“Your eyebrows are looking very stern.”
Frank blinked at Joshua. “What?”
With a soft laugh, Joshua gently tapped a finger between Frank’s eyebrows. “Your eyebrows. When you’re lost in thought, they get very stern-looking. Most people think you’re glowering, but you’re actually just thinking.”
“How do you know?” Frank couldn’t help his smile.
Joshua lowered his gaze, a swatch of pink crossing his nose and cheeks. He shrugged. “I’ve noticed things.”
“Oh yeah?” Frank brought Joshua with him as he rolled onto his back. “What things?”
“I’m going to refrain from answering on the grounds that you’re going to think I’m a stalker.”
Frank hummed. “I see. I guess if that’s the case, I should mention how that day at the beach wasn’t the first time I noticed you had freckles.”
“Oh?”
“Nope. I noticed the day we met, when you let me put my arm around you. They’re so faint. You can only see them close up.” He brushed a finger over the bridge of Joshua’s nose and the light sprinkle of freckles that spread across his nose and cheeks. “I noticed how you do this little happy dance when you think no one is watching, whether you’re standing or sitting.”
Joshua eyed him. “Were you watching me earlier tonight?”
“I might have momentarily glanced at the camera feed while I was on the phone.” Frank couldn’t believe what he was about to admit. Was his face as red as it felt? “Seeing you calmed me.”
Joshua’s expression softened. “Really?”
“Really.”
With a hum, Joshua laid his head on Frank’s chest, a yawn escaping him. Shit. Frank had forgotten how late it was. Joshua was probably asleep most nights at this time.
“I like that,” Joshua replied through another yawn. His head popped up. “Oh my God, here I am in bed with you and I’m yawning! I’m so sorry!”
“It’s okay,” Frank promised him. “It’s late, and we’ve been busy. Let’s get some sleep.”
Neither of them brought up the fact they were sleeping together in Frank’s bed. Not that Frank would have wanted it any other way. Joshua’s weight on him, his head lying against Frank’s chest as they drifted off to sleep in the middle of his huge king-sized bed, the moonlight from the garden coming in to wash over them… They could have this every night. Maybe… maybe it was time to rethink his life and how Joshua could be a part of it.
Six
This was happening.
It took Joshua a couple of heartbeats to believe what he was seeing. He couldn’t help his huge smile as he lay facing the sexy man in front of him. Frank was still asleep, his full lips slightly parted, beard grown in, dark hair beautifully disheveled and falling over his brow. How was it possible for one man to look so damned incredible in the morning?
Careful not to wake Frank, Joshua rolled off the bed, slipped into his boxer-briefs—the only item of his clothing that made it to the bedroom—and found the en suite bathroom. Once he’d peed, he washed his hands and face, pausing to look at himself in the mirror. Oh my God, he was in Frank’s house. After having sex with him. Twice. Holy shit! A happy little squeak escaped him, and he clamped his hands over his mouth before shutting his eyes tight and doing a little dance.
“You’re adorable.”
The yelp Joshua let out was less than flattering. He threw a hand to his heaving chest as Frank barely stifled a laugh. “You scared the shit out of me!”
Frank stood leaning against the bathroom doorway. “Sorry.”
“Liar. You’re not sorry at all.”
“You’re right. I’m not.” He came up behind Joshua and pulled him back against him. “It was worth seeing you all cute and excited.”
Joshua arched an eyebrow at him through the mirror. “Let’s not make it a habit. How is it you can sneak up on someone without making a sound?”
“I don’t sneak up on people,” Frank said with a chuckle. He released Joshua and went to pee. “There’s a brand-new toothbrush in the bottom left-hand drawer.”
“Thanks. And you so do sneak up on people,” Joshua said as he opened the drawer and found the packaged toothbrush. “You scare the shit out of your staff all the time.”
Frank finished up, then washed his hands at the second sink, his smile wicked. “Not my fault they’re not paying attention.”
“How do you do it?”
Frank shrugged. “Probably from my days working the job.”
“The job?”
“The only job.” Frank’s smile turned wistful. “At least it used to be. Not that I don’t love what I do now. It’s a lot more pay for a lot less risk, but that wasn’t why I became a firefighter. I loved going out there and helping people.”
“You still help people,” Joshua reminded him before brushing his teeth. Frank did the same at his sink. It was all very… normal and domestic. After drying his hands, Frank wrapped his arms around Joshua from behind again. That’s when Joshua noticed the scar on his left shoulder. “Is that why you had to retire from firefighting?” he asked gently, nodding toward the scar.
Frank sighed. “Yeah. It was an accident.” He removed a black tube from the little basket to the right of the sink, which Joshua assumed was shaving cream since he also removed his electric shaver from its charger. “We were called out to a townhome that was engulfed. The owner passed out in his bedroom on the second floor after getting drunk, completely forgetting he’d left his fried eggs cooking on the stove downstairs. I was carrying him down the ladder when he came to and lost it. As much as I tried to calm him, he was in hysterics, flailing and fighting me. He punched the side of my helmet. One minute we were struggling, and the next I’m hanging on to the ladder with one arm, holding on to him with the other. The pain was excruciating. It was bad. I dislocated my shoulder and tore my rotator cuff. Two surgeries later and that was it. No more job.”
“I’m so sorry, Frank.” Joshua turned and leaned against the counter, watching Frank lather up. Whatever it was smelled amazing. God, no wonder he always smelled so damned good.
“Don’t be. It led me to where I am today.” He kissed Joshua’s cheek, making him laugh when he left behind a glop of shaving cream. “I still get to hang out with my best friend, Val, who’s now the fire chief. We have barbecues, talk about old times, he tells me about all the stupid shit the rookies do. It’s like I never left.”
Joshua’s heart swelled at Frank’s smile. It transformed his whole face. “What is that? It smells incredible.”
“It has coconut, chamomile, and sage for your skin, but what you smell is the bergamot and lavender.” Frank shrugged. “I like to take care of myself.” He turned the electric shaver on and faced the mirror, pausing to look at himself and seeming to get lost in some memory. “When you spend years with nothing, you learn to appreciate life’s little luxuries when you can get them.”
The tears pooled in Joshua’s eyes, and he quickly blinked them away before Frank could see them. He focused on the bathroom instead. “I can’t imagine what you went through.” Joshua hadn’t seen the rest of the house. He’d been too distracted last night by Frank’s mouth and hands on him, but if it was anything like the bathroom, he’d bet it was impressive. The huge bathroom was all cream marble with dark wood cabinets and industrial style lighting. The shower had it’s own tiled room, the bathtub with jets big enough for two. It was spotless, sleek, sophisticated, and expensive.