Page 43 of Leather and Longing (Island Tales #3)

Chapter Thirty-Three

“You sure about this?” Paul asked him as he locked the car. “I’m only checking because it’s the August Bank Holiday weekend and there are gonna be a lot more people in there than usual. All those tourists staying in self-catering accommodation, mostly.”

Adam gripped his cane. “Bring it on,” he said with a grin. Inside was a different story.

Why did I say I wanted to go shopping with him?

He already knew the answer. Adam had his own little list he shared with no one, a list of activities to be crossed off once he’d accomplished them.

They weren’t onerous tasks, but things he’d taken for granted when he was sighted.

Shopping for groceries was one of them. Browsing online was another.

The biggest—okay, the scariest—item on the list was to go for a walk on his own.

Any day now, though .

Adam was determined to take his life back.

Shopping in Morrisons’ supermarket was a big step along that road.

He walked at Paul’s side, his cane tracing an arc in front of him, Paul’s fingers at his elbow. “Thanks for asking.” It was reassuring to know Paul had his back.

A light squeeze of his arm was response enough.

“I was thinking I’d push the shopping trolley,” he said, trying to ignore his racing heartbeat.

“Oh no, you don’t. If we’re doing this, I’m gonna have you picking stuff from the shelves, choosing produce…” Paul snickered. “You’ll have earned your dinner tonight.”

“Bossy little shit, aren’t you?” Secretly Adam loved it when this side of Paul emerged. It spoke to Adam of self-assurance, an appealing trait in his book.

Paul has a lot of amiable traits. It made spending time with him a pleasant experience.

“Before we go in there, let’s get one thing straight. You may be the big bad Dom, but when it comes to doing the shopping? I’m in charge, so you’d better get used to the idea.”

Adam couldn’t wait to get a load of this. “Yes, sir.” The sheer audacity of Paul’s words made him smile.

Paul laughed. “Okay, wait here while I get us a trolley. There’s a brick pillar right behind you.”

Adam couldn’t resist. “I promise not to talk to strangers, Mum.” He struggled to keep his face straight. The hard tap on his arse was a complete surprise. He arched his eyebrows. “Don’t let the role go to your head,” he said with a smirk. He could hear Paul’s chuckles as he moved away.

Adam let the mask drop and took a moment to breathe deeply.

The constant noise around him was overwhelming.

Traffic from the road, the clatter of shopping trolleys as they were collected and returned, the chatter of shoppers, plaintive demands of children obviously being dragged along with their parents to do the shopping…

I can do this.

Adam expelled his anxiety with a long exhale.

“Hey.” Paul was at his side, those gentle fingers at his elbow again.

“I’m all right,” Adam insisted before Paul could say anything. He smiled, hoping to fake the confidence he lacked. This was stupid. He’d fought in Afghanistan, crewed yachts across the Atlantic, reduced grown men to a whimpering mess of emotions…

I can cope with a bloody shopping trip, for God’s sake.

“I know you are.” Paul’s voice was strong. “So give me the cane, which I’ll put in the trolley, take the handle and let’s go do some shopping. I’ll have my hand on the trolley, guiding you, okay?”

Adam gripped the smooth plastic handle across the front of the shopping cart and nodded.

They entered the supermarket, Adam aware of the automatic doors that swung open as they neared. He sniffed the air, picking up the aroma of flowers, the strong scent of lilies overpowering. Paul led them through at a steady pace.

“Fresh produce first. Let me check the list.”

Adam smiled. “I can smell strawberries.”

“There’s a display to your right, lots of plastic boxes of them.”

Adam reached out slowly and connected with film-covered plastic containers.

He picked one up and held his nose to the cover, inhaling the delicious aroma.

“Please tell me they’re on your list. They smell wonderful.

” Without waiting for Paul’s response, he held the box out.

“Do these look okay? I used to always check the underside in case there were any mouldy or damaged ones.”

Paul chuckled. “I take it this means we’re having strawberries for dessert tonight.” He took the box. “They’re fine. Actually, those look really good.”

Adam preened. Score one for the blind guy.

He followed Paul’s lead, halting when the trolley stopped.

Occasionally he would stretch out a hand and pick up a fruit or vegetable, exploring it by touch, sniffing its scent.

He loved the firmness of the peppers, the earthy smell of potatoes, the citrusy aroma of fresh ginger.

After a while Paul got him to pick out the vegetables, and it was amazing how such a simple task filled him with pride, especially when Paul complimented him on his choices.

When he got to the bananas, he picked up a bunch and curled his fingers around one, sliding them along its length.

Paul made a choking sound. He took them off Adam and whispered, “that looked way too dirty.”

Adam smirked. “It’s your mind that’s dirty.”

“Thankfully, we won’t be buying those, seeing as you’re allergic to them.” Paul chuckled. “And no playing with the cucumbers or aubergines either.”

Adam pulled a face. “You’re no fun.”

He walked patiently along the aisles while Paul picked up tins and packets.

When they got to the bakery, Adam’s mouth began to water.

The smell of freshly baked bread mingled with a sweetness that made his belly grumble.

He reached out and connected with the crusty top of a loaf of bread.

He picked it up and inhaled the wonderful scent, before placing his hands on either side and pressing gently, feeling it spring back when he released it.

“Oh. I see.” Paul huffed. “And there was me thinking you liked the bread I make.”

It was a good thing Adam could hear the humour laced through his words. “I love your bread and you know it.” It was always a battle between them as to who got the first piece, spread with butter. He put the loaf down. “How’s the list doing?”

“We need coffee.” Paul guided him the length of an aisle and stopped near the end. “Are you happy with the brand we have at home?”

Adam grinned. “Now that’s a great smell.

” Ignoring him, he stepped closer to the shelving and felt for a bag that was pliant beneath his fingertips.

He held it up to his nose, depressing the bag to force out the aroma of the ground coffee.

Adam pushed out a low moan. “God, that smells good.” His fingers sought the gap on the shelf, and he returned it, before feeling for another.

Paul was laughing. “You would stand here all morning sniffing coffee and fresh bread if I let you.” He took the bag Adam held and dropped it into the trolley. “I’m making an executive decision on the coffee.”

Adam chuckled. “You do that.” He returned his hands to the trolley. “Is that it? Are we done now?”

“There’s one thing left on my list, and I could use your help with it.”

“Oh?” Adam was curious. “What is it?”

“I was thinking about buying a bottle or two of wine, but I know nothing about it. I bought the last one after asking David for advice: he and Taylor like to drink wine.” They came to a stop. “I thought you might have a preference. For one thing, red, white or rosé?”

They spent ten minutes or so, Paul calling out the names of various wines and in some cases, the year it was bottled. Adam was pleasantly surprised to discover Morrisons had a large and varied selection. When Paul had picked out four bottles, they were done.

Adam helped Paul load all their items onto the moving belt at the till, and stood by the card machine while Paul packed the shopping bags. Once Paul had paid with Adam’s card and PIN, he pushed the trolley out of the store and back to the car.

Once the boot was loaded up with all their bags, Adam waited in the car for Paul to return the trolley to its correct spot.

When Paul got in, Adam smiled. “We’re going to do this together from now on.”

“Was it better than you’d expected?” Paul asked.

Adam nodded. “The more times I do this, the easier it will become. I don’t think it’s something I would do on my own—I don’t need to, not when I can do an order online from places like Tesco, who will deliver it to my door—but it feels good to know that yeah, I could cope.

” He let out a long exhale and sagged into the seat.

“But right now I need coffee and one of those Danishes we bought.”

Paul’s hand wrapped around his as it lay on his thigh and squeezed gently. “Sounds good.”

As the car moved off, Adam reflected on the one thing that had surprised him about their shopping expedition. He’d let Paul take the lead, and it hadn’t felt awkward. If anything, it had been good to let him take control.

I should hand over the reins more often.

Now there was an idea…