Decadent (13 page)

Konnor pulled up to the pavement and put the car in park. He didn't move his eyes from the wheel and Lachlan didn't say thanks or goodbye as he would normally. He grabbed his overnight bag, got out the car and headed up the front steps of the house to the front door.

He was furious with him for making an already difficult situation worse and his supposed best friend didn't even have the courtesy of apologising for him. All night he'd done nothing but stare at him in disapproval and try to cause a fight. By the time he'd convinced his dad to let him live his own life it took a talking to from him to make Konnor shut up. The constant sniping had grated his last nerve and he knew that if he said one more word he would react in a way that destroyed their friendship forever.

It was half eight already and after spending so long with his parents and Konnor talking things over, uncomfortably trying and failing to find a safe topic of conversation, he longed for the ease of Cormag's company. He knocked on the door and smiled when it opened instantly. Cormag had either heard the car or he had been hovering, waiting on him. What was surprising was that he looked ready for a quiet, cosy night in. He was out of his work clothes and in a pair of loose joggers and a t-shirt. And he still looked sexy.

“Hi.” The word came out in a sigh of relief. Lachlan kissed his man before the door was even closed behind him. Cormag responded with a raised eyebrow when he pulled back, thoroughly content.

“Did it go that badly?” he asked, leading the way through to the living room. He sat on the sofa, side on, one leg folded under him as he reached for the control and switched off the TV. Lachlan dropped his bag inside the door, letting out a groan as he slumped his shoulders dramatically and dragged his way over to the sofa.

“It was aw
ful,” he complained, before flopping down beside him. He lay his head on Cormag's lap and let his legs dangle over the arm of the sofa.

“Do you want something to eat?” Cormag wondered quietly, as he reached out and brushed his fingers over his hair.

He moaned slightly at the touch. “God no. You were right, I bought too much chicken. It was just as well since I burned a few bits and undercooked a few others,” he answered honestly, but vaguely. He didn't want to admit that his mum had been forced to make pasta to go with the salad because his attempt at fajitas was a disaster. Barely three of them were edible and he was the only one willing to risk even attempting to eat them.

Cormag chuckled lightly and continued the gentle brushing of his fingers.

“How did your night go?” he wondered, hopeful that it was better than his.

“Uneventful. Kind of borin
g, apart from talking to Harper. He wants to meet you tomorrow…have a minute alone with you, to talk,” he confessed, with a look that said he wasn't thrilled by the idea, but he was resigned.

Lachlan sat there with Cormag's fingers in his hair, as his eyes slowly closed. He would worry about Harper
tomorrow. “That sounds ominous,” he admitted, intrigued to find out what exactly he wanted. It sounded like a fishing expedition.

“He's overreacting.” He shrugged it off, but he knew what that meant.

“Which means that he's worried I'll be another Heath and you won't notice until you're sporting a black eye and apologising for it?” he guessed, hating the thought. He knew all about Cormag's old relationships and how horrible they had been for him. He hated thinking about how much someone so kind-hearted and decent had suffered at the hands of a guy he thought he could trust.

“Something like that,” Cormag
answered quietly. He sounded sad and confused, so Lachlan opened his eyes and caught the faint glimmer of that unhappiness in his eyes. Then Cormag spotted him looking and smiled at him, erasing all the negative emotions from his features.

“Hey,” He reached up and brushed the back of his fin
ger over his jaw line. “Kiss me,” he asked, hoping it would make him feel better.

“I can't resist yo
u when you look at me like that,” Cormag claimed, making him happy.

He didn't want him to be able to resist him. He leaned over and kissed him how he wanted to be kissed, enjoying the freedom they had away from other people, locked up in his house. Lachlan knew that the sad, light kisses were a reflection of Cormag's mood
, but that was okay. He was allowed to be disappointed in those stupid people who had mistreated him.

They both knew that half of him had asked to be kissed because he wanted it and the
other half had asked to take Cormag’s mind off Heath and the impending face off with Harper tomorrow. He could think of sad things later; right now all Lachlan wanted Cormag to think about was him. “Do you want to take me to bed?” he asked, in a soft whisper.

“You have to stop asking me that. Besides, it's only half eight.” Cormag laughed at him, as if it was a stupid, ridiculous idea.

“It's time for bed somewhere,” he countered mischievously.

“Are you tired?”

“Nope.”

“Then we're staying here,” h
e decided.

Lachlan sighed and rolled his eyes. He wasn't getting the point.
“Are you tired?” he asked with a concerned frown. He could practically feel it in him; he was exhausted both emotionally and physically. He needed to sleep.

“A little. It's
sort of been one of those days,” Cormag said, with a shrug.

Lachlan understood what that meant; he'd had Konnor waking them up so rudely, work and putting up with him for half the day. The minute he finally confessed Lachlan pushed himself up and moved into a proper seated position.

“Then we should go to bed,” he insisted, holding his hand out for Cormag's. “I mean it this time. I'll read to you,” he offered, hoping that at least would inspire movement. A look passed across his companion's face that surprised him; a mixture of shock and sadness was mingled with a touch of awe. He had no clue what it meant. “What's wrong?” he asked, cupping his cheek in one hand as he waited patiently for an explanation.

“I've-
” Cormag let out a little laugh. “I can't remember the last time anyone cared so much about me or what I was feeling. Certainly never anyone I've dated. And
no-one
has ever read to me before,” he said, taking his hand and letting their fingers intertwine.

It made him ache, deep down inside, to hear him so affected by his offer.
“Well, shame on them. I read to people all the time; Konnor…Konnor.” He laughed when he realised that he had only ever read out loud to him. It was always because he was too bored or hung-over to read his own homework assignments, but it was still reading aloud. “He's a lazy sod though, so it's not the same. I don't have to read to you if you don't want me to.” Lachlan was willing to retract his offer if it made Cormag uncomfortable.

“No, I do.
I love the sound of your voice,” he insisted, as he got to his feet.

“Wonderful.” He sighed to himself in approval. “You should get so
me decent sleep before tomorrow,” he continued, trying to use every excuse available to him to get his own way.

“You have me convinced already. But any funny business and I'll
let my brother interrogate you,” Cormag threatened playfully.

“Not a
problem. I can deal with Harper,” Lachlan promised, leading the way to the door. He grabbed his bag and made his way along the corridor to the bedroom while Cormag followed willingly.

“Can you? I'd like to see that.”

“You will. Just wait.” He was full of confidence for one simple reason; he refused to let anyone push him away; Cormag, Harper, Konnor. He wasn't going to let anyone dictate how he lived or who he dated. Not anymore.

With an early morning,
a lot of physical activity and mental concentration required for the game, Lachlan knew that sleep was the one thing Cormag needed above all else. So he dumped his bag on the edge of the bed, pulled out a change of clothes and began changing as he stood in front of the bookcase, perusing the shelves.

“What are you reading?” h
e wondered, looking for the right book to read. When he glanced over his shoulder he caught Cormag in the process of lifting off his t-shirt. He enjoyed the view for a minute and turned back to the bookcase with a yawn that caught him by surprise.

“Dracula.”

“Again? I don't know how you can read it,” he complained as he reached out for the book in question. He had never been able to get over the use of accents in the writing or the exceedingly long windedness of the story.

“It's a Classic,
” Cormag argued, for the second time.

“So is Winnie the Pooh. I don't see you reading tha
t,” Lachlan shot back. But, for all that he complained he still had the book in one hand while he lifted his bag off the bed and threw it into the corner of the room.

“Leave the book. Bring the Kindl
e and we'll find something else,” Cormag offered.

Lachlan nodded, replaced the book on the shelf without question and picked up the Kindle instead. Cormag had pulled back the covers when he crawled across the bed, sat on his side and slid his feet under the folded down sheets. Suddenly the Kindle was pulled out of his hands and placed on the bedside table. “Hey,” he protested with a frown, confused as to what was going on.

“First, I want to hear how it went tonight,” Cormag insisted as he climbed onto the bed and sat down on his side.

“Oh, all right.” Lachlan rolled his eyes and shuffled over to si
t closer. He lay his head on Cormag’s strong shoulder, took a deep breath and smiled when an arm was lifted around him.

He started
talking because Cormag had asked and he knew he needed a little comfort. He was hurt and upset, both emotions showing in his voice as he explained how well his mother had taken the news and how badly Konnor and his dad had reacted to everything. He spoke of his argument with his friend before leaving his house and later, sitting his mother down to talk. He explained how his dad had taken the news, about the deal they'd made and the silence between him and Konnor all night.

All the while Cormag held him much tighter and closer than he normally would, as if his awful night was the only thing that mattered. It wasn't; Cormag was in a funk about something and he was going to find out what. It didn't matter how long he had to wait, he would find out and then he would deal with it.

“I told you it was awful. He can't accept that I'm not the same person I used to be and he didn't even know that guy,” Lachlan complained as he snuggled in close, fighting off another yawn. Cormag held him tight and tried to comfort him as much as he could. It was going to be hard for a while, but he hoped that if Konnor went to the game he might get a chance to redeem himself. Maybe their friendship could be saved after all?

Sunday morning came sooner than Cormag wanted. His night with Lachlan had been enjoyable and relaxing; he didn't want it to end. When the alarm went off he hit snooze, put his head back down to sleep and moved in closer to the warm body next to him. He didn't expect Lachlan to be awake, but a hand caught his and gently held it to his chest.

“I ca
n get up with you if that helps,” he offered in a quiet, sleepy voice.

Cormag smiled into the back of his neck, holding on a little longer before resigning himself to the inevitable.
“No. Go back to sleep.” He figured there was no need for both of them to get up so early at the weekend.

Lachlan moaned in complaint when he gently pulled his hand away, placing an apologetic kiss on his temple.
“Hmm. Kiss me anywhere else and we can stay in bed,” Lachlan offered an alternative that just about made him laugh.

He contained himself to plant
a teasing kiss on the curve of his shoulder and forced himself out of bed. He was exhausted and the room was cold as he stepped out from beneath the covers. Wearing joggers and a t-shirt didn't seem to make any difference.

It didn't take him any time at all to grab a hot shower, get dressed and pick up his bag, ready with all of his rugby gear in it. He had packed straight after getting home, before he settled down for the night so that he didn't have to get up any earlier to do so in the morning. He was glad he had; he was more reluctant to leave Lachlan than he had anticipated.

As soon as he was ready to leave, he ventured around to the other side of the bed to take a last look at him. He knew they had agreed not to use that word, to limit the pressure they were under to make a relationship work, but he couldn't see him as anything else. He loved how innocent and content he looked when he slept, but this time he was surprised to see him awake with drooping eyelids.

“Love, you're exhausted. Go back to sleep.” He sighed as he approached the bed.

Lachlan looked determined not to, but the kid was quite obviously knackered. His movements were lethargic as he lifted himself off the pillow to sit up.

Cormag decided there was nothing for it but to be the more dominant force between them. “I mean it. You
have all morning to hog the bed,” he teased, offering a lingering kiss that Lachlan closed his eyes to. An eager tongue brushed his and he almost gave in to the insistent hand on the back of his neck, pulling him back towards the bed.

“I'll see you this afternoon,” h
e whispered against his lips.

“No,
” Lachlan moaned in protest. “Bed,” he insisted, his eyes still closed.

Cormag took hold of his shoulders and kissed him again lightly, allowing it to linger. While Lachlan was convinced he was going to get what he wanted, he lowered him to the bed and then moved away. He was so tired he didn't even acknowledge what was happening; his eyes were firmly shut as he nudged his head into the pillow and gave in to sleep.

Cormag didn't risk lingering any longer to admire him, in case he was caught again. He left, stopping by the kitchen to grab an apple and a granola bar from the counter, along with a bottle of water that he slotted into his bag. It would be the only breakfast he had time for so he picked up his keys, left the house and jumped in the Cherokee to start his day.

***

Cormag arrived at the stadium half an hour later and realised he was early. He had time to sit in his car for ten minutes to have his breakfast and check his work phone before he had to switch it off. He was engrossed in catching up on the news on his phone's internet when a noise caught his attention. It sounded like knocking, but when he looked around he didn't see anyone in front of the car or at the sides. He glanced at the clock to see it was quarter to nine. When he looked up again Harper was smiling at him through the front window.

“A
re you coming inside or what?” his brother asked mischievously.

Cormag switched off his phone and the radio and reluctantly climbed out of the car, with his bag. What he really wanted was to have given in to Lachlan and gone back to s
leep. “Why are you so chirpy?” he wondered, squinting as he noticed that Harper was grinning.

“Because you look like shit.”

“Thanks,” he grumbled, running a hand over his eyes and trying desperately to wake himself up. It wasn't working.

“Late night?” Harper wondered, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

Cormag raised an eyebrow at him for that; he knew what he was fishing for and he wasn't going to bite. He shook his head in reply, only to see that he wasn't convinced.

“Come on. You can tell your big brother. Besides, I saw you snogging that guy in fifth year, remember? And Westin took a heck of a lot of joy in explaining all of your physical encounters
to me and Mum. I'm beyond being embarrassed now,” he goaded.

Cormag only wished he was lying. His crush in high school, who he had finally got up the guts to ask out, had agreed to a date. They'd gone to a drive-in movie and ended up making out, hot and heavy, in the back seat. Harper had been on his own date with Nessa at the time and they'd caught them without ever making themselves known. It was only the next day when his crush called him a few insulting and inappropriate names in front of all his friends when he tried to kiss him that Harper confessed. In fact, he'd told everyone who was there, laughing at his little brother, who he'd been snogging the night before.

Then Westin, the guy he'd been dating before Heath, had agreed to meet his family after six months together. Cormag had been convinced he was the real deal, until they were alone in the kitchen together after dinner. Westin had been horny and he was most definitely not. But that hadn't mattered, because he had started an argument about how he wanted Cormag on his knees or else he'd put him there himself. He'd been speechless at the time, until Westin showed his true colours and punched him in the face, sending him to his knees as he'd promised.

Harper had arrived, curious about the shouting, to see his little brother on the floor, on his knees, crying. Westin was holding a fistful of his hair as he shouted abuse at him. It was the most humiliating experience of Cormag's life, even after everything that had happened to him in high school.

Somehow he always seemed to pick the shit for brains bullies to be fascinated with. The violent ones at that. But he still remembered the way Westin had staked his claim, shouting about any and every sexual encounter they had ever had. All while his mother stood in the doorway crying and Harper threatened to cut his balls off and feed them to him. It had been one interesting day.

“I'm sorry. I
shouldn't have brought that up,” Harper apologised, clearly realising how much it still hurt him to think back to that time.

He gave his brother a smile; it was weak, but it was real. He had forgotten how much that incident hurt. Westin had been his first real relationship with a guy and it had all gone
downhill that night. Harper had threatened to have him arrested if he didn't leave the house and never go near Cormag again. Luckily, it worked since he had a few outstanding warrants for assault.

“That's all right. I guess it's hard to talk about any of my so called relationships without bringing up some bad stuff, no matter how hard you try.” He shrugged it off, realising that all of his relationships before Lachlan had been utter shit. Not a little, but entirely. He couldn't recall one moment of true happiness with
any of his old boyfriends. “Anyway, you're wrong. We had an early night. We went to bed around eight, went to sleep around half-nine and everything in between was perfect,” he confessed. Thinking and talking about Lachlan made him feel so much better.

“Really? And what was so perfect?” Harper wondered.

“He read to me.”

“He what?” His big brother frowned, as if such a concept was alien to him.

“We talked for a while and then Lachlan read to me,” Cormag explained quietly as they walked into the stadium. “He wasn't tired, but he knew I was, so he read until I fell asleep. I don't think he slept well though because he was like a zombie when I left this morning.” He sighed.

“You really do like him, don't you?” Harper asked, with a look of surprise.

Cormag turned to him, smiling and nodding. There were no words to explain how much he liked him.

“Well, it's early days, but I think I like him. From what I'm hearing he puts you first and that's something I can agree with.” Harper gave his initial approval.

It was such a relief to know that his brother wasn't going to turn into an interrogator when he talked to Lachlan.