LovingEden_LeeBrazil.indd

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and

incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are

used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any

resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or

persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Loving Eden

ISBN: 978-1-77101-006-1

Cover Artist: Victoria Miller

Editor: Olivia Ventura

or reproduced electronically or in print without written

permission, except in the case of brief quotations

embodied in reviews.

Breathless Press

www.breathlesspress.com

Chapter One

Eden St. Cyr pulled his battered white ‘67 Volkswagen Beetle into

his assigned parking space. With a sigh, he noted the number of color-

ful surfboards leaning on the balcony railing of his second-floor stu-

dio. He and Sylvan had been lucky enough to convince the manager of

the little beachfront complex that they were “together,” making them

eligible to rent the studio apartment. California’s occupancy laws,

restricting occupants of efficiency apartments to singles or couples,

were a pain in Eden’s ass. He couldn’t afford the apartment on the

beach on his own, but rooming with Sylvan and his constant crowd of

hangers-on had turned out to be a real bitch.

He slung his bedraggled backpack over his shoulder and turned

to look out at the endless waves of perfect blue water. The view had

been his major reason for choosing this place. The setting sun cast

golden orange and mellow red rays across the rippling water. The

tang of sea air hit his nostrils and he inhaled deeply, catching the aro-

Loving Eden

ma of bonfires and barbecues and the pure fresh scent that was blown

in off the water. Southern California was awesome. He’d miss it when

he moved on to Oregon for the fall semester. Maybe he should take his

books down to the beach proper to study? He’d probably get just as

little done with all the distractions the beach had to offer as he would

in the noisy den of iniquity his apartment had become. Then again, if

he went up to his apartment and scowled hard enough and grumbled

loudly enough and behaved as badly as possible, he might be able to

chase away the gang of followers that hung out with Sylvan, surfing

and smoking at the beach all day.

Eden wrinkled his nose in disgust as he stepped through the door

into the spacious studio he shared with his friend and part-time lover,

Sylvan. Clouds of smoke hung in the air. Finely tanned boys in vi-

brantly patterned damp board shorts and a scattering of girls in im-

modest bikinis had draped themselves across the meager furniture,

grubby carpet, and in some cases, one another. No studying would

be done here this evening. He slung his backpack into the corner be-

tween his daybed and the wall, then turned to slide open the balcony

door and the single window to air the place out. Better to take the risk

of the manager recognizing the scent of stale smoke than choking on

it.

Sylvan, reclining across the ancient blue sofa, his lanky body

draped over a few willing worshippers, lifted his blond head from the

lap of a giggling young man. His mocking green eyes sparkled with

malice and Eden braced himself for whatever was coming. “Dude,

some guy called and bitched you out on the machine about Bailey.”

Snickers and laughter flew across the room, drowning out the

noises of the video game Syl and one of the boys played. Syl waved

at a dazed-looking surfer near the answering machine. “Press the but-

ton, man. Go ahead. Play Daddy’s message for Eden.”

Naturally the kid followed Sylvan’s orders like a good little boy.

The message began to play and the room faded into silence. Eden

stepped over to minimize the damage as quickly as he could. “Eden?”

The voice was deep, masculine and sent a shiver of awareness rip-

pling down Eden’s spine. There was something vaguely familiar

about that voice, as though he’d heard it before. It held authority.

Definitely someone’s father. Someone’s pissed-off father, at that. Even

over the recorded message, that voice radiated anger and tight self-

control. “I’m Drew Harris, Bailey’s father. You may not be aware of

this, but Bailey is—”

Lee Brazil

Eden reached the answering machine just in time to shut the mes-

sage off. Without considering, he deleted it as well. No sense leaving

it there. Over the protests of the young adults deprived of their en-

tertainment, Eden sighed. Maybe he could handle an apartment fur-

ther from the beach on his own. “Who the fuck is Bailey?” The words

slipped out before he could consider the potential to hurt that they

held.

The volume of the mean-spirited laughter grew again, and from

the suddenly bright red cheeks and ducked head, the dark-haired

young man who held Syl’s feet in his lap was Bailey. Awesome. Should

have guessed. My own personal stalker. He had no idea where the kid

had come from, but he was here all the time now, his worshipful blue

eyes following Eden’s every move, absorbing his every action. The kid

had the biggest crush in the history of crushes and Eden was his idol.

Scowling deliberately, Eden crossed the room and jerked his

thumb at the youth, then weaved his fingers through Syl’s long, sun-

bleached, white-blond hair. The boy jumped up, mumbling excuses,

and Eden waved him away as he took his place. He’d really rather

punch Sylvan for being an asshole right now, but he needed the il-

lusion of being involved with Syl to discourage Bailey’s interest. He

stretched out his feet and started to toe off his boots, but he caught

Bailey’s gaze on him and stopped. Fuck it, he decided, and toed the

boots off anyway. Let the kid look at his bare feet. Who the hell cared?

He turned his own pale blue gaze on Bailey. Nice enough look-

ing kid, but he was way too young, immature, and smart for Eden.

He was the kind of sweet kid who should be dating the homecoming

queen runner-up, not mooning around after an older man with an

aimless lifestyle. Eden had met him the first day of class, and Bailey

had been attached to him ever since. For his own reasons, Syl had en-

couraged the kid to hang around. Sure, the boy was cute. Eden could

fuck him, but he didn’t need a boyfriend, and the kid had “relation-

ship” written all over him. Eden was leaving in three months when

the semester ended, and he didn’t like the idea of taking advantage of

the younger man and leaving him brokenhearted. He snorted. Vain,

much? He could already see the pain in the kid’s eyes. Fuck. Why can’t

I remember anyone’s name? Better that the kid thinks I don’t give a

damn, isn’t it?

Someone shoved a pipe in front of his face and he pulled back,

waving it off. Sure, he liked to smoke a bit every now and then, but

Jesus, there was enough smoke in the air for a contact high. Breaking

Loving Eden

eye contact with Bailey, Eden bent and pressed his lips to Syl’s fore-

head. He ignored the look of satisfaction in the blonde’s green eyes

and pretended not to see the triumphant glare his roommate sent in

Bailey’s direction.

Suddenly inspired, letting his eyes drift tightly shut to avoid the

pain in Bailey’s reproachful blue eyes, he dragged his mouth roughly

across Sylvan’s face to settle over his lips in a demanding kiss. He

stroked his hand over Syl’s bare chest, feeling the grit of salt and sand

from the beach. The smell of the ocean filled his nostrils and he in-

haled deeply, twisting and pulling at pale peach nipples.

“Oh my God! Are they gonna?” The shocked tones and startled

conversations in the background were followed by the slamming

of the door as their guests began to leave. Emptiness echoed inside

Eden’s head. He’d done this before. They’d done this before, with peo-

ple around, even. This time was different. Syl’s hand closed around

his wrist and dragged his hand down under the still damp waistband

of his board shorts.

He gave a low moan of approval, arching up into Eden’s grip as

silence finally fell in the apartment, the door slamming for the last

time behind the final guests.

Chapter Two

Drew slammed his phone down onto the letter on his desk. Breath-

ing deeply, he tried to calm himself. Bailey’s failure to pick up his

brother after soccer practice was the icing on the cake of a lousy day.

Something was going on with his normally well-behaved, responsible

son.

The tap on the door that signaled his foreman’s entry to the office

drew his attention. “Yeah?”

“I can come back later if the timing’s bad, boss,” Gray offered

gruffly.

He waved the other man closer. “No, it’s fine. Just some bad news.

Hey, when you go back, tell Randy that Shane is going to be late. He

had to get a ride with a friend.”

Gray nodded. “I have a problem with an employee, and I want to

get your input.”

Steepling his fingers, Drew sighed. “He’s on your crew?”

Loving Eden

“Yeah. Guy’s been a no-show all week. I want to know what you

want to do with him.” Gray wasn’t meeting his eyes. Drew had an

uneasy feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer to his next question.

“Sounds like an easy solution to me, Gray. Why are you asking

me about this?” Please don’t say it.

“Because he’s the boss’s son. I’m not sure I want to chew his ass

out and write him up,” Gray said apologetically.

Fuck. Too much to hope that Bailey was holding up this part of his

life when he was falling down on all the others. “Treat him exactly as

you would any other member of the crew.”

Gray nodded, twisting his baseball cap in his hands. Slowly he

moved closer to the desk. “Boss, something is up with the kid. I’ve

known him since he was fourteen. He’s been working on my crew

since he was sixteen. He’s not himself.”

The meaningful pause turned awkward quickly. Drew narrowed

his eyes. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, I think the kid’s on something, Drew. The signs are

all there.” Looking guilty, and more than a little embarrassed, Gray

handed Drew a slip of paper from his pocket. “Talk to the boy. Find

out what’s up. Don’t let it get too late.” He left, the solid thump of his

work boots echoing in the nearly empty office.

Drew looked blankly at the paper. Five Signs Your Kid Might Be

Using Drugs. Fuck, no. Bailey was distracted, grouchy, acting oddly,

but no way was his boy using drugs. He started to throw the list away,

but couldn’t. He placed it on the far corner of his desk, and pulled a

folder over it. He needed to work up a bid for a new project.

Unfortunately, the paper kept distracting him. Finally he gave in

and read it over, heart sinking. New friends. Dropping grades, secre-

tive behavior. Fuck. He had to get to the bottom of this.

Drew felt a bit guilty about leaving the job site early, even though

he trusted his foreman to make sure things were done his way. His

anger at Bailey overrode his desire to stay and see the job done. Bai-

ley neglected his responsibilities, letting down the work crew and his

brother. It was completely unacceptable.

Drew rushed up the front walk. The red 2009 Volkswagen Eos

Convertible Coupe his boys shared wasn’t in the drive, so he could

only guess Bailey was most likely still over at that Eden’s apartment.

He shook his head in disappointment. He needed to get dinner ready,

and hopefully he’d have the chance to talk to Bailey this evening about

what was going on in his nineteen-year-old son’s life.

Lee Brazil

In the past, Bailey had been a reliable, studious boy. He’d worked

at Drew’s construction business since he was sixteen, been on job sites

with Drew since his wife died when Bailey was fourteen and Shane

twelve. Both boys had been his pride and joy since their births.

Now this. He crumpled the confirmation letter of withdrawal

from classes he’d received from Bailey’s college in the day’s mail. His

son had withdrawn from two of his five classes with failing grades.

Coupled with the non-appearances at work, the lousy attitude and to-

day’s failure to pick Shane up from soccer practice, it was clear some-

thing was going on in Bailey’s life, and Drew knew exactly what that

something was. It certainly wasn’t drugs. This Eden St. Cyr the boy

had become obsessed with was clearly a pernicious influence. Dis-

gusted, he remembered the phone message he’d left that afternoon.

Miss St. Cyr hadn’t bothered to return his call. She clearly wouldn’t

listen to reason. Obviously it didn’t matter to her that Bailey was a

bright boy with a sterling future ahead of him.

He could only hope that the charming, polite boy he’d reared still

resided inside the sullen, moody teenager he’d been living with the

last few weeks. Cringing, he tossed the letter onto the kitchen coun-

tertop and grimaced at the sight of the breakfast dishes Bailey had left

on the otherwise-spotless counter. Disgusting.

There had to be some explanation other than drug abuse, and it

looked like falling for this Eden seemed to be it. The girl had another

thing coming though if she thought Drew Harris’s son would be an

easy mark. He’d been down this route himself at nineteen. He’d met

an older girl at college and been thoroughly seduced. He’d imagined

himself in love, but the love had long faded to convenience when Ma-

rissa announced she was pregnant. He’d been on the verge of breaking

things off with her, and instead had found himself married and sup-

porting a family before the year was out.

For twenty years, he’d worked hard to give his boys every advan-

tage he could, including the college education he had been denied. He

wouldn’t stand by and watch some older woman do the same thing to

Bailey. Bailey was smarter then he’d ever been, but he was also naïve

and innocent in ways Drew had never been.

Drew stepped into the laundry room to start the never-ending

laundry created by a house full of men. Between school clothes, sports

uniforms, work clothes, and casual clothes, the pile never seemed to

diminish.

Loving Eden

Sighing, he frowned in concern as he checked his watch again.

Drew scooped up a stack of jeans and started going through the pock-

ets. Having washed his own wallet and innumerable surprise objects

from Hot Wheels cars to baseball cards, he’d learned to check each

pair of jeans thoroughly before throwing them in the washer. Since

the boys had gotten older, there’d been fewer surprises, but still. He

reached into a pocket and pulled out a small foil-wrapped packet.

What the hell? It only took a moment to identify it as a condom from

his bathroom. Not that he’d had much use for the things. In fact, damn

it, he checked the date stamp. Fuck. Yeah, they were expired. Whose

damn jeans were these anyway? His mind immediately went to Bai-

ley, but he knew that Shane was dating a girl from his class at high

school, too. He cautioned himself not to jump to any conclusions. Just

something else to talk to the boys about. Maybe this should be a group

discussion, instead of the one-on-one he’d planned. He’d already had

the sex talk with both of his sons, to his and their embarrassment, but

maybe it was time to revisit the situation.

First, though, he needed to dispose of the expired supplies.

The slam of the front door interrupted his train of thought and he

turned to call out to whichever boy had created the disturbance.

“Dad! Damn it! Dad! How could you do it?” Bailey’s furious voice

and angry tread assaulted his ears.

He straightened. Maybe calling Eden St. Cyr’s apartment hadn’t

been such a great idea, but he’d been furious when he received the

notification of the dropped classes. It had been stupid and impulsive.

The convenience of having Bailey’s cell phone—that he’d retrieved

from another load of laundry—on hand had worked in his favor, as

he’d thought at the time. He’d found Eden St. Cyr’s number listed and

given in to the urge to call. He should have known Miss St. Cyr would

go straight to Bailey with her tears. At the same time...

“Bailey, your attitude and language are not acceptable. I will dis-

cuss whatever you like, but calmly. But you are still my son, and this

is still my house, and I will not be cursed at or treated disrespectfully

by you. Do I make myself clear?”

His heart constricted as Bailey struggled to control his emotions,

swallowing hard and brushing at his eyes. Drew leaned back against

the crimson washer and dryer set he’d gotten at his sister-in-law’s rec-

ommendation. It was supposed to be the best thing in laundry with

more settings and buttons, bells and whistles than anyone could pos-

sibly need. He found that he washed everything on heavy supersize

Lee Brazil

load and only varied the cycle by pushing hot or cold anyway. He

looked down at his heavy work boots, giving Bailey a moment or two

unobserved to bring himself under control.

“That was the most humiliating experience of my life, Dad. We’re

all sitting around playing games and the phone rings, and some jerk

starts ranting. And guess what? The jerk everyone’s laughing at is not

the guy on the phone, it’s me. Because they all know that’s my dad

on the phone cussing out Eden. Why? I’m twenty years old, not ten!

You can’t do things like that!” The big deep blue eyes filled with tears

again, and Drew couldn’t help it. He wanted to make everything bet-

ter, to put the smile back on his son’s face, to put the sparkle back in

his eyes.

“I’m sorry, son. I shouldn’t have called. But something’s wrong,

and Eden is distracting you from school and work. I got a notice

from the school that you’d withdrawn from two classes with failing

grades and I reacted badly. Then you forgot to pick up your brother

from practice and drop him at the job site. I’d just gotten through that

phone call when Gray came in to tell me you haven’t shown for work

all week. Son, I know you love Eden, but you need to be responsible

and take care of business—meaning work and school.”

Shuddering, Bailey, his sensitive boy, straightened his spine and

looked him in the eye. “None of that is Eden’s fault, Dad. Yeah, I love

Eden, but Eden’s involved with someone else. And it’s not a good

situation.”

Right. Play on the boy’s sympathy, will she? Damn it. “All right,

son. Maybe I’ve misjudged your friend. Why don’t you invite Eden

and some of your friends up to the cabin with us this weekend?” A

weekend at Big Bear should give him plenty of time to assess his son’s

involvement with this girl and maybe show Bailey there was a down-

side to dating an older woman. He’d share his own experiences, but

somehow maligning the boy’s mother when she’d been gone so long

didn’t appeal. He’d take the lesser of two evils.

Bailey eyed him suspiciously. That lack of trust was new in their

relationship as well. Recalling his foray through his son’s phone to

find Eden’s number, he squelched the thought that maybe it was de-

served.

“Are you sure, Dad? Because if you’re going to be rude to Eden

like you were on the phone, I’d rather not. Sylvan is enough of an ass

for Eden to put up with as it is.”

Loving Eden

Drew raised his hand defensively. “No, I swear. I’ll be on my best

behavior. We’ll have a cookout, go waterskiing on the lake. Just fun

stuff. And if Eden’s boyfriend is as bad as you make it sound, then

Eden could probably do with the time away from him.”

He opened his arms and smiled in pleasure when Bailey stepped

directly into the hug. Nothing was going to keep his boy from having

the future he deserved. Drew would ensure it.

“Thanks, Dad.” Bailey pushed away and raced off, calling over

his shoulder, “I have to pick Shane up from work and then we’re go-

ing out!”

Sighing, Drew wandered from the laundry room to the kitchen.

No need to make dinner then.

Chapter Three

With a sigh of relief, Eden pulled his battered Bug to the side of

the road. Bailey had given him MapQuest directions to find the house.

Cabin, my ass. It was a full-sized house of red brick with a shady yard

full of huge leafy California black oaks on a busy little street with a

nice view of the lake. From the still aspect of the place, it looked like

he was the first to arrive. He’d had more than one indecisive moment

over accepting the invitation from Bailey to stay with his family for

the weekend, but Sylvan had pissed him off enough with his unwar-

ranted possessive attitude that the potential to be away had been

overwhelmingly enticing. He’d given in to Bailey’s pleas on impulse

and regretted it ever since. Deciding to make the best possible use of

the two days and one night he’d be spending in Bailey’s home, he’d

dressed and packed to make the right impression on his hosts. Rub-

bing his hands down the scruffy board shorts he wore, he smirked.

The right wrong impression, that is. He fully intended to reinforce the

Loving Eden

image he was cultivating as a loser in order to discourage Bailey’s

interest.

Nothing about the weekend was going as he’d expected so far,

though. With his luck he’d find himself in bed with the enticing Bailey.

Instead of the beautiful peaceful drive in the country he’d expected,

he’d found himself in bumper-to-bumper traffic the entire three-hour

drive as everyone else in Orange County apparently had the same

idea for this weekend. He hadn’t been able to run the air conditioning

in his little Bug, and had to keep alert that the constant stop and go

of the traffic didn’t cause his engine to overheat. Driving up the steep

grades to the cabin was difficult and dangerous. He was relieved to

have made it in one piece without damaging his car. Far from relax-

ing away from Sylvan and his group of hangers-on, he’d become more

and more tense as time passed. Now he knew why the notes on the

map included directions for what to do if he happened to arrive be-

fore anyone else. Consulting the map Bailey had e-mailed him, Eden

grabbed his grungy backpack from the passenger seat and studied

the front of the house. According to the notes, there was a key under a

potted plant on the front step.

Shaking his head, he surveyed the scattering of dead houseplants

littering the steps. There had to be at least half a dozen of them. He

was lifting the third one to check under it when the snick of the front

door opening and the gruff sound of a throat clearing brought him

back upright.

His heart stopped and then jerked into motion again as he brushed

his hair back from his eyes. This had to be Bailey’s dad. No way could

it be anyone else. Bailey himself would look like this in twenty years.

The man at the door had Bailey’s deep blue eyes, with little crinkles

at the corners, as though he worked outside or smiled a lot. He was

tanned, fit, had a good six inches and sixty pounds on Eden, and ev-

erything about him appealed to Eden in ways that his son did not.

For all his physical size, Bailey was cute and sweet, soft and naïve,

and Eden wanted to protect him from himself. This man? He wanted

to drop to his knees and beg to be fucked. And why not? This man

wouldn’t miss him if he disappeared in three months, and his feelings

wouldn’t be hurt if Eden couldn’t remember his name when he called.

Then again, as Bailey’s dad, he was probably straight—but there was

something...

The man smiled at him in a bemused fashion, and Eden smiled

back, straightening his spine and his hair, wishing he’d brought nicer

Lee Brazil

clothes and wondering if he could possibly ditch the bong and bag of

weed he’d swiped from Sylvan. Maybe he didn’t want to make quite

as much of an ass of himself as he planned.

“You’re one of Bailey’s friends? I’m Drew, his dad,” the man said,

reaching down and picking up Eden’s backpack.

“Yes,” he mumbled in reply, striving to fight down the shivers of

arousal that rippled through him with the deep voice. The effect from

the answering machine was magnified in person. That voice was a

caress in itself, stroking over his body, making him tingle with aware-

ness.

“Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping. I’m putting you in

with Bailey. Sorry I can’t stay and talk, but I’ve got to get down to the

market in town and pick up some supplies for our weekend.”

Eden willingly followed the man into the house and down a short

hallway. Bailey’s dad opened a door and gestured into the room.

“Here you go. People should be arriving soon, but I hope to be back

before anyone else gets here.”

Eden stepped up to the doorway, inadvertently brushing against

that hard muscled body as he did so. Heat seared through his thin T-

shirt and gooseflesh prickled his arms. He bit his lip to keep the moan

inside, just nodding his head, too afraid that his arousal would show

to speak. He ducked his head and made to move into the room when

a hard warm hand closed around his upper arm. He found himself

turned to face Bailey’s dad, and looked up into puzzled blue eyes.

“We’ll talk later, yes?” the man asserted. Eden was trapped in

the depths of those deep blue eyes and unable to utter a response.

A big, calloused hand came up to cup Eden’s jaw, thumb rubbing

gently over the two-day growth of beard he hadn’t bothered to shave.

Shaking his head, Drew began to speak again, but then his head tilted

slightly to the side and his lips came down. Eden caught his breath in

surprise. Surely Bailey’s dad wasn’t going to kiss him?

But he was. Warm dry lips pressed to his own briefly, sliding a

little to the side, nipping lightly at his own lower lip. The gentle kiss

swept right across his mouth in a brief warm touch that left him crav-

ing more. It had barely begun before Drew pulled away. Wow. Press-

ing his fingers to his still tingling lips, Eden stared after the handsome

man who’d shown him his room. Definitely scrapping Plan A for this

weekend.

He realized he’d been staring at the door daydreaming about how

much further that kiss could go. Turning the knob, he stumbled into

Loving Eden

the room he’d been assigned to share with Bailey. Maybe he could

pull off the asshole act in the confines of the room and just be himself

in the public areas of the house? He kicked the door shut and threw

his backpack on one of the two twin beds in the room. It was a nice

enough room, and now that he’d met Bailey’s dad, the blue drapes

and comforters would remind him not of Bailey’s innocently covetous

gaze, but of the spark of interest in Drew’s eyes just before he pressed

that tantalizing little kiss on his lips.

He stepped over to the chest of drawers and opened his backpack,

pulling out the hand-blown glass bong that he’d swiped from Sylvan’s

stash box and placing it in a prominent position on the pale oak dress-

er top. He quickly followed that with a large bag of fragrant weed that

he opened, and spilled a little to make sure the smell was noticeable.

Wrinkling his nose in distaste, he briefly considered lighting up, but

shrugged off the impulse. Actually smoking the stuff held little appeal

and he’d avoid it if he could. He pulled a tattered pair of 501s from his

backpack and tossed them on the straight-backed chair in the corner

of the room, followed by a ragged Green Day T-shirt and a soft faded

flannel shirt. His Vans he tossed randomly on the floor by the bed he’d

chosen, and that was it. Other than a toothbrush, he was done. Except

for the other backpack full of textbooks in his car, that is. He’d hoped

he might have the opportunity to do some studying for next week’s

finals, but now...he rather thought he’d be too busy for that after all.

Kicking off his flip-flops he settled back on the bed, crossing his

arms behind his head and closing his eyes. Drew Harris was one fine

figure of a man, and Eden intended to see how far he could take this

attraction between them this weekend. Pushing thoughts of Bailey

aside, he’d gotten as far in his head as rewriting the scene at the door.

Instead of being tongue tied and awkward as he had been, he’d be

bold and overtly sensual. He really would drop to his knees right

there, and with Drew’s encouragement, unzip those tight jeans and

ease out the erection that would be waiting for him.

And that’s as far as the rewrite had gotten when the door to the

room flew open and Bailey stepped in, brimming with excitement.

“Eden! I saw your car outside. This is my room. Did you know that? I

mean, you’re welcome to sleep here and all, but...” The boy trailed off

in blushes and stammers as Eden slowly sat up, striving to shake off

his lust. He groaned silently as he saw Bailey note his arousal with ap-

parent interest, sighing audibly as the boy flushed an even deeper red.

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“Your dad put me in here. He told me we’d be sharing. I’m cool

with it, if you are. Just, um...try to keep a lid on it, huh, kid?” Right—

be an ass inside the room. He felt like an ass all right, seeing the boy

grow even more flustered by his comments.

“Oh. He was here when you got here?” Bailey’s nose twitched

slightly and his gaze darted nervously around the room. His eyes

widened perceptibly when they lit on the bong and bag on the dress-

er. “Was he, um, nice to you?”

Ashamed, he moved in, sensing the boy’s vulnerability. “You

mean, did he bitch me out about seducing his baby boy like on the

phone last week? No. He just showed me this room and went to the

market.”

Bailey’s gasp was like a knife to his own heart. Damn. He liked

this boy. He really did. You have to be cruel to be kind, right? Remorse-

fully, he watched the boy heave in a deep breath and force a smile to

his lips.

“Um, Eden,” he waved at the paraphernalia on the dresser. “No

smoking in the house, okay? My dad doesn’t like it.”

It was tempting to tell the kid to hell with what his dad wanted,

but Eden couldn’t go that far. First, he had a sneaking suspicion that he

really did care what Drew wanted, and second, his respect for the boy

was growing rapidly. It took a lot of guts to tell his idol not to smoke

in his dad’s house. Eden nodded, lying back on the bed. “Whatever.”

Chapter Four

Stupid. That had been incredibly stupid. Why was he making one

stupid mistake after another lately? What the hell had he been think-

ing to kiss Bailey’s friend like that?

The younger man might match his ideal of a bed partner to a

tee—all long, lean lanky muscles and golden, lightly haired skin, full

pouting lower lip and heavy-lidded, pale blue eyes, but he had to stay

focused on his own agenda for the weekend. Mainly, heading this

Eden off at the pass in whatever way presented itself. He could cer-

tainly make the time though, to talk to the young man and maybe ex-

plore this attraction between them a little when they returned to town

Sunday afternoon. And isn’t it a good thing you replaced those expired

condoms with a fresh supply?

Instead of working out how best to tackle the issue of Eden St.

Cyr, he spent his time wandering aimlessly through the grocery store

thinking about the blaze of heat in those eyes as they’d darkened with

lust on the journey up his body. He knew he was probably a bit old for

Lee Brazil

the man, who’d looked to be in his mid-twenties, but he knew damn

well he was in great physical shape, and looking in the mirror when

he shaved each morning told him he wasn’t a troll. Anyway, there

was no denying that the interest was mutual, so age clearly wasn’t an

issue.

Thoughts of what he’d like to do with Bailey’s friend chased

thoughts of what he’d like to do with this Eden witch who made his

son cry. Drew didn’t make any effort to focus as he threw a variety of

salad fixings and items for the grill into his cart. About twenty people

would be at the cabin altogether, mostly friends he and the boys had

made in the neighborhood over the roughly ten years they had owned

the cabin. Then Eden, the young man Bailey had invited, and several

of the boys’ other friends. He wished he could remember the names

Bailey had rattled out yesterday. Maybe he could put one to the face

that kept interfering in his plotting.

How long had it been since he’d been so dazed by a pretty face

that he hadn’t stopped to get a name? Not since the early days of his

marriage, when he and Marissa had reached an armed truce and al-

ternated weekends on the town with weekends babysitting. They’d

eventually forged a friendship of sorts, but after Shane’s birth they’d

never been lovers again. Since Marissa’s death, though, he’d been too

absorbed in running his business and taking care of the boys to do

much of anything in the social venue. Work and home had become

such a habit. But the boys were grown now, and there was no reason

he shouldn’t date.

Entering the house later, he found that Bailey and Shane had ar-

rived. Typically, the boys had deserted him. According to the note

he found stuck to the refrigerator with a Scooby-Doo magnet, they’d

gone down to the boat slip to take some of the guests waterskiing.

Did that mean he’d missed Eden’s arrival? Only one way to tell. He

dropped the bags on the countertop and headed off down the hall-

way. He knocked gently on the third door, and, receiving no answer,

pushed it open slightly. The green room, Marissa’s old room, was still

unoccupied. No luggage or signs of a guest filled the space. Pulling

the door shut behind him, he didn’t know whether to hope that Eden

would stand Bailey up or be disappointed that she hadn’t shown. He

knew Bailey would be devastated if Eden didn’t make it, but it was a

great opportunity to emphasize that Eden wasn’t a nice person.

Eden’s failure to turn up freed his thoughts, though, to go back to

the golden-skinned temptation that had arrived on his doorstep ear-

Loving Eden

lier. As though the thought had conjured up the man, the door to Bai-

ley’s room opened and his guest stepped out. Apparently he hadn’t

gone waterskiing with the others after all. Drew continued forward

down the hall, deliberately placing himself in the other man’s path.

Pale blue eyes widened as the man pulled the bedroom door

shut. Drew’s gaze dropped to lips that parted in a soft gasp. Not even

making an attempt to resist the urges of his body, he pulled the slim

body tight against his own and took immediate advantage of the quiet

house. Brushing one hand along the scruff of his unshaven jaw, he tilt-

ed the man’s head up and brought their lips together firmly. His other

hand threaded through the long sun-kissed brown hair, tangling its

thick strands around his fingers as he used his grip to make minute

adjustments. He forced the soft pink lips farther apart and swept his

tongue inside. Instantly he was absorbed in the heated sweetness he

found. The slick warmth drew him further in and his tongue eagerly

sought the textures and flavors that had been hidden there. Fuck. He

could drown in the wet heat he found behind those soft lips. It was

addictive. But he couldn’t continue this here. Despite the fact that ev-

eryone seemed to be gone, there was a very real possibility either of

his sons or any of his guests could walk through the front door any

second.

Breaking away, he leaned back against the wall, panting slightly

as he tried to control his breathing and heartbeat again. “I’m sorry. We

can’t do this here.” He wanted to, though. Oh, how his cock ached for

relief. He couldn’t hide his erection, straining at the front of his jeans,

and he wasn’t sure he wanted to, either. The dazed look in the man’s

eyes slowly faded and an expression he couldn’t decipher replaced it.

“No, you’re right, of course. This isn’t a good time or place.”

He found the agreement disappointing, though he knew it was

wise. Sex in the hallway of the cabin might feel damn good, but the

possibility of interruption was too high. Still, he sensed distance grow-

ing between them, and he didn’t like it. The temptation to remove

that distance with another compelling kiss swept through him, but he

ruthlessly brushed it aside. “Later?”

Voice still husky with passion, the other man responded, “Later?

Tonight?”

“No. In town this week? I can’t here...my sons and their friends,

you understand?” Please understand, he begged silently. Why it was

so important, he didn’t know. He’d been turned down before and nev-

er gave it a second thought.

Chapter Five

He was drinking too much and he knew it. The thing was, though,

the drinks in his hand gave him something to do. Holding them kept

his hands from trembling with the urge to reach out and touch every

time he ended up near Drew. Staring down into the amber liquid in

his glass gave him an excuse not to look into Bailey’s eyes every time

he uttered another rude comment. And drinking alcohol was the only

way he could maintain his courage to continue behaving badly in the

face of the hurt in Bailey’s gaze every time he said something snide or

derogatory about the company, the cabin, or Bailey. His jibes landed

impartially on Bailey’s little brother and his cute-as-a-button cheer-

leader girlfriend, the local families who had dropped by to share the

weekend with the Harrises, and even Drew didn’t escape his wicked

tongue.

Just the idea of Drew and tongue in one sentence had him gulping

the whiskey in his glass as he relived the firm domination of the kiss

in the hall that afternoon. His lips tingled from the memory and he

Lee Brazil

shoved the glass in Bailey’s direction. Damn the man for blowing hot

and cold so quickly! “Refill this for me, will you, kid?”

“Don’t you think you should eat something?”

Eden raised an ironic brow at Bailey. The kid was doing his best to

look out for him, and if he weren’t determined to be an asshole, he’d

let him.

“You don’t look like my mother,” he snarked in response, guilt

pouring over him when he saw Bailey flush and duck his head before

heading off to refill the glass. Only problem now was that his hands

had nothing to do. Considering, he hit upon a scheme that he was sure

would turn the kid off him for good. He had no doubt he’d managed

to tarnish his image fairly well already.

Quickly, he stepped into the house from the cool backyard and

headed to the room they shared, making sure Bailey heard the smack-

ing noise of his flip-flops hitting the hardwood floor and the soles of

his feet in rhythm. In their room, he strode to the dresser and quickly

filled the bowl of the bong, lighting it and inhaling the pungent smoke

and holding it in his mouth as long as he could. He exhaled and blew

out his breath into his hand, wanting to be sure that the scent and taste

of the herb lingered in his mouth.

He’d hoped Bailey would follow him to their room, but since he

hadn’t, he’d go in search of the boy himself. A marijuana-flavored kiss

would convince Bailey that Eden had indeed broken the only rule he’d

been given for his stay in the mountain cabin. And if he had to pretend

he was kissing Drew to make it feel right, then he’d do that too.

With the possibility of a fling with Drew in the offing, it was even

more imperative that he discourage Bailey’s adoration.

Exiting the room into the hallway, he had a moment of déjà vu

as a dark figure appeared in front of him, much the same way Drew

had that afternoon. He reached out and clasped Bailey in his arms,

tugging his head down to meet his own lips. Determined to get the

kiss over with as soon as possible, he rudely thrust his tongue past

tightening lips and into the hot, moist cavern beyond. The familiarity

of the mouth on his sank in quickly as his tongue explored territory it

had already mapped once that day. Not Bailey. This was Drew.

Sighing, he gave up the fight to keep his distance until “later in

the week” and stepped backward into the bedroom. No way was he

letting Drew wind him up for a third time and then step away.

Drew pulled back from the kiss slightly and began to protest, but

Eden pushed the door shut and pressed Drew back against it. At this

Loving Eden

moment, he didn’t give a damn how much bigger Drew was than he.

The promise in that kiss sent Eden’s blood rushing straight to his dick,

which promptly leaped to respond, butting heavily against the but-

tons of his jeans. His heart raced and he shrugged off thoughts of Bai-

ley, diving in to the certainty that this would be one hell of a hookup.

Eden grabbed the hem of his faded T-shirt and dragged it up over

his head. He tossed the shirt aside as Drew too gave up the struggle

to control his arousal. Drew stripped off his own neat blue polo and

stood in front of the door watching Eden’s progress. Eden’s gaze ze-

roed in on the strong tanned hand Drew held over the fly of his own

jeans. They weren’t the soft, faded second-skin denims that Eden

wore, but they showed off the taut muscles of Drew’s body perfectly.

“Need some help with those?” Eden asked. The pulsing throb of

blood to his cock led him across the few feet of floor to where it des-

perately wanted to be. He brushed Drew’s hands aside and used his

thumb to flick the top button open, stretching up to press a heated

wet kiss on Drew’s mouth as he did so. He slowly pressed his palm

against the hard shaft beneath the denim. “Fuck, man, you’re so hot.”

He trailed his lips down from Drew’s panting mouth to his

bristled chin, relishing the friction burn from rough stubble against

his lips as he did so, before leaving a trail of hot, moist kisses along

Drew’s jawline to his ear. Drew shook against him now, moaning low

in his throat and pushing his cock against Eden’s hand. A growl of

approval escaped Drew’s mouth on a panting breath as Eden pressed

his tongue in a hard stroke against the throbbing pulse below his ear,

then pulled the zipper down. Eden didn’t pause to allow the protest

he felt sure was coming.

“I’m going to make you feel so good,” he whispered hotly against

Drew’s ear, flicking his tongue into the shallow grooves and revel-

ing in the shivers that rippled through his lover’s body in response.

Drew’s stiff cock jerked beneath his hand.

“Mmm.” Drew tilted his head, allowing Eden’s roaming lips

down to the sensitive spot where his neck and shoulder came togeth-

er. “Yes.” He thrust his hips forward, pressing against Eden’s hand.

“I need skin.”

As Eden carefully eased the zipper completely open, Drew’s hand

pressed against his erection, fumbling with the buttons of his faded

Levis. He muttered in encouragement against the hollow of Drew’s

throat. His cock was as eager to escape its denim prison as Drew’s.

Lee Brazil

Jeans tangled around his thighs; he dragged his mouth back to

Drew’s and thrust his tongue inside. Deep strokes of tongue against

tongue built the heat between them to an even higher pitch as their

writhing bodies rubbed their cocks together. Drew’s calloused hands

trailed paths of fire over Eden’s sensitive skin, rubbing and petting

wherever they could reach: his shoulders, his back, the smooth planes

of his hips. Then they swept back up as he wrenched his mouth away

and pushed down on Eden’s shoulders.

Knowing what his lover wanted and more than eager to get his

mouth on Drew’s hard cock, Eden allowed the push, sinking to his

knees. Looking up through the hair that fell forward into his eyes, he

held Drew’s stormy blue gaze as he licked lightly at the crown of his

firm cock. He swirled his tongue around and prodded the tiny open-

ing in mimicry of fucking before taking the whole head in his mouth.

His mouth stretched tight around the full shaft as he slid down the

length until the spongy head hit the back of his throat, where he held

it briefly before swallowing and pulling back. Drew’s throaty moans

of pleasure were all that he needed to guide him in establishing a rap-

id rhythm of tongue-stroking suction, ending each downward glide

of his mouth with a swallow against the cockhead pressed into his

throat.

“Ahh.” Drew’s cries of pleasure signaled his release as Eden swal-

lowed the thick streams of cum. Drew collapsed, panting, to sit on the

bed, embracing Eden and pulling his head against his chest. “Wow,”

he whispered hoarsely. “Give me a minute and I’ll take care of you.”

Eden snorted, feeling the sticky wet heat of his own orgasm. “No

need.”

The door to the room flew open, and Bailey’s irritated voice came

with it. “Damn, Eden! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

Eden jolted into sobriety. Drew pushed him away and rose, swift-

ly jerking his jeans back into place and pulling the zipper up. Nausea

rippled rapidly through Eden as he realized what was going to hap-

pen now.

“Eden?” That was Bailey, having taken in Eden’s position at his

father’s feet and the incriminating evidence of his open fly. The boy’s

voice was drenched with betrayal and shock. Not sure how to re-

spond, Eden slowly rose, making a study of fastening the buttons on

his fly as he purposely looked away from Bailey to the floor.

Loving Eden

Maybe he hadn’t intended for Bailey to walk in after he had sex

with his father, but surely if the results were right, then it didn’t mat-

ter, did it? His sinking heart and numb mind told him that it did.

“Eden?” Now it was Drew who sounded shocked, and was that

disgust underlining his voice? “You’re Eden?”

What the fuck is that all about? “Of course I’m Eden! I told you...”

Wait. No. Maybe he hadn’t. He’d been so fucking tongue-tied around

Mr. Sex on a Stick that he probably hadn’t bothered to introduce him-

self.

Chapter Six

Seeing the disappointment and hurt in his son’s eyes was diffi-

cult, and Drew shoved his hands guiltily into his pockets. He cast an

icy glare at the man who’d just sucked him off. Unfucking believable!

Eden St. Cyr was a man. He didn’t know if he was entitled to the anger

tearing at him or not, but the emotion was there. He couldn’t worry

about how his behavior looked to his son right now. He had to get his

mind around the fact that Eden St. Cyr was a man. At least he could

draw a line through the concerns over teenage pregnancy. Small re-

lief, that is. He pushed his own turmoil aside and focused on what his

furious son was saying.

“Eden, how could you? You had sex with my dad! What about

Sylvan? What about...me?” Poor Bailey didn’t seem to even care about

keeping the tears in his eyes from falling. His fists clenched and un-

clenched. Then his nostrils flared and his eyes widened. “You smoked

in my room? I fucking told you! No smoking in my dad’s house.”

Loving Eden

Pride reared its head over his other swarming emotions as the

angry Bailey confronted Eden. He really wished he could blame this

whole thing on Eden, but he should have had better control of him-

self. He started forward, protesting as Bailey swiped his arm across

the top of the dresser, sending the ornate water pipe crashing to the

ground where it shattered and spilled its murky mess across the car-

pet. Catching his breath, he waited, knowing that whatever infatu-

ation his son had had for Eden was at an end. He couldn’t help the

satisfaction that rippled through his psyche. This may not have been

the way he’d have chosen to end things, but it was definitely effective.

To his surprise, Eden made no attempt to defend himself. He just

nodded and stared at the floor, though his tension was visible in the

tight set of his muscles and the clench of his fists at his sides. Bailey

seemed overwhelmed by the incident, not sure what to do. He glared

at Eden and then at Drew, and started to back out of the room. Drew

couldn’t allow that. He reached out and jerked his son into a tight

hug. “It’s okay, Bailey. We can talk about this.”

Turning to Eden, he spoke in an icy voice. “I think it would be best

if you left.” Fuck. Looking at the golden boy, he had to admit he had

no regrets about what they had done, only about Bailey’s untimely

entry into the room. Too bad he couldn’t pursue the relationship as he

had planned. Seeing one of his son’s friends was one thing; sleeping

with the man Bailey loved was quite another. It smacked too much of

rubbing his nose in his loss, even if he got over the infatuation.

He held Bailey, letting the boy sob into his shoulder as Eden

scooped up his meager belongings from the room, shoving them into

a battered backpack that matched the battered Volkswagen parked

outside. He wanted to say something, anything, to reassure Eden

things would work out, but he couldn’t. That had been real pain he’d

seen in his pale blue eyes, and the defeated slump of Eden’s shoulders

told a story all its own. Eden refused to raise his gaze, and seemed

disinclined to speak anyway.

As his own shock and anger cleared, Drew realized that things

didn’t seem quite so grim as they had the day before. Knowing Eden

St. Cyr was a man put a slightly different spin on the whole situation,

and he realized his concerns in that direction at least were unfounded.

Eden clearly didn’t like hurting Bailey, but the drug issue... Better that

Eden be removed from their lives for good.

He refused to call the man back when Eden paused in the door-

way. Instead, he guided Bailey to the bed opposite the one he’d been

Lee Brazil

sitting on, wincing when he saw the evidence of Eden’s pleasure left

behind. The door closed with a thud, echoed by the much louder slam

of the front door.

“Bailey,” he began. “Son, you have every right to be hurt and up-

set by this. I’m sorry. I truly did not realize that was Eden.” He twisted

slightly sideways to meet Bailey’s teary eyes.

The boy brushed the tears roughly with one hand. “I know you

didn’t, Dad. I didn’t want you to. I deliberately gave the impression

that Eden was a girl because I didn’t want you to know I felt like that

about another guy.”

Drew clenched his hands on his own knees, digging into the den-

im with the blunt tips of his nails. He’d had the sex talk with his sons,

tried to be as open-minded about it as possible. Given his own unpre-

dictable sexual preferences, he hadn’t really cared whether his sons

chose their bed partners from the male or female sex, as long as they

were safe and careful. Of course, he hadn’t actually told the boys that

he found himself as likely to be attracted to men as women. It hadn’t

seemed important. Now, he really wished he had been more specific.

Finding his beloved in a compromising position coupled with learn-

ing his dad enjoyed men as much as women all at once had to be a

severe blow.

“Son, I know it’s a little late to say this now, but...you know there’s

nothing wrong with liking other men, right?”

Bailey nodded, his breathing calming as he regained control of

himself. “I know. Dad...I feel like such an idiot. He...I had this idea in

my head of who Eden was, and he’s none of those things.”

Heart aching for his boy, Drew pushed his own unexamined emo-

tions aside. “I know. We see people with eyes that are colored by our

own experiences, and often what we see is what we want to see in-

stead of what’s really there.”

“Dad, did he tell you he was involved with someone? He lives

with Sylvan! They’ve been together for months. Sylvan loves him. He

tried to tell me what Eden was like, but I wouldn’t listen. Now, he’s

been here without Sylvan for less than eight hours and he’s been a

jerk to everyone in the house, smoked pot in my room and seduced

my father!”

The temptation to smile at the last assertion had to be resisted.

The rest made him angry. “I think you did mention he was involved

with someone. But since I didn’t know Eden was a man, I’d say it

was a moot point. I’ll have to be man enough to say at the moment it

Loving Eden

didn’t seem to matter. He didn’t act like a man involved. And I wasn’t

aware he’d been rude to our friends and family. You should have said

something.”

His son looked disgusted. “I’ve been spending the last two hours

since we got back from the lake trying to keep the peace. He kept

drinking, and the more he drank the more insulting he got. And then

to smoke in here after I told him not to, it just...it hurts that he had so

little respect for the one request that I made of him.”

Sighing, remembering his own introduction to love at nineteen,

Drew placed his palm on his son’s thigh. “Loving someone who

doesn’t love you back hurts, Bailey. And there’s nothing we can do

about it sometimes, except let it go and move on as best we can. I can’t

say the hurt will go away tomorrow, but someday it will.”

Bailey hesitantly put his hand in Drew’s and they leaned together

for a brief hug. “Dad?”

“Yes?”

“Did you ever love Mom? I mean,” Bailey stammered, “I know

you’re gay, but, um...ever?”

Leaving the issue of sexual preferences for a future discussion,

Drew tried to put the situation into words. “I did, and I didn’t. I was

nineteen and your mom was twenty-three. I was infatuated with her

and I thought I was in love. She got pregnant and we got married.

Things were rocky for a while, but eventually we were friends, and as

a friend I loved her. But to tell you the truth, Bailey, I don’t think I’ve

ever been in love.” His gaze fell on the mess on the floor and he had to

bring up one more issue. “About the marijuana.”

Bailey cut him off. “I’ll clean it up, Dad. And it really was Eden’s.

I tried it, yeah, but...” Bailey wrinkled his nose in disgust. “It hurt my

throat to inhale it, and I really didn’t see any point.”

Nodding, he let the issue go. Everything wasn’t resolved, but his

son was talking to him again, the infatuation was over, and they could

go on from here. If he experienced a niggling regret for the loss of

what could have been a great relationship, well...losing a potential

bed partner was a small price to pay for knowing his son would be

okay.

Chapter Seven

Eden didn’t know how he made it back down the mountain to his

apartment on the beach. He knew traffic leaving town was a lot lighter

than going into Big Bear on a Friday night. It was completely dark

when he pulled his car into the assigned parking space and dragged

his backpack to the balcony, unlocking the door and stepping into the

apartment. For once the space wasn’t crowded with boards and wet

flip-flops.

The overwhelming scent of weed hung in the air, and his stomach

lurched. He remembered the mess on the floor of Bailey’s room, the

hurt and dismay in Bailey’s eyes, the outright anger and disapproval

on Drew’s face, and he could barely hold back the nausea. He took

in the sight of Sylvan, on his bed, naked, a dark-haired young man

poised between his legs, licking and sucking as though his life de-

pended on it. It reminded him of himself, staring up at Drew’s thick

cock, gleaming and slick with his saliva. Suddenly furious, he snarled,

“Get the fuck out!”

Loving Eden

“But...” The kid’s protest died as Sylvan shoved him away, stand-

ing up and scooping a pair of board shorts from the floor. He tossed

the shorts at the kid and jerked his head toward the door.

“You heard the man, beat it.” He sauntered across the room to

Eden, golden skin gleaming in the moonlight, thick cock weaving in

front of him. “You’re jealous!” He crowed in triumph, reaching for

Eden.

“Fuck you. I’m not jealous. I’m fucking sick of this shit.” Eden

stalked over to his daybed as the kid slammed the door behind him.

“I can’t deal with this shit anymore.”

Syl’s strong wiry arms closed around him. “You don’t have to. As

long as I have you, I don’t need any of these other guys.”

His mouth came down hotly on Eden’s in a deep kiss, and Eden

stood still, accepting the caress numbly, hoping for something, any-

thing that would tell him he was still alive. Sylvan’s tongue slipped

between his lips, stroking and rubbing against Eden’s, gliding inti-

mately over the surfaces of his mouth, and still, he felt nothing.

Eden let the kiss go on for a brief moment, waiting for desire to

kick in, for the automatic response of his body to make itself heard.

Sylvan’s hard cock pressed tight to his groin, but nothing stirred. Frus-

trated, he shoved Sylvan away. Nothing. He felt nothing. No passion,

no desire, no response to Syl’s admittedly gifted technique. Empty.

His whole life was fucking empty.

“What are you doing?” Syl seemed pissed, trying to pull Eden

back to him.

Eden snorted. “I’m getting the fuck out of here, like I should have

done a long time ago.” He pulled his duffel bag out from under the

bed and stared blindly around. He didn’t own a whole hell of a lot.

He should be able to get it together and leave quickly. If he could just

focus beyond that icy voice telling him to get out.

“I didn’t really want him, you know. I want you.” Syl still didn’t

seem to get it.

“Well, look, it’s not you, it’s me. No, fuck that. It is you. I don’t

want to be around you anymore.” Was that hurt on Syl’s face? Too

bad.

“You love me.” There was no doubt Sylvan’s voice was firm and

confident, everything Eden wasn’t feeling right now.

“No, I don’t. I never have.” He’d never loved anyone. Well, almost

anyone.

Lee Brazil

“So what, you’ve just been using me? What about the rent? You

can’t just ditch me here!” Now he was starting to sound pissed. His

smooth tanned brow wrinkled in anger, his plump lips drew down in

a scowl, and Eden wished he could have loved Sylvan. Loving Sylvan

would have been a lot easier. They could have drifted on in a haze

of pot and summer sunshine for ages. None of this gut-wrenching

agony.

Eden sighed. He couldn’t be that unfair. “I’ll pay another month.

It won’t take you that long to find someone to move in here. Maybe

your little friend there will want to move in. And I wasn’t using you

any more than you were using me.”

“I told you he means nothing to me. It’s you I want. What the hell

happened up there at Bailey’s? I knew you shouldn’t have gone. You

only went to get even with me for making a joke out of the kid. I get

it, okay? It was cruel. You don’t have to do this.” That was as close to

pleading as Sylvan could get. He wasn’t used to being turned down,

wasn’t used to not getting his way. He might be cruel, careless and

degenerate, but he had pride.

Bailey. Fuck. The hurt on his face, the anger in Drew’s eyes as he

ordered Eden to leave. The agony ripping through him was unbeliev-

able. He hadn’t felt like this in forever. “I do. I do have to do this.”

He forced the words from the raw ache that was his throat, shoving

clothes, blankets, anything that he could find into the duffel bag.

Get out. The icy ring of that voice, he knew there was no point

in arguing, just like there had been no point in arguing the last time,

with her. He grabbed his most valued possessions, the battered copy

of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and a gold Rolex his father

had given him, dumping them carelessly on the top of the jumble in

the bag.

They’d given him ten minutes. He’d been sixteen, standing beside

his father’s bedside, watching as the man died, sobbing as he accept-

ed the two items, knowing he’d never see his father again. He’d have

traded either or both at that point for ten more minutes, for the time

to say “I love you.”

He’d been younger than that when he’d last seen the expression

on his dad’s face that he’d seen on Drew’s face today. Every glance

between father and son had been filled with love, support. Everything

he’d never had, had never realized he even wanted anymore, had been

in those bright blue eyes. Rebellious and difficult as a teen, he hadn’t

understood his parents’ divorce, hadn’t understood his father’s re-

Loving Eden

marriage, and he’d made life difficult for all of them. How long had

it been since he’d seen that look on anyone’s face? Well, anyone’s face

directed at him, that is.

The witch had kept to the strict limit of what he’d been granted.

After ten minutes of holding his father’s faded, fragile hand, she’d

ordered him out, and out he’d gone. He’d been barred from the fu-

neral, the house, any reminder of his father except the two items he’d

expressly given Eden.

“Eden?” Syl’s voice was concerned, tender almost.

That’s when Eden realized he was crying.

“You can’t go like this, tonight. Where will you go?”

“I don’t know. I can’t stay here.” He couldn’t; he had to go. To

move on.

“In the morning, okay? Just please, stay here tonight.”

Eden turned to Sylvan. He jerked away from his touch. Somehow,

Sylvan had managed to pull on his clothes without Eden noticing, and

now he stood nearby, worry clear on his face. “I promise.” He backed

away, toward his own bed. “I won’t touch you. No strings, nothing.

In the morning, we’ll find you a place, close to campus or something.”

Weakly, Eden nodded, lying down on his bed to stare at the ceil-

ing. He couldn’t think of anywhere to go tonight, so he might as well

stay.

Chapter Eight

Drew refilled his coffee cup with the thick dark brew. He kept one

eye on the clock and one on the back door. Bailey hadn’t come home

till dawn five nights out of the last ten. Since he and Eden had been

caught after sex in Bailey’s room, Bailey had been frequently MIA.

He showed up at work and went to his classes, picked up his brother

when required, but never seemed to be around the house.

Drew determined that this time he would corner Bailey when he

walked in and have the conversation about love and sex and respect

that had been boiling in the back of his brain since “the incident.”

The quiet click of the front door echoed through the silent house,

and Drew rose, strolling casually into the living area to see Bailey

tiptoeing toward the stairs. “Can I see you in the kitchen, Bailey?”

Though phrased as a question, they both knew it was a command.

Reluctantly Bailey walked toward him. “Can this wait, Dad? I’m

really tired.” He looked it, too. Dark circles under dull blue eyes, his

skin pale beneath the tan.

Loving Eden

“It won’t take long. We need to talk about what happened last

month and how it’s affecting you.”

Bailey’s eyes narrowed and his lips drew into a familiar frown.

“Do we really have to, Dad?”

“Yes, I think we do. You’re not dealing with this well. I realize you

were in love with Eden, and it hurts to see that go, but you’re hurting

yourself even more with the way you’ve been acting since then.”

Drew recoiled abruptly from the glare Bailey threw his way.

“I’m hurting myself? Just what the fuck do you think I’m doing,

Dad, to hurt myself?”

Drew stiffened, then consciously relaxed. Now wasn’t the time to

insist on respect. If Bailey opened up, they could make real progress

on healing here this morning. He poured a cup of coffee for Bailey and

passed it over. Bailey stared at it blankly, then added three spoons of

sugar before sipping it. He held Drew’s gaze, and Drew had to respect

that. “You’ve been staying out all night. Shane and I never see you.”

He looked pointedly at the fresh love bites on Bailey’s neck and raised

a brow. “Sex isn’t anything to be ashamed of, but it’s important to

remember that you should always have feelings for the person you

have sex with.”

Bailey flushed slightly and covered the marks with one hand be-

fore dropping the hand to his coffee cup. “What is it you’re trying to

say, Dad?”

“I’m trying to say that sleeping around isn’t going to make you

feel any better about Eden turning out to be a jerk.”

Jumping from his seat, Bailey slammed down his cup, sloshing

coffee on the counter. “Sleeping around? That’s what you think I’m

doing? And you think it’s about Eden? What about you, Dad? Will

sleeping around make me feel better about my dad turning out to be

a jerk?”

Drew flushed. Anger and a twinge of shame burned his cheeks,

and he sighed loudly. “I told you at the time, I don’t feel good about

what happened, Bailey. I don’t. Just remember that I didn’t know who

Eden was when we went in that room together. I thought you under-

stood that.”

“I did. I do. What I don’t understand is how you can sit there and

tell me that sex should only be between two people with affection for

one another when you engage in casual sex with complete strangers.”

The source of Bailey’s disappointment was clear now.

Lee Brazil

“I...” He gathered his thoughts and tried to decipher what Bailey

was saying. “You think I engage in casual sex?”

“Don’t you?” The challenge was there.

“No, I don’t.” How to explain this? “I used to. Before, I told you

about how things were with your mother and me. Now, I understand

how necessary affection is.”

“Then what about Eden?”

What about Eden, indeed. The vision of Eden St. Cyr haunted him,

filled his dreams. The clear pale blue eyes, lover-long brown hair, the

perfect length for wrapping his finger in and tugging, the sweet heat

of a warm wet mouth engulfing his cock. What about Eden? “I regret

what happened with Eden more than I can say, Bailey. I apologized.

What more do you want?”

“I want to know if you felt anything at all for him, or if my dad

is just a fucking hypocrite like half the other people on this planet. I

respected you, Dad. I’ve always tried to live up to your standards, to

be a man you could be proud of, and now...”

“I feel something for him.” The words came out easier than he

thought they would. And truer than he’d believed they could be. “I

felt something even then. I opened the door and he stood there...I

think in that moment I knew I could feel a lot for him. I kissed him

right then.” Playing true confession with his nineteen-year-old son

felt strangely right.

Bailey ceased scowling and watched him closely, assessing the

truth of his words, maybe. Drew didn’t care. He wouldn’t lie to his

sons any more than he would accept their lying to him.

“You found him sexually attractive, right then?” His voice was

dubious.

“No.” Drew shook his head. “I can resist physical attraction. I’m

forty years old, Bailey. I know the difference between wanting to fuck

someone and wanting to know someone. If Eden and I had had the

chance to spend time together and get to know each other, then there’s

a very real chance that we could have a relationship.”

“Then why aren’t you dating? If you liked him as a person and

not just as a quick lay?” Drew stifled the urge to laugh at his son’s

embarrassed blush and the way his eyes shied away.

“Because I couldn’t do that to you,” he explained patiently.

Confusion brought Bailey’s eyes back around, and he fiddled ab-

sently with the coffee cup. “Do what to me?”

Loving Eden

Drew grabbed a few paper towels from the roll on the counter and

mopped up the spilled coffee that Bailey seemed content to ignore.

“Date someone you had a thing for.”

“I don’t.”

Tossing the damp towels in the trash under the porcelain sink,

Drew shook his head. “Bailey, you can’t hide it from me. You’ve been

disturbed since it happened.”

“Yeah, but not because of Eden. I think I maybe didn’t even know

Eden, really. I just kind of made up an Eden in my head that I loved.

The real Eden isn’t any of the things that I thought he was. Well, ex-

cept some of them. He’s awfully nice, and he kind of looked out for

me, you know?”

“Then what are all these late nights and disappearing acts about?”

Blushing again, Bailey answered quietly. “It started out about

you. I had to think, if you were really you. Then...I met someone.”

Jesus. The rebound guy. “Okay. So, are we good, you and me?”

“I’m not sure about that. Are you going to see Eden?”

He wanted to see Eden. Could he? “That wouldn’t bother you?”

“It would bother me a lot less than for my dad to be a hypocrite

of epic proportions who chastises me for making out with my new

boyfriend while he has one-night stands with my friends.”

Ouch. He made a show of emptying the coffee basket and refilling

the pot, preparing fresh coffee for the day. “If it had occurred to me

that you would be okay with it, I’d have called Eden the night he left

our house.”

“Then call him. Because he’s a good guy, and he doesn’t look

happy.”

The surge of jealousy shocked Drew. “You’ve seen him?”

“Jeez, Dad. Chill. We still go to the same school, you know? I see

him on Thursday mornings in the lab. We don’t speak. I miss him.

Not like that!” Bailey rose from the chair and rinsed both coffee cups

in the sink, adding them to the load in the dishwasher before turning

the machine on. Over the quiet hum of the machine, he added, “Can I

invite my boyfriend over to meet you and Shane this weekend?”

Nodding absently, Drew tried to remember if he’d saved the

phone number that he’d copied from Bailey’s phone. With his son’s

permission, he still had to proceed with caution, but his pulse raced

and his skin tingled at the possibility of seeing Eden again.

“You really like this new guy?”

Lee Brazil

Chapter Nine

Walking up the steps to his third-floor studio apartment, Eden

cast a glance around. His beloved Volkswagen looked at home in the

parking lot. This tiny studio apartment in an iffy neighborhood lacked

the flair and desirability of an address on the beach, but it suited him

more and he could afford the rent on his own from his monthly allow-

ance. No more roommates. His neighbors were fellow students who

studied during the week and worked on the weekends. No wild par-

ties, no groups of intoxicated or high hangers-on. Leaving the beach-

front studio to Sylvan and taking a cheaper place off the beach had

been the right thing to do.

Somehow, since his little “episode” at Bailey’s cabin, doing the

right thing had become a lot more important to Eden. He’d even taken

steps to see if all his classes couldn’t somehow be combined together

for a degree of some sort. Spring semester had ended, but he’d impul-

sively signed up for a couple of summer session classes since he’d had

to sign a three-month lease on this place anyway. In just a few months

Loving Eden

he’d be moving to Oregon for the next semester. There, he’d talk to the

counselors about what he could do about actually getting a degree. It

was time to grow up, leave the trust fund behind, and work on getting

a real life, like the one Bailey had ahead of him. Like the one Drew

lived: responsible, productive, with people who cared whether he was

happy or hurt. Too bad those people couldn’t be Drew and Bailey.

He’d really liked the kid, and the frequency of his dreams about the

man, well, they hinted at a startling depth of attachment he wasn’t

sure he was ready for. He wanted to be, but there was no sense pining

over two people who never wanted to see him again.

Someday the hurt would fade and he’d look around again. Maybe.

He fumbled in the dim light to unlock the door, jerking in surprise

when a voice came from the shadows to his left. “Hello, Eden.”

His body recognized the voice, the man, before his brain had time

to place it. Ripples of pleasure swept his nerve endings and his cock

stirred in interest. “Drew?” Even though he knew it was, he couldn’t

believe it.

“Yeah. Look, I know I should have called, but can we talk?” Drew

stepped into the dim light and Eden’s heart lifted and sped up as

warmth trickled through him. Drew looked concerned and hesitant.

Hesitant wasn’t a concept he’d associated with the older man. He’d

seemed confident and secure the brief time Eden had been around

him.

He did have things he could say to Drew. Nothing that would

make any difference to what had happened between them all, but

things he hadn’t been able to put into words that Saturday evening.

“Sure. Come on in. I...” He decided to start where it all began.

“How’s Bailey?”

Stepping inside, he flicked a switch and the comforting glow of

bright light spread through the room. His cheeks heated as Drew took

in the tiny room, the unmade daybed and the breakfast bar with its

stools. They were the only places to sit, and he tried to be casual as he

stepped over to the bar and waved Drew to one stool, picking up his

dishes from breakfast and dropping them into the nearby sink before

pulling the other stool further away from the one where Drew now

perched.

He settled himself on the edge of his own stool, propping one

foot on the crossbars and perching his chin on his palm so his jaw

wouldn’t drop as he studied the sexy man.

Lee Brazil

Drew had smiled at the mention of his son, but waited for Eden to

settle on the stool before he answered. “Bailey is fine. He said he tried

to call you, but you wouldn’t return his calls.” One dark brow quirked

and Eden shivered a bit.

“That’s right. I didn’t. It seemed better for Bailey to make a clean

break. Better for all of us.” The choice had been painful. It surprised

him how much he’d missed having Bailey around.

“He still wants to be your friend, Eden. And yes, he told me to tell

you that. He knows I’m here. In fact, he told me where to find you.”

Mulling over that, Eden was bemused. Bailey wanted to be his

friend still? And how had Bailey known where to find him, anyway?

“Sylvan.” The realization burst out.

Drew nodded, leaning forward. “Yes. And yes, just your friend.

He’s currently dating a nice young man of his own age.”

“Okay. I’m leaving soon, but I’ll call him.” Did Drew pale at that,

or was it a trick of the light? Eden pushed himself upright, started to

jump from his stool, but Drew beat him to it, jumping down in front

of him and blocking his path. “Is there something else I can do for

you?” He swallowed the lump that rose in his throat and cursed the

scattering of his thoughts. Every time he encountered Drew his focus

went out the window.

“Just this.” Drew bent slightly and his warm, firm lips slid along

Eden’s. Eden parted his own lips in a sigh, reveling in the sensations

that rocked his body, pressing closer, as Drew’s hard muscled arms

drew him tighter against his body.

He moaned in protest as Drew pulled away again. Damn it. The

man had a goddamned bad habit of ending fucking kisses way too

soon.

“You said you’re leaving. Where are you going?”

Eden scowled and tried to focus his thoughts on the conversation

and not on the responses of his body.

“If you wanted to keep talking, you shouldn’t have kissed me!”

He gathered his wandering thoughts. What had the man standing pa-

tiently in front of him asked? Oh, yes. “I’m going to Oregon to study

at OSU for a semester in December.”

It was Drew’s turn to scowl. “You’re going to Oregon in the win-

ter? Are you nuts?” He pushed back and Eden nearly fell off the stool

before he righted himself. He hadn’t realized quite how much of his

weight had been resting on that muscled chest.

Loving Eden

“Umm, no? I like snow.” Fascinated, he watched Drew pace in

tiny circles around his little apartment.

As though coming to a conclusion, Drew turned back to him. “Do

you have to go? I’d really like it if you’d stay.”

“What for?” He imagined what it would be like. Staying here if it

involved more of those kisses might be a real possibility.

“For me. There’s something between us. I don’t know what it is,

but I don’t normally kiss people I’ve just met, and I guess I’ve out-

grown casual sex with strangers, because I haven’t been able to stop

thinking about you since you left the cabin that day. I can’t say I’m in

love with you today. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been in love before.

I’d like to find out. But I can’t go to Oregon with you.” For all that the

words were rushed, and Drew sounded almost as though he himself

couldn’t believe what he said, they wrapped around Eden like a soft,

warm blanket.

“Bailey?” He couldn’t do it if the kid was opposed. He’d already

hurt the boy enough.

“He sent me here, didn’t he?” Drew studied him intently, and

Eden suspected that his answer, his choice, was vital to the man.

“I can’t promise anything.” He wouldn’t. He didn’t know shit

about love himself. He had berated himself a thousand times for being

a fool, for missing this man based on eight measly hours of knowing

him. He knew it sounded very tempting, what Drew offered. In fact, it

sounded almost exactly like what he’d just been thinking about look-

ing for someone to whom he mattered.

“You do matter. To me, to Bailey, even to Shane by extension.”

Crap. How much of that had he said aloud?

“Come on. Stay at least one more semester and let’s see what this

is all about, please?”

It was the please that did it, tipped him over the edge and pro-

pelled him off the stool and back into Drew’s arms. “Okay. I can’t

make any promises, but I’ll stay another semester to see what we’ve

got here.”

Drew hugged him tightly and his voice was choked with emotion

when he replied, “Thank you. For once, I think it is real. I won’t lie,

I’ve been with other men, and women, but this is the first time since I

was nineteen that there might be something more than sex involved,

and I just really can’t let you go without finding out what.”

Chapter Ten

“You make me nervous.” Eden’s whispered confession lured

Drew closer. Drew took a step forward, pressing himself against

Eden. He reached between them and palmed the front of Eden’s jeans.

When Drew skimmed his lips over Eden’s cheek toward his

mouth, Eden tilted his head to allow better access. His eyes drifted

closed when Drew sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and traced

it with his tongue. Drew remembered Eden’s earlier statement and

demanded, “Are we through talking?”

Eden responded by reaching out and pulling Drew’s head back

to him, holding the taller man in place, refusing to relinquish his lips.

Drew muffled a laugh that melted into a moan as Eden’s tongue swept

inside his mouth, tasting, teasing. With a groan of acceptance, Drew

opened to Eden’s thrusting tongue. The press of their bodies and the

weeks of abstinence pushed desire into need.

Suddenly Drew couldn’t get close enough. “Skin,” he ground out,

pulling at Eden’s T-shirt. For the first time ever, desire overwhelmed

Lee Brazil

him. Burying himself in the warmth of Eden’s body, branding him,

loving him, were the only things that would assuage his need. Using

both hands he removed the shirt, pulling it over a protesting Eden’s

head.

As the protest registered, he stifled disappointment and offered

the shirt back, but Eden knocked the shirt to the floor and pulled him

down into the kiss again.

“You’ve got a goddamned bad habit of ending kisses too soon.”

Eden cursed into Drew’s mouth before sealing their lips again. Eden

wasn’t alone in his enthusiasm. Drew’s hands trembled as he fumbled

with the buttons of the jeans Eden wore, finally just shoving the loose

denim down over his hips and thighs where gravity did its work. He

could only murmur indistinct sounds of approval, hoping his touch

conveyed his pleasure and awe, as Eden still refused to give up his

kiss.

“Oh God,” Drew groaned, pulling his mouth away, and looked

down into Eden’s pale blue eyes, flicking his gaze from wet, swollen

lips to the thick length of cock the fallen jeans had revealed. “Need to

taste you,” he said, sinking to his knees, remembering Eden’s mouth

wrapped around his own cock, wanting to sample the treat fate had

robbed him of on that occasion.

Eden’s body shook as he watched Drew. “I want you to fuck me,”

he argued, even as he guided Drew’s mouth to the head of his cock.

Drew nodded but continued to lick and kiss the dripping head of

Eden’s cock. He wanted that too, but first... He reveled in Eden’s tight

grip on his head; his fingers clenched in his hair while he struggled

for control.

“Condom. Please tell me you have one?” Eden’s voice was hope-

ful, eager.

“In my pocket,” Drew answered, before taking as much of the

cock into his mouth as he could, sucking and tonguing it while Eden

jerked against him, moaning loudly. Eden’s breath hitched when

Drew sucked him in to the root and ran his fingers down the crack

of his ass. His fingertip pressed against the hole, and Eden arched

wildly, cursing again.

Drew slowly rose, bending in to kiss those tantalizing lips again,

sucking and biting until Eden’s hands joined his own working but-

tons and zippers to get Drew unclothed as quickly as possible. When

the last button on his shirt came undone he shrugged it off and Eden

Loving Eden

moved on to the zipper of his trousers while Drew fished the condom

from his pocket.

Naked, they made their way across the tiny room to the little day-

bed, a mess of sheets and pillows that smelled of Eden and the ocean.

It would be a tight fit, getting his six-foot-plus frame into that bed

with Eden.

“You’re sure?” He had to make the offer, give Eden the chance to

back out. “We don’t have to do this.”

Eden stared at him, pale eyes gleaming in the semidarkness. “You

may not have to do this, but I sure as hell do. It’s all I’ve thought

about, all I’ve dreamed about, since Big Bear.”

The compulsive honesty shone through. Eden wasn’t just saying

it to flatter and get what he wanted. He really meant it. There was

something incredible about that level of vulnerability and openness,

something that touched Drew as intimately as a caressing hand. Who

knew how sexy vulnerability could be?

“Mmm,” Drew moaned, kissing Eden’s shoulder and neck. His

hand continued to stroke the taut skin of Eden’s cock for several mo-

ments before stilling. “Tell me what you like?”

“I like your touch, however you want to touch me.” Eden met his

eyes squarely, spreading his legs and arching his back as Drew settled

between them. They shifted together as though by instinct, naturally,

as if they’d done this a hundred times already instead of only dream-

ing it.

“Lube’s on the windowsill. Hurry. Please? I’ve waited over a

month to feel you inside of me.”

Drew slid a hand behind the window blinds and came back with

a partially used bottle of lube. A hasty fumble and he was rolling the

condom down his aching cock. He ran a slick finger down between

Eden’s cheeks to the tight pucker there, preparing Eden for their love-

making.

Eden raised his head from the sheets, pulling Drew down again

for another kiss. As their lips met, Drew made a note of how much

Eden seemed to enjoy the simple pleasure.

As Drew pressed forward, the taut muscle stretched and gave.

Eden gave a low welcoming moan. He stilled, waiting for the burn to

fade. Eden’s closed eyes flickered open, and he nodded.

“Oh God,” he moaned, hitching his legs higher around Drew’s

broad back.

Lee Brazil

Drew groaned. Beautiful. Fucking beautiful. The sights, sensa-

tions, of making love with Eden were overwhelming. He thrust deep-

er, his body rubbing against Eden’s cock with every movement.

“Yes,” Eden hissed. Closing his eyes, he raked his nails across

Drew’s shoulders and down his strong back.

“Look at me,” Drew commanded, snapping his hips forward, un-

able to slow, unable to stop.

Drew stared down into Eden’s eyes, clear blue pools of emotion

and desire. A profound connection, more powerful than he could have

believed possible, passed between them. It was both thrilling and ter-

rifying. He’d given love a chance once before and been fooled. Could

he do any better this time around?

Drew’s rhythm increased as they both neared the pinnacle of re-

lease. Heavy breathing and the slap of skin on skin created unforget-

table music in the tiny room.

“So close,” Eden whispered, clutching tightly at Drew’s body,

stroking wherever he could reach.

“Yes, come for me,” Drew murmured between panted breaths.

He gasped when the flood of wet heat spilled on their bellies and the

clenching of muscles around his invading cock signaled Eden’s re-

lease. He braced himself on his arms and studied Eden’s expressions,

memorizing the look of pleasure on his lover’s face. “God, you’re

incredible.” Remembering, he leaned down for a kiss, swiping his

tongue against Eden’s before sucking it into his own mouth to play.

Eden threaded shaking fingers through Drew’s short hair and

broke the kiss. He pressed tiny kisses to Drew’s jaw and throat, moan-

ing lightly again as Drew increased the intensity of his thrusts. “You

feel so good,” he whispered.

Drew groaned in reply, his hands squeezing Eden’s ass, rhythm

faltering as he buried himself deep. Eden’s arms wrapped around

him, holding him tightly as his body jerked in climax.

When his breathing had evened out, Drew regretfully made to

leave the tiny bed, but Eden pulled him close, murmuring sleepily.

Could he stay? The boys were old enough. “I just have to call home,”

he soothed. “I’ll be right back.”

Epilogue

One Year Later

Eden stiffened and pushed away from Drew. “Honey?” he asked,

gaze tracking the two new arrivals as they crossed the yard to the ar-

ray of food set up on the picnic table. Drew tugged him back into his

arms, bending and speaking close to his ear.

“What is it, baby?” Eden shivered a bit. Drew’s rough deep voice

and the hot rush of breath across his ear never failed to arouse him, no

matter how many hours they’d whiled away in bed.

“You said Bailey was dating a nice young man?” He nodded

across the tree-shaded expanse of yard to where the new arrivals,

food in hand, sat close together under an oak tree. The couple was

clearly absorbed in each other, seemingly unaware of what happened

around them. One of them was very familiar, young, vibrant, a little

eager, and obviously happy. Much as it pleased Eden to see Bailey

smiling and laughing, Bailey’s companion caused him some concern.

The older man was handsome enough, but his hair was streaked with

gray and his handsome face spoke of experience.

Lee Brazil

Drew stilled and slowly pulled away. Eden nearly protested, but

this was the result he’d wanted. Drew’s gaze locked on the two men

under the tree.

“Who the fuck is that?” Drew’s clipped words indicated trouble.

He grabbed Eden’s hand and started across the yard. Eden dug in his

heels and tugged back. Drew turned to him and raised a brow.

“What are you doing?” Eden asked, though he could clearly see

Drew’s father instinct kicking in. The man with Bailey was clearly not

someone Drew knew. “Let’s calm down and think this through, shall

we? You cannot charge over there and make a scene in front of all our

friends, embarrassing your son in front of someone who clear—”

He stopped, staring as the older man set both plates aside and

took Bailey’s head in his hands, leaning down and bestowing a lei-

surely, intense kiss on Bailey’s smiling lips. That did it. He let go of

Drew’s hand and shoved him toward the couple. “All right. Go find

out what the fuck is going on with our son.”

Drew turned automatically to go, but swiftly turned back and

grabbed Eden’s hand, pulling him to him for a deep, stirring kiss.

“Thank you. He really is ours, isn’t he? You come with me.”

Eden tried to protest, but as usual Drew overrode his concerns. “I

don’t know what you want me to do!”

“Talk to him. Tell him this isn’t a good idea. Ask him questions.

Take him away from here so I can knock that child-seducing asshole

flat. Or just give me moral support while I find out what the boy is up

to now.”

“Moral support I can do, but I hardly think I’m the person to be

telling him the guy he’s dating is too old for him.” His meaningful

glance wasn’t lost on Drew, who scowled.

“That’s different. We’re different. I love you.”

Eden froze in disbelief. He couldn’t have heard that right. “You

love me? And you pick now to tell me this for the first time? At your

son’s twenty-first birthday party? Surrounded by family and friends?

On our way to kick some geezer ass?”

Drew scowled at him. “Are you done?”

Nodding, Eden drawled, “Yeah, honey, I’m done.”

“That wasn’t the response I wanted from you when I told you I

loved you. Surely you can do better than that?” He saw the tiny flicker

of uncertainty in Drew’s blue eyes, and regretted his teasing.

“I know. I love you, too. I’m sorry.” He pulled Drew down into

a lingering kiss. “Now, look at them, Drew. I think there’s something

Loving Eden

there, too.” He pulled Drew along with him across the yard. “Look at

them. Don’t jump to overprotective conclusions. Remember how well

that turned out last time?”

“What do you mean? Last time it turned out fabulously!”

Eden snorted. “Fabulously, huh? You humiliated Bailey in front

of half the college, misjudged everyone you met, and made us all mis-

erable for months.”

“Well, yeah, but it got me you, didn’t it?”

Couldn’t argue with that kind of logic, could he? Eden wrapped a

hand in a supportive, but tight, grip around Drew’s arm and headed

over to where Bailey and his new boyfriend sat, prepared to intervene

in whatever way necessary to prevent disaster.

Bailey and his friend were so absorbed in making out they didn’t

even notice Eden and Drew standing there until Drew cleared his

throat harshly. The two broke apart slowly, and Bailey flushed as he

met Eden’s gaze and then his dad’s.

He rose slowly and reached down to offer a hand to his quizzical

companion. The other man close up wasn’t as old as he looked from a

distance, but he was still a good twenty years or so older than Bailey.

He offered Drew and Eden a polite smile and captured Bailey’s hand

in his.

Bailey took a deep breath, chest visibly heaving. “Dad, this is my

new boyfriend, Ashton Duval. Ashton, this is my dad, Drew Harris,

and his boyfriend, my friend Eden St. Cyr.”

The name was vaguely familiar to Eden for some reason, but he

couldn’t place it. And Duval was moving smoothly forward, murmur-

ing polite meaningless phrases, while Eden ignored him and stud-

ied Bailey. The young man seemed inordinately anxious, and clung

tightly to the supportive grip of Duval’s hand. Drew’s icy voice cut

through his contemplation, and he brought himself back to the con-

versation with a start.

“Baby, Dr. Duval is a professor at the university, did you know

that?”

Dr. Duval? He combed through his memory. He and Bailey at-

tended the same university, though his own interests varied greatly

from Bailey’s and they seldom crossed paths in classes anymore. He

caught a vague wisp of thought and inquired, “Theoretical Physics?”

Dr. Duval nodded. “Yes, I’ve been at the university for many

years. This is my last year teaching there, though.”

Lee Brazil

“You’re goddamn right it is!” Drew bellowed. “Taking advantage

of students under your care like this is unconscionable!”

“Dad!”

“Drew!”

“Mr. Harris...”

Bailey’s anguished moan conflicted with Eden’s protest and Dr.

Duval’s reasonable tone. The professor’s voice carried over the oth-

ers, cut through them with precision. “I did not take advantage of a

student.” He turned a censorious gaze on Bailey. “You need to talk to

your father. I thought we cleared this up.”

“Bailey?” Eden asked. Bailey simply stared at him, wide-eyed.

Sensing a long story, Eden continued. “I think, Dr. Duval, that it might

be best if you left now, and Bailey and his dad can sort this out. It

seems there are some things that need to be said.”

Bailey tried to protest, and Drew seemed to still want to punch

the good doctor’s lights out, but the man nodded. “I agree, Mr. St.

Cyr. I think that Bailey and his father have much to discuss.” Ignoring

Drew’s growing rage and Bailey’s sullenness, Duval bent and pressed

a kiss to Bailey’s lips that left Bailey smiling and Drew snarling. “Call

me when you’ve told him everything,” he admonished Bailey, push-

ing the young man’s long brown hair back behind his ear in a tender

gesture before striding away.

Eden intercepted Bailey’s glare and Drew’s admonishing gaze.

“Okay, problem solved for now. Discussion when the guests go home.

You,” he pointed at Bailey, “don’t leave here. You,” he turned his at-

tention to Drew, “are going to tell me more about this sudden realiza-

tion that you love me.”

Bailey’s gasp followed them as they trailed away to a more se-

cluded corner of the yard.

Biography

I’m an avid reader and former teacher of grammar and composi-

tion who believes that falling in love is the grandest adventure anyone

can have. In a nutshell, that’s every story I have to tell.

Relocating from the crazy pace of life in Southern California’s

Orange County to the beautiful and leisurely atmosphere of the Illi-

nois countryside has given me the time to indulge the desire to write,

which I’d set aside when I started teaching fourteen years ago. Read-

ers can find out more about me and my writing by visiting my blog,

Lee’s Musings or finding me on Facebook. Feel free to drop me a line

at lee.brazil@ymail.com.