“No. This is my Adam song.” Ru motioned him to sit in the giant Papasan chair. Once Adam had made himself comfortable, Ru began to strum out the soft chords of “Start Something.”
He didn’t have Tommy singing harmony or the sweet sound of the piano, but he poured his soul into the song. He met Adam’s stunned gaze and sang as though he were performing for millions and directing it at one man. When the final notes played, he quieted the strings and closed his eyes to give himself a moment for composure. If he looked at Adam right then, he’d cry, and the last thing he wanted was to be a big baby in front of the guy he was crazy about.
“That was beautiful.” Adam was suddenly there, sitting beside him.
Ru set the guitar aside. “I wrote that after our first date.”
“You wrote that for me?”
“Yeah.” Ru pulled him close and kissed his lips.
“Ready to start something to last forever?” Adam asked when they finally broke the kiss.
“God, I hope so.”
Adam pulled him up off the bed. They kissed for a while, just hands together, mouths tasting one another, breathing the shared space.
“We don’t have to do anything,” Ru said. But Adam had other plans. He pressed their bodies together so tightly Ru couldn’t help but notice how excited Adam was. He pulled back a minute to search Adam’s face for any sign of reluctance. “Are you sure?”
Adam tugged on Ru’s hand, leading him to the bed. “I want to be with you.”
“You are with me,” Ru assured him.
Adam blushed. “Come kiss me. I want to touch you. Make you happy.”
Ru let himself be tugged down onto the bed and rolled over to lie next to Adam. He pressed their hips together, hating the way all the clothes felt between them. “I don’t want to rush you.”
“You’re not. I’m not sure how far I can go. But I want to be with you. I want us to feel good together.” Adam ducked his head down, hiding his face in Ru’s shoulder. “You know, likethat.”
“Even though it’s messy and embarrassing?”
“Even though. ’Cause it’s with you.”
Ru rubbed Adam’s chest. He gave in to the desire to have skin to skin by sitting up and yanking off his shirt. He grabbed at Adam’s until they pulled off his top, letting it fall to the side of the bed. “Okay. But if you feel weird at all, you say ‘elephant,’ ’kay?”
“Elephant?” Adam laughed.
“Yeah. How often are you going to say elephant while in bed with someone? You feel weird, or just want to slow down, let me know, ’kay?”
“’Kay.” But Adam didn’t use the word even once.
