here, okay?”
“Sure.” Dean held him close, his lips brushing Robin’s ear as he leaned in to whisper, “I’m going to miss you.”
Robin shivered. “There’s always FaceTime, right?”
Dean had a feeling there would be quite a few calls in the days to come.
Finally, he released Robin. “Until Friday.” He watched Robin ride away on his bike, not closing the door until he was out of sight. Dean went up to the living room door, pausing to take a deep breath before entering.
Into the lions’ den.
No sooner had he stepped into the warm room than the teasing began.
“Oh my. He’s even cuter up close,” Kris said with a leer.
“Do we need to know what you two were up to when I called?” Suze asked with a grin. “Because I detected a definite note of panic.”
“He still looks so young,” Kate commented. “You cradle robber.”
Diane’s eyes sparkled. “What’s the male version of a cougar where gay men are concerned?”
Kris snorted. “Daddy, of course.”
Okay, Dean had heard enough.
He strode over to the table where his friends were still seated, and glared at them. “Yes, he’s cute as fuck. Yes, we were having sex, and your timing sucks, by the way. And the only reason I’m telling you that is because A, Kris has a nose like a bloodhound and can smell cum when it’s twenty feet away, so I’m pretty sure he already knows, even with the air freshener. And B, that’s not going to shock any of you, seeing as this was what all of you were telling me to do in the first place. Yes, Kris, I am looking at you. And okay, Robin looks young, but thankfully he’s more cerebral than most eighteen-year-olds. And I am not his daddy.” Dean’s chest heaved.
“Ooh. Have we touched a nerve?” Kris teased.
“Yes, you have.” Dean raked his fingers across his scalp. “Look, I’m glad you got to meet him, and I’m even more glad that you didn’t put him through the mill, because I want all of you to get along. Because if I get my way, he’s going to be around for a long time to come.” He took a breath, his chest tight.
Crickets.
Dean hadn’t intended spilling his guts, but they’d caught him on the raw.
Diane glanced around the table at the others before addressing him. “This isn’t just a fling, is it?”
Dean sank onto a chair. “Bless you, it’s so much more than that.”
Her face glowed. “Then I’m happy for you. He’s adorable.” She tilted her head to one side. “Does he feel the same about you?”
Dean wished he knew.
Maybe their weekend away would provide the perfect opportunity to find out.
Chapter Nineteen
“So, what do you think?” Dean dropped his bag by the sofa and removed his boots.
“Bathroom first.” Robin disappeared.
Dean chuckled. “When you gotta go…” He had to admit, it was a great hotel room, with a huge bed at one end, and a sofa and ottoman at the other. On a shelf above the refrigerator stood the coffee machine and a bowl of fruit. Those windows had to be triple-glazed, because the noise from the streets below was minimal. “Pretty cool,” he murmured as he took off his coat and draped it over the back of the couch.
The toilet flushed, water ran, and then Robin was back. “Did you say something?” He walked over to where Dean stood next to the couch.
“I said it was a pretty cool room.”
“Very cool.” Robin opened his bag. “You know what? I think we talked the entire trip.”
Dean chuckled. He’d learned more about Robin in seven hours than in the whole time they’d known each other. “You hungry?”
Robin straightened. “Starving. But food can wait.”
When he dropped a packet of condoms and a bottle of lube onto the ottoman, Dean got it. Robin was hungry for something else. “Been shopping?” Not that he hadn’t brought his own supplies. Great minds and all that.
“Uh-uh. I found these shoved in my bag this morning, with a note. ‘Have fun. This is way better than hand lotion.’”
Dean grinned. “Ryan.” Then he frowned. “Hand lotion?”
“Another time.” Robin shucked off his coat and slung it on top of Dean’s. He toed off his boots and shifted closer, his eyes focused on Dean. “I’m in a hotel room with a guy for the first time. I think talking is pretty low on the agenda.” His hands were warm on Dean’s nape. Robin was trembling. “Now why don’t you do what I’ve been dreaming about all week, and fuck me?”
Dean caught his breath.