AIDEN had had the best day. The babies were loving each other’s company, and Linds had been in a stellar mood. They’d each checked emails, played some video games, and watched TV like lazy bums.
He was loving it.
Dev was great company. They were into similar things, both had kids, not to mention Dev was pretty easy on the eyes.
In fact, he wanted kisses. Dev’s kisses. Just one to try. What was more, he thought that maybe Dev wanted one of his kisses too.
Dev smiled at him as they bathed the babies in the tub with Linds, both of them as wet as the kids.
Yeah. He definitely wanted kisses.
He hadn’t really had a lover since the kids, and he wasn’t sure how to seduce Dev, but he’d managed before, hadn’t he?
U began squawking, getting Dev’s full attention once more. He supposed seduction would be best suited as a post-kiddie-bedtime activity. Still, they were almost there. Linds would need a story and the babies their bottles, but then they could be adults for the rest of the evening.
U had taken to the sling like a duck to water, the little boy loving the constant motion, the connection. It had put a smile on Dev’s face too, that amazed, happy look reappearing every time Dev looked down at his little boy.
If nothing else, between the white noise machine and the sling, maybe he’d helped Dev get some sleep.
Aiden got his girls to bed while Dev put U down in the guest bedroom. He was still reading to Linds when Dev poked his head around her door. Dev nodded his head toward Linds, and he looked, discovering that she was already asleep.
Well, then. Cool. He levered himself out of the bed and turned her bedside lamp off.
“You sure you don’t mind us staying another night?” Dev asked.
“I’m totally good with it. Seriously. I’m loving the company, the conversation.”
Dev’s smile was warm, and it reached his eyes. “Me too. You’re fantastic.”
“Flattery, flattery.” Still, he liked to hear it, didn’t he?
Dev shook his head. “It wasn’t flattery, it was the God’s honest truth.”
“Thank you. Do you want to come downstairs?” Kiss me?
“Yeah. Can we grab a couple of Cokes and some chips or something in case we get munchy? I feel a full-on adult evening coming on.”
“Sounds great. I like the thought of being an adult.” In more ways than one.
“Yeah, me too.” Dev made a beeline for his pantry as soon as they were in the kitchen, crowing when he found a giant bag of Cheetos. “Better bring a couple of wet wipes with us—these are the messiest snack on earth.” Then Dev grabbed a big bag of Skittles from the top shelf, clearly having discovered the high shelves where Aiden kept all his gamer snacks.
The last thing he needed was Linds downing two pounds of candy right before bedtime. He would eventually have to find a better hiding spot, when she discovered how to climb or build a makeshift stepladder out of a chair and some judicious application of toys.
His girl was smarter than the average bear, that was for sure.
He followed Dev’s ass down the stairs, perhaps a little fixated on it, and the last step came as a surprise, nearly making him go head over heels, tripping on absolutely nothing. Happily, Dev was ahead of him, and he managed to recover without anyone but himself witnessing it.
Christ. He was acting like a thirteen-year-old with his first crush.
Of course, it felt like it had been that long since he’d last been kissed, let alone anything else. It was time to rectify that.
Dev set his goodies on the coffee table and turned to give Aiden a wicked smile, eyes all lit up from within.
“Hey.” Want to kiss me?
Dev didn’t sit, instead he kept grinning, staring at Aiden. “Hey.”
Was it his imagination, or when Dev said “hey” did it actually mean “jump my bones now please?”
“Are you going to be offended if I kiss you, man?”
“Now that you’ve opened that can of worms, I might be offended if you don’t.” Dev took a step toward him, gaze now on Aiden’s lips.
“No worms. Worms aren’t sexy.” He met Dev halfway.
Dev was laughing as their lips met and slid together. The sound faded away as Dev’s eyes closed, the kiss pressing their lips harder together now. The buss was quick, light, and left him wanting another. Dev pulled back, eyes slowly opening, a smile turning his lips up at the corners and making his eyes bright. “Would you be offended if I kissed you this time?”
“I’ll let you know.” He had to laugh. Had to. This was fun.
Grinning, Dev pressed their lips together, tongue touching Aiden’s upper lip lightly.
Oh, that was nice. He wrapped one hand around Dev’s hip and tugged him close. Dev was warm and felt solid, right there. A soft hum vibrated against his lips, and Dev touched the side of his face, cupped his cheek.
God, it had been a while and he missed it.
Dev’s touch was gentle, almost tender, the kisses staying soft but easy rather than tentative. They explored each other like they had all the time on earth, and it felt damn good.
Stroking Aiden’s cheek, Dev tilted Aiden’s head slightly and licked at his lips again. It felt like a quiet knock, a request for more. Aiden was up for more, so he opened up, enough for Dev to know he wanted.
Dev slipped his tongue past Aiden’s lips and into his mouth. Hot, slick, it moved slowly, touching his teeth, his tongue, and the roof of his mouth for one brief moment that tickled and sent a shiver through him before it withdrew.
“Oh damn. That’s….” Aiden grinned. “You made my knees weak.”
“You can’t fall, I probably won’t be able to catch you. Maybe we should sit and, uh, explore being adults a little more.”
Looked like Aiden wasn’t the only one with weak knees.
“I think this is a grand idea, Dev.” He drew them both to the sofa, down onto the cushions.
Dev slid an arm around him and tugged him close before spending a long moment gazing at him. Aiden felt his cheeks heat, but he didn’t make a move to stop it.
“Sorry. I… well, I want to enjoy the moment. Take it all in and remember it.”
“There’s no reason to hurry. We’re both adults.”
“Does that mean we have a patience button built in now?” Dev’s eyes twinkled. The words could have been mocking, but Aiden could clearly see that they weren’t meant that way at all.
“Totally. Comes with the eyes in the back of the head and the bat-like hearing.”
Dev felt around the back of his own head. “My back-of-the-head eyes haven’t come in yet.” Then Dev felt up the back of Aiden’s head. It shouldn’t have been so sexy, but it was.
Aiden’s eyes crossed, and he let his head fall back into Dev’s touch, let himself feel the caresses. Dev took his cue and kept touching, fingers moving from feeling to digging in slightly, turning it into a massage.
“Damn.” Aiden blinked, trying to focus, to articulate. “Damn, Dev.”
“It’s good?” Dev asked, bringing his other hand up and rubbing Aiden’s shoulders.
“Good is nowhere near a good-enough word, Dev.” Nowhere near.
Dev looked pleased. “If you wanted to really do this, we’d have to move, get you between my legs.” Dev froze for a moment, then started laughing. “God, that sounded so dirty.”
“It did. I’m not sure what’s worse—the dirty or how much I want to do it.”
“Let’s do it—I want to make you feel good.” Dev shifted around, moving to sit against the arm of the couch, his legs spreading to a wide V. “Plenty of room. You might take your top off first—it’s easier to massage straight on skin.”
“Yeah?” He felt daring, like he was some virgin. It was silly but exciting at the same time.
“Uh-huh. Plus then I get to feel you up directly,” Dev admitted with a half grin. “I don’t want you to think that I’m being all altruistic with this massage. I want to be closer to you, and this way I can do that and make you feel good at the same time.”
“I like that about you, Dev, how honest you are.” Aiden tugged off his shirt and sat, pushing back so his butt was in the cradle of Dev’s hips.
“And here I thought it was dorkitude. I like how you see me better.” Dev’s voice had taken on a slightly husky quality, and he shifted slightly.
Aiden couldn’t miss the way Dev’s body was taking an interest in what they were doing, which worked because he was in the same boat.
Dev’s hands landed on his shoulders, and the massage began anew. Or maybe for real, because damn, this was even better than what had been going on before. Now Dev had the traction to dig in and really work Aiden’s muscles.
His head fell forward and he moaned, letting Dev have at. God, he hadn’t realized how tense he was until he relaxed.
Dev worked his shoulders for a long time before moving to his neck and his head again. Then the touches worked their way down his back, Dev’s fingers hot now.
“You’re making me a little crazy, man,” he warned.
“A good crazy or a bad crazy?” Dev asked, fingers not digging in as much, more tracing circles and symbols against his skin instead.
“Good crazy. Excellent crazy. Fantabulous crazy.” Raging hard-on crazy.
Dev laughed and hugged him from behind. “That’s okay, then.”
“I hope so. I genuinely do.” Don’t stop, honey. Please.
Dev placed a quick kiss on his neck, then sat back again, hands once more rubbing across Aiden’s back. Dev pushed his fingers against Aiden’s spine, working each vertebra in turn.
“God, that’s heaven. I…. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. It’s great getting to touch. Your skin is soft and warm….” Dev sniggered. “Sorry to sound like a romance novel. I like touching you. It gets me hard.”
“Yeah? I’m sporting a woody like I’m a teenager, man.”
Dev slid one hand around his side and dipped down, touching his package briefly. “So I see. Glad I’m not alone here.” Drawing his hand up, Dev brushed by Aiden’s right nipple, the touch so light it almost wasn’t there.
“Tease.” Goose bumps rose over Aiden’s body, his belly going tight-tight.
“I want to do more than just tease.” Dev’s fingers brushed over his right nipple again. “I remember you like it a little harder here, right?”
“I like a light touch too, you know? A firmer touch is like a jolt of pleasure, but a softer one makes me tingle.”
“Am I making you tingle?” Dev touched his left nipple this time, the touch the slightest bit harder than the light brush against his right.
“You are. You’re making me breathless.”
“I want to kiss you again, but I don’t want to let you go.” Dev nibbled at the side of his neck, lips soft and warm.
“Mmm.” How was Aiden supposed to think with that sensation driving him out of his mind?
Dev kept it slow and easy, the touches sweet and soft but still enough to make Aiden’s breath catch and his body tighten. A low groan came from Dev, and he licked Aiden’s neck, the skin there already sensitive from the gentle nibbles. He wiggled as he tried to make room for his growing erection.
Dev groaned, and Aiden felt the heat and hardness of a matching hard-on in Dev’s lap. It was good to know he wasn’t the only one who wanted.
“I love how you taste, Aiden. It’s—salt and male and tart.”
Damn, Dev was good at the seduction game.
Dev licked him again, this time dragging his tongue from Aiden’s shoulder to his neck.
“Oh God. Hot, babe. Hot.” Great. Dev was seducing him, and he was reduced to clicks and grunts.
Dev blew air across his shoulder, making him shiver from the way it cooled his skin wherever Dev had licked.
He turned and knelt up so they were touching belly to belly. He needed another one of those kisses. Now.
“Oh.” Dev smiled and met him halfway, their lips pressing and sliding. Dev was still keeping it gentle, light, and Aiden found himself drawn to the featherlight kisses, quickly becoming addicted to them.
Dev cupped his cheeks and tilted his head, taking one of those kisses after another, filling him with warmth and tingles and even the air from Dev’s mouth.
He crawled up into Dev’s lap, rocking against the sweet, flat belly like waves lapping against the shore.
Dev deepened the kiss, tongue pressed against his lips, asking for permission to push in, and he gave it, easily, eagerly. Tongue sweeping through his mouth, Dev led the way. He explored Aiden’s teeth, tracing them before rubbing over his tongue. Their lips made these dirty smacking noises as they kissed, the sound making things hotter.
“Daddy? Daddy, why are you sitting on Dylan Daddy’s lap?” Linds’s soft voice made him jerk, but he refused to act like he was doing something wrong.
He wasn’t.
“I wanted to. Why aren’t you in bed, sweetie?”
Dev had gone absolutely stiff beneath him, and his blue eyes were wide as they gazed up at Aiden.
“I’s thirsty. I wants some water.”
“Okay. I’ll get you a cup. Come on.” He stood up, telling himself, Zen. Totally Zen.
Dev patted his hip, the touch sympathetic. “I should check on U, make sure he’s okay.”
“I’ll look in on him if you want.” He’d be up there anyway.
“Sure, if you don’t mind. I’ll… uh. Eat bad food and find a movie.” They never had gotten around to finding something to watch. They had better stuff to do.
“The life of dads, huh?” he teased.
Dev looked down at his lap and sighed, then looked back up at Aiden and winked. “It didn’t even get us in this situation in the first place.”
“No, but I liked it. This situation.”
“Yeah, me too.” Dev’s gaze told him how much.
“Daddy!” Linds shouted from her room and U started crying.
Dev sighed and stood up. “Maybe he’ll go back down quickly.”
“If not, get the sling.”
“Yeah. If nothing else, that’ll mean I have my hands free for a bit.” He hauled himself up and joined Aiden going up the stairs.
It was nice to have Dev’s warmth next to him for a little longer. Even if their evening had suddenly taken a sharp veer to the left. He had to trust there would be other evenings.
He had to believe there would be more of those kisses.