No matter how many times they slept together, both figuratively and literally, no matter how many times he had been naked in front of this man, it still made his heart pound to be looked at like that.
The way Luca looked at him these days made Emerson feel at least twenty years younger. Like he was still that young kid leaving Baker City for the last time, the future wide open. And terrifying, but in a hopeful kind of way.
Luckily, Emerson had already stepped onto the more solidground of his bathroom rug when Luca said, “Let me take you to dinner.”
Emerson stopped the stomping of his feet against the rug to look up at him.
“Tonight?”
“Yeah.” Luca finally shoved off the doorframe. He stepped closer until he was right in front of him, hands reaching out to run up Emerson’s arms. “We could go back to the brewery where we met, get an actual meal this time. Or someplace nearby, somewhere you like, or somewhere new. Whatever you want.” Luca stepped even closer, hands cupping Emerson’s neck, his t-shirt brushing against Emerson’s bare torso. “On me.”
“Like a date?” Emerson asked. Luca nodded, forehead against Emerson’s.
“Yeah.” He laid a soft kiss on Emerson’s lips. “My boyfriend deserves some of those. The farm will be okay for a couple of hours.” Luca’s lips moved toward Emerson’s neck. Emerson swayed a little, the fogged-up heat from the shower, the unexpectedness of the moment making him dizzy.
“Also, full disclosure so it doesn’t feel like I’m ambushing you, I want to talk to you about something. It’s good.” Luca sucked Emerson’s ear into his mouth. Mindlessly, Emerson pushed his now fully-hard dick against him, his hands grasping at Luca’s sides. “Promise,” Luca added, before, with a groan, he walked Emerson backward until Emerson’s ass hit the sink.
“Okay,” Emerson breathed.
“Yeah?” Luca pulled back with a smile, bright and joyful. “I thought I might have to work harder to convince you.”
“No.” Emerson stared at Luca’s mouth. “You’ve made me easy.”
Luca’s grin turned smug. Sexy.
“Good.” He pressed his lips to Emerson’s again. “Do youwant me to take care of this”—he pressed his pelvis into Emerson’s—“now, or after?”
Emerson moaned into Luca’s mouth, unable to decide on a coherent answer.
“Be honest.” Luca moved back to Emerson’s ear, continuing a slow rhythm with his hips. “My easy man. Don’t think too hard. Just tell me what you want.”
“Both,” Emerson said. “I want both.”
“Mm.” Another tug on Emerson’s ear with his teeth. “Good answer.”
And then slowly, leisurely, as if neither of them had a care in the world, as if they didn’t now have a date to get to, Luca made his way down Emerson’s body until he was on his knees. Until Emerson was able to thread his fingers into Luca’s dark hair, long enough now to curl, long enough for Emerson to pull, just hard enough to make Luca moan.
Emerson still didn’t understandhow Luca had never had a boyfriend before.
He was fucking good at it.
They ended up going to a different brewery, one further up the coast. It was a fancy one right on the beach, with views of a dramatic, towering cape made of golden sand. Luca drove, holding Emerson’s hand across the gearshift the entire way. They were seated in a booth next to a high window with views of the surf. Emerson tried not to stress about the prices on the menu. They’d all been working hard, this last month since the wedding. Finishing the last of the summer and fall harvests, prepping the beds for winter, making slow progress on the greenhouses and website. Daisy was at Jayden’s this week. Luca was right: they deserved date nights every now and then.
And he’d been looking for the right time to ask something, too.
“Hey,” he said after they’d ordered their meals. “Before you say whatever you wanted to talk about. I have something, too.”
Luca had been taking a sip of his water, but he nodded profusely as he swallowed, gesturing to Emerson to continue. Almost like he was relieved he didn’t have to talk first. Which made Emerson suddenly nervous about whatever it was Luca wanted to talk about. He hadn’t been nervous before, probably because Luca had been sucking on his neck when he’d first mentioned it.
Luca had been particularly quiet in the car, now that Emerson thought about it, but they were often quiet in the car.
“Of course,” Luca said when it had been too long and Emerson hadn’t kept talking. “What’s up?”
Emerson straightened his spine, trying to focus again.
“This weekend when I drive to Portland to pick up Daisy,” he started, “I was thinking you could go with me. And I was hoping…we could all go out to lunch. You, me, Daisy, and Jayden.”
Luca’s gaze remained steady on his as he nodded. If anything, he seemed to relax a little.
