Shit. He was in the closet for Christ's sake; why would anyone be in love with him?
The kitchen was cleaned, coffee started, the silence in the house overwhelming. His thoughts chased themselves over and over in his head and all he wanted to do was grab Slayde up and kiss the man into next week.
"Would you like some dessert?"
He shook his head and reached out, grabbed Slayde's shirt collar and tugged. Slayde stumbled toward him and he pressed their lips together. Oh, fuck. Yeah. Nothing else mattered when he kissed Slayde. Not other people, not his worries, not whether anyone knew he was gay. All that mattered was the way Slayde tasted on his tongue.
Slayde cried out, arms wrapping around him, the kiss wild, almost desperate. One hand slid to Slayde's ass, wrapping around it and keeping him close. Fuck, he'd wanted to do this all day.
Slayde tasted like grapes, like good wine, and Drake dove in, tongue fucking those open lips. He rubbed them together, his cock full on hard in seconds and searching out its match through their clothes.
"Upstairs. Upstairs, Drake." The words were murmured into his lips.
He started moving them, pushing Slayde up against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, humping hard. The banister creaked, Slayde's legs wrapping around him. Fucking sexy asshole.
He started up the stairs, hands holding tight to Slayde's ass, leaning forward so they didn't pitch down the stairs backward.
"Oh, fuck. I need you, so bad."
"Uh-huh." He so got that. He so felt it.
They careened into the wall once they got up the stairs. He went back to tongue-fucking the lovely mouth.
"Uncle Slayde? Why is Uncle Drake carrying you?"
Christian was standing there, rubbing his eyes and he dropped Slayde, the man hitting the ground.
"I. Uh. He… Legs. Uh." Jesus fuck. Fuck.
"Drake." Slayde's voice was firm. "Christian, you okay?"
"Uh-huh. Tuck me in?"
"Absolutely, buddy."
He just watched, amazed, as Slayde followed Christian back into his room, like they hadn't just been caught.
God, what the hell was he doing? He was going to lose his fucking mind. He should just go to bed now, just walk into his room and shut the door. He didn't, though. He waited for Slayde to come out of Christian's room, meet his eyes.
"He okay?"
"Already back to sleep."
He shook his head. "Your room."
"Come on." Slayde reached back, took his head.
He wrapped his fingers in Slayde's, trying not to think on how good it felt.
Slayde shut the door behind them, looked at him. "We okay?"
"You're not telling everyone, right?" He needed to know this ended with Joey and Travis.
Slayde seemed to shrink a little bit. "I won't say a word to anyone, including anything else to them. I'm sorry. I'll be careful. I promise."
"I'm not out, baby." Just the thought of it scared him. He touched Slayde's cheek.
"I know. I won't fuck up again."
"I just don't want to lose this." He brought their mouths together. It was so good between them. If it got out, it would be over.
Slayde kissed him hard, hard enough that it shut down that worried, scared voice in the back of his head. He opened up and let Slayde take his mouth, drowned in how good it was. Slayde's hands moved over his shoulders, his head, his throat. Groaning, he leaned into the touches, needing the touches from Slayde, the care.
"Come to bed." Slayde locked the door.
He went, tugging his clothes off. When Slayde pulled off the T-shirt and turned off the light, he knew things were going to be okay.
Chapter Ten
Slayde woke up early-early, slid from Drake's arms and headed downstairs, a dull sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. What was he doing? Was he crazy? Falling in love with someone who was ashamed of him? Of being gay? This was a disaster looking for an idiot to destroy.
His phone was on the kitchen counter, message announcements blinking.
"I'm so sorry, honey."
"Call me?"
"Message me when you get up."
He texted Joey. "Up."
Joey's reply came right away. "Call me."
He poured a cup of cold coffee, nuked it for thirty seconds and headed out to the backyard before dialing Joey.
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
"No. Yes. I don't know." He plopped down. "God, Joey, I fucked up so bad."
"What did you do that was so bad?"
"I told you about us. Him. If there's going to be an us, I can't tell. At breakfast, you both have to be careful."
"Well, honey, you're my best friend of course you told me -- but I'm gay, I'm not going to judge him! And what do you mean be careful? Is he going to hurt us for knowing or something?"
"No. No. He just… He's…" Ashamed. Scared. "…in the closet."
Joey sighed. "As hard as it can be sometimes to be gay, I think being in the closet must be even harder. How can you live your whole life as a lie?"
"I don't know, but it's only my life 'til Mindy comes home."
"I still can't believe she'll kick you to the curb, honey. You're everything to those kids."
"Oh, she won't. She'll let me have my room until the house sells." He sighed. "I'll start breakfast at eight."
"We're coming now. You need a hug, honey, and I need to give you one."
"Okay. I'll be in the backyard, that way we won't wake the kids."
"We'll be there in ten, honey. I love you."
"I love you." He sat there, sipping his coffee, watching the sky.
A few moments later Drake came out from the house. "Hey."
"Hey. You're up early. You going to say hi to Minds?"
"She calling in soon?" Drake yawned and rubbed his hand through his hair, shorts sitting low on his hips. Then the man came over and cupped his cheek, thumb rubbing over his lips.
"She should, yeah." He kissed Drake's thumb. "The guys will be here soon, if you want to jump in the shower."
"Okay." Drake bent, kissed him softly, right out there in the fucking backyard. Then the
