~ ♥-♥-♥ ~ Poopyhead Justin was on the loft’s hardwood floor, on his stomach next to Gus. They were drawing while Brian was upstairs in the bedroom putting Mac down for his nap. At least Gus was drawing. Justin scribbled aimlessly, his mind a million miles away. Now that he was rich, he needed to buy a car, didn’t he? He’d have the money from his grandfather, soon, tons of it, and given how long he’d been riding around on the fair city of Pittsburgh’s transportation system, it was about time. What color though … that was the question. Oh, and make. And model. He was drifting off on this speculation when he felt a small hand on his arm. “Justin?” Gus had already drawn a brown house, one with two women standing out front, one boy, a teeny little speck of a baby—that would be Mac—and a tall daddy who seemed to tower over them all. “Can I ask you a question?” Justin slapped down his crayon and focused on the little boy. “Sure. Ask away.” Gus kicked his feet against the floor, but he was wearing sneakers so Brian wouldn’t mind. “My moms says I can’t use the word ‘poopyhead’” he said in the confidential tone of a friend. “That makes sense,” Justin told him, thinking of some of the words his mom wouldn’t let him use when he was a kid. “Moms tend to be like that.” “Yeah, but …” Gus’s hazel eyes reflected a perplexity a five-year-old should not possess. “My daddy says not to say it too. And he’s cool, right, Justin? Daddy’s cool.” Justin hid a smile, almost certain he’d heard a sound coming from the bedroom. “You’re right.” He pushed the little boy’s bangs out of his eyes. “Your dad is cool.” “He says bad words all the time.” Hopefully, not around you, Justin thought, but only smiled. “Gus, your dad’s so cool he knows when it’s okay to say ‘poopyhead’ and when it’s not.” Gus gave that some thought, chewing on his lower lip, forehead wrinkled. “Like … not around Mommy or Mama?” “Right.” “But it’s … okay around Bobby Edwards?” Justin gave him a grin. “Is he a poopyhead?” Gus nodded, very solemn. “Yes. At school, he takes other kids’ cookies during snack time. He even stole one of my pencils.” Justin nodded, equally solemn. “Then Gus, he’s a poopyhead and I can assure you, your dad would approve.” He heard a sound again and had to smile. Brian was chuckling. ~ ♥-♥-♥ ~ Kisses Lying on the couch, his head in Brian’s lap, drowsy and woozy and warm, Justin drifted. A balmy breeze from the window wafted over him, slow and sensual and in perfect rhythm with Brian’s hand as he ran his fingers through Justin’s hair lulling him into this welcomed state of bliss. Things had been rush-rush-rush all week and even though he was only twenty-four and shouldn’t ever be tired by some people’s estimation—he cracked open an eye to give Brian a semi-glare—the truth was, he was exhausted. Spent. Ready for a long afternoon nap. Which was gonna start right now. He made a sound deep in his throat, sort of a sigh, but a bit like a moan, so relaxed he couldn’t help it, his entire body going limp as he drifted off to sleep. Colors began to swim through his head: blues and greens and touches of golden yellow with just a sliver of purple slithering here and there. Hmm. Lips were suddenly atop his, lips that brushed over his with such a light touch he knew they must be part of his dream. Oh, good. Kisses. He loved kisses. And there was no doubt the lips belonged to Brian, the world’s best kisser so … even better. Good dream. Good kisses. The pressure increased so he opened his mouth, obedient when Brian licked across the slick surface to gain entrance. Lazily, he kissed back, a soft growl deep in his throat when Brian sucked on his tongue, when an inspection of his teeth began, when that talented tongue explored deeper and deeper. Just like when he’d been awake, Brian’s fingers were sifting the strands of his hair. Cool. So, he’d taken his last conscious thought and it was now part of this developing and quite delightful world. Coolness itself. He could sleep and have sex at the same time. That was always fun. “Go to sleep, Sunshine,” Brian said at his ear, warm breath bathing the side of his face. “I’ll meet you in your dreams.” Or … maybe not. Justin sighed. It didn’t matter. Awake or asleep, he couldn’t get away from Brian, ever. And, as he drifted off to sleep, that made him smile. ~ ♥-♥-♥ ~ Snow Day Being trapped in a snowstorm with Brian Kinney for three days is both a good and bad thing. Coming inside the house after a brisk walk back to my studio to make sure there weren’t any leaks in the roof, I consider the good things. Sex. Yeah, that just about covers it. God, in the time since the first snowflakes fell, we’ve re-christened every surface in the entire house, and it’s a big house. Last night, Brian dragged me into the downstairs half-bath that’s just off the formal living room, and had me on the small vanity there, screaming in about ten minutes. For such an old man, he’s insatiable. Unfortunately Brian’s also a work-a-holic, and that doesn’t change because of some pesky little snowstorm. The phone, the Internet, his fax machine—they’re all working and he’s taking advantage of that with a vengeance. Any thoughts I had about having a snow day just haven’t happened. I don’t like that, I don’t like it at all. Okay, I’m a full partner in Kinnetik and I have a ton of things to do too. And I’m doing them, believe me I am. I don’t get a pass if I slack off on my duties, and the few times I’ve tried, I’ve ended up nose-to-nose with a heated lecture and no blowjob from Mr. CEO himself. Brian knows how to hurt and never hesitates to do so if he thinks it’s warranted. But the thing is, we’re now pretty much caught up, including the Aptins account. Nothing is urgent. Everything we have to do is stuff in the planning stages so we have downtime, a little downtime he’s refusing to take advantage of. Which forces me, as usual, to be the creative one. Leaving my shoes, coat, gloves, and hat in the mud room, I walk quickly to the library where I know His Majesty is working, my hands behind my back. Yep, there he is, at his desk, studying something on his monitor. “Everything all right in the studio?” he says as I walk toward him, and I marvel again at how good his hearing is. He’s hard to sneak up on, but then, I don’t need that advantage. “Yeah, looks good.” I lean down over his shoulder, and he turns his head to give me a kiss. That’s when I strike, taking the snow I brought from outdoors and stuffing it down the back of his sweater. I smoosh it against him after I do, just to get the maximum effect. “Fucker!” He reacts immediately, jumping out of his chair to make a grab for me, but I anticipate that and leap out of his reach, taking off. He’s taller than me, so his legs are longer, true, but I’m younger and I manage to stay out in front. “Pussy boy!” I shout over my shoulder as I run into the kitchen. I get the huge island between us, laughing as he gives me his most deadly stare. “You are going to pay, little boy,” he growls as he follows me around the thing. Now that’s more like it. I’m grinning as I move, throwing out taunts and sticking my tongue out at him. God, I have the most delicious thrill running down my spine watching him stalk me. I know I’ll be “punished” when he catches me and it’ll be painful, but it’ll also end with some mind-blowing sex, so at least I’ll have a little of my snow day. He manages to get around to the same side of the island and, in one fell swoop, he has me. “All right,” he growls at my ear, and wraps both arms around my waist, picking me up as he walks toward the back door, “now you pay for your crime!” “No, no, don’t throw me in the snow! Don’t” I wail in my most pitiful voice, but the door opens, we go through the mud room and a moment later, he’s throwing me into a snowdrift. “No!” I scream as he dives in after me and begins to rub snow on my face, push it down the front of my sweater, and shove it into my pants. “Stop it! Stop! I’m freezing!” I yell as he rubs snow all over me. “Enjoying yourself, Sunshine?” he says as he stuff snow down the back of my pants. “I hope you are because as soon as I get your ass nice and cold, I’m going to be pounding on it until you beg me to stop.” With a growl, I grab him by the neck and pull him to me, grinding my mouth against his. “Bring it on!” And, that—now, that’s what I call a decent snow day. ~ ♥-♥-♥ ~ Love-Sick Puppy As he walked through the house, switching off lights, Brian tried not to check his watch again. Checking it every five minutes was … well, pathetic. Justin had only been gone a few hours, off to L.A. with two Kinnetik staff members to do a presentation for one of their biggest clients. As for him, so what if he was almost forty and had been in a committed relationship practically his entire life … or at least five years. That didn’t mean he had to walk around the huge Victorian house he shared with Justin and behave like he missed the kid. “Kid?” He had to chuckle. Justin was younger, true, but he’d stopped being a kid sometime ago. Fuck, he was getting closer and closer to thirty. Soon they’d be going through that same sad ritual they’d gone through when he reached thirty: the drama, the pathos, the queening. Or, maybe not. Justin seemed remarkably well-adjusted considering the fact that he lived with a “difficult” man and had come through a few traumatic events well before he was twenty-one. And lived to talk about them. Brian closed his eyes. Thankfully. He checked his watch again. Well, look at that. Two minutes had passed. “Pathetic!” He spoke to the gloomy silence all around him, then marched into the kitchen to get a beer. He had more fuckin’ work to do than any other ten people in Kinnetik so why in hell was he standing around moping? Yanking open the refrigerator, he grabbed a Dos Equis and popped the top, taking a long swallow. Some things just could not be allowed to fester and this was one of them. Being a love-sick puppy was for teenage boys with small dicks, and if there’s one thing he wasn’t, it was— His cell phone rang. He wanted to let it ring a few times, but his hand whipped around and grabbed it off his belt before he could take conscious control of the action. “Yeah?” “Hey there, Mr. Cheerful,” Justin said with a little laugh. Brian’s shoulders relaxed. He eased himself down on one of the stools and took another pull on the beer. “I am now.” ~ ♥-♥-♥ ~ Mother’s Day Justin looked right and left like he’d just donned a trench coat and was part of a spy flick. “I think it’s safe. I don’t see anyone you know,” he whispered out of the corner of his mouth. By his side, hands on the Land Rover’s steering wheel, Brian rolled his eyes. “I’m not seeing the humor in this.” “That’s because you’re not me,” Justin replied, punching Brian’s arm with a practiced touch. “If you were me, you would’ve seen the raw terror on your face when I told you we’d be celebrating Mother’s Day with my mom and Molly. You would’ve heard all the lame excuses you made why you just couldn’t be a part of such a breeder ritual. And you certainly would’ve enjoyed the fun of watching you, Brian Kinney, not be able to find a decent outfit to wear to said breeder ritual. Let me assure you, you’d have been rolling in the aisles by now.” Brian’s gaze was fixed on some distance point in front of them, the boredom slathered on so thickly it hid his true feelings. “As usual, you’re not funny.” “You’re not paying attention, Brian. You’re the one who’s funny.” Justin unhooked his seat belt and leaned across the console so he could stick his face in front of Brian’s. “See?” He pointed at his wide grin. “Me? Laughing?” Predictably, Brian grabbed him around the waist and began to tickle him. Justin had learned long ago that Brian was a ruthless tickler. Not with kids, no. He was always very gentle with Gus and Mac. But adults—or more specifically, him—he’d let it rip and would do his best to illicit pitiful cries of mercy as quickly as possible. “Okay, okay, stop!” Justin cried immediately, which was his normal game plan: cave at first sign of tickling. “Don’t! I give in! Stop it, Brian! I surrender! Stop!” he shrieked as Brian’s fingers played across his ribs like they were piano keys. Brian stopped but maintained his grip, ready to begin again at a moment’s notice. “We’re only staying for an hour,” he said at Justin’s ear. “Agreed.” “And you are not saying anything like this inside, with your mother present.” For some reason, Mom’s opinion of Brian was important to him. No matter how long they were together, that always surprised him. “Agreed.” “And you will go home with me and immediately give me the promised blowjob.” “Hmmm, absolutely,” Justin said with great enthusiasm. “Followed by another sex act, TBD.” Justin turned his face up so he could see Brian, not surprised when the man’s lips were atop his a second later, soft, warm, and eager, as always. He grinned at the end of the kiss. “Agreed. And can I just say, with actions like this, you simply encourage me to drag you to family affairs?” Brian kissed his nose. “Can I say, as long as I’m so generously compensated, it doesn’t matter?” They grinned at each other. Then Justin sat up, they opened the Rover’s doors, and marched purposefully inside. Better get this over with as soon as possible.