Page 144 of The New Place

Abbot smiles when Ned climbs over him, kissing the warm expanse of his shoulders, letting his weight trap Abbot against the mattress.

No, Ned probably can’t either, his body’s response dulled by this point, but…

But. He tries to focus right here, burying his face in Abbot’s neck to chase after the sweet smell of sex and sweat, drawing a hand down his side, ribs, hips, the top of his thigh and back up again. But Ned’s going to drive south tonight, and then life will resume, with their intermittent schedule of seeing each other. Snow drifts down outside. Spring feels far away, and summer even longer from now. They’ll be working together. It’s temporary, having to say goodbye. Finite too, the number of times left that they’ll part after a weekend. Hell, Ned will be able to walk down the hall to Abbot’s office. Head home with him after work, if he doesn’t have Peggy. Just be together like he’s wanted to for so long.

Which he gets now, and he kisses behind Abbot’s ear and strokes his side again. Yes, there’s that spark of heat low in his stomach, muted from the weekend they’ve had, but there. “Yeah?” Ned asks, rocking his hips against the swell of Abbot’s ass.

Downstairs, Baxter barks.

Ned ignores him like he’s ignored his phone, shifting his weight onto his knees, easing up from half crushing Abbot. The lube is somewhere in the bed. He fishes for it beneath a pillow that’s knocked askew, and then under the mess of blankets.

Whatever. He’ll find it later. He crawls down Abbot’s back, sucking kisses down his spine, filling his hands with Abbot’s perfect, perfect ass. He kneels between Abbot’s legs, lifting and spreading his ass cheeks, bending down to⁠—

Baxter barks again, stringing sounds together in a row that makes Ned glance at the bedroom door. That’s his Someone’s here bark, not the Come pay attention to me I’m bored one.

“Is that…” Abbot pushes up to his elbows.

“Ned!” a voice shouts, and Ned hears pounding on the front door.

It’s Pat. Ned stands and braces a hand on the windowsill, the air cold around the panes of glass as he leans against them to see. That’s Pat’s mop of red hair standing at Abbot’s door, his phone in one hand, the other hammering a string of knocks.

Ned has four missed calls, he sees when he picks up his phone, and a series of texts in increasing urgency. Answer your fucking phone, the latest one reads, and Ned taps his screen to call Pat back.

“Finally,” Pat says in greeting, a story below him raising his phone to his ear.

“Is everything okay?”

“No, everything is not fucking okay,” Pat says and Ned watches as he knocks on the door again, the sound reverberating through the house, answered by Baxter’s barks. “Are you here?”

“Yeah. Is it Peggy?”

“What? No, it’s not her, it’s—Ned, I need to talk to you.”

Ned glances at Abbot sitting on the edge of the bed, his glasses back on. “Pat, we’re kind of⁠—”

“I know, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I really, really need to talk to you. I’ll owe you one, but please.”

“Um,” Ned says.

Abbot stands and starts straightening up the bed.

That’s enough of an answer. “Alright, but can you let yourself in? I kinda gotta shower. If you come around back, the door by the kitchen is open.”

“I’ll be downstairs. And Ned?”

“Yeah?”

“Nice.”

Ned rolls his eyes and hangs up. “Sorry, Pat’s having some sort of crisis.”

“Apparently.”

“He owes you one.”

“As long as you’re making good on it, and not him,” Abbot says.

Ned gives him a smile as he hurries to the bathroom.