“It took you long enough.”
“At some point, you’re gonna have to let me get some sleep,” Landon quipped, wrapping his newly cast-free arm around Robert, stepping thigh to chest against the man.
“In the words of Arya Stark, ‘Not today’.” Robert encircled him with both arms, pulling him closer against his hot, wet body. This was when the internal doubt eased the most, when Robert held him almost possessively. That striking, expressive face reflected all the longing Landon held so deep inside his heart.
“It’s a good thing you’re so sexy. If you’re nice, I’ll let that sassy comment slide.”
Robert laughed at his hard-edged tone, changing their positions abruptly. He spun Landon under the warm spray as he dropped to his knees in front of him. Robert lifted his eyes, the intensity swirling behind the blue gaze took Landon’s breath, and he lowered his hand to cup the back of the fine doctor’s head.
“I learned from the best.” Robert expertly gripped his shaft, giving a toe-curling stroke before lowering his mouth and sucking Landon to the root. Warm, wet pleasure engulfed him, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His breath hitched in his chest as his lover’s mouth nearly made his knees buckle. Robert’s mouth was indeed magical. Landon closed his eyes and let the magic take him under.
Chapter 18
“Linkin Park was excellent.”
Robert had to agree. They were his favorite band of all time. When he turned to say those very words, he discovered a distracted Landon with his focus elsewhere. Following Landon’s gaze made him grin. His guy stared openly, almost lustfully, at a long row of food vendor booths lining the sidewalk outside the concert venue. Robert read the signs of each space, ticking off the different varieties of foods. The entire line of selections looked fried, super processed, or filled with sugar, exactly the kinds of food Landon loved to eat.
“They’ve always been a favorite of mine,” Robert said about the band, now almost as distracted as Landon as he started to head the opposite direction toward the bright flashing colors of the carnival rides, maybe a hundred and fifty feet away. Surely, Landon couldn’t be hungry after the huge meal they’d shared before the concert.
“Have you met ’em?” Landon asked, his fingers closing around Robert’s elbow to stop him in his tracks. That was all it took for Robert to clasp the extended hand, entwining their fingers together. Since he always itched to touch Landon, the hand hold was the lure he needed to step back toward Landon, whose gaze bounced between Robert and the beckoning food vendors.
“I did meet them. It was the summer before my sophomore year of college. They played in a small venue in Minneapolis. My parents bribed us home with the tickets. We went backstage and met the band. There was lots of smoking and partying going on, if I remember correctly,” he said with a smile, remembering how self-conscious his daddy had been in that kind of an environment.
“Rich kid,” Landon muttered teasingly, giving his best Italian pfft then nodding toward the sausage on a stick street truck. Landon started toward the truck, turning back to him after a couple of steps and then walking backward. When their arms stretched as far as they could, Landon gave a quick, forceful tug to get him moving. Of course, he had no choice but to follow. A playful Landon was a sexy guy. He was beginning to understand he’d follow this man anywhere he led.
“I think it’s more like the benefits of having a father who was vice president. He could get us into a lot of things. He also opened our eyes to some of the most extreme poverty I’ve ever seen in my life at the places he had us volunteer our time. They made me see the whole world for its good and its bad,” Robert said, trailing after him. Landon corrected his stride, turning back in the direction of the truck, giving Robert another nice view.
Landon had a natural strut to his gait, his ass swinging with every step he took. Landon let go of his hand when he reached the counter and placed his order. Robert caught up, pulling his wallet free from his walking shorts.
“You know that’s a heart attack on a stick.”
“Is that your expert opinion?” Landon asked, grinning as he barely spared Robert a glance. His whole attention was on the man shoving a stick inside the long Italian sausage.
“Yeah. Pretty much everyone’s expert opinion.” Robert slid a ten-dollar bill across the ledge to the cashier as Landon reached for his wallet, thumbing through his cash. Robert stepped back, giving Landon access to the small row of condiments on the side of the truck. “Keep the change.”
“No, wait. I’m paying,” Landon said, the sausage forgotten as Landon swiped a finger through the air, instructing the cashier to give Robert back his money. “I’m paying. Not him.”
Robert tucked his wallet back inside his pocket and stepped farther away. He brought forward his hard, unyielding stare, something he inherited from his dad and shook his head, getting a deer-in-the-headlights look back in return.
Now, both sets of eyes stared at him, but Landon’s had shifted to angry. For as well as he and Landon had gotten along over the last several days, money was becoming a budding problem between them. More than anything, Robert didn’t want that to be the case. Last night, while waiting for Landon to
