“We can go down there if you want.” Adam pointed toward the basement stairs. “I don’t want to keep you away from work.”
“It’s just one for me. What did you need, Adam?”
At the formality of his question, Adam winced, but Cooper wasn’t going to back down. There had been something between them at Devon’s party, and Cooper had called Adam the day after only to be sent to voicemail. Cooper wasn’t the kind of man who needed to be told no twice.
“I wanted to…talk.”
“Okay.” Cooper scrunched his nose. “Let’s go into the kitchen. I need a drink anyway.”
Adam followed him into the kitchen and Cooper poured them both glasses of water from the tap. He slid one across the counter and Adam took a healthy drink. Cooper knew why Adam was here, but he wasn’t going to make it easy for him. He had reached out earlier in the week. He’d taken the first step and Adam left him hanging. Now Adam could do some of the work. Minutes passed in silence with neither of them saying a word. Cooper adjusted his glasses and watched Adam fidget warily on the other side of the counter.
“You said you wanted to try,” he prompted. “So, here’s a chance for you to do that.”
“I know,” Adam said, cheeks pink. “I know this is a chance to do that, and I know it’s ridiculous that I even have to do it in the first place.”
“Trying is far from ridiculous.”
“But the reason.” Adam was getting flustered, exasperated even. Cooper stayed calm, ready to wait Adam out. Last weekend he’d given Adam a hard time about letting his mouth ruin things again, and the irony of Adam’s mouth being the only thing that could set them on the right course was not lost on him.
“Adam.” He couldn’t take it any longer. “Adam, come here.”
Cooper crooked his finger and Adam huffed an annoyed breath before snaking his way around the counter and coming to stop right in front of him.
“Take a deep breath,” Cooper coaxed, voice soft and melodic in the way he knew Adam liked the most.
Adam’s nostrils flared. “Don’t try to dom me right now.”
“I’m trying to help you calm down,” he said. “So you can say what you have to say.”
Adam glared, but his shoulders heaved as he took a breath.
“Another,” Cooper said. “You know how this works.”
Adam took four more breaths, bringing him to the requisite five that Cooper had always asked for. By the time he reached the final exhale, his face had returned to its normal color and the lines around his eyes didn’t look as weary. He was by no means relaxed, but he didn’t look like he was ready to snap.
“I meant what I said,” Adam blurted. “I want you, but my head sometimes…”
“I can help with it,” he promised.
Adam had his hand on the counter bracing himself, and Cooper reached out, placing his hand on top of Adam’s sweaty fingers. He gave him a reassuring pat.
“I can and I want to,” he reiterated. “I meant what I said, too, Adam. I want you.”
“Even though it’s work?”
“I’m not scared of work,” Cooper said.
“Aren’t relationships supposed to be easy?” Adam asked with a derisive laugh.
“Relationships are supposed to be intimate,” he corrected. “Sometimes intimacy is scary. Sometimes it’s unexpected, unplanned. I don’t think any of that means it’s easy.”
“I hate that I ruined things,” Adam said. “Before. Likebeforebefore, and last week, too.”
“You haven’t ruined anything.” Cooper picked Adam’s hand up from the counter and raised it to his lips, brushing a kiss across his fingertips and dragging his mouth down Adam’s palm to the heel of his hand. He sucked at the mound where Adam’s palm turned into his wrist, drawing a low and indecent whimper out of the other man’s mouth.
“I don’t know how I can rightly ask to be in charge of things with you when I’m this messy about it,” Adam muttered.
“Then don’t.” He shifted their hands and brought their joined fingers to Adam’s mouth, where Adam kissed him back the same way against his hand.
