Page 54 of All of Us

I looked up and blushed. “Never know when we might need sustenance.” Then I really blushed. What made me say that?

Then I looked over at Dusty, and I knew I wanted him—needed him. The need for us to reconnect physically overwhelmed me suddenly, and my cock filled.

“Yup. You never know when your body will need to replenish calories throughout the night.” I inhaled sharply and squeezed his knee. It was going to be a good night; the run had done some good. There were still no answers, but at least I could look at him, and when I did, it took my breath away.

The biggest problem I had at the moment was that I was in love with two men, a situation I never expected to be in.

Chapter twenty

DUSTY

I could tell that Jacob had done a lot of thinking when he fled from me this morning. It had triggered memories from our past when he would run away from his emotions. If he got in trouble at school, or he wasn’t sure how to resolve a problem, he would try to run from it, but every time he would come back to me. I didn’t doubt he would come back this time, too, and when he returned and gave me that wicked smile, I knew he had sorted out his thoughts.

“You bought enough food for five people.” He put a piece of steak in his mouth and nodded.

When he finished chewing, he smiled at me. “I wanted to give you choices, and we already addressed the possible need for energy, through the night.” That smile turned to a smirk that was naughty.

The evening was relaxed. While we sat there, he picked up his phone and sent a text. I wondered if it was to Joe, and in some ways, I hoped it was. Knowing that Joe had been with Jacob excited me, but that needed to be examined another time.

Between my thoughts of being with Jacob again and the thoughts of him being with Joe, I was throbbing in my jeans. When I started to clean up, he grabbed me around the waist, and we stood together.

“I’m going to shower because I am sweaty from my run. I’d like to spend the evening focusing on what it means to be back in each other’s lives.”

He leaned down and kissed me gently. It was the first time we had kissed with intention, not out of excitement to see each other.

I smiled against his lips. “Sounds good to me.”

Before he left, I gave him another quick kiss and smacked his ass. He laughed, and every part of me tingled. The sound of his laughter was something I had missed all these years, and it made me feel so many wonderful things.

While he was in the shower, I made sure my bedroom was tidy. I lit a couple of vanilla-scented candles, and they cast a glow throughout the room. Jacob had implied we might be physical with each other, and in truth, I needed that connection after all these years. Jacob was the one I had loved, and this would settle that years-old restlessness.

What about Joe was still a whisper in the back of my mind, and it wasn’t something I was willing to dismiss.

Before I turned down the lights and turned off my phone, I sent a quick text.

DUSTY

I’d love to get together this week.

I’ll bring dinner? Maybe we can talk?

I held my breath because I desperately wanted to hear back from him. Even though I was with Jacob, there was a part of me that longed for Joe. How did I get myself in the position of having feelings for two men at the same time?

When the bathroom door closed, I looked at my phone one more time and then turned it off. Now I needed to focus on Jacob. His footsteps were soft, and my heart started to pound. God, I loved the man coming down the hall. Immediately, I was transported to those times we were together so many years ago—we were kids. The ache in me for that connection still pulled hard, and when I saw him in front of me, I was pretty certain my heart stopped.

He stood in front of me, a few water drops slid down his bare chest, and his wet hair shone. The look he gave me went straight to my cock. Jacob was country-strong, with an incredibly developed upper body, and my gaze got stuck on his deep V. That was something he didn’t have when we were kids. His adult body was an upgrade. It was impossible not to think about licking every inch of his skin, and my tongue wanted to explore every defined muscle. He had tattoos that you couldn’t see when he had clothes on, including a portrait of Dusty the horse.

“Shit.”

He looked at me, and I could see he was hard in his sweats. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one not wearing underwear tonight. He moved over, curled one leg under him, and sat down facing me on the couch.

I swallowed hard. “In case you haven’t been told. You grew up really well.”

He laughed. “Well, thank you. The grown-up Dusty is also hot.” He moved a lock of hair off my forehead, his fingers ran down the side of my face, then over my jaw. The smile he gave me brought those butterflies back. Even though I had been with men before, with Jacob, it felt new and scary, which was unexpected since he had been my first.

His thumb ran over my lips. “I can’t believe you are here in my life. All of that time, I never stopped loving you. And I still love you, Dusty.”

It made me catch my breath, and I could feel the tears sting behind my eyes.