“I think this is a conversation better had when you’re not late for work.”
“Is that a no?” Adam frowned.
“It’s not a no, you stubborn man.” Cooper adjusted his glasses to see Adam better. “It’s something we need to talk about. It’s not just an emotional thing. It’s a logistical thing.”
“There’s room for you here.”
“Right, but I have a basement full of sex toys that are half-made and I have a play room in my house. You have an adult son who is crashing in the only unused space you own.”
“That’s fair.” Adam shifted his weight, hands still in his pockets. “But it’s not a no?”
“It’s a we’ll talk about it when we have more time, but I very much like the idea of sharing space with you, Adam.”
Adam’s posture relaxed like a stick had been pulled out of his ass. Cooper smiled and shook his head. “Please go to work so you don’t get fired for being late.”
“I’ll just tell them the hot man in my bed distracted me beyond measure.” Adam stepped backward into the hallway.
“Get out of here.” Cooper launched a pillow across the room and Adam barely dodged it, a light and carefree laugh echoing down the hallway as he finally left for work.
He waited until the front door closed before he gave himself a breath to think about the proposition Adam had just made. The idea of moving in together was an advanced one. It was the kind of thing he daydreamed about when he was feeling particularly emotional about his place in Adam’s life, not something he’d thought about with any level of seriousness. But it was out in the open now, so he owed it some time. He knew Adam well enough to know that Adam wouldn’t let the idea sit for long, allowing Cooper no time to drag his feet. He thought best while he made toys, so he made the decision to keep the store closed for the day and spend some time in his shop.
Owning his own business came with a lot of perks, like not having a boss who would yell at him for being late. Besides, the bookstore was a passion project for him anyway. The rent on the building made him money, and his online toy shop brought in more than the bookstore ever would.
Cooper wasn’t quite ready to start his day yet, though. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of cohabitation, and intimacy, and sex. He lounged in bed a little longer, grinding against the sheets to feel the bite of pain he loved so much, then he jerked off on Adam’s pillow before getting up. He showered and dried off, getting dressed with some of the clothes he’d accumulated at Adam’s over the past month. He envisioned what it would be like for all of the things they owned to be mingled, and he liked the idea. With that in mind, he padded barefoot into the kitchen to make himself a coffee for the road, mentally making sure that Adam’s coffee pot—one of those single pod things—got lost in the move somehow. He loved his coffee and he hated having to wait for it.
His train of thought derailed when he came around the corner, finding Wyatt in the kitchen. Cooper knew Wyatt was in the house, he just didn’t expect to run into him at eight in the morning in the kitchen. Especially after Adam said how Wyatt had been sneaking around to avoid being seen.
“Hey, Wyatt,” he greeted, combing his fingers back through his damp hair. He desperately hoped at their age it wasn’t considered awkward to run into the son of the guy you were sleeping with the morning after. “You’re up early.”
Wyatt stood at the counter in plaid sleep pants and a threadbare black t-shirt, cup of coffee in his hand and a near terrified look on his face.
“I didn’t know you were here,” Wyatt said. “I heard my dad leave, I thought…”
“I’ll be leaving soon,” he said, pointing toward the coffee pot behind where Wyatt stood. “I was just going to make some coffee for the drive.”
“Oh.” Wyatt’s expression faltered and he stepped out of the way. “And it’s not early. My body is used to New York time. It’s almost lunch.”
“That’s fair.”
“So.” Wyatt cleared this throat. “Things going good at the store?”
“About the same as they were when you worked for me.” Cooper pulled his travel mug off the coffee machine and twisted on the lid.
“Slow then.”
“Slow and steady wins the race.”
“Was that the strategy with my dad?”
Cooper snorted. “Your dad is another story entirely.”
“Things are…” Wyatt cleared his throat again, evidently a nervous habit. “Are things good with you and him?”
“Better than last time.” Cooper smiled. “Did you want to ask me my intentions or something, Wyatt?”
“What?” Wyatt scoffed. “No. Not anything like that. I just…I want him to be happy.”
“He wants the same for you.”
