Stop.I reached for Beau’s preferred IPA and popped the cap. I offered the beer to Beau as he walked into the room and handed over Lon’s vodka with a splash of soda as he tapped on a frame.
“Where’s that?” Lon asked Beau.
Beau leaned in for a closer inspection. “Curacao. Great island. I could live there easily.”
“A tad too humid for me,” I added about the only climb I’d ever been on with Beau before sipping my drink. “The next one’s Pike’s Peak. It was his first 14er climb,” I added, pride again in my guy easily surfacing in my tone.
“Fascinating,” Lon replied. “Meaning fourteen thousand feet in elevation, correct?”
“Exactly,” Beau answered, tilting back the long-neck bottle for a nice-size swig. It was then that I truly noticed him for the first time since entering the room. I had commissioned the suit for Beau after seeing how the fabric matched the amber of his eyes. His sun-kissed skin stood out brilliantly. It didn’t matter how many years passed, I still thought Beau was simply stunning.
“And here,” Lon said, redirecting my wayward attention by pointing at a picture to the right of the previous one.
“Mount. Rainer. That was my first time going solo,” Beau explained.
“The volcano?” Lon asked, surprised.
Beau nodded in confirmation.
“How do you manage such heights?” Lon asked, studying the photo. Before he could respond, he turned to me. “Are you snapping these pictures?”
Beau chuckled at what he thought was a joke. “He’s always working these days. He’d never take a day off, let alone a full week.”
“That’s untrue,” I replied, grinning, shaking my head at the absurdity. Except it was the truth. “I get two weeks off for the holidays.”
“And you spend that time catching up.” My guy’s sweet smile shone brightly at me, pulling me solidly back under his spell. I’d make sure we had sexy time tonight. “Let’s head out.”
“You have a fascinating life,” Lon said, clasping my shoulder, leading the way out first.
15: The Sheets
Beau
The buzz of fluorescent lights followed us through the parking garage then to the elevator. I stifled a yawn, grateful tomorrow was Sunday, and I could sleep in. Dash’s meetings over drinks and dinner tended to last well into the night, which would be fine, but I typically had to rise early for work the next morning. That lack of sleep made the following day feel so much longer.
The elevator doors parted at the press of the call button. As we ascended, Dash extended his hand toward mine. I grasped it, interlocking our fingers. The weight and grip brought back memories of a time when we’d held hands everywhere we went.
As if Dash read my mind, he said, “Not too long ago, I couldn’t have made it five seconds without touching you.”
“We used to spend more time together than apart.” I leaned my ass against the railing in the back of the car. Moments later, the doors spread open.
“I never imagined I’d work this hard,” Dash murmured, holding my hand as we exited the elevator and started down the hall toward our home.
“Me either,” I replied with a sincere chuckle. Dash left the house after me, but always by seven in the morning, and most nights he didn’t return home until after I had gone to bed. The weekend used to be our time together, but those days were only a good memory. Dash now worked seven days a week. I missed our lives together. Tightening my hand holding his, I forced myself out of my head before my thoughts turned darker.
“You’re being quiet,” Dash said while entering the code to unlock the front door.
When I didn’t respond quickly enough, he cast a questioning glance over his shoulder. My gaze was instantly drawn to him, and it was still overwhelming for me. He had always been a handsome guy, but with age and a well-tailored suit, Dash looked genuinely GQ-ready.
“I tend to be the quiet one,” I reminded him.
“Not usually with me.” He fixed his gaze on me, using his butt to hold open the door to allow me to get ahead of him. Once inside, he tossed his key fob on the entry table. A habit he’d had since we moved here. He tightened his grip around my hand. “You’ve been preoccupied all evening.”
“I understand that you find a way to make it work a certain way, but it bugs me to have Carter mentioned so much around me. I don’t like him. I feel like my mom made a bad decision in marrying him,” I said, releasing Dash’s hand to shrug off my suit coat. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wear a tie today. They were so annoying and dumb to wear.
The quiet in the house always made it feel cold. The game that I left out in the living room was picked up, no sign that it was ever there. Apparently we had housekeepers that I never saw, but miraculously kept the house uber clean.
As I trudged up the stairs for the bedroom, an instrumental piece started to play throughout the house. Sometimes, I turned on Dash’s playlist because it always reminded me of him. Once I realized he hadn’t followed me up, I searched him out. I found him still on the first floor, moving toward the staircase at a snail’s pace as he removed his clothes. My steps up became slower as I watched his suit coat be draped over his arm. His knotted tie hung loose as he worked his cufflinks free. I don’t know why I found that such a sexy move, but I did. My cock plumped, growing firm on my final step up.
