Hope on the Rocks by Annabeth Albert

Twenty-One

Adam

I woke up way earlier than usual, the way I always did when camping. That part wasn’t surprising. But what was surprising was the cold bed next to me and lack of Quinn cuddled into me. He was a highly restless sleeper, but I’d discovered that I could keep him from flailing one of us in the face if I wrapped myself around him. At some point, though, he’d escaped my embrace without my notice.

Unable to go back to sleep without knowing where he was, I hauled myself out of bed and found him on the small porch of the yurt in one of the oversize Adirondack chairs, faded quilt wrapped around his body. The sky was still pink and purple with new light, but he already had a cup of coffee next to him.

“Hey.” I spoke softly to not startle him or the inquisitive deer off in the distance. “Insomnia again?”

“More like sleep drunk from going to bed early with you.” He laughed. After the incredible shower sex, we had laid in bed and talked quietly as the stars came out, but sleep had eventually won out, way earlier than it would have at home. “Seven hours feels like some sort of luxury. And then the light shifted, and my body decided it was time to wake up.”

“This is a pretty spectacular sunrise,” I agreed as I poked his shoulder. The sky was like something out of an Oregon calendar shoot, but it didn’t hold a candle to how he’d looked in my arms the night before, the way he’d let go and given himself over to me. “Should have gotten me up too. I would have made you the coffee.”

“You brought excellent beans and the French press. It was easy enough to use the burner on the gas grill to heat water.” His smile was so relaxed and fond that I wanted to keep him here in this place forever.

“I see how it is,” I teased, hand on his shoulder shifting to more of a massage. “Soon you’re not going to need my outdoor skills.”

“I’ll always need you.” The wind whipped through the porch, making me shiver and Quinn laugh. It was a sweet sentiment, but Quinn was one of the most capable people I knew.

“Ha.” I gave a laugh as goose flesh broke out on my arms. I was rather bare-assed, having not bothered trying to find underwear or jeans before hunting for Quinn.

“Sit with me? You can share my blanket.”

“Not gonna ever turn down you in my lap.” We rearranged ourselves to where I was sitting with Quinn on me and the blanket over us both, sky casting a rosy glow over the scenery. I snuggled him close, the scent of his shampoo filling my senses. “Now this is nice.”

“We’re probably pushing the weight limit for the chair, but I’m not complaining.” Quinn dropped his head to kiss my neck. “It’s so pretty here. Thank you for bringing me, Daddy.”

I lived for these little quiet moments where he trusted me enough to call me Daddy outside of a scene, where he was comfortable and content and not second-guessing himself.

“Anytime. Seriously. Anytime.” My tongue felt too thick for my suddenly dry mouth. “I know you don’t hunt, but you should see how pretty this place is in the fall and winter.”

“I’m sure.” It was as close as either of us had come to talking about life beyond this summer, and Quinn shifted on my lap, then grimaced.

“You okay?” I stroked my hands down his arms. Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed the sex. He’d been virgin-level tight, and even with my best efforts to prep him, I had still worried about hurting him. “I went a little hard last night.”

“I loved last night.” He nuzzled against my beard. “It’s the good kind of sore. I’ll feel it all day, even after we’re back in town, and I’ll remember. It’s like my own private little naughty secret.”

“Mmm. I like knowing you’re feeling me too.” Hell, simply him saying that was enough to make blood rush south. “And you can be naughty all you want with me.”

“I know. You make it okay to be naughty. Filthy even. Feels like there’s no fantasy too out there for you.” Cuddling in more, he pulled the blanket tighter around us.

“Well, I’m sure I’ve got some limits, but not many where you’re concerned.” I laughed, but I was also serious. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for him, and I trusted him to not ask for more than I could give. “Try me. What dirty thoughts were keeping you warm out here before I showed up to do the job?”

“Umm…mainly just replaying last night.” His cheeks turned pinker than the sky. “Thinking about how much I liked it. How good it felt. Wishing…”

“Come on.” I lightly tickled his ribs under the blanket. “You can tell me.”

“Wishing there wasn’t a condom.” He made a self-conscious noise that was half giggle, half scoff. “It’s kind of funny, really. A doctor who loves watching bareback porn. But I’ve never actually…”

“I haven’t either,” I admitted. Quinn wasn’t the only one who’d had those thoughts the night before, and knowing he shared my kinky tastes was enough to have me doing some squirming of my own. “Thought about it plenty but never done it.”

“Never?”

“Never. I play safe, especially since hookups and repeats have been few and far between. It’s not something that’s ever come up as a possibility before.” I knew people on PrEP and such, but I’d always been super cautious myself as to whose word I was willing to trust. “But I sure as hell love that variety of porn. Your fantasy is hot as fuck, not out there at all. “

Quinn made a thoughtful noise, hum vibrating through both of us.

“Next time we have one of our patented late-night phone calls, you want to play with that idea? Talk the fantasy out?” I liked how he could let himself relax more on the phone, get into the dirty talk and role play. The idea of exploring that shared interest with him, even if only in fantasy, had my pulse thrumming.

“Oh. I like that idea.” His breath came in little pants. “I could…um…also get recent test results. Like you did.”

Oh indeed. That was an unexpected offer. I worked to keep my voice even. “I trust you, baby. Get whatever makes you feel comfortable. And if you want to actually see my lab report, I took a phone pic for you. But no pressure, okay?” I tipped his head back so he could see my eyes, see how serious I was. “I meant what I said in the car yesterday. I’m not fucking around on the side. I deleted the hookup app off my phone, even.”

“Me too,” he whispered, making my chest that much warmer.

“You’re the first person I could even see going bare for real with. But I’m also not going to ask you to turn fantasy into reality. That has to be your call completely.”

“But you would if I did ask?” His voice was thoughtful, like he was turning more than just the idea of ditching condoms over in his head.

“I would, yeah.” I surprised myself with my answer. But then again, I shouldn’t be that shocked. This wasn’t about some horny impulse or even about trusting him to be truthful. “There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you, Quinn.”

“Wow.” He inhaled sharply.

“Too much?” My tone came out cautious. I’d been pretty far gone for him even before this trip, which was dangerous as I knew he was still thinking short-term fling, but he also deserved my honesty.

“No. You’re exactly perfect.” Under the blanket, he squeezed my thigh with his hand. “I wish I knew what I did to get so lucky.”

I had to laugh at that because I was the lucky one. “Love that you think I’m some catch.”

“You are,” he insisted, chuckling, but I just shook my head. “What? You don’t agree?”

“Eh. I’m not all that. You’re the one with all the degrees.” I wasn’t being falsely humble or fishing for praise. I was rather pragmatic about who and what I was. I was perfectly comfortable being a bartender, but Quinn’s frequent assertions that doctors shouldn’t do kink had me pretty sure that his rigid beliefs extended to who doctors should date and pal around with. Most doctors ran with a far fancier crowd, and that was the truth.

But Quinn was frowning and shaking his head. “You don’t need a degree to be an amazing Daddy Dom. Or a person, for that matter. You brought me here. You caught me dinner. You made the bed with my favorite kind of sheets. I’m not sure I could even dream up a better Daddy.”

“You’re sweet.” Sweetest thing I’d ever known, that was for sure. I wanted to believe him in the worst way that I was what he needed and wanted. He tipped his head farther back so he could kiss me, and I tried to push those worries aside. Maybe it was enough that I was perfect for him right now, this moment, this summer, because he sure as hell was everything I’d ever dreamed up too.