Carla nods quickly, already leaning in like they’re sharing state secrets.
Maria continues, voice dropping just a little, “Her new boy toy is in histwenties.”
I frown, trying to place the name. “Wait, who’s Sasha again?”
Carla looks at me like I’ve been living under a rock. “Sasha’s the sixty-two year old who lives a couple doors down from Maria, honey.”
Maria jumps back in with a dramatic little shrug, “And the guy looks like he’s about twenty-three. I’m telling you, she’s got him looking fresh out the box.”
My eyebrows shoot straight up. That actually makes me feel a little better about the age gap between Slade and me.
Carla smiles knowingly and gives my arm a gentle pat. “See? Could be worse, Drew.”
I let out a shaky breath. “So… you’re not… bothered?”
Maria shrugs, squeezing my hand with a grin. “You’re both happy. You’re both legal.” Then she winks. “Andapparentlyhave mind-blowing sex.”
I laugh in pure relief and surprise. “Jesus Christ.”
Carla grins. “So… I presume you want us to talk to the guys?”
I nod. “How do you think they’d take it?”
Carla sighs. “Honestly… I really can’t say. They’ve been friends with Slade for as long as I can remember, but this isdefinitelysomething they won’t see coming.”
I nod again, nerves still fluttering. “Well… either they find out or Slade wants to move to a new town. And… I don’t want that for him. He’s lived here forever and it’s only ten minutes from work.”
Maria shakes her head. “Oh, we don’t want you two to have to move, sweetheart. You two have always been the loud ones at the barbecues. Without you our days together would feel…”
Carla finishes softly, “Honestly, empty and boring.”
I shake my head, grinning despite everything. “Come on, we’re not that bad.”
Maria winks. “Agoodtype of bad.”
Carla reaches across the table and squeezes my arm. “Alright. I’ll talk to Todd, see if I can’t bring him around.”
Maria nods. “Same.”
I stand up and pull them both into tight hugs, heart still racing but lighter than when I walked in. “You two are the best. Thank you so much.”
ChapterFourteen
Slade
I wake slowly to the soft, cheerful sound of birds chirping outside the tent, a lazy yawn stretching through my chest as warm sunlight filters through the thin nylon walls. It’s a good tent… solid and roomy, we haven’t used it in years. I can’t even remember the last time we pulled it out; it’s been zipped up in the shed out back since long before Lorna left.
After Andrew came home yesterday from “meeting up with a couple of friends,” he looked at me with those hopeful eyes and said he wanted to spend some time together, just the two of us. I smiled and agreed without hesitation. Next thing I knew we were browsing the national park a couple hours away and dragging our old camping gear out.
We’re lying on a thick double inflatable mattress inside a double sleeping bag. Andrew had spilled beer on himself last night, so he stripped out of his clothes and left them drying on a chair outside the tent. He ended up sleeping completely naked, but he was too tired for anything more. I respected that, of course. Truth be told,I was perfectly content just feeling the warm press of his bare skin against mine all night.
Still… because I’d tried last night, the lube is still tucked inside the sleeping bag. Being in a relationship with a man means you learn to carry it everywhere, and being completely alone with Andrew in the middle of the woods… well, let’s just say it was never a question of if we’d use it.
I reach for the bottle, the lube cool against my palm as I slick myself up. I don’t bother warming any for Andrew, we’ve been having sex often enough now that his body has grown used to the stretch. As long as I’m coated, he’ll manage. And honestly, I’m already so hard I don’t have the patience to tease either of us first.
I roll over Andrew’s sleeping form, staying inside the warmth of the sleeping bag, and gently push his bare thighs apart with my knees.Fuck. This is perfection. Just the two of us, no one around for miles, nothing but birdsong and sunlight and the quiet rustle of the trees.
He’s still asleep, warm and pliant, his naked body soft and relaxed beneath me. I don’t waste time. I slick my cock once more with the cold lube, then notch the blunt head right against his hole and push in with one slow, relentless thrust.
