Tanner swallowed convulsively as a surge of arousal hit so hard it took his breath away. He nodded quickly, pulled Lance up from his chair, and led him to the bathroom.
It should have been awkward. After all, he’d have sworn he was straight until just a few days ago. Sharing a tiny shower, completely naked with all of his scars on display next to the god-among-men Lance Kinsley should have been beyond awkward. Yet, as Lance proceeded to kiss him all over, Tanner’s dick grew harder by the second and he wasn’t the least bit uncomfortable.In fact, he was so goddamned relaxed that it was all he could do to remain standing as Lance’s hands explored his body, and his own hand traced Lance’s hard planes and curves.
Jesus fuck! When did happy trails and well-developed biceps start doing it for him? He’d only just begun to contemplate the finer points of that when Lance’s hand finally closed around his cock and took him to paradise, making Tanner’s thoughts fade like mist in the sunlight.
Chapter 11
Tanner was pretty sure Lance was doing his very bestnotto let uncertainty and awkwardness grow between them. Since finishing their shower, Lance took every opportunity to brush up against him and smile at him like he’d hung the moon while they packed their bags. When Tanner said he was ready to go, Lance hugged him and kissed his cheek. Hisfucking cheek!Rendered speechless, he’d blushed and smiled.
“Thank you. For being here. Seriously,” Lance told him when he looked up again.
All Tanner could do was just nod.
Once they’d checked out and headed towards the hospital, Tanner had expected Lance to begin pulling back, both emotionally and physically. He’d expected him to say something about acting chill, like they were nothing more than drinking buddies, like they had never been intimate. Instead, Lance chatted away about what a pain in the ass it was having to move Parker’s shit in hot weather, smiling affectionately and holding his hand or squeezing his thigh.
As Tanner pulled into the hospital parking lot, he glanced at Lance, waiting for him to say something—anything—that had to do with how they should behave in front of Parker. But the man looked back at Tanner like he hadn’t the faintest clue what he was waiting for.
It appeared that Tanner needed to step up and take the lead on this.
“Listen,” he began, licking his lips. His mouth was dry. He was so goddamned nervous he felt like he might throw up. He’d never been nervous around Lance before. Not even when he’d leaned in for that first kiss. Sitting here with him now, thinkingabout their new level of intimacy, he was afraid that he might say the wrong thing, causing Lance to walk away in anger. It was ridiculous, since nothing about Lance said he was the type to walk out at the first sign of trouble, but he couldn’t help being afraid of bungling the situation.
“Last night, and this morning, it’s been—” he swallowed hard, looking down at their hands resting side by side on the center console. They had similar hands. Wide. Strong. Working man’s hands. For some reason, that thought made him smile and relax slightly. “It’s been fucking amazing.” He glanced up to find Lance looking wary and tense. Although he relaxed slightly after Tanner’s comment, he didn’t speak, waiting for Tanner to continue. “But it’s really new. Like—so fucking new we haven’t talked about it, so maybe, in front of your brother—”
Lance started laughing before Tanner could finish. Tanner’s jaw dropped in surprise at this unexpected reaction.
“Dude, if you’re worried that I’m about to kiss you in front of my brother, you can chill. First rule of having siblings, never let them know anything unless you’re ready to be grilled and roasted about it,” Lance said, still laughing and shaking his head. He grabbed Tanner’s hand then, giving it a firm squeeze. “For the record, I think it was fucking amazing too, but—we still need to like—talk about it. Really talk,” he stated emphatically.
Tanner smiled and nodded. Every time he got shit all tangled up in his head and felt overwhelmed, Lance came riding to the rescue, like a knight in shining armor, and saved his ass. Basically, Tanner had his very own Mr. Fix-it.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Lance promised with a wink. “Now, let’s go spring Parker!” He jumped out of the truck, leaving Tanner trailing behind, slightly speechless, but mostly enamored.
Tapping his fingers impatiently on the bed rails, Parker looked ready to jump and run out the door.
“Thank fucking God!” he greeted them, sitting up and then wincing as pain radiated from his broken ribs. Tanner could relate. The crash that had crushed his leg had also broken a few ribs. Those had healed long ago, but he remembered how painful it had been.
“So, I guess that means you don’t want to extend your stay for another few days?” Lance asked with a chuckle.
“Fuck no, bro! Powdered eggs and soggy toast are not my thing. Blech!” Parker winced when he tried to shake his head.
“Damn, His Majesty is a little picky,” Tanner elbowed Lance, who laughed and nodded.
Parker frowned and shot them a double bird.
“Parker, I’d like you to meet Tanner. He’s a good friend of mine. He’s the reason I made it here in one piece when I thought you were roadkill.”
“Ah!” Parker said with a quick wink. “You really do a shit job of choosing friends, Tanner. But thanks for driving him. He was probably a hot mess.”
Tanner hesitated as he considered the best response. Torn between his strong feelings for Lance and telling the truth, he decided to go for a laugh.
“You know, once he got over himself and stopped screaming like a little girl, he wasn’t too bad to have along for the drive up,” Tanner replied with a shrug.
Lance punched him in the arm.
“If you’re both done with your comedy routine, I have your discharge papers.” Lance waved the folder that they picked up at the nurse’s station.
“Heck yeah, let’s hit the road!”
A nurse’s aide walked in, pushing a wheelchair, quoting a hospital rule that Parker could not exit the building unless it wasin a wheelchair. Parker protested vigorously, his manly pride at stake, but was forced to surrender when she threatened to un-discharge his manly ass if he didn’t sit down and shut up.
