Page 54 of Leather and Longing (Island Tales #3)

Chapter Forty-Two

“We should probably have that talk, right?” The slight quaver in Paul’s voice was adorable.

Adam laughed. God, he felt so fucking light . “No probably about it, but not here. And not in the car. I want to be able to concentrate.” He straightened and stepped closer. “But there’s one thing I will do before we go anywhere.”

“Yeah?”

Adam moved closer still until he could feel Paul’s heat.

He stretched out his hand and met with Paul’s toned upper arm.

Adam stroked upward, loving the way Paul trembled beneath his fingertips.

He followed the vein in Paul’s neck that throbbed, moving upward to caress his jaw.

Adam leaned in and brushed his lips over the warm skin there, before aiming higher to meet a pair of silky lips that parted for him without hesitation.

Adam kissed him, conscious of being in public but fuck it , this was no time for hiding how he felt.

Paul wasn’t hiding either. He looped his arms around Adam’s neck and returned the kiss, his breathing quickening. When they finished, Adam took off his glasses, shoved them in his pocket and pressed his forehead to Paul’s, a poignant reminder of the previous day. “Say the words, babe.”

The hitch in Paul’s breathing made his heart beat faster. “Adam?”

Adam kissed him. “Say the words I’ve never heard from another man’s lips, not for me.” He laid his soul bare with that whispered truth.

“Oh, God.” Paul leaned into him, his body pressed up against Adam, so warm and vital. Paul brought his lips to Adam’s ear. “I love you, Adam Kent.”

Fuck .

It was heady. Intense. The most beautiful words Adam had ever heard.

He wrapped his arms around Paul’s waist and drew him close, inhaling his scent. There was an air of expectancy about Paul that sent a tingle down Adam’s spine. He knew why Paul’s respiration was rapid. Adam kissed him again, slowly and thoroughly.

“I love you,” he whispered, his heart soaring to finally say the words.

Paul held onto him, so still that Adam couldn’t even feel him breathing.

How long they stood there, their arms around each other, Adam had no idea.

The noise of the traffic on the busy road filtered through into his consciousness, an unwelcome intrusion.

“And now we’ve got the important part over with, let’s go home. ”

Paul murmured in agreement before curling his hand around Adam’s nape to draw him close for one more kiss. When they parted, he sighed. “Does it sound crazy that I don’t want to move from this spot?”

Adam chuckled, his heart lighter than it had been in a long time. “Because it feels as though moving will break the spell?” He knew what Paul meant: there was a fragile quality to the moment, as if none of it was real.

“Yes,” Paul breathed. “Exactly.”

Adam kissed his forehead. “I promise, it’s all real, it’s not going to disappear. And when we get home, we’ll curl up on the couch and say the words all over again.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Paul admitted.

“Then take us home, babe.” Adam wished he could see Paul’s reaction to the endearment. The word felt right .

Paul held the door and Adam eased into the passenger seat. He secured his seatbelt and relaxed against the headrest. Paul got in and switched on the engine. They moved off and Adam let the noise outside the car wash over him.

He’d rarely felt so at peace.

When Paul let out a heavy sigh, the moment shattered.

“What is it?” Adam tensed.

“Can we talk about what happened just now?”

Adam frowned. “I thought that’s what we were doing.” His chest grew tight, that fluttering resuming in his belly.

Paul made a noise at the back of his throat. “No, I mean about… Caroline.”

Adam growled. “Did you have to spoil my mood?”

Paul’s hand was around his in an instant. “Listen to me. As far as Dean is concerned, he can go to hell for all I care. I never want to see the worthless piece of shit again.”

The hard edge to Paul’s voice sent a shiver down Adam’s back. “Yeah, I think I got that.”

“But your sister… that’s different. She’s the only relative you’ve got, beside Dean.”

“And that excuses what she did?” Adam stiffened.

“Fuck, no!” The words flew from Paul. “I think it was selfish and showed no regard for you whatsoever. Okay, she had her reasons, but that’s no excuse.

” He paused. “I’m just saying, sooner or later you’ll have to talk to her.

Not now. Give things time to settle, yeah?

” His voice softened. “She did try to help, right? She interviewed applicants for you, she…” His voice died.

Adam smiled. “You’re trying to come up with good things she did, aren’t you?” He loved that about Paul.

I have a good man.

Paul’s hand tightened around his. “She brought me to you. I’d call that a good thing, wouldn’t you?”

That stopped him in his tracks. “Yes, I would.” For that reason alone, maybe one day he’d forgive her.

Maybe.

Right then everything was too raw, too sharp.

“The one thing I don’t understand? How she thought she’d get away with it.” Adam was still amazed she’d gone as far as contacting a builder.

“It’s not as if we gave her much of an opportunity to present her side of it,” Paul said quietly. “Think about it: Mr. Kennedy said he last spoke with her in when, May?” Adam nodded. “But not since. When were you diagnosed? Mid-May?”

“That’s right.”

“So maybe, yeah, she’d thought about it, spoke with Mr. Kennedy about it, but then everything got turned upside down. When did you decide to move back here?”

Adam thought quickly. “The beginning of July, perhaps a bit later.”

“See?” There was a triumphant note to Paul’s voice.

“Know what I think? She changed her mind. Perhaps it was one thing to consider turning the house into a B&B when you were happily living in London and showing no signs of wanting to live on the island. It was quite another when you’d lost your sight and wanted to hide away here. ”

Adam caught his breath. “God, you really did get me, didn’t you?” Unlike anyone else who knew him, Paul seemed to be able to see beneath the surface.

Paul stroked his hand before changing gear, and then it was right back to holding his hand again, as if he didn’t want to break their connection.

Adam considered Paul’s suggestions. “Do you think her wanting me to move out wasn’t so she could carry out her plans?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her that, Adam.”

They fell silent, Adam lost in his thoughts. Paul was right, of course: he needed answers that only Caroline could provide. That could wait.

All he wanted to do was go home and curl up with Paul.

“Adam? Hey, sleepyhead, we’re home.”

Adam gave a start. “Whaa?” The car was at a standstill, the engine switched off.

Paul chuckled. “You fell asleep just as we reached Godshill. I think all that emotion and stress wiped you out.”

Adam scrubbed a hand over his face. He hadn’t felt himself dozing off, just a feeling of warmth and comfort. He climbed out of the car, Paul at his side, that gentle touch above his elbow as usual.

“I think you’d better make some coffee when we get in,” he suggested.

“Sure.” Paul unlocked the front door, and they entered the hall.

Adam went through into the library and sank onto the couch, listening to Paul bustling around in the kitchen.

It wasn’t long before Paul was sitting next to him, the smell of fresh coffee in the air.

They sat in silence, Adam trying to collect his thoughts while they drank.

In the space of an hour, everything had changed.

Hadn’t it?

That one brief question was all it took to make Adam think clearly.

He loves me. But how can we make this work?

“Can we talk about yesterday?” It seemed as good a point as any.

“Yeah, maybe it’s time for that.” Paul shifted next to him, and his bare feet were on Adam’s thigh. Adam stroked them, keeping the motion gentle.

“About the flogging,” Adam began. “Were you really okay about me bringing in Seth?”

Paul gave a shaky laugh. “When you first suggested it? Fuck, no. It was only because I… I really trusted you that I said yes.” His voice lowered. “I knew you wouldn’t let any harm come to me.”

The sincerity laced through Paul’s words shook him. Adam lifted Paul’s foot and kissed it softly, not missing his gentle intake of breath. He returned his foot to its resting place on his thigh.

He listened to Paul’s quiet inhalation. “Adam, what we’ve done so far, the clamps, the cock ring, all of it, has been… amazing. I loved it, all of it. I admit I was curious about how it would feel to be flogged, but more than that, I…” He gulped, his breathing erratic.

Adam reached for Paul and pulled him into his lap, his arm around Paul’s shoulder. “Tell me,” he said, his voice soft.

“I wanted to please you, to make you proud of me,” Paul whispered. “I thought it was what you wanted.”

“But when it came down to it, you safeworded. That’s what counts.

” Adam stroked his arm. “Okay, seeing as we’re in confession mode…

When you seemed to like the idea of being flogged, my mind went into overdrive.

All I could think about was you wanting something that I couldn’t give you.

” He caressed Paul’s face. “You’re really happy with what we have? ”

“Fuck, yes.” Paul kissed him, a fervent collision of lips. “I love you just the way you are. I wouldn’t change one thing about you.”

Adam pushed out a long, shaky sigh. “Thank God for that.”

Paul snuggled up to him, his head on Adam’s shoulder, his hand resting against Adam’s chest. “What a pair we are.”

Adam took a step out of his comfort zone. “This isn’t easy for me. I’ve… I’ve never been in a relationship. I’ve never found it easy to share my feelings. That wasn’t me. Before you, I wouldn’t have known a romantic entanglement if it stepped right up and slapped me in the face.”

Paul chuckled against his chest, before becoming still. “I didn’t know how you’d react if I suddenly said, ‘oh, by the way, I’m falling in love with you.’”