Darwin cocked an eyebrow.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with jumping in,” Macy said hastily. “Now, diving without checking the depth—that’s a good way to end up paralyzed.”
He blinked. “What?”
“Macy, sweetie,” Anne leaned forward, “I think you’ve gotten lost in your metaphor. She’s right though.”
“About not diving before checking the depth? Yeah, that’s good advice,” Darwin said, catching Tom’s gaze and winking. The poor guy looked mortified by the whole dating-pool discussion. “So, Anne, what do you do?”
“Thank you,” Tom muttered fervently under his breath. Darwin sent him a quick smile.
“I’m a high-school counselor,” Anne said, giving him a look but going with the conversation change easily enough.
“Yeah?” Darwin asked. “I bet you hear some crazy things.”
Those were the magic words. Anne launched into a story involving a student love triangle, a food fight and a parrot, leaving Darwin free to just nod and smile at appropriate moments and focus most of his attention on the man sitting next to him.
Even though they weren’t touching, just being this close to Tom was intoxicating.
*
The food was fantastic. Darwin noticed either a full stomach or the couple glasses of wine had taken the edge off Tom’s panic.
Sitting back in his chair, Tom cradled his wineglass in one hand. His other hand rested, fingers relaxed, on his thigh.
As Macy chattered about her two kids, Darwin kept his eyes on her face as he reached over and touched the back of Tom’s hand. Although he started, inhaling an almost soundless gasp that surely only Darwin’s keen hearing could detect, Tom didn’t move his hand away. Feeling emboldened, Darwin linked their fingers, keeping his grip loose and casual, even though he was dying to clutch tightly.
In fact, during the entire dinner, Darwin had resisted the urge to grab him and haul Tom against him, to drag him to a dark corner somewhere and kiss him until they both couldn’t breathe. The only thing stopping him was the fact that any grabbing or dragging or kissing would most likely send Tom into cardiac arrest, and Darwin was really hoping for a second date.
Even just the light grip of Darwin’s hand was sending faint tremors through Tom’s fingers. Although the multiple conversations going on around the table covered up the sound of Tom’s breathing, Darwin guessed the other man was most likely halfway to hyperventilating. Reluctantly, he squeezed the fingers vibrating in his hold and moved his hand away.
Macy had stopped talking and was looking at him expectantly.
Shit
, he thought.
She asked me a question.
With all his attention focused on Tom, Darwin had completely missed it. He replayed her last few sentences in his head and relaxed. This was one of the rare times that he somewhat appreciated the brain enhancements the fuckers at the lab had given him.
Avoiding social awkwardness wasn’t worth the price he’d paid, however—that they
all
continued to pay.
Darwin shoved back a sudden rush of bitterness. Brooding over it wouldn’t do any good and Macy was still waiting for her answer.
“Not long,” he answered, giving Tom a gentle bump with his elbow to get his attention. “Tom, how long’s it been since we started going out?” He wasn’t sure what Tom had told Anne, and Darwin didn’t want to get him in trouble with his sister.
Tom’s gaze jumped guiltily to his and Darwin held back a smile, just lifting an eyebrow and waiting for Tom to respond.
“Oh…er,” he stammered, shooting Darwin another look. “A few weeks, I guess.”
“It’s gone by so fast,” Darwin couldn’t resist adding. “I feel like it was just yesterday we were planning our first date.”
Tom’s face flushed to an even brighter shade as he made a wordless grunt of agreement—or annoyance.
“That’s how I feel about Sean,” Macy said. “He’s my husband. He stayed home with the kids tonight when our babysitter canceled at the last second. We’ve been married for eight years but time’s gone by so quickly. Well, usually it feels that way, though sometimes I look at him and it feels like it’s been a thousand years.”
Darwin choked on a laugh. “That bad?”
With a shrug, Macy explained, “He does this thing where he clicks his teeth together when he’s thinking. It makes me want to throw a rock at his head.”
“And maybe knock out some of those teeth?”
Darwin suggested, and was immediately glad he’d made the joke when Tom laughed. There was something about the man that turned him into a clown.
Darwin mentally shrugged. There were worse things to be than a clown.
“Exactly,” Macy said, drawing his attention back to her. “But that’s marriage, I guess. Learning to live with someone you adore and not kill him.”
“Here’s to non-homicidal marriage.”
Darwin held up his wineglass, and Macy and Tom followed suit. As he took a sip, Darwin held the other man’s gaze, catching a quick flash of heat in those Bambi eyes before Tom flushed and looked away. Anne asked him a question and Tom focused on his sister in obvious relief.
When Darwin turned back toward Macy, she was smiling.
“What?” he asked.
“I’m just glad Tom’s finally dating again,” she said quietly. “After what happened, he deserves a nice guy like you.”
Her words brought Darwin’s attention into sharp focus but he tried to sound casual.
“About that… What
did
happen?”
He must not have done a very good job hiding his interest, because Macy instantly looked wary. “That’s probably something he should tell you,” she said, shifting in her seat and looking uncomfortable.
“He did,” Darwin lied. He could hear Tom and Anne cheerfully bickering, but he still lowered his voice. “Just the basics, though. Nothing about how much it hurt him.”
It had been a stab in the dark but it seemed to work. Macy’s face relaxed. “He’s that way. After it happened, Tom always pretended he was fine but I could tell he wasn’t.” She snorted. “Not that I’m super-perceptive or anything. A dead person could’ve known he was a mess.”
After
what
happened?
Darwin restrained his impatience. “I just don’t want to do anything to make things worse. I really like him.” This time, he was actually telling the complete truth.
Visibly melting, Macy patted his arm.
“I’m sure you’d never hurt him. In fact, with you, he already seems so much happier than he’s been for…what’s it been? Six months now?”
Darwin just gave a vague murmur of agreement, nearly jumping out of his skin with the urge to yank the details out of Macy. He knew it was only moments before Tom started listening in on their conversation, and that would be the end of this informational chat.
“I’m so glad he has someone to support him during the trial,” she continued. “Not that Anne isn’t ‘someone’, but you know what I mean. Someone special.”
“That’s coming up soon, isn’t it?” Darwin guessed. “How do you think that’ll turn out?” He felt as if he were playing darts while wearing a blindfold. Macy had to start giving him some details soon.
Macy scowled, looking almost fierce.
“They better lock that monster up for a long time—his whole life, I hope. After what he did to Tom, not to mention those other poor boys…”
Do mention them!
Darwin ordered silently.
Please. Throw me a bone here.
Despite his frustration, he tried to keep his expression smooth, shooting for a look of bland concern.
“When I think about how that assho—”
“What are you two talking about?” Tom interrupted, and Macy snapped her mouth shut.
Swallowing a soundless groan of disappointment, Darwin turned toward him.
“You,” he said honestly, smiling when Tom immediately flushed. That’s what he deserved for cutting Macy off just as she was getting to the good part.
The server slid a thin slice of cake in front of Darwin, distracting him. It had multiple delicate layers of chocolate in different forms. He was sure it had a fancy name but he didn’t really care. All that mattered was the chocolate.
He took a bite and almost whimpered.
Cake that tasted that good would ruin him for regular food. How could he eat a HoHo again after experiencing this incredible cake? He took another bite, closing his eyes this time to really savor the flavor.
As the last bite disappeared into his mouth, an audible inhalation from Tom brought Darwin’s gaze to his. Those eyes, the color of melted chocolate, were lit with such unreserved heat that Darwin stopped chewing. The sight of Tom turned-on was even better—much, much better—than the taste of the cake.
Without thinking, without breaking eye contact, Darwin leaned closer…but Tom pulled back just enough to bring him back to reality.
“It’s good. The cake, I mean,” he said, and then immediately wanted to smack himself on the head. Not only had it been a stupidly inane thing to say, but his voice was a raspy growl. If sex had a voice, that’s what it would sound like.
Way to play it cool, D.
Why don’t you just shove him across the table and fuck him here and now?
He immediately regretted the thought as his body enthusiastically endorsed the idea.
“Do you want mine?” Tom gestured awkwardly toward his untouched dessert plate.
“Yeah?” Darwin asked, partially distracted from the complete and utter fuckable-ness of the man next to him by the possibility of another piece of that heavenly cake. “Don’t you like chocolate?” Even to his own ears, the question sounded incredulous.
“Sure,” Tom admitted with a shrug. “I like chocolate. But I’d rather watch
you
eat it.” He immediately flushed and glanced down, as if the words had slipped out uncensored.
Darwin sucked in a breath. “Fuck.” The word was barely audible but he could tell Tom had heard him, because the other man was positively squirming in his chair. “Don’t say things like that in public.”
“Sorry,” Tom said quickly, shooting him a nervous glance.
Despite the blood roaring in his ears, Darwin had to smile. “Guess it’s good I have a napkin over my lap.”
Tom made a sound—half-gasp and half-laugh. “Just say you dropped a cucumber.”
Darwin laughed and resisted the almost overwhelming urge to kiss him. “Hand it over, then.”
“The cucumber?”
“Your cake,” Darwin clarified with another snort of laughter. “You can’t just promise me something like that and then take it away. That’s cruel.”
“Right.” Instead of pushing the plate toward Darwin, Tom picked up his fork and Darwin’s heart accelerated. Although his hand shook a little, clinking the tines against the plate, Tom persisted, cutting a piece and scooping it onto the fork.
Darwin swallowed. This had suddenly gotten a lot more intense—not that he was complaining. He leaned in, opening his mouth to accept the bite. The tremor in Tom’s fingers increased, vibrating through the fork. Darwin closed his lips around the cake, stilling the shaking utensil. Tom sucked in a breath as he withdrew the fork from Darwin’s mouth.
The quiet sound of the other man’s inhalation, the chocolate melting on his tongue, the crazily erotic intensity of being fed by a reluctant but fascinated Tom—everything combined to create the most sexually charged moment Darwin had ever experienced.
“You two are so
sweet
!” At Anne’s words, both men looked at her, startled and breathing hard. “You’re just so cute together!”
“Knock it off, Anne,” Tom said with fairly affectionate exasperation. “You’re doing that thing again.”
“Doing what?” she asked. “I just think you two make a really nice couple, that’s all.”
“That whole ‘you two are so sweet’ shit.
Quit talking to us like we’re a couple of precocious gay Pomeranians.”
Darwin hid his laugh in a fake cough.
“What?” she protested. “I do not!”
“You kind of do,” Quinn said, chuckling.
Anne’s head pivoted as she frowned at first one man and then the other, finally pinning her offended glare on Tom. “Well, if you didn’t do cutesy-wootsie stuff like feeding each other cake, maybe I wouldn’t talk like that.”
“Sure,” Tom teased, although he reddened. “Blame the victims.”
Anne laughed, her offended expression falling away. “You two really are adorable together. It might’ve taken you six months, Tommy, but you went straight to the top of the boyfriend pile.”
Looking pained, Tom closed his eyes.
“Right. And with that, I think it’s time for us to go.”
“Already?” Anne protested. “Don’t go yet—it’s still early.”
“Sorry,” Tom said, not really sounding too sad at all to be leaving. “It’s been fun, though.”
“What if I promise not to treat you like a small fluffy dog?” she cajoled.
Tom just smiled and shook his head, pushing back his chair and standing. “It’s tempting but no.”
“Why not?” she asked. “Do you have better plans than— Ohhh.” She nodded and gave her brother a wicked grin. “Right. Off you two go then. Have fun. Be safe.”
“Jesus, Anne,” Tom groaned, flushing bright red.
Darwin held back a grin as he stood.
Although he wished they were about to do what Anne was
assuming
they were about to do, he was pretty sure Tom wouldn’t be up for that. He didn’t mind Anne’s frankness at all. In fact, Tom’s conversation with his sister had given Darwin enough time to finish off the second piece of cake.
“It was nice to meet everyone,” Darwin said, looking around the table. They all chorused goodbyes as he reached for his wallet.
“Don’t even think about it,” Anne said.
“This is on us.”
He took one look at the stubborn set of her mouth and dropped his hand to his side.
“Thank you.”
“It was totally worth seeing Tommy all gaga over someone again. After Awful Andrew and then…
that
.”
“Anne.” All the good-humored teasing had left Tom’s voice.
“Sorry, Tom,” she apologized. “Although he’s going to know about everything eventually. I have a feeling Darwin’s going to stick around for a while.”
At her pointedly raised eyebrow, Darwin grinned. “Definitely.” When Tom shot him an unreadable look, he amended his words.
“If Tom wants me around.”