CHAPTER *39*

I was in the kitchen doing the dishes when Ross finally came home. I heard him come in, even over the clamoring of cutlery and dishes; I’m kind of a loud worker in that department, but him barking my name from the moment he entered the loft did help a little.

“Kitchen!” I yelled, grabbing a towel to dry my hands.

I grinned when I heard his steps behind me, and when two arms snuck around my middle, I never felt happier in my life. Yeah, I’m such a sap at times.

Ross pushed his nose into my neck, and inhaled deeply.

“I missed you so much,” he whispered, kissing my neck. “I missed your smell.”

From there, he quickly made his way down my jaw, finally covering my lips with his for a hungry kiss. He allowed me to turn around, and pushed me against the kitchen counter with his tall body.

“I missed you, too,” I whispered back, when he lifted his head up temporarily for a breath of air.

“Care to show me how much?” he smiled, stealing another kiss.

He didn’t really ask; his hands were already lifting up my t-shirt. It wound up on the floor somewhere, while his hungry mouth peppered my jaw and throat with little kisses.

“What are you doing?” I snickered, when he found a hardening nipple with his long fingers. By now, his tongue softly licked the spot underneath my ear, the tip snuggling right behind the lobe in…that spot, right there.

“Demanding my full rights of your body,” he murmured against the skin.

“Ah… Just checking,” I replied, leaning into him.

He caught my hand, guiding it to his rapidly rising flesh, squeezing it softly through the fabric. He answered me with a deep grunt.

“You’re wearing that damn belt,” he said, his voice sounding impatient as he fumbled with the buckle. “Were you trying to make me wait on purpose?”

I started to laugh, and used my other hand to undo it for him. From there it only took him a few seconds to open up my jeans, and finally he really touched me, wrapping his fingers around me.

I let go of him for a few seconds, the dishes completely forgotten, to pull down my jeans and shorts, kicking both to the side. By then he had turned me around, and his mouth had traveled to the middle of my back; I arched it when he reached the bottom, tonguing the top of my crack.

“Oh my god,” I sighed, yelling an obscenity when the tip of his tongue found the center of pleasure. “Ross…”

He sent me through the roof, to the point where I begged him to just take me, and the sound of his zipper right then was music to my ears.

He didn’t even take off any of his clothes, loathing the time it would take, and I bit my lower lip when he teased me for a while. When he finally came into me, I cried out in ecstasy, squeezing tightly around him while he started to moan, and when the pulsing began, mere seconds after making us one, he bit my shoulder, whispering that he loved me.

I reached up, cupping the back of his head when his lips sought mine and we kissed, remaining still for a little while; then, when he started to move again, he softly laughed when I made a sound of surprise.

“I missed you so damn much, it hurt,” he whispered, again taking me on a journey to the stars. Well, I saw them anyway, but that might have been the result of a bash against a cupboard. We were…pretty enthusiastic.

**********

“So…is it done?” he asked later in bed, with his head propped up on his elbow. The back of his fingers softly stroked my arm.

“Is what done?” I asked, shivering involuntarily.

The vivid memory of our lovemaking was still fresh in my mind, all three times, and he hadn’t shown any sign of tiring.

“Kyle.”

I bit my lower lip and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s done.”

He looked deep into my eyes for a long few seconds.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I answered, looking away uncomfortably. Then I turned onto my side, pushing my back against his warm chest and sighed deeply. He misunderstood that sigh, because he softly spoke my name.

“Don’t shut me out. I know I asked a lot, and I appreciate it, more than you will ever know.”

I quickly turned to face him, sending him a reassuring smile.

“Sorry, that’s not what I wanted you to think. I’m okay with it. We’re cool.”

“I’d say we’re rather hot, not cool.” He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

“That too,” I replied, wrapping my arms around his back when he moved half on top of me.

“I love you.”

“Ditto.”

“That’s not good enough. Say it.”

“Would you just shut up and kiss me?” I grinned. “I thought you said you missed me.”

“Insatiable,” he mumbled, but complied with enough enthusiasm to make me say the word out loud anyway, several times.

CHAPTER *40*

Doing all the work at home took some getting used to. Not having every tool available to me made the process very difficult, but Kyle had spoken to Jodie and Mason, swearing them to secrecy. They had to be told, or the whole thing would be blown wide open inside a week. So we established a strict protocol to call, swap files and such. Most of it took place during the day, when Ross wasn’t home, or at night, when he was working late and it was safe for Kyle to come over and pick up material.

In the meantime, Ross went out of his way to make me feel positive about breaking with Warner Gaming, and putting an end to the friendship with Kyle. He never apologized for his request, but he made clear that he appreciated it a lot, that I had done that for him, in turn sending me in a guilt spell or two.

Our relationship blossomed to full in that time. Sometimes he’d come home early, which had me frantically covering up material and notes in the nick of time; he took me on a trip to visit a friend of his in Las Vegas, who owned a casino there.

His friend, Michael, recently got hitched to a very young guy, and I hit it off with JJ before the first hour was up. When JJ told me their story, it was hard to believe at first, but then, when I looked at the two of them, it was obvious that those two were nuts about each other.

And other times, Ross just smothered me with TLC, and I loved every minute of it. He even offered me a permanent job at FG, which I declined before the sentence even fully left his mouth.

The other thing blossoming was my friendship with Kyle. At first, the meetings had been somewhat awkward, with us putting so much emphasis on the friendship part that it became stunted at best. It wasn’t until Kyle invited me to his home one night that we finally settled into a comfortable give and take. I felt guilty as all sin when I told Ross I was going out to visit a colleague of mine, which wasn’t a lie really, but the feeling hadn’t subsided by the time I rang Kyle’s door.

“I feel like I’m sneaking around,” I told him, when we sat in his living room.

“We’re doing nothing wrong, Mark. He forced you into this…”

“No. I did.”

“We disagree, but fine. Shall we get to work?”

It took a while but for the first time I felt at ease around him. He had some great suggestions for the score, rejected some parts but approved most of what I’d done so far.

After about two hours of working he asked me if I wanted something to drink, and I asked for a cherry coke; I’d taken a liking to it since we visited Vegas. JJ gulped cases of that stuff.
As Kyle was getting the beverages, I looked around.

His house was decorated like an operating theatre; pretty sterile. Expensive, yes, but sterile; no one actually lived here, it seemed. Lots of glass and chrome had been used, as well as blocky furniture. It didn’t sit too comfortable either.

“Would you like a tour?”

Not really. But I didn’t want to be a dick, so I nodded and followed him around the house.

The only room that remotely gave a sense of warmth was his bedroom, but other than that, it was clean shiny surfaces everywhere. Not a plant in the house. There was lots of art, a hobby of his, he told me, which also provided the only color. The rest was black or chrome, and marble tiled floors.

“Not much, is it?” he snickered; I had frowned when he asked me what I thought. I tried to be as polite as possible, but couldn’t find anything to describe this tomb.

“I’m sorry but no, it isn’t. No one lives here. In the immortal words of Sean Bean: this is no mine; this is a tomb.”

He smiled, catching the Lord of the Rings reference.

“I know. It needs life, but since I’m single, and there’s no one to come home to…”

His voice trailed off and I felt for him. I nudged his shoulder and grinned.

“Go out, score a guy. It’s not like you’re a dog, you know. And try a few colored carpets, or something, for god sakes.”

He grinned as well.

“Yeah; it is a tomb, isn’t it?”

“Duh. Dracula would be at home here.”

“Oh, thank you so much.” But he still smiled.

“Why do you think there’s no one in my life? One look at this, and they all run like hell.”

“I don’t blame them,” I laughed. “Seriously though; It’s not that bad, you just need to make it your own. Buy some stuff you feel at home with. Magazines, comfy chair, I dunno; anything.”

“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully. “Would you go with me? I think I’d like your style.”

“The thought here is your style, not mine.”

He snickered.

“Right. Still, would you want to? Come on a little shopping spree to liven this place up a bit?”

“Sure. I love spending other peoples’ money.”

He laughed throatily.

“Alright, I’ll bring my pocketbook, you bring the taste.”

“Deal.”

**********

We actually did go on such a trip a few days later and I have to admit; I had a blast! He bought new furniture when I told that couch of his was a pain rack to sit on; he bought several carpets, thick and colorful; some small stuff to put around the house, like plants and little trinkets. I told him to pick out stuff he liked, personally, to add a touch of himself in ‘the tomb’, as I’d taken to calling his place.

“You have to get some painters in there, to get rid of all the white walls. What’s your favorite color?” I asked, later in the day when all of what we bought had been delivered.
The old couch he’d given to one of the delivery guys, who’d been ecstatic with a designer sofa.

“Well, for walls, I prefer white, actually,” he admitted.

“Hmm, try cream. It softens things up a lot. Less harsh. Other than that, your shag palace is coming together nicely now. Notice the sound?”

“What sound?” he asked, frowning.

“Exactly. No echo!”

He laughed.

“Okay, I have to get going, or Ross is going to throw a hiss fit for me being late,” I winked, looking at my watch.

He walked me to the door and thanked me for helping him. He hugged me and I returned it, telling him the pleasure had been all mine.

But when I wanted to pull out, he didn’t move and I started to feel a little bit uncomfortable.

“Kyle…”

“I’m sorry. I can’t help it, but I’m attracted to you. You know that, right?” he whispered, right below my ear, pressing his lips to the skin.

I shuddered involuntarily.

Then he continued down my cheek and I froze.

“You’re perfect.”

“Kyle, come on. You promised…”

“I know and I’m sorry, but this is the way I feel.”

A hand of his slipped into my neck and he sought my mouth.