Month: August 2014

They unseasonably cool temperature meant that Kyle wasn’t even breaking a sweat as did yard work. He was very particular about the way things should be done, and he worked hard at keeping everything nice. It was also a chore he loved doing. Which worked out well, because it was the one thing I really loathed. I’d scrub the bathroom everyday if it meant I didn’t have to weed. There were bugs in the weeds.

I stood at the front window, peering out at him and watching the muscles play beneath his tight shirt as he worked. The good thing about the weather was that Kyle was comfortable as he worked outside. The bad thing was that he hadn’t lost his shirt, and that was my biweekly eye candy.

We had mutual friends, so when my building went condo and I’d either have to buy my place–which I couldn’t afford–or move out, they suggested I talk to Kyle. He owned a large house and was looking for a roommate to help defray some if the cost. We hit it off, I moved in, and we’d been getting along great for the last two years. It had worked out perfectly.

Except for the fact that is fallen in love with him.

Kyle was a solid, loyal, all around good guy. And a walking wet dream. But I never got the feeling that he wanted me too. So I kept my feelings to myself and tried to forget about him by hooking up with random guys and dating anyone who showed an interest. But even that was getting old. And in the last few months, I hadn’t done anything with anyone but my right hand.

Kyle finished his work, gathered his lawn care equipment, and headed around the side of the house to put it away in the shed. I faded from the window. By the time he entered the house, I was sitting at the table, a large glass of ice water ready for him. He grinned at me as he took a large swallow.

“I need a shower,” he said conversationally. He stretched his arms over his head to show off a tantalizing bit of skin at his stomach. “Wash off all this grime. Care to join me?”

I started and stared open-mouthed, sure I had heard him wrong.

His smile softened and his eyes filled with affection. “You’re done with all that running around. I know it. So it’s time for you to give us a chance.”

I should explain. I should tell him that he was the reason that I’d done those things. But I wasn’t stupid. We could have that conversation later. He was giving me the sign if been waiting for and I wasn’t about to pass the opportunity up. I stood, grinned, whipped off my shirt, and raced him to the bathroom. He chased me, laughing.

My heart was light. Finally.

The air was cool but the sun was bright, beating down on my shoulders and keeping me warm as I stood on the back deck. Our backyard wasn’t big, but the lawn was lush and I had dug in a koi pond earlier in the summer. It was peaceful to stare out at our small expanse. I was in desperate need of some peace right now.

Behind me, I heard the door slide open but I didn’t turn around. I didn’t say anything either. Just waited and worked at keeping my calm.

“What’s wrong with you?” Quinn asked, his voice dark and concerned.

My only answer was a shrug.

“Dammit Ben,” he said with a frustrated sigh. “Is this about what I said last night?”

I shook my head even though it really was. I thought I knew him, inside and out. We’d been together for six years and had been married for the past two. But last night I had learned something new. Something so shocking that I couldn’t believe that this was the same man I’d given my heart to.

Tense silence stretched between us. He walked up beside me and leaned his slightly smaller frame against me. Automatically, I lifted my arm to pull him in close. He gave a relieved sigh and blinked his bright blue eyes at me.

“I love you,” he said quietly, but there was a fervor beneath his words that warmed my heart.

“I know,” I responded in the same tone. “I love you too. That hasn’t changed. I just can’t believe I didn’t know this about you. I feel…well, shocked and disappointed I think.”

Quinn’s scowl really was adorable, but the anger underneath it was really. “Oh for fuck’s sake! It’s just a TV show.”

I shook my head rapidly. “Star Trek is not just aTV show!”

His grin was rueful. “I love you,” he repeated. “And I love how much you love those shows. How you know the most random and arcane bits of trivia. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean everything between us has to end.”

He was teasing. And I knew I was taking my emotions too far. I wasn’t being exactly logical. But then again, it wasn’t often that I was. I grimaced anyway, playing along. “Yes, well, I’m not so sure about that.”

He laughed, understanding I wasn’t serious and cuddles in tighter. One if his hands crept under my t-shirt and he ran his fingers through the trail of hair on my belly.

“How about this?” He suggested softly. “How about you forgive me for my heinous indiscretion, I promise I’ll never say a bad word about the show, and we forget this whole thing and I take you to our bed and fuck you hard?”

I gave a very put upon sigh, and rolled my eyes for effect. “All right. Fiiiiine.”

He grinned wickedly, and my heart stuttered in my chest. He buried his fingers in my shirt and used his hold to drag behind me back into the house.