“What about all night?”

  “That’s for you fucking me.”

  Jay slid his hands down, grabbing Adrian’s hips, driving him even deeper. “Adrian ...” It was a plea and a breathless moan.

  “How close are you?” It felt like every nerve in Adrian’s body was lit up.

  “Almost there. Just keep fucking me, deep and slow.” Jay guided his rhythm. “Just like that.”

  A few sweet strokes later and Jay threw his head back onto the pillow, the cords in his neck taut and defined as he cried out his pleasure. Adrian followed just moments later, shuddering against Jay’s body as he came with his own hoarse shout. He collapsed on top of Jay, burying his head against Jay’s neck. Adrian nuzzled in, loving the smell of Jay’s skin.

  They lay there, panting for a while, and Jay stroking his back with slow sweeps of his palm. After a while, he had to withdraw and toss the condom, but he returned to the shelter of Jay’s arms.

  “I want to do this forever,” he muttered. He froze, realizing what he’d said, but Jay just pressed a kiss to his forehead.

  “Me too.”

  One

  February 2019 - Brooklyn, New York

  "I'm really fucking glad you don't own any more shit than this, Seth," Adrian groused as he lifted what felt like the millionth heavy box into the trailer and wedged it into the cramped space. His arms were beginning to feel like noodles. Overcooked noodles at that. “I like to work out but this is ridiculous.”

  "You didn't have to come help,” Seth countered, pushing his hair off his forehead.

  "Hey, it's not every day my brother moves in with his boyfriend."

  "It's not." As Adrian turned away, he caught a glimpse of a soft smile flickering across Seth's face.

  "You're really happy with Erik, huh?" Adrian asked as he pulled the U-Haul door shut. There. That was the last of it. Thank God, because the whole thing was packed to the top. He’d be lucky if he could fit a rolled-up newspaper inside, much less anything bigger.

  Seth leaned against the trailer. "I really am."

  "I'm happy for you, then." And he was. Although, sometimes seeing them together sent a little pang through Adrian’s chest.

  "You don't want it for yourself?"

  "Ugh, I do but I think that ship has fucking sailed.” Adrian sighed. “Who the hell has time to meet anyone, anyway?"

  "I'd suggest getting snowed in at a hotel with a stranger. Worked for me!"

  Seth had met Erik Josef at an airport a little over a year ago and wound up sharing a room at a hotel just outside of Buffalo, New York. They’d been a little cagey on some of the details of their first meeting, but Adrian had gotten the impression it was not love at first sight. Erik had been fresh off a divorce and hadn’t even realized he was attracted to men. And Seth ... well, Adrian loved his brother but he could be a bit of a manwhore—or maybe that was just envy talking because fuck had it been a long time since Adrian got laid—so that had to have made for an interesting first meeting. Though clearly, it had worked. Hardly a re-creatable or reliable way to meet the love of one’s life, unfortunately.

  Adrian lifted his baseball cap off and scratched his head. "Not quite sure how to manage that. Besides, it's a hell of a lot more complicated for me with the kids."

  "I know." Seth gave him a sympathetic smile.

  "Maybe after they're grown and off to college." They were eight and six, and he’d gone this long. What was another decade or so? Oh God, that was a depressing thought.

  "That's another twelve years. Can you really go that long?"

  "I don't think I have much of a choice." Adrian loved Molly and Josh, but holy shit, being a single dad and raising two kids definitely cut into his social life. Most days, he didn’t mind. He went to work, he did the dad thing, he passed out in bed, and it was enough. Still, the nights got lonely sometimes, and when the kids were at his ex-wife’s house ...

  “You shouldn’t be lonely,” Seth said, and for a second, Adrian wondered if he’d spoken the words aloud before he realized it was obvious to anyone with half a brain ... single, divorced guy who didn’t have time to date? Of course, he was lonely.

  “Were you lonely before you met Erik?” Adrian countered.

  “Sometimes.” Seth’s serious expression melted into a grin. “At least, I was getting laid on the regular, though.”

  “How do you know I’m not?”

  He snorted. “You’ve gotta be kidding me, dude. You have never gotten laid on the regular. Well, maybe when things were good with Michelle at first but ...”

  “Ugh. I hate you a little bit right now.”

  “Because I’m right?” Seth jabbed him with his elbow. “It’s because I’m right, isn’t it?”

  “Fuck you. But, yes.”

  “Has there been anyone since you split?”

  “One guy last year.” Adrian’s mind flashed back to the hotel room. Of a man sinking his cock inside Adrian and making him moan—

  “Based on the look on your face it was good too. Why just a one-time thing?”

  “It wasn’t. Well, it was a weekend. It didn’t go beyond that with him, though.”

  “The question still stands. Even if he wasn’t the kind of guy you wanted a relationship with, why didn’t you make it a regular hook up?”

  “For a dude who’s related to me, you’re weirdly concerned about my sex life.”

  Seth gave him a lopsided grin. “I just hate to see you miserable. You’ve had such a rough couple of years and you deserve a break. You should get out there and enjoy yourself!”

  “I should. Maybe I would have if you hadn’t made me come to New York and help you move all your shit. How does one guy who travels all the damn time own so much stuff?”

  “He picks it up on his travels?” Seth’s grin was cheeky.

  “Which is the same excuse you gave me for why you didn’t hire a moving company.”

  “I don’t trust them not to ruin everything! A lot of it is one-of-a-kind. I can’t just order a replacement for the rug I bought at a market in Marrakesh.”

  “That makes you sound like such a fucking pretentious hipster. Oh wait, you’re a thirty-four-year-old travel writer living in Brooklyn with over three hundred thousand Instagram followers. You are a fucking pretentious hipster.”

  “I’m moving to Philly today, so fuck you. And you’re a thirty-one-year-old bakery owner who needs to learn some social media marketing skills for his business, so fuck you twice.”

  Adrian ignored that jab. Seth was totally right about his lack of social media skills. But that didn’t mean he was going to admit that to his brother. Adrian went with deflection instead. “Why didn’t your fiancé help with the move, anyway? Too rich to lift boxes himself?”

  Seth flipped him off. “No. He had an important meeting today in Philly, and this was the only week-long stretch I had this month where I wasn’t going to be traveling and ...” Seth looked a little bashful. “Well, we just wanted to get all settled in together so we could start the rest of our lives together as soon as possible.”

  Adrian hooted. “Who’d have thought you were such a romantic? The man with a guy in every port.”

  “I didn’t sleep around that much,” Seth protested. “I just ... enjoyed my travels.”

  “And the men along the way.”

  “From time to time.” Seth looked unashamed.

  “And you don’t mind being tied down to just Erik now?” Adrian had been curious about how Seth would make that adjustment.

  “Nope. He doesn’t make me feel tied down, for one, even though we are monogamous. He’s my home port.”

  “Jesus, you’re a sap.” Adrian gave his brother a soft smile. “But I am happy for you.”

  “Thanks.” Seth squeezed his arm. “I guess that’s why I’m worried about you. You deserve to be happy too.”

  “Thanks. I do appreciate that. And look, maybe you’re right.” Maybe dating was completely out of the question but casual sex didn’t necessarily have to be. Maybe he could find a friend with benefits. “Even if I don’t have time to go out and find a relationship, I should at least find someone to suck my dick regularly.”

  The crude words had their desired effect and Seth shuddered. “I really didn’t need that visual in my head. Thanks.”

  “Too late now!” Adrian did love needling his brother. But Seth always gave as good as he got. “This is what you get for being nosy about my sex life.”

  A delivery truck drove by, sending a gust of wind whipping across them. It made the hem of Adrian’s flannel and T-shirt flutter, and he shivered when it teased at his bare skin underneath. He’d stripped off his hoodie earlier because he’d worked up a sweat hauling things down from Seth’s 4th-floor walkup, but now, he was chilled. He slapped his brother on the arm. “What are we doing hanging out here in an alleyway, anyway? C’mon. Let’s go inside.”

  As they rounded the corner of the building, Adrian glanced up at the sky. The clouds looked heavy and dark, and he crossed his fingers it wouldn’t rain. The last thing he wanted to do was drive a huge trailer on unfamiliar, slick roads in heavy traffic. He fished in his pocket for his phone and brought up his weather app as he followed Seth to the building’s front door. When Seth stopped abruptly, Adrian nearly ran into him.

  “Hey, thought you’d forgotten about me,” Seth teased. “Nice of you to finally show up to help, roomie.”

  “Sorry I’m late! I got held up on the train.” The words were rushed and breathless but the accent was pure New York and, worst of all, familiar. The hair on Adrian’s arms stood up on end as he lifted his head to look at the man he had been convinced he’d never see again.

  All the blood drained from his face when he saw Ajay Sunagar standing in front of him.

  Shit.

  Two

  February 2019 - Brooklyn, New York

  “Jay?” Adrian said hoarsely.

  “Adrian.” The blood had drained from Jay’s face, making his normally rich brown skin tone look almost chalky. But he looked every bit as handsome as he had when Adrian had first seen him a little over a year ago.

  “Wait, you two know each other?” Seth’s voice snapped Adrian out of the daze he’d been immersed in.

  “Yeah, you could say that,” Jay said. His jaw was clenched and he’d gone completely stone-faced. The warm brown eyes Adrian had loved looking into as Jay fucked him sent an icy shiver down his back now. Double shit.

  “What? How?” Seth asked.

  “The baking expo!” Adrian blurted out. Seth blinked at his loud tone, and Adrian winced, then cleared his throat. “You remember that international baking expo I went to last year?”

  “Here in New York? Yeah. I was mad because you said you were going to visit me while you were here but you punked out on me.”

  Adrian had punked out on him because he’d been in bed with Jay. He just hadn’t mentioned that part to his brother. He’d never mentioned Jay at all until today.

  “Yeah, you’ll apparently never let me forget it either.”

  “Nope. But so ... what does that have to do with Jay?” Seth’s puzzled expression smoothed out. “Oh, you met there, huh? Well, that makes sense. Cool. What a small world!”

  “Yeah, sure is,” Jay said with a scowl as he brushed past.

  “Hey, you okay?” Seth asked, grabbing his arm. “Did the interview not go well?”

  “No, it didn’t.” Jay frowned. “It was fine at first, but once they got to the part in my resume about working for The Kensington, the entire tone changed. I went through my whole spiel about the fact that I’d had nothing to do with the situation at the hotel, but I’m completely tainted by it. It’s this thing hanging over my head that I can’t get escape.” Jay’s shoulders slumped as he let out an exhausted-sounding sigh. “I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

  Adrian frowned in confusion. Clearly, something had happened with Jay’s position at The Kensington Hotel but he hardly felt like he was in a position to ask about it. Not after the way he’d fucked up last year. And, Jesus, if looks could kill, the one Jay had given him a few minutes ago could have leveled a three-block radius. He clearly wasn’t over it.

  “Hey,” Seth’s tone was soothing. “You did nothing wrong. And you’ve got three interviews lined up in Philly at really promising places this week. That’s why you’re coming with me, right?”

  “I thought it was just for the heavy lifting,” Jay’s tone was joking but it sounded forced, and his smile was wan.

  “Nah, that’s why we’ve got him.” Seth jerked his thumb at Adrian.

  Adrian flexed, though with his flannel on, it was probably hard to see anything. And while Seth chuckled, Jay’s scowl only deepened.

  “Hope he’s reliable,” Jay said. There was a sneering note in his voice that made Adrian flinch, and Seth gave them both puzzled glances.

  “He’s my brother. Of course, he is. And—” A blaring horn cut him short.

  “Hey, buddy, get your fucking truck out of the way! I need to get in that alley,” a guy yelled from inside a utility van.

  “Shit,” Adrian muttered. They’d been lucky that there was an alley between the building Seth lived in and the one next door. It had been just wide enough for him to pull into, but they couldn’t stay there forever. “Give me a minute and I will!” he called back.

  “I don’t have a fuckin’ minute! I’m holding up traffic already.”

  Adrian groaned when he saw the cars lining up behind the utility van. Someone honked once, which kicked off a whole round of honking that set off a car alarm. “Well, go grab your shit, Seth. I’ve gotta get this moved. I’ll circle around the block a time or two, pick you up, and take you to where Erik’s car is parked,” he shouted over the cacophony.

  “Okay. C’mon.” Seth tugged at Jay’s arm. “We’ve gotta move. I hope you’ve got all your stuff together for the next few days.”

  “Yeah, I’m all packed. I just need to grab my charger and …” Jay’s voice trailed off as they strode toward the building. Adrian stared after them a moment, frowning. Wait, did that mean Jay was coming with them? Seth had mentioned earlier that his roommate was coming along to help with some of the lifting. And Adrian had figured out from the earlier conversation that Jay was going to Philly for job interviews, but he hadn’t really had time to consider what that all meant. Oh, shit. This was going to be awkward as hell.

  “Get your fucking ass in gear, man!” The guy in the van yelled, jolting Adrian into action.

  “I’m going, I’m going,” Adrian muttered as he jogged toward the alley. He’d deal with the situation with Jay later. For now, he had to move the truck and try not to piss off all of Brooklyn.

  Backing up his truck with the trailer was no easy task, especially with the utility van impatiently waiting to pull into the alley where he’d been parked. Not to mention the irate drivers backed up behind the van, but eventually, Adrian got going in the right direction without hitting anyone or anything, and he made a slow loop around the block. In the process, he got flipped off by drivers he’d pissed off earlier at least three times, and by the time he pulled back up alongside Seth’s building, he was ready to get the fuck out of the city. He liked New York but only long enough for short visits.

  Thankfully, he spotted Seth and Jay on the sidewalk as he approached. Seth jogged up to his pickup, and Jay followed more slowly, glowering at him.

  “We’ve got to hurry,” Adrian said as he pushed the armrest and cup holder up to reveal the bench seat. “Just hop in now. We’ll figure out the driving arrangements later.”

  A minute later, accompanied by the sound of blaring horns and expletives, Adrian pulled away from the curb. Somehow, Jay had ended up in the middle, and he was pressed against Adrian’s side with an overnight bag on his lap. Seth carried a bag too and was on his other side.

  “Sorry this is a little cozy,” Adrian said apologetically. “It’s a good size for a pickup but not great for three fully grown men.” There was a second row of seats in the truck but they were packed with Seth’s crap too.

  “It’s fine,” Seth said. “You two will be comfortable enough once I leave.”

  “Wait, what?” Jay sounded horrified. “I thought I was riding with you, Seth?”

  “No, you can’t. Erik’s car is already full. We loaded stuff up in there this morning and even the passenger seat is packed. I don’t even want to think about how much work it would take to clear it out and put it here in the truck.”

  “Besides, I really need a clear view of both mirrors and the trailer behind me,” Adrian said as he navigated toward the stupidly expensive parking lot where they’d stashed Erik’s stupidly expensive car. “Or I’m going to end up in a wreck on I-95.”

  Adrian felt Jay’s sigh as much as he heard it. He didn’t blame Jay for not wanting to be trapped in the car with him for a few hours. Adrian wasn’t exactly looking forward to the situation either.

  “I’d offer to drive this but I don’t feel comfortable handling a big-ass truck and a trailer when I’ve never driven either before. I’m definitely not about to do it for the first time between New York and Philly,” Seth said, and Adrian nodded his agreement. The trailer had been rented in his name, and he really didn’t want to get slapped with a bunch of fees if Seth fucked it up. He trusted his brother, but he really didn’t have that kind of money to burn. Everything he made went to the bakery or his kids. At least, since his ex-wife Michelle had a good job as a loan officer at a car dealership and she’d kept the house, he wasn’t drowning in alimony payments. It was the only thing that kept him afloat at the moment.

  “Could Jay drive Erik’s car?” Adrian offered. “Then you could ride with me, Seth.”

  “I don’t drive,” Jay sounded resigned. “Native New Yorker here so I never learned.”

  “Right, you grew up in Queens,” Adrian said and both Seth and Jay shot him a glance, one surprised he knew that and the other undoubtedly shocked he’d remembered. But Adrian hadn’t forgotten a thing about Jay. Even if it had been nearly a year since they saw each other last.

 

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