When the song drew to a close, the crowd surrounding them cheered and applauded, and Joshua saw Nate turn and press his face against David’s chest. Colin turned to him and smiled. “Well, now you’ve heard your favorite Irish song sung in the place where it was born.”
Joshua touched Colin’s cheek, then kissed him. “It was incredibly moving,” he whispered. Over Colin’s shoulder, he saw Danny embrace Nate, who was wiping his eyes. “I’ll never forget it, and I don’t think Nate will either.”
* * *
Back at Danny’s house,David disappeared into the kitchen with Shayleen to work on dinner. She had promised to teach him a traditional Irish recipe, and he was eager to learn. “What’s she teaching you, David?” Colin called as David followed her into the kitchen.
“Dublin Coddle,” David called, his face lit with a huge smile. “God, I amlovingthis!”
“Jesus, Nate. We’ll be coming to your house for dinner every night,” Colin told him with a nudge. “Just make damned sure you set a place for us.”
“You bet, Irish! No problem. Only thirty dollars a plate.”
“Thirtydollars!” Colin complained, whacking Nate with a pillow.
Nate ducked and swatted at Colin. “OK,fine! Twenty-five.”
“You’re atwat,” Colin told him.
“Now it’s back to thirty!” Nate informed him. “Andnodessert.”
Joshua was sitting on the floor at Colin’s feet, laughing so hard he nearly choked on his Guinness. “Better shut up, babe. You’re going to talk yourself out of a good meal. David’s really nailing this Irish cooking thing.”
Above him, Joshua could hear Colin grumbling under his breath. “Thirty fucking dollars! I wouldn’t pay that if St. Patrick himself were cooking it!”
* * *
Danny had givenColin and Joshua the room where Colin stayed when he lived with Danny as a teen. It comprised nearly half of the house’s upper level, and every wall was lined with wooden bookcases, all of which were filled.
“I love this room,” Colin told Joshua as they lounged on the bed. He indicated the bookcases. “When I lived here, I spent every night devouring these books.” He glanced at his husband, who leaned over him, stroking his hair. “Reading was my escape, and my god, every kind of book you can imagine is on these shelves.”
“Which were your favorites?”
“Oh, all the classics,” Colin said, turning to lie on his back. “Swiss Family Robinson,Robin Hood,Huck Finn,Tom Sawyer, books on the Arthurian legends. Fantasy novels. Tolkien, of course.” He turned to his side and slid his hand across Joshua’s chest. “Kept my mind away from…” His voice trailed off, and he huffed out a quick breath.
“I know, darling.”
Colin began to drop soft, damp kisses across the warm swell of Joshua’s pectorals, his fingers blindly searching for the hardness of his nipples. “Mm,” he moaned, feeling desire flood through every pore. “My god, you are so incrediblyhot.” His arm slid around Joshua’s waist and drew him close. “But…”
“But you’re self-conscious about making love because your family might hear us.”
“Might?” Colin chuckled, then sighed, his breath a warm flow against Joshua’s throat. “Devon’s room is right below us,” he muttered, referring to Danny’s teenage son. “And the heat vent connects the two rooms.”
Joshua gave a soft laugh. “And you knowmewell enough to know…”
“…that you’re incapable of being quiet when we’re having sex?”
“Sad but true.”
“Christ, this is frustrating! We’re going to make love fifteen times a day once we get home.”
Joshua reared back and gave him a skeptical look. “I rather doubt it.”
Colin let out a loud, squeaky whine, then wrinkled his nose as his face twisted in a pained grimace that caused Joshua to double over with laughter.
“Hey,” Joshua said finally, still giggling. “We can always check into a motel for an hour or so.”
“Don’t think I’m not fuckingtemptedbecause I AM!”
