about… us?”
His cheeks reddened almost immediately, his throat flushing pink at the same time. “I don’t know. What do you want to tell them?”
“I want to be upfront, at least with Beth. But Lina will have questions, too. And then there are the nosy neighbors who will definitely make assumptions.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed and looked at his feet for a brief moment. “I really like you, in case that wasn’t obvious.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I like you too.” It felt awkward to say, but there wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in my gut as I said it.
“Is it going to be weird for you if you tell them you’re dating a guy?”
I raised an eyebrow and smiled a little. “Dating?”
Colin lifted one shoulder in a shrug, looking shy. “That’s what I’d like for this to be.”
Taking a shaky breath, I nodded again. “Me too. And no, it won’t be weird.
Beth knows I’m bi. I’ve always been honest with her about that, even before she and I were together.
” I hesitated for a moment. “We’re dating,” I repeated, trying out the idea.
With a big smile, I nodded. “Yeah, I like that.”
“Good,” he said. “So do I.”
“Are we telling people?” Colin asked.
I bit my bottom lip as I debated internally before nodding. “Let me tell Beth first. Then we can tell anyone you want.”
“Deal.”
“So,” I said after a few seconds of silence. “Should I get out of your hair? You probably want to unwind from work.”
He shook his head. “Unwind by sitting here alone?” One of the cats let out a soft meow just then, and I looked around to find it sauntering up to us.
It wound its way around Colin’s legs, rubbing against his pants and purring loudly.
He laughed a little. “Okay, well, Edgar says I wouldn’t be totally alone.
But I can still think of better ways to unwind. ”
I smirked. “Like what?”
He stepped forward, crowding into my space again, and kissed me.
This kiss was different from the first—deep and eager, ravenous, making my cock harden almost immediately.
He shoved a hand into my hair and held me close, free hand easing between us to cup my erection.
Colin took another crowding step forward, backing me up until I was pressed against the front door.
After another delicious minute or two of kissing, he unfastened my jeans and pulled my aching cock out before he sank to his knees, grinning up at me.
“You really like getting on your knees for me, huh?”
“I really, really do,” he murmured before taking me into his mouth.