Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Regge on life being good until it’s better
I stretched my muscles, delightfully sore from the workout of the night before. Sex was an infinitely better way to get the blood flowing than training in the gym.
My sandpaper eyes were tired and hurt—bawling like a babe will do that.
But my heart was lighter. I felt a euphoria I’d never felt before.
Taking only a moment to relive my tearful confession, my embarrassing sobs, I lingered over the comfort and care I’d received from Hunter.
The pleasure at his hands still sparked through me.
I reached back for him. The bed was empty.
I sat up, my hand smoothing the body-warmed sheet where Hunter had held me and loved me regardless of my ugly past, my stupid insecurities.
He’d listened with more patience than I deserved and given back only kindness and acceptance.
He was, indeed, far too good for the likes of me. But I intended to be worthy of him.
I scrambled across the bed, stumbled to the bathroom intending to piss, wash my face, and then search for him. But the glassed-in shower beckoned, and I complied, slathering myself in hot water and citrus body wash.
Dressing quickly, I headed downstairs, hearing Hunter and Marjorie talking quietly in the kitchen.
“I could hardly believe it. That someone like him would want me.” Hunter’s tone tugged at my heart.
“Elliot Bruce. Don’t you dare sell yourself short. You are a fine young man. I raised you, didn’t I? Of course he would want to be with you. I’m glad you finally took my advice and talked to him.”
I grinned. Not wanting to eavesdrop more than I had, I stomped a few heavy steps through the living room and entered the kitchen. “Good morning.” I’d intended to paste on my work smile—professional, courteous but impersonal. As soon as I saw Hunter, I grinned like a fool.
He returned it, blushing slightly. “Morning. Do you want coffee or tea this morning?”
I wanted a kiss but wasn’t sure about getting one with an audience, so I turned to the woman sitting at the tiny table. “Good morning. Thank you for letting me stay last night.”
“Of course.” Marjorie beamed. “You are welcome anytime. Though I’ll be better prepared for your card skills next time. I need to win some money back.”
Hunter stepped forward, handing me a mug, and with only a fraction’s hesitation, he leaned in to give me a kiss. It was chaste, a bare peck, but I blushed to the roots of my hair. He laughed.
“You’re adorable. Come sit down.” He tugged at my shirt, and we sat, knees knocking under the table, arms so close I felt his warmth through his shirtsleeve.
“What’s on your schedule for today, boys?” Marjorie looked across the table at us. It was a perfectly innocent question, but my mind went straight to sex and more sex. I wanted to drag Hunter back upstairs to bed. Stay there all day, making him come, listening to his laugh, his soft murmurs.
“I’m going to show Regge the fine borough of Brooklyn. We’ll hit the high points—Brooklyn Bridge, Prospect Park. Oh, and we’ve got to get lunch at Schreiber’s Deli.”
“Too bad the Mets aren’t playing,” Marjorie mused into her cup. She rose and opened the fridge. “I’ve got some bacon. Regge. Do you eat bacon?”
“Yes, ma’am, I do. But you do not need to cook for me.”
“Oh, I’m not. I’ve got my volunteer day at the center today. But Bruce will. I taught him to be handy in the kitchen.”
“He is a pretty good cook.” I leaned into Hunter’s shoulder.
“Regge is too, actually. He even cooks over campfires.”
“Really? You guys went camping? Never thought I’d see that. Bruce was always more of a board game kid. We tried tennis lessons once.” She smiled at her son. “Remember that? Oh my, that was a debacle.”
“Ma.”
“I don’t think anyone has ever smashed a ball into the line umpire three times in one game.”
“Ma!”
I laughed. Hunter blushed into his coffee mug.
Marjorie’s eyes brightened. “Honest to Pete, It was like he was aiming for the poor man.”
Hunter looked up at his mum. “Don’t you have to get going? You don’t want to be late.”
Turning from the fridge, she gave me a conspiratorial wink. “I think they pulled everyone from the sidelines for fear he’d take an eye out.”
“Ma.” Hunter sighed. “I’ll cook the bacon. Enough tales of my athletic prowess, okay?”
I smirked. “Is that what you call it? Athletic prowess? This sport is the same as Royal Tennis? Like the queen played? Maybe you should teach me.”
“I’ll teach you some games.” Hunter’s tone rumbled in the lower register of his voice.
Marjorie cleared her throat. “I’m going. Boys, you behave yourselves.” She sailed out of the kitchen, her travel mug of coffee in hand. “And turn off the coffeepot.” The front door closed behind her.
Minutes later, the smell of bacon filled the kitchen as Hunter slid two perfect over-medium eggs onto a plate.
I beamed at him. “I will become accustomed to this.”
“My cooking?”
I crumbled a slice of bacon over my eggs. “Yes.” I took a bite, savoring the flavor. I liked the view of Hunter sitting across from me. “’Tis the whole reason I am here. Just your cooking skills.”
“Asshole.”
I gripped the front of Hunter’s faded T-shirt and pulled him closer. “Okay, and your video gaming skills.” I kissed him. “And possibly your driving. Since I don’t have my license, that’s useful.”
“Oh. Glad I’m useful then.”
“And me? What could you get used to about me?”
“You? You are a total ego boost. I mean, look at you.” He sat back and grinned at me. “No one would guess someone like you could be so bad at Fortnite. Or Halo.”
I pretended to pout. “So glad I’m not the only asshole. Because that would be lonely.”
“We can be assholes together.” Hunter kissed me. “Seriously, what did you want to do today? You don’t have to get straight back, do you? I don’t have to be at work until Sunday, so stay. I mean, if you want to.”
“That depends.”
“On?”
“Are you going to drag me to some park or are we going upstairs?” I stopped eating when I realized Hunter hadn’t said anything.
Everything was so bloody tentative. I was trying.
Trying so hard not to close myself off. Not to run.
I put a hand on Hunter’s forearm. “It’s not you I’m afraid of.
It’s me. I really, really don’t want to mess this up. ”
Hunter focused on his plate, scooping more egg onto his fork. He jammed some toast into his mouth and looked up at me. “Eat up,” he said around his mouthful. “You’re going to need it.”
Minutes later, we chased each other up the stairs. We kissed for a long time. Eventually Hunter stretched out on his bed, naked but for sunlight streaming across him. I could not get enough of him. After a thorough exploration, we faced each other to catch our breath.
“You’ve been working out.” My fingers spread across his pectorals, relishing the smooth muscle, brushing by the patch of chest hair at his breastbone.
“No.”
I cocked at eyebrow.
“Okay, yeah. A bit.”
“You look amazing.” I yawned, covering my mouth with a hand. “Sorry, you’ve worn me out, love.”
“Let’s nap.” Hunter nuzzled my neck, grazing my jaw. “I like the scruff. You should keep it.”
“It’s all patchy,” I protested, scratching at the whiskers.
“Don’t argue with me. I know what I’m talking about.”
“I can deny you nothing in this bed.”
“Good. Come here.” Hunter pulled me closer. “We can skip the park and the bridge, but Schreiber’s Deli is a must. We’ll go there after.”
“After what?”
“After sleep and after I make you come again.”
I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
?±?
Schreiber’s was packed full of customers, but Hunter chatted with the guy behind the counter as he served up cold cuts, sandwiches, and potato salad.
I hung back, watching, listening, absorbing the atmosphere.
I’d been to a couple of delicatessens in Philly, but this was New York, and I soaked in the different accents and dialects.
The sandwich maker jerked his chin at me. “New friend, Bruce?”
Hunter looked at me, smiled. “Old friend. New relationship. Oh, and can we get some corned beef too? Mom will disown me if I come home without it.”
“Sure, half pound?”
Nodding, Hunter shifted his hand behind him, his fingers beckoning. I threaded through the crowd to take it.
We moved through the line. I pulled out one of Theo’s hundreds to pay for the sandwiches. Once we were on the street, Hunter slung an arm over my shoulder. I flinched. He pulled back. “What’s wrong?”
“No, sorry. It’s just… it’s stupid really. Even after a year of knowing the freedoms you have, I’m cautious about being affectionate in public. In my time, simple gestures between men could be misrepresented as evil.”
“But you held my hand in the deli.”
I shrugged. “Not before I assessed everyone in there, and even then, it wasn’t overt. It was almost hidden. Did you not notice?”
“I noticed your hand in mine, and that’s what mattered to me.” We walked toward Marjorie’s house. “You assessed everyone in there? Man, you’re watching way too much TV. First the Sopranos and now you’re Jason Bourne?”
“Perhaps you’re right. Too much TV. But I lived and trained with Theo.
He may not look like he’s doing it, but I assure you, every time he walks into an unfamiliar place, he notes the exits, the possible alternate exits, and everyone in the building as a potential threat.
It’s a lesson that has saved both of us a few times and is not easily forgotten.
” I glanced at Hunter’s disbelieving expression.
“You must have seen this from me before? Is it terribly off-putting?”
“Actually, double-oh-seven, I find it really damn sexy.”
I flushed. “Excellent.”
Marjorie arrived home shortly after Hunter had cleaned up the breakfast dishes in the kitchen. After we ate the delicious sandwiches and potato salad, she showed me her tiny backyard, discussing all the plants in her raised-bed garden.
The garden shed needed some repair, and at my suggestion, Hunter and I replaced a few boards and rehung the door that kept sticking.
After a late evening supper, she found the old board games. Of course, it was all new to me. And I could blame my unfamiliarity with Monopoly on being British.
We retired early, claiming exhaustion from our hectic day.
Marjorie’s smile said she knew better as she bid us good night.
Enclosed in the darkness of Hunter’s room, I reveled in his inventiveness when it came to sex.
I really was a novice but an apt student.
He was both aggressive and patient, making me feel safe yet very, very, desired.
Sleeping in his arms was another pleasure.
I decided I liked being what he called the little spoon.
It was still dark when I woke, suddenly alert. No nightmares this time but more a restlessness. I listened to Hunter’s soft snores. Knowing I wouldn’t get back to sleep, I rose and dressed.
Downstairs, I helped myself to an apple and some chips before going outside on the small porch.
The city wasn’t quiet, always a background noise of traffic or music, but the neighborhood was calm.
My thoughts wandered to my previous life, my new life, and how I’d gotten here—on this sweet little porch, with a lover upstairs.
For the first time since arriving in this world, I felt like I truly belonged.
Theo had done this for me, making sure I had a place to stay, answering questions about banks or workplaces or general modern-day life. But Theo was also in a brand-new relationship and much of his attention was drawn to Isabelle. Rightly so. I was a full-grown man. I could adapt well enough.
A crow’s cry overhead made me look up. Wings flapped against the night as Archie landed on the fence ten feet away. The second caw rebuked me like a schoolchild.
“I’m sorry. Theo put me on a train. What do you want me to do? Stick you in a carrier like some pet?”
Stay. Archie’s command hollowed through me. Feed Archie.
“Okay. I’ll see what Marjorie has in her kitchen.” I stood up. “But there will be times when I have to travel. Like this time. I had to see him. I had to come. He’s my… my person. You understand?”
Sap. Archie hopped around before repeating the word. I rolled my eyes. He flew toward me, shifting into the ginger cat and landing light on his feet.
I opened the door and let him in. Finding a tin of tuna in Marjorie’s pantry, I fed my loyal, sassy friend.