“No!” Even to Adrian, the firmness of his voice startled him. “Sorry, I mean, I want you in bed with me. It’s just been a long time. But I would really like it if you slept next to me. If you would. Please.”
And just like that, the smile that blossomed on Lenny’s face made the small gesture worthwhile. Before Lenny turned away, Adrian spied him giving his naked body another appreciative once-over.
“Good. In which case I’m going back to snag the dry side of the bed.”
Adrian laughed aloud as Lenny turned and left, purposely showing off his firm backside as he went.
Yes, he told himself,I can do this. Lenny may be sex on legs, but he’s also different. He would never trample my heart into the ground.
He hoped he was right.
Chapter Thirteen
New Day
Leonard emerged slowly from sleep on Saturday morning, his eyes gradually becoming accustomed to the light of a strange room, dust particles dancing in the ray of sunlight from the crack in the curtains. After a deep breath, he looked around and realised he was alone.
Or maybe not.
Wafts of bacon cooking seeped through the house, igniting his sense of smell and making his stomach rumble. When he shifted onto his side, his body ached in the intimate places he vaguely remembered from his past, sweet aches and a reminder of their coupling the night before. Another session had begun not long after Adrian had finally joined him, pressed up against his back and neither of them able or willing to staunch the resurgence of desire. Did he dream it, or had they fallen out of bed at one point, caught up in wild lovemaking and crashing loudly to the bedroom floor? Even still sleep-befuddled, he wondered how Adrian had known which of his buttons to push. Because the night before had been the stuff of Leonard’s most erotic fantasies. Only one small missing piece had him baffled, which was hardly noteworthy, but Leonard enjoyed kissing. All he had managed to get from Adrian last night had been an almost chaste peck on the lips. Lots of red welts from bite marks along his neck and upper chest, but no kissing. Still, after such a long dry spell, Leonard wasn’t t about to complain.
Pulling himself to the side of the bed, he swung his feet down and stood up naked. While stretching his body with a couple of fluid Qigong movements, he wondered if the morning might prove awkward. He hoped not, because his body felt an inner calm and warmth, despite the chill air in the bedroom.
Heading to his bedroom, he pulled on underwear, track bottoms and a sweatshirt before slipping his feet into trainers and strapping on his watch. With a snort, he noted the time. Eighty-twenty. He rarely slept past seven even at the weekend.
As he rounded the bottom of the stairs, heading first into the main living area, he witnessed first-hand the mess from something that had collapsed during the night, where the panelling had given way. Before heading to the kitchen, he went over for a closer inspection. Grey dust and rubble covered the back and sides of something that seemed to be a solid piece of furniture made of dense wood.
Adrian’s voice came from the kitchen doorway.
“I think it’s some kind of wardrobe.”
“So that was the crash I thought I’d dreamed in the middle of the night,” said Leonard, turning to grin and wink at Adrian. “And here’s me thinking it was you rocking my world.”
Adrian snorted, but his grin morphed into a pleased smile, and Leonard hoped his levity had dissolved any awkwardness between them. Leonard’s only regret was that Adrian had already dressed in his overalls and black T-shirt, ready for the day’s work. In the bright light of day, he had hoped to see more of the man’s flesh.
“I’m making a spot of breakfast—eggs, bacon and fried tomatoes. Very basic and no toast, I’m afraid. Just bread and butter. No idea if this gas thing has a grill for making toast, and even if it did, I wouldn’t want to chance blowing the place up. Hope that’s okay? After we’ve eaten and washed up, maybe we can try to haul that huge monster back onto its feet. Give it a thorough clean up and then have a look at what you’ve got there.”
“Sounds like a plan.” When Leonard stepped away and headed for the kitchen, Adrian backed up and went to the gas stove. “Anything I can help with?”
“The kettle’s boiled. Can you make tea and coffee?”
“I’m on it.”
Leonard moved carefully around Adrian, not wanting to take anything for granted. But as he stood at the large sink, rinsing out two mugs, he sensed Adrian stop behind him. Stepping forwards, Adrian pushed his body up close, wrapped his arms around Leonard’s stomach and rubbed his nose on the back of Leonard’s neck—like an Eskimo kiss—before moving back to the stove. Leonard let out a breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding in.
They sat either side of the foldable table, eating quietly, in companion silence. Now and again Adrian caught his eye and grinned, but otherwise maintained a calm expression throughout the meal, with no sign of awkwardness. Leonard wanted to talk about the night before, but before he could, Adrian had already started talking business.
“Now we’ve managed to rip out the kitchen cupboards, we’ll need to start the structural changes. I’m thinking maybe I stop down here this week and get a building pal of mine to join me, knock out this wall. I’ve taken a few photos on my phone and fired them over. My pal, Toni, is not only a brilliant builder but a qualified electrician. That way you can get the wiring checked out, and then you’ll know what needs to be done to bring everything up to code. At the same time, we can open up the kitchen for you. Have everything ready for when you come down next weekend.”
“Have you checked whether this electrician friend is even free next week?” asked Leonard, hoping he didn’t give away the frisson of jealousy he felt when Adrian mentioned the guy’s name.
“I’ll need to find out. But it shouldn’t be a problem. There’s not a lot of building work going on around Norwich right now. But you really want to get all the wiring work planned to coincide with the design of a new kitchen, with the fixtures and fittings, and the new bathroom. Especially before you start decorating. It’ll probably take a couple of weeks to rewire the whole house. Need to make sure everything’s in the right place, too. Things like light switches, plug sockets, fuse box. Don’t leave that kind of thing to the last minute.”
“And would you both stay here in the house?”
Adrian eyed Leonard quizzically, a slight deepening of the groove between his brows.
“Makes the most sense, don’t you think? But not if you don’t want us to.”
