His smile this time was grim, like that of a soldier going into battle the next day and promising not to run.
“As flattering as that is,” Simon said dryly, “I’m ever so relieved that you’d rather be having sex.”
And Alex snorted.
Not just laughed but gave a laugh that obviously surprised him, forced air through that spot between the tongue and sinuses, and made an extremely unflattering sound come out his nose.
He covered his mouth with both hands, eyes wide in horror.
“That didn’t happen,” he said, the words muffled.
“Not at all,” Simon agreed, squeezing his eyes shut briefly to keep in another hyuck.
Alex’s sheepish gaze met his, and Simon suddenly had to kiss him again. He took both Alex’s hands in his and pulled them gently down, then kissed him tenderly, not looking for passion this time but for humor, for kindness, for shared laughter.
He found it and more, their suddenly sparked interest flooding into his soul, stirring his sex drive, and waking up his cock like no kiss ever had before—even their previous one, which he’d thought had been pretty damned good.
This time Glinda had to bark quite a few times to get them to separate, and Alex’s panting body, held tight against Simon’s chest while they recovered, was an amazing, tender gift.
“Must. Go,” Alex breathed. He pulled away and glared at Simon, adding a thump on the shoulder for good measure. “Apparently I have a bike ride tomorrow!”
“Or a wine tasting,” Simon said, letting Alex snag his hand and haul him along the walk. “Or we could see a movie or go fly a kite or drive up to Coloma or—”
“Yeah yeah yeah,” Alex grumbled. “Sure. You take a kiss that rocks my world and tell me I’m going to have to have romance or something before I get more of that. Excuse me while I go watch the dog crap.”
Simon couldn’t stop chuckling during the entire walk.
BY the time they got back, Jordan and Josh were standing on the sidewalk, ready to chivvy Alex in.
“Sorry, Simon!” Jordan said, handing Simon a small paper bag that smelled delicious. “Barty already got a start on the baking, but we need Alex’s help.”
Simon heard the addition “with the witchcraft”—that Jordan didn’t say. Well, that was fine. What did he know about witchcraft, right? He was a bloody accountant!
“Thank you,” Simon said politely before looking pointedly at Alex. “I’ll, uhm, be here tomorrow around nine or ten, then?”
Alex nodded and to Simon’s surprise, stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Whatever you want to do is fine,” he murmured. “Thanks for coming over tonight. It was kind.”
Simon tried very hard to keep his composure, but as Alex and Jordan trotted off, Glinda between them, he found he was rubbing his cheek and smiling.
HE was still smiling when he pulled up along the half-mile driveway to his house in Jackson. As Lachlan had noted, the house itself was more along the lines of “mansion”—Audra really did live in a wing of it, with her own suite and even her own library and view. Chris and Audra’s parents had been very wealthy, and he knew Chris was used to a certain level of elegance.
Audra had told him—point-blank—that she was just as glad for the company and the movie nights as she was for the en suite bathroom. Apparently, while Chris had been using his money to buy girlfriends—and one really venal wife—Audra had been learning that money couldn’t buy friends.
Simon had been thrilled. It was like getting a live-in little sister, and Audra, who had decided to use her inheritance and a degree in environmental studies to head up a foundation to help keep the Gold Country green, was happy to have a home and office big enough for a base of operations, along with a roommate in the next wing who wouldn’t leave her hanging when she needed a movie night or pizza-and-wine night or generally, a friend to lean on.
It was funny. The witchcraft was still something Simon was going to need to wrap his head around. But not once had he questioned Alex’s little cul-de-sac of friends who had all moved into the same neighborhood because the price was right. He totally got wanting to keep your friends and loved ones close. He’d been sent away to prep school at twelve, and his parents had been mostly birthdays and holidays in his life since. He’d realized in college that a functioning human being needed more people than that—and needed them consistently. He hadn’t been able to find a permanent lover, but damn him if he wasn’t going to make the most of his friends.
He pulled up to the garage and drove his little black Prius in, seeing that Audra’s little red Prius and Gabby’s silver CR-V were already there. He wondered if Chris had come with Gabby. They’d chosen houses closer to Folsom, but something about this stretch of property had called to Simon. He hadn’t really done anything good with it. Not yet. He paid someone to clear it of brush and keep it mowed three times a year, but he’d spent the last five years mulling over things he could do with eighty-nine acres of land that wouldn’t exploit or deface the land but would be making it useful.
Maybe Alex would have some ideas, he thought—or Lachlan. As he’d driven in, he’d gotten a look at Lachlan’s plain little colonial house and wondered if, given Lachlan’s stunning work on the kitchen table, it was as plain on the inside as it was out.
He would have to wangle an invitation, he thought hopefully. He’d enjoyed Alex’s friends, but he’d felt inadequate, really, to be in their circle. He wondered what he could contribute, because once again, he was only a bloody accountant!
With a sigh he entered the kitchen from the garage, happy to hear the chorus of voices as he went in. Oh, good. Gabby and Chris were both there, dressed in their jeans and sprawled out in his living room, beers and a giant pizza between them. Audra was curled up on the recliner, her adorable little-girl looks made even cuter by her perky blond ponytail and honest-to-god bobby socks. Audra hadn’t even bothered with jeans; she was wearing pajama pants and one of Simon’s sweatshirts, and she looked a good halfway into the plate of pizza on her lap.
“Simon!” they all called as he walked in. He hung his coat on its peg and took his bag of goodies into the living room, grabbing a bottle of water from the counter as he did.
“Freeloaders!” he joked. “What are we watching?”
“Pointless action adventure,” Gabby said with a deeply satisfied sigh. “Jason Statham… mm….”
“Agreed,” Simon and Audra said together, and Chris rolled his eyes.
“I get Captain Marvel next,” he said earnestly. “I need a pretty girl. Back me up here, Simon!”
“He already backed up Jason Statham,” Gabby complained.
“Yes, but he plays for all the teams, so he can give me two votes.”
Simon chuckled. “I’m easy either way,” he said, and Chris held his hand up for the five.
“Excellent. Way to be a friend.” And with that, Chris heard the crinkling of paper in Simon’s hand and sniffed the air. “Wait. What do you have there?”
Simon peered inside and then held the bag up to his face and breathed deeply. “Snickerdoodles,” he said happily before refolding the top of the bag and setting it on the end table. “But I need a piece of pizza first.”