RR-CDA (12 page)

Owen seemed to be a man who enjoyed having a purpose. His thrusts became deliberate, and it was no time before Cole lost the ability to think. His body overrode his mind. His balls tightened as Owen’s body rubbed against his cock.
Yes, almost there.

“Harder.”

Owen complied.

“Faster.”

Owen increased his pace.

Cole’s body shuddered, and he stopped breathing for a moment before he came. Then he sucked in as much air as he could manage, and screamed. Cum flooded between them, coating their bellies as Owen pounded his ass. Within seconds, Owen cried out as he came, his thrusts becoming irregular until he drove forward one final time. Finally, they both stopped moving, and Owen collapsed against him.

Cole had to swallow a few times before he could speak. “Wow.”

Owen slid to the side, but didn’t break contact. “Yeah.”

They were both sweaty, covered in cum and lube, and grinning like fools. Cole would normally be up fetching a cloth from the bathroom to help them get cleaned. Instead, he reached down and drew a lazy eight on his belly. “So rimming.”

Owen laughed. “You’ve never done that I take it?”

“Never given or received.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but what prompted that?” Owen took his hand, lacing their fingers.

That was a good question. “I don’t know. It just seemed like it was something you’d appreciate.” It didn’t matter that Owen was the first lover he’d had who seemed more than willing to be a bit adventurous. Cole had never felt quite right bringing up some of the things he’d wanted to try with a partner before tonight.

“It was. Totally was.” Owen kissed the back of his hand. “And if you have anything else you want to try, feel free to go ahead. I’m willing to do just about anything twice.”

It was wonderful to know that with Owen, he was safe to explore, to have fun with sex. He’d never been in a relationship before where that had been the case.

Not that they were in a relationship.

Shit, he didn’t want that.

Did he?

“Hey, you okay?” Owen rose up on his elbow. “You tensed.”

He wasn’t going to ruin things, not when they’d been going so perfectly. “It’s fine. That was my brain kicking back in.” He got up and kissed Owen softly on the lips. “I’m going to get some things to clean us up. And some eggnog with whiskey. Want some?”

“Sure. I could use a nightcap.” Owen winked before stretching back out on the bed. “Be quick because I can’t promise I won’t doze.”

Cole wanted to do as asked, but he found himself standing in the bathroom staring at himself in the mirror. He looked sated, happy almost. Owen had put that look of contentment on his face. Which was amazing, but it was also temporary.

This wasn’t something that could last long-term. Owen was every bit as much a rebound relationship for him as he’d been for Steven. He needed to keep reminding himself of this, of his emotional distance from Owen. He owed it to the other man not to put him in the position that Cole currently found himself in. He was too good a person for that.

No, Cole wouldn’t let things go too far. He owed it to
himself
.

There would be holiday events, hockey games, sex—hell, even bowling. But under no circumstances could he fall in love with Owen.

None.

Owen’s head pounded. It had been that way since he’d gotten up in the morning, a steady ache just behind his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to blame it on drinking too much, or even his head wound from what he now mentally referred to as The Tree Incident. Either would be an acceptable alternative.

This particular pain had everything to do with his father.

Two days after the blowup at the bar—and consequently after some of the best sex Owen had had in years—his dad called to apologize for his behavior.

“I don’t like some of the changes you’ve made,” he’d huffed into the phone receiver, and Owen didn’t need to see or hear his mother standing beside his dad to know she was there. “But it’s your bar now and I have to accept these things. I promise I won’t get in your way again.”

Owen thought that would be the end of the matter—but it still left the issue of his father’s refusal to go to the doctor despite weeks of his mother’s best efforts. That meant Owen had to come in as the big guns and force the issue. It also meant that a few hours after coming to an uneasy peace after the apology, he was now the one sitting in the doctor’s office with his dad, who was less than impressed.

“I don’t need to see the fucking doctor.”

“Dad, language.” He mouthed
Sorry
to a woman who was holding an unhappy toddler in her lap. At least she looked as though she could sympathize.

“There’s nothing wrong with me. I don’t know why you won’t listen.”

“You’re not acting like yourself. Plus it will make Mom happy. You know what they say about happy wives.”

“They leave you the hell alone.”

Owen rolled his eyes. “I don’t think that’s how it goes, but close enough.”

“Mr. McGregor?” The nurse who’d been working at the office for as long as Owen could remember looked directly at them. “Dr. Khan is ready to see you now.”

“Do you want me to go in with you?”

His dad glared at him as he stood. “I’m not a child.”

The pounding in Owen’s head increased as he watched him walk away.
Wonderful.

With time on his hands, he checked his phone for messages. The bar wouldn’t be open yet, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have work to do. He answered a few emails before checking his texts. The second he saw Cole’s number, he smiled.

I had a great time the other night. I got to thinking if you’re free, maybe we could have another outing. I remember hearing something about bowling . . .

He really didn’t want to be away from the bar at night, especially this close to the holidays. McGregor’s would be packed with company parties, students celebrating the end of exams, and people who didn’t want to be alone. It meant long days and nights for Owen.

Still, it wouldn’t be too bad if he slipped out for a little while for a break. They could bowl a few rounds and then come back to the bar for a drink. Life wouldn’t end if he took a bit of time for himself.

Hey. I think I can slip you in tonight between rounds. Meet me at the bar at 7? I owe you a drink.

That was something to look forward to. He replayed his last evening with Cole. The rimming had been pleasantly unanticipated. As had been the surprise blowjob that woke him up the next morning. Not wanting to be left out, he had flipped around and they’d engaged in a wonderful round of sixty-nine. He’d had to drag his ass out of there an hour later so he wouldn’t be late for work.

His time with Cole had been unexpected. They’d clicked both socially and sexually. The ease he’d felt when he’d arrived at Cole’s condo, the way he’d been handed a beer and then invited to watch the hockey game had been so natural he hadn’t even questioned it. Cole, the man he’d always assumed to be buttoned-up and a bit reserved, had surprised him. Both by yelling and screaming at the hockey game, and by the unexpected swipe of his tongue across Owen’s ass.

Yeah, that was awesome. They needed to do that again.

His cock strained in his pants. Awkward, given the toddler across the waiting room was now pointedly staring at him as she sucked her thumb. God, he hoped his dad would be done soon. His phone buzzed with another message from Cole.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the other night.

Me either. I currently have a boner as I sit at the doctor’s office.

Doctor? Everything okay?

The last thing he wanted to do was dump the shit with his dad on Cole. The other man had more than enough stuff to deal with right now without Owen adding to that pile.

All good. Just a normal checkup.
He didn’t like lying, but then again it was pretty much a white lie. It was a normal checkup for his dad, and hopefully everything was fine and he and his mom were overreacting to the situation. Hopefully.

Before Cole had a chance to respond, the nurse was standing at the door. “Mr. McGregor, can I see you for a second?”

Gotta go. Ttyl.

“Hey.” He tucked his phone into his pocket.

The nurse looked over her shoulder. “I think Dr. Khan might be having a problem with your dad. Do you mind going in?”

Shit.
“Of course.”

The small exam room contained one chair and the table. His father was sitting in the middle of the table with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

“Dad?”

Dr. Khan was a petite woman with long black hair. She had it pulled into a low ponytail that rested across her shoulder. It made her look far younger than the midfifties he knew her to be. “Hi there, Mr. McGregor—”

His dad narrowed his gaze at them both. “That’s
Owen
. I’m Mr. McGregor.”

“Yes, I’m Owen. I hear the bear is causing you problems.”

“He won’t let me give him a physical, which is fine. But he also won’t tell me any of the details of his problem. It makes my job a bit challenging.”

“I don’t have a problem. This one and my wife seem to think I do.”

Owen had hoped his father would be cooperative, but apparently that was asking too much. “His personality has been changing. He’s more argumentative, and Mom said that he’s having a hard time with little things around the house. Nothing huge, but stuff that he’d never had issues with before. I think he’s a bit confused as well. He’s forgetting things that we’d agreed to ages ago.”

Dr. Khan made some notes, throwing the occasional glance at his dad. Owen looked over and came up short when he realized his dad was crying. “What’s wrong?”

This was wrong on so many levels, Owen couldn’t get his head around it. His dad had always been strong, full of life. Sure he probably cried, but Owen had never seen him. Without waiting to be asked, he wrapped his arm around his dad and sat down on the exam table with him.

“Dad?”

“Ah, my boy.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. We just want to help you.”

“I know you do.”

“Mr. McGregor, is there anything you can add to what your son said?”

His dad didn’t look at the doctor, instead keeping his gaze fixed on his hands in his lap. “He’s right. I’m forgetting stuff. But it’s not little things. I’ll go for a walk, and forget where I’m going. Then I won’t recognize where I’m at. I ended up at the bar the other day, and I didn’t remember anything about it.”

That explained so many things. “How long?”

“I don’t know. It was little things at first. I just assumed it was regular getting-old shit.”

Dr. Khan came close and checked his blood pressure. “I want to send you for some blood work. Depending on what it shows, I may have to refer you to a neurologist. I’ll ask Lynda to get that paperwork started.”

His dad got up. “Washroom?”

“Down the hall, before the waiting room, on the left.”

Owen waited for his dad to leave before he turned to face the doctor. He didn’t want to ask, but given what he’d heard and what he knew, there was one question he needed to know the answer to. “Do you think it’s Alzheimer’s?”

Her frown told him more than he wanted to know. “That’s a possibility. We’ll also get a urine sample, and if he’ll allow it today, I’ll check his reflexes and ask about some other things. The neurologist would have to confirm Alzheimer’s, but the tests will be able to tell us if there is something else going on.”

“That seems unlikely.”

“There are lots of things that could give a false positive. A cyst on his brain for example. There could be something damaged from his stroke that we weren’t aware of or that’s deteriorated. We’ll find out. Don’t assume the worst yet. I know it will be hard, but we won’t have the results back until after the holidays. For the next few weeks, try and keep to his routine and make sure things are simple.”

The drive back to his parents’ house was quiet. He had tons of questions he wanted to ask, but his dad was in no mood to discuss anything. Before he got out of the car, Owen leaned over and put a hand on his dad’s arm.

“I’m not going to force you to talk. I’m not going to tell you what to do. But I’m here for you and mom. Anything you need, anytime you need it, call me.”

“I know.”

“Dad?”

“Hmm.”

“I love you. You know that, right?”

His dad looked at him, and for the first time all day, he smiled. He cupped the back of Owen’s head, running his thumb through his hair. “You’re a good boy. I love you too.” And then he left.

The weight he’d felt when he’d first learned of his dad’s stroke—the pressure on his shoulders and chest—came back. It was crap being an only child. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to someone, have them help carry part of this burden. But there was no one else, and he’d be damned if he’d let anything bad happen to his parents.