Chapter 16
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
Kendall
I came awake panting. Something was wrong. I was late. I was needed!
Then my entire body throbbed and seized up. Okay, it was just my hip that I’d wrenched the night before, but I was sore from head to toe.
I was way too old to be working on the Fourth of July anymore.
The grumpy tennis lady, the fuckwads and their fruit bombs, and then the poor little girl vs. the grill. It had been an awful night even before the grass fire.
Luckily, Lalo could tell I was worried by the way I blew past the line and tried taking on the whole grass fire by myself.
When he’d offered to go check my house, I thought of all the things I hadn’t prepared for.
Alberto knew what to do with most of the creatures, but we hadn’t come up with a way to evac the giants.
I’d taken too long to get something to lift them with and now it was too late.
Late…
I sat up and gasped. I was late feeding the crew! The dim light coming under the drapes told me it wasn’t that late, but I needed to get out there. I needed to see Francis—
“Francis?”
He’d been here—his side of the bed was mussed—but where was he now? Had he gone back to his place after I fell asleep?
Through the open bathroom door, I saw his clothes still hanging over the shower rod, so wherever he was… he was unclothed?
I groaned through the movements necessary to visit the bathroom, pull on a pair of boxers, and then see if he was in the kitchen, but nothing.
He was nowhere. The clock on the microwave said six-forty.
He had a house filled with people. Had he just streaked across the yard, hoping they were all asleep at this time?
Then I heard a voice.
I turned to look out the back door and saw movement. Who was outside? Alberto had said he needed to leave early, but had he stayed? If so, I was going to seriously owe him.
I went to slide on my muck boots, but they were gone. What the—
“You have excellent manners. Look at you, letting the ladies go first. Say less. Love a gentleman. Oh, wow, you really went to town on that cactus. Go on, girl, don’t have a care about your mess. You’re going to tease him now, huh? After he shared his food with you?”
I opened the door to the most laughably adorable sight I’d ever seen.
Francis stood in the giants’ yard in his tiny white trunks that left the bottom curves of his glutes uncovered, my muck boots that were huge on him, and nothing else.
He was bent over feeding the tortoises and patting their shells as he carried on his affirmations.
He was so into his narration that he didn’t see me open the door wide and lean against the jamb.
I must have watched him for ten minutes without him even noticing me.
“Is that enough nutrients for you? Maybe I should have grabbed some of the carrots, too—Oh! Good morning, darling.”
He gave me the biggest grin and then attempted to walk with attitude toward me in those ridiculous boots. Miraculously, he didn’t trip.
“I already took care of the party animals in the barn. Elizabeth Taylor was feisty, but we came to an agreement, and she let Richard have his share of those squiggly worm thingies. And I am obsessed with watching the chameleons eat. The way they walk! Like, how do they not tip over, they’re so clumsy, but they always manage to catch themselves at the last minute.
So, yeah, and I fed the radiation guys and was just finishing up with The Cowboy and his pardners. ”
He did a little curtsy, and that was it.
A sob escaped—and I pulled him into a tight hug.
“Kendall! What—”
“You are the most incredible man I’ve ever met.”
“Ah! You gotta let me wash my hands first. Wait, wait, I want to hug you back!”
But I couldn’t let him go, couldn’t stop the damn tears falling.
I’d managed to hold it in last night and get through the hellish possibility that I could lose every one of my creatures.
Now I was watching this man who, a month ago, could barely contemplate being neighbors with dinosaurs, yet was out here in his underwear, talking to them like they were his treasured friends.
“Kendall, don’t cry! Everything’s okay, I got you. I wanted you to sleep this morning, so I had Alberto show me what to do. I wanted to take care of you.”
“God, baby, you amaze me. Thank you for being here. Of all the mornings, I needed you today.”
“You need me, I’m here. Just like you were there for me. We do for each other. We’re here for each other.”
I took his face in my hands and pressed a shaky kiss on his lips.
I’d been doing everything on my own for so long.
Not just since I’d gotten my reptilian friends.
Not just since I’d moved to California, but for years before that.
I never asked for anything from my wife because she cared for the kids.
They needed to be her focus. Even when I came home wounded from deployments, I never asked for a thing.
I thought it was the only way to make up for being gone so often.
To not be a burden on her when I was there.
So for this man to come into my life when I was so tired, and he was in such a time of transition of his own… for him to put everything aside and feed my creatures and take care of me…
“You better be careful, Francis Liang. You keep being perfect like this, and I’m never going to let you go.”
He rubbed his nose against mine and gave me that saucy smile. “I’m an acquired taste, I know, but once you’ve had me, there’s no going back.”
I barked out a laugh and made a gesture to the tortoises. “And he knows it.”
“That’s right. We’re neighbors, we’re boyfriends, we’re pardners in crime...” He said the last with a drawl. “We’re in this together.”
I searched his eyes. “I meant what I said. I love you, Francis.”
He beamed. “I hoped you did. I love you, Kendall mine. So much. Now, let me wash my hands and fix you something to eat. I gotta run next door and check on everything, but I’m coming right back to feed you lunch, and then I want to tuck you in for a nap.”
“Aw, baby, that’s sweet, but I’ve gotta get Shay’s room ready. She’s flying in tomorrow.”
His eyes lit up. “Oh, can I help? I can’t wait to meet her.”
I let out a long breath, and he frowned.
“What?”
“I just don’t want things to go south. I love my daughter fiercely, but she’s kind of unpredictable. I would hate for her say something to chase you away.”
“Oh, you don’t think Saucy Boyfriend can handle a little bananapantsery? She won’t scare me away. And I dare her to not like me. I’ll turn on the charm so stealthily she won’t know what hit her, and before you know it, we’ll be besties.”
“I hope you’re right,” I said, as I held the door open for him. I’d had a taste of such a great life this weekend. I didn’t want it to be over.
Francis made me scrambled eggs and sausage, frowning at the lean contents of my fridge.
“I eat a lot at work, so I don’t buy too much for home. I hate to waste.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Hmph. Oh well, just means I get to feed you more.”
“Baby, you don’t have to—”
“But you know I love to. And if I’ve got an event, I’m going to have extra anyway.”
“I feel bad that I’m keeping you from your retreat,” I said, drinking the tea he’d made.
It was good. I forgot how much I actually liked tea.
I had a feeling he’d given me tea rather than coffee in hopes that I would get some more sleep today.
He’d really listened when I’d said that on my first day off, I tried to rest.
“I’ll head over in a bit, it’s fine,” he said, sitting down in the chair next to mine at the small table.
He rested his bare foot on the rung underneath the seat.
“Mom and Auntie Judy already said they’d handle breakfast, which is just putting out goodies.
This group only paid to have lunches and dinners prepared, and breakfast is on their own.
I guess some of them like to get up at the crack of dawn, and others sleep in, probably like the ones from last night.
They finally took some cans of cider and headed to the guest wing around eleven.
I hadn’t thought about having folks in my house, staying up at all hours.
I need to think about how to handle that for future retreats.
You should have heard some of their wild ideas!
A couple of them even write gay romance novels. Can you believe it?”
I waggled my eyebrows at him. “Little do they know there’s a gay romance going on right under their noses.” I leaned toward him and rested a hand on his thigh.
He moaned with a happy smile as he leaned in and kissed me. “So, I have to ask…”
I stopped with a forkful of eggs halfway to my mouth.
“No, please eat. I wondered if the decor in this house was your grandmother’s doing?”
I smiled. “Yeah. I know, it’s a little dated, but it makes me think of her from a time when she wasn’t sick.”
“Did you spend much time out here?”
“Actually, yeah. Summers when I was a kid. I fished in the lake with Grandpa and helped him take care of the animals. I learned to sew with Grandma. I loved it, loved them. It helped that I was the only grandkid and they spoiled me with attention.”
“Oh, so we’re both only children? That’s wild.”
“You had your cousins, though, yeah? You were close?”
“Oh yeah. We were best friends. Our Lau grandparents are really fun, too. We spent a lot of time with them as kids because they lived with Auntie Judy and Uncle Gordon. When we started college, they sold the restaurant to Auntie Judy and Uncle Gordon, and they took off to Palm Springs. They’re living it up down there. ”
“I almost moved here when I was a teenager and my parents got divorced. I hated the back and forth, and they did not hide their dislike for each other. They each fell short of blatantly talking shit about the other, but yeah. I was ready to move here, Grandma invited me, but then I discovered girls…”
“Ah. The downfall of many men. Or so I hear.”
“I hate being a cliché,” I said, flinging my nonexistent hair back. “Anyway, I’ll update the place eventually, but it felt homey when I got here. I helped Grandma make the quilts and drapes in the bedroom when I was like ten, I think. I forgot you hadn’t been over yet.”
“After Alberto and I were done, and your captain came to tell us you’d be back, I just thought I’d wait for you. I hope I didn’t overstep,” he whispered, gazing at me with dark eyes that held a bit of uncertainty.
“Why would you think that? I loved that you were here. Wish it wouldn’t have been under those circumstances though.”
“When I saw the fire, I sprang into action like I knew what I was doing or something.” He laughed and covered his mouth. “My mom was like ‘what are you going to do?’ It’s a good thing I didn’t ask my own self that question.”
I took his hands in mine. “It means so much to me that you wanted to help. I would hope, however, that if the fire was any closer, you would have evacuated your family and your guests. Have you had a fire inspection over there?”
He blinked. “I… no? The sprinkler people came and tested the systems in the sheds. The alarm company checked the systems… Oh my goshness. Am I in trouble?”
“No, but do you have an evacuation plan? I can help you. It’s crucial that you have one. Last night was a perfect example of why.”
“I will. I promise. Is the fire marshal going to come and get me?”
“I can’t tell if you’re serious or not.”
“I’m totally serious. I didn’t mean to break any laws!”
I yanked his chair closer with my foot, and he yelped. “I think we can work something out,” I said, pulling him over to straddle my lap. “I’m sure you can make it up to me.”
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed me, his tongue dipping in and tangling with mine in a slow dance. Soon he was grinding against me, I had my hands full of his ass, and I was fully awake. I wasn’t even feeling the aches and pains from the night before.
“I think I should tuck you in for that nap, now,” he said, climbing off my lap and pulling me up by the hand. “You really need your rest.”
I had my hands in his trunks by the time we got to the bedroom door.
“I need it. The rest. Of your clothes off.”
Francis faked like he was annoyed. “Fine,” he groaned, stepping out of his trunks. “I guess I’ll let you have your wicked way with me, Fire Boy. Are you going to be this randy after every shift?”
“I’m this randy anytime I see you, speak to you, touch you. I crave you all the time, baby.”
I pushed him gently onto his stomach and lust whacked me upside the head as he crawled across the bed, looking at me over his shoulder, his ass on display, and that delectable curve to his spine.
“So, you’re saying I light your fire?”
I rested my hands on my hips and looked up at the ceiling. “I should have expected that.”
“Mm-hm. You should always expect it if we’re going to be burning up the sheets.”
“Oh, God. Look,” I said, straddling his thighs and grabbing his hips. “You’re not going to douse my flames with your bad jokes, but if you keep it up, I’ll have no choice but to…”
“Fuck! Kendall!”
It was a gamble, but I figured if I put my tongue to work on him, I could distract him from his terrible fire jokes.
I loved them, I loved everything that came out of his mouth, but I knew we didn’t have all day, and I’d rather have him squirming underneath me, begging for more, than more of his witty retorts.
It didn’t take long till I got what I wanted.