Hope on the Rocks by Annabeth Albert

Nineteen

Adam

“It’s hot.” Quinn scraped his feet back and forth against the dry earth. He’d found the old wooden swing near the picnic table and was sitting there to eat while I perched on the picnic table, facing him. Formal, we weren’t, but what we were was darn near perfect. Great afternoon spent lazing around and fishing, with a good catch and a fun time cooking outdoors. And Quinn was damn cute on the swing, even if he was right about the weather. It was sweltering out.

“It’s Oregon in the valley in July. Yes, it’s hot.” As soon as we’d left the coast behind, temperatures and humidity had started to climb, and I’d been grateful for the cool, clear water while fishing.

“Maybe it will cool off more once the sun finally sets, and then we can use the fire pit.”

“Yeah, but I’ve got the perfect way to cool off before then. Finish your dinner first though.” I pointed at his plate. He thought he was so clever, sitting farther away from me and moving vegetables around his plate.

“Do I get dessert if I finish the fish?” he asked, playing up his reticence.

“Yes, baby. And even if you hate the fish.” I stretched so I could pat his knee. “I brought marshmallows and some of my mom’s famous chocolate chip cookies. Gourmet s’mores.”

“She knows you were headed camping?” Quinn pursed his lips, expression hard to read.

“I generally tell her where I am, yeah, especially if I’m leaving town. And I’m not blabbing to the whole cove, but I’m also not keeping our friendship some big secret.”

“Yeah.” Quinn studied his scuffed hiking boots. I still couldn’t tell whether he was embarrassed or simply confused.

I waited for him to glance up so I could meet his gaze. “Look, out here or in your bedroom, I can be your Daddy, and that’s only for us to know. But I don’t see any harm in also being publicly friends. Unless you’re afraid of being labeled kinky by association? Or being seen as slumming—”

“No!” Quinn cut me off with a sharp protest. “I’m not afraid of what people might think. I’m proud to be your friend. I was only worried about leading your poor mother on since this is only a summer thing.”

In truth, I had little intention of giving Quinn up come fall, but that was a conversation for another time, not here, where the day had been light and easy. Heaviness could wait for August. At least. And I would be busier when Ramona returned, helping her with Teddy along with everything else, but I wasn’t giving up Quinn simply because my to-do list was a little long.

“Don’t worry about her.” I laughed instead of correcting him. “She’s already tried to set me up with every eligible bachelor in the county. She’s like the mom in some wholesome gay holiday movie in search of a happy ending for her kid. That she hadn’t already tried to set me up with you is the true surprise. I can deal with her matchmaking.”

“Ah. All right.” Quinn nodded slowly, gaze dropping back to his plate. “And I like her, matchmaking and all. She taught you how to cook well. You didn’t even need the emergency venison.”

His chuckle was warmer than one of those cookies and twice as sweet.

“There’s always breakfast.”

“Ha. Seriously, the fish wasn’t bad. And thanks for packing vegetables.”

“Of course. I know what you like.” I gave him a pointed look that had little to do with food.

“You do.” Flushing, he hurried up and finished his plate.

“Help me put away the food to keep the animals away.” I started collecting our dishes and leftovers.

“Bears?” Quinn went all adorably alarmed as he helped pick up.

“Cougars are more likely, and even they are rare, but better safe than sorry.” I took care of the skillet at the outdoor sink. “The only bear you really need to worry about is me.”

“You don’t scare me.” He wrapped me up in a hug from behind that made me want to freeze time. In that moment, I didn’t want to be anywhere other than exactly where I was. Even my endless to-do list seemed miles and miles away, time with Quinn, my own personal battery recharger.

“Good.” Dishes and food handled, I headed toward the outdoor shower. “Now I’m gonna show you how to cool off out here.”

“This is rather…open.” Quinn followed behind me, inspecting the structure, which shared a sturdy wall with the bathroom building but also had two thinner, shorter walls and no roof.

“Only us here.” Grinning at him, I stripped off my shirt. “No one else to see. Or hear.”

“You did promise to make me scream.” Quinn finally got with the program and sat on the nearby low bench to remove his boots before joining me in getting naked.

“I did.” I adjusted the water to somewhere between tepid and warm in deference to how hot the air still was. The water came from a solar heated tank, which wasn’t as big nor as powerful as a traditional water heater, but it was plenty serviceable for my purposes.

Quinn still looked a little reluctant, so I drew him to me, showing him that the water wasn’t ice cold before pulling him under the spray with me. Holding him, I dropped little kisses along his neck. “See? Isn’t this nice? You can watch the sky start to change colors while I take care of you.”

“It’s perfect.” He’d said that a number of times already, and him appreciating one of my favorite spots made my enjoyment that much more.

Grabbing the soap, I had fun lathering him up, getting my hands all over every inch of his lean body. His arms, strong enough to do CPR or lift a patient, slim shoulders that held so much, and thighs that powered him on those twelve-hour shifts. I hummed my approval for each muscle group. There wasn’t a part of him that didn’t do it for me, making me hard and aching, but also soft with emotions I didn’t quite want to name yet.

“This full-service wash part of the Daddy thing?” Laughing, Quinn obediently moved this way and that as my hands positioned him for better access.

“It is for me.” Standing again, I pulled him flush against me. Maybe not all Daddy Doms got off on doing things for their boys like cooking and showering, but I flat out loved taking care of Quinn, even in ways that weren’t overtly sexual.

“I like it.” He gave me a tentative little smile before stretching to brush a kiss across my mouth. So damn sweet. I got the impression that he hadn’t had anyone take care of him in far too long, and I liked being able to do this for him. Even shampooing his silky hair was a pleasure, as was sending soapy water cascading down his back and the curve of his perfect ass.

I lingered over washing his cock and ass, loving his gasp as I continued my quest to wash him all over. I made the most of the excuse to grope and tease as well, fingers delving along his crack. As soon as I rinsed him off, though, I shut off the water.

“No more water?” Quinn let out a yelp as his damp skin met the warm breeze. The air was more startling than truly cold, the day more than hot enough to make any stray wind welcome.

“Conserving water. This is the part where you cool off, and I heat you right back up again.” I wrapped him up from behind again, letting my bulk shield him from the wind. Holding him like this also meant I could continue to tease, one hand rubbing his pebbled nipples and the other stroking his torso coming closer and closer to his cock until he moaned softly and sagged against me.

“Oh, I do like this. Thank you, Daddy.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Satisfied that he was sufficiently warmed up, I did what I’d been craving all day and dropped to my knees in front of him. Both in-person and on the phone, when discussing fantasies, Quinn was always very focused on me and my body. Which was fun, and I definitely wasn’t turning down all his attention, but I’d also been dying to play with him more.

Hand falling to my shoulder, he sucked in a harsh breath. “I didn’t think Daddies ever—”

“Shh. This is about me taking care of you, remember?” I punctuated my words by licking at the tip of his cock.

“Yes, Daddy,” he moaned, ass muscles tensing under my hands as if he were fighting the urge to rock his hips.

“Good boy.” I rewarded his restraint with more licking and teasing. I didn’t have Quinn’s scuba-dive-worthy deepthroat skills, but I enjoyed doing this, liked the weight of a cock on my tongue, the salty tang of precome on the tip, the silky soft skin on the shaft, and the brush of fuzzy hair against my cheek. He fit nicely in my mouth too, not so big as to gag me but thick and heavy enough to give me plenty to play with.

“You’re good at this.” His breath came in ragged pants, but he remained still, not demanding or taking. I liked that, him taking pleasure in everything I wanted to give him, letting me lead

“You’re not the only oral one.” I laughed darkly. Sucking harder, I made his cock pulse in my mouth. Probably wouldn’t take much to get him there, but I wasn’t done playing yet. “Spin.”

“I…uh…”

“Trust me,” I soothed with gentle hands on his ass before turning my tone sterner. “Hands on the wall.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Good boy. You let Daddy play now.” I’d figured out several encounters ago that he liked it when I gave him orders that pushed him past any embarrassment over particular acts. Making it about following directions seemed to provide him the space he needed to let go and enjoy. “There’s not a part of you that I don’t want to gobble up.”

I made good on that promise too, spreading his ass cheeks and licking right across his rim. Quinn hissed but didn’t pull away, and on the next pass of my tongue, he moaned low. My own cock throbbed, but I ignored it for the time being. I fucking loved being able to do this for him. I licked and teased until he was quivering and whimpering softly as he pushed his ass back at me, his neediness even sexier than his obedience.

“Greedy boy.” Pulling back slightly, I brushed the pad of my thumb across his well-kissed hole. “Do you want more?”

“Yes. More.” He groaned as low as I’d heard from him, and I rewarded him with another swipe of my tongue. “Please, Daddy.”

When he begged that sweetly, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t give my boy. Still, I was going to make him say it. “Please, what?”