I rinsed a glass and set it down for Forest to dry. “I don’t know about everyone, but it’s made me very aware of what’s possible. They set a high standard and not just in that area.”
“They took you in, right? When your parents…”
“…kicked me out? You can say it because that’s what they did. When I told them I was gay, they gave me the ‘my way or the highway’ speech, and I chose the highway.”
Forest shook his head, his eyes sad. “I will never understand how parents can do that. It’s literally your job as a parent to love your kid no matter what.”
I held up my hands. “Don’t ask me, because I’m with you. Luckily, my grandparents stepped in and showed me what unconditional love is like. I owe everything to them. They made me the man I am today.”
Forest stepped in and lifted his lips to kiss my cheek. “Then they did a remarkable job.”
My hand, wet from the dishwater, flew to my cheek, which immediately grew hot. How could such a simple gesture have such an impact on me? “Thank you. That’s… Thank you.”
We were quiet for a while as I finished washing the last glasses, then cleaned the countertop while Forest dried everything.
“Obviously, I never had a great example of a positive relationship,” Forest then said. “My mother never remarried, though she had a few boyfriends over the years, most of them absolute losers. I love her, but she has horrible taste in men.”
“Do you think that’s influenced how you approach relationships?”
Not gonna lie, I had wondered why he was still single. Surely I wasn’t the only one who found him wildly attractive and super sweet to boot.
Forest cocked his head, his hands stilling as he considered my question. “Probably, but I’ve also never met anyone I was seriously interested in. Not for anything more than hot sex, you know?”
“And now you’re married to me.”
I had no idea why I said that. It wasn’t like he didn’t know, or like I had any right to stake a claim. Our marriage wasn’t like that. It was… I didn’t want to call it a scam, but it definitely wasn’t normal, as much as I disliked using that word.
Forest put down the glass he’d been drying. “So what you’re saying is that I should come to you for hot sex?”
All the oxygen was sucked out of my lungs, hell, out of the whole kitchen. Was that what he had heard? Or was it what he wanted me to say?
I had to swallow thickly before I could respond. “I mean, it’s definitely on the table as far as I’m concerned.”
“Hmm.” Forest cocked his head, his eyes never leaving mine. “You take that whole taking care of all my needs thing seriously, don’t you?”
“I aim to please.”
He studied me for a few beats more, a little thinking frown on his forehead, as if he were weighing a decision. Then he nodded, his mind made up. “Take me to bed, Nash.”
The dishcloth I’d been holding fell out of my hands. “Are you sure?”
“More sure than of anything else in my life right now.”
How could I say no to that? Even if I wanted to—which I didn’t—I was not only unwilling to say no to him but unable as well. When he looked at me like that, with those beautiful green eyes so full of trust, I wanted to pluck the moon and stars from the sky and give them to him.
And so I slid over to him and took the tea towel he was still holding from his hands, dropping it on the counter. Then I folded my hands around his cheeks and kissed him, a featherlight kiss on those plump lips that made me feel like a thousand butterflies had taken flight in my stomach.
He made an impatient sound and wrapped his arms around my neck, so I put my hands under his ass and lifted him in response. I loved the way he curled his legs around my waist, clinging to me like a little monkey, but I made sure to offer plenty of support so it wouldn’t get too straining on his body.
The kiss grew deeper, more heated, as our tongues found each other in a sensual dance of give and take, of chase and follow, of curling and sliding and teasing until I wanted to devour him. He was an amazing kisser, and if my body hadn’t made clear that mere kissing wasn’t gonna cut it, I would’ve happily kept kissing him for hours.
“Nash,” he whispered against my lips.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Can we move this to the bedroom?”
“I aim to please,” I said again, and he smiled as he put his cheek against mine in a gesture that made my insides go completely soft and mushy.
