Trouble and the Wallflower Page 8

  As Gavin pulled off an exit and stopped at a red light, he took Davy’s hand and squeezed. “No, you were right. I’m a bit nervous. I really don’t want to fuck this up.” Davy was pleased to see Gavin was just as freaked out as he was. Gavin’s nerves were refreshing. Davy squeezed his hand back and looked out the window as the truck drove down the road adjacent to Puget Sound. The view and the silence in the truck were comfortable. A baseball game played on low volume on the radio, and the sun hugged the islands in the horizon, threatening to make its final descent behind the trees, plunging the city into night. But it was early yet. Dark was a while away. The night was young and Davy wondered what Gavin had planned.

  His questions were answered as Gavin turned into a large house that sat across the street from the beach side of the road. There were a few classic cars in the driveway. Gavin patted Davy’s knee. “Home sweet home.”

  Davy studied the Victorian home appreciatively. It was two floors and obviously older than the newer homes around it, but well cared for. “This is where you live?”

  “Yep. This is my grandfather’s house. He’s been here for years. My mom was raised here.” Gavin said the last part a bit begrudgingly.

  “But you grew up in Maine?”

  Gavin nodded, staring at the house. “My mom always said she couldn’t get away from Seattle fast enough. Funny, I felt the same way about Rockland.” Davy wanted to ask more about Gavin’s mom. It seemed to be a real sore subject, though, so he decided against it. “All right. Let’s go in. Fair warning: the guys are… rowdy.”

  Davy was going to ask what Gavin meant by that, but Gavin was already out of the truck and halfway to the front door. Davy jumped out and followed, coming up behind him right as Gavin opened the front door. Immediately, Davy scrunched his nose at the strong smell of cigar smoke. There was a thick layer floating around the ceiling light fixtures, making toxic halos. Gavin laughed and Davy realized it was at his disgusted expression.

  “Yeah, they like their cigars on boys’ night.” Gavin took Davy by the hand. Davy wanted to protest but allowed Gavin to drag him along through a swinging door into a dining room with a large table surrounded by three elderly men, all laughing raucously. The room was stale with smoke, but the lights were bright and so were the smiles. There was an elderly lady sitting on one of the men’s laps, and the table was covered in playing cards, poker chips, and tumblers of amber liquor that Davy assumed was whiskey. The room sure smelled like whiskey.

  All head turned toward them as they strolled in. Davy’s eyes widened and his cheeks flush at the sudden attention. The old woman jumped off the man’s lap and bustled over to hug Gavin, who was smiling fondly as he bent to return her embrace one-armed since he refused to let go of Davy’s hand. “Hey, Janie. Is Ray being fresh over there?”

  “Always!” The old man whose lap Janie had been sitting in proclaimed, loud and proud. Obviously that was the Ray Davy had heard so much about. He was definitely Gavin’s grandfather. Davy could see the same gleam in their eyes and the same smirk to their mouths. He didn’t look as sick as Davy had been led to believe.

  “I thought he was dying or something.”

  Davy thought he whispered, but Ray responded, “He’s dying, not deaf. And we call this going out with style.” Davy wanted the floor to open up and suck him in as all the others in the room laughed, even Gavin. Traitor. Gavin gave his hand a sympathetic squeeze. The Janie woman fussed over them both for a moment, short of squeezing Davy’s cheeks. He was grateful she didn’t go quite that far.

  When Janie stepped away, Davy noticed that Ray was puffing on his cigar, sizing him up. “You done good with this one. He’s pretty.” The room erupted in laughter again. This time, even Davy blushed. “Get him a drink, Gavin. He looks like he’s gonna faint.”

  That’s how the rest of the night went. The men picked on Davy and Gavin, they drank whiskey, and when Janie found out Davy’s mother wasn’t alive anymore she bustled around cooking because he was “too thin.” It was well and late by the time the house cleared out. Davy couldn’t remember having so much fun in a long time. He was sure the expensive whiskey had done the trick, but the company had been pretty amazing. They’d taken him as one of their own. And Gavin—Gavin was like a different man. He was warm, obviously having a lot of respect and love for Ray and his friends. They all treated Gavin as though he was their own grandchild. Davy had made a joke about it being no wonder Gavin was so spoiled and gotten a wink, but no denial.

  After midnight it was just Gavin and Ray playing a final round and Janie cleaning. She’d proven through the night there was nothing frail about her, despite her hunched shoulders and white hair. She was as much a character as Ray. Finally Gavin threw in his last card and turned a loose, happy grin on Davy. Davy’s breath left his body briefly. Davy’s heart stuttered and knew in that moment he was totally gone.

  “So you’re not a huge asshole all the time.” Davy didn’t know what made him say that. Something else he’d blame on the whiskey.

  Gavin bumped Davy’s shoulder with his own. “I’m glad you think so.”

  Davy rolled his eyes. “Way to play the gramps card, dude.”

  Ray laughed. “He learned from the best.”

  Davy shook his head. “I have no doubt.” Ray gave him a wink. Oh yeah. Gavin got all that old-school charm from Ray.

  Gavin leaned over and kissed Davy’s jaw. “Wanna come see my room?”

  Davy’s eyes threatened to pop out of his head. He couldn’t believe Gavin had asked that in front of his grandfather, but Ray just rolled his eyes.

  “You two go on.” He waved them off. Davy died a little inside, but he didn’t stop Gavin when he pulled him up and toward the door to the basement, waving a goodnight to Janie who rolled her eyes much like Ray had. Yes. Davy was officially mortified. And he wasn’t sure what the hell he was getting himself into.

  Chapter Eleven

  Davy shuffled from foot to foot as he took in Gavin’s room while Gavin got beers from his refrigerator. Gavin’s bedroom was actually a few rooms. The basement had been converted into a mother-in-law suite with its own bathroom, kitchenette, and small sitting room. There was a door that led outside so Gavin didn’t have to use the front door at all unless he wanted.

  Gavin’s whole suit was bigger than Davy’s studio. The suit was homier than Davy’s apartment too. The walls were painted a hunter green, all the comfy-looking furniture was brown suede and plush. There were photos of Gavin and his friends framed and sitting on end tables. There were professional nature photographs on the walls, and on one wall a large flat-screen television that had a huge DVD collection on shelves underneath. If Davy had seen all of this a week earlier, he’d have thought it was nothing like Gavin, but Davy knew better now. Gavin was down-to-earth and comfortable. That was what his home said.

  But comfortable was not the word Davy would use to describe the moment. Even with the whiskey still warming him, he wasn’t sure how to act. He waited for Gavin to come back with the beers to figure out what to do. Gavin walked over to the couch and waved Davy over. Davy took a beer and slowly sat beside him. They drank in silence for a moment. Davy wanted so badly to have something to say but he figured forcing conversation would be more awkward than the silence. And who knew? Maybe it wasn’t awkward silence. Gavin had his head leaned back, eyes closed with a serene smile on his face. And there went Davy’s heart stuttering again.

  When Gavin opened his eyes and caught Davy staring at him, the sudden heat in the brown depths made Davy swallow hard. Gavin’s lips curled up into a playful grin and Davy’s treacherous cock lengthened in his pants. Gavin’s gaze landed on the obvious bulge in Davy’s shorts. The hunger on Gavin’s face both made Davy nervous and made him impossibly hard. He couldn’t tell whether his heart had stopped or whether it was just beating too fast to be heard.

  Gavin reached for Davy’s beer bottle and placed it, along with his own on the coffee table. Without preamble he leaned in to suckle on Davy’s
jaw right behind the ear, hand caressing Davy’s rigid cock. Davy made an inelegant squeak and struggled to catch his breath with the onslaught of feelings. Of course he was turned-on. Who wouldn’t be? Gavin was ridiculously hot and smelled like whiskey and his expensive cologne. His lips were doing a number on the sensitive skin behind Davy’s ear, his hand firmly coaxing Davy’s cock into a tingling orgasm, even through Davy’s shorts. That telltale itching sensation had begun to tingle Davy’s balls.

  Davy stilled Gavin’s hand before he embarrassed himself. He struggled around heavy breaths to say, “Uh, Gavin, what are you doing?”

  Gavin leaned back levelled his gaze on him drily. And that damn grin. “I’d say I’m trying to get you off.”

  “Er. I thought we had a big issue in this department.” Davy was not the best at talking sex but he needed to know what Gavin was thinking. He wasn’t sure he’d believed the lines Gavin had fed him earlier about the bedroom activities they could do. Surely Gavin didn’t want to give up that part of sex since, judging by his reputation and the things Davy had seen with his own eyes, Davy seemed to be so fond of sex.

  “And I told you there’s plenty of other stuff we can do. I meant it.”

  Davy averted his eyes. He saw sincerity in Gavin’s expression that scared him. “I can’t handle it, Gavin. I can’t handle falling for you to have you leave me because the sex isn’t what you want. It’s happened before. It’s always sex. They use it—sex. They fuck me over and I’m left with nothing because I was too quiet or too submissive or too boring.”

  Gavin took Davy’s face in his hands and made Davy look at him. “That’s not me, okay. I know I fucked up last time. I want to make that up. This is about you. And you aren’t making me give up anything. Being with you felt so good. That’s what I need. You. To touch you, feel you. The only rule to sex is that it’s supposed to feel good to the people having it. There’s no rules about how to have it as long as it makes the people involved feel close to each other.”

  Close to each other?

  Davy rolled his eyes. “I know that. But won’t you—”

  Gavin kissed him. It was soft and sensual. Those soft lips lit Davy on fire. He had so many more objections but a gentle nibble to his bottom lip shut him up. Gavin positioned himself on top of Davy, lining their clothed cocks together and rolling his hips. Davy groaned. Gavin took advantage of Davy’s parted lips, sinking his tongue into Davy’s mouth and licking at it. This was not the frantic coming together they’d shared the last time. Gavin was building their passion slowly, rocking them together.

  Davy sighed into Gavin’s mouth with every rock of their hips. His stomach fluttered with a mix of butterflies and excitement. He’d never been touched so gently yet seduced so completely. Gavin could talk a mean game but there was no way he was insincere in what they were doing. Gavin wasn’t being rough and trying to get off, he was being considerate and taking care of Davy. He’s being close to you. It was intimate. So intimate Davy wanted to cry because he’d not realized he’d never actually been touched by anyone in a way that made him feel cared for, not since the last hug he’d gotten from his mother. Davy could have done without the way Gavin was making his cock hum with pleasure and just drifted in the feeling of someone giving a shit. And he was stunned that of all people in the world making him feel this it was Gavin Walker. It seemed like such a drastic switch in emotion from the last time he’d been in a heated moment with Gavin.

  Gavin nipped Davy one more time before stilling himself and placing his forehead on Davy’s to catch his breath. Davy was disappointed, chasing the kiss as Gavin pulled away. Damn if Gavin didn’t look good, lips shining and swollen from their kissing. Gavin stood and held his hand out to Davy. Davy was done with objections. He’d been blue-balled last time, so his cock was more than onboard with everything that was going on. He knew he was reading too much into all this, so he needed to do as Gavin had done and just take what he was offering: a chance to get off. He figured he’d be pissed at himself when Gavin freaked out again, but if Davy could get off with another person for the first time in a very, very long time, then maybe all would not be wasted.

  Davy took Gavin’s hand and Gavin led the way to his bedroom. When Gavin flicked a light switch and flooded the small room with light, Davy was surprised again. There were black-and-white prints of stars from Hollywood past. Rock Hudson, Marilyn Monroe. A large subway poster of James Dean hung above the king-sized bed. There were model classic cars on most of the surfaces. Davy really hadn’t realized just how much Gavin’s grandfather had influenced him, but it explained so much about his too-cool persona. Even when he was using his club-boy routine he pulled off the Rebel without a Cause attitude. Davy grinned at the thought of Gavin in a white T-shirt, cigarette pack wrapped in a sleeve with pomade slicking back his wild brown hair. Gavin was less an enigma with every moment in his home, and Davy was beginning to hope he wasn’t foolish in thinking that maybe, just maybe Gavin was showing Davy his true self. Davy even let himself hope for a fraction of a second it wouldn’t get snatched away.

  Gavin pulled him into the room. Davy noticed he was blushing and a snort escaped, which got him a nasty scowl from Gavin. “What? You act like no one’s been in your bed before.” Now that almost really made Davy laugh.

  “No.”

  “No, what?” Davy questioned. Gavin’s face was challenging.

  “No one has ever been in my room, much less my bed.”

  Davy was taken aback. “Oh. Sorry, I guess I just assumed.” He felt bad for being flippant, but Gavin had to understand why he thought that. Gavin’s shoulders slumped a little. Davy realized with surprise that he’d actually hurt Gavin.

  “It’s okay,” Gavin said quietly. “I get why you’d think that. Guess the apple don’t fall far from the tree.” Gavin laughed at himself derisively. Davy furrowed his brow, confused. Gavin pulled his hand away from Davy, squaring his shoulders, looking at Davy with an unreadable mask. Davy sighed sadly, wondering why he should feel bad, because he did. Gavin had been trying to fix things, had been so sweet and was trying to prove himself—and by all accounts he had a little—and Davy had called him a whore. But Gavin had agreed. Davy didn’t get what he’d meant when he’d said he’d not fallen far from the tree, though.

  “Well, I guess this was too much. I’ll take you home if you want,” Gavin said as he straightened his beanie and started to walk out of the room. Davy felt like an ass, though he was sure he could think of reasons why Gavin deserved what he’d said. But for some reason, he didn’t like the idea of hurting Gavin’s feelings. Maybe because you’re always the one that’s hurt.

  Davy didn’t know why that made any difference since it was Gavin himself who’d hurt him too, but Davy just couldn’t be cruel. And his body was revolting with every step Gavin took away from him. The feeling was almost overwhelming.

  Davy grabbed him by his bicep. “Don’t go.” Gavin turned and Davy saw a hurt, yet hopeful gleam in his eyes before Gavin was able to hide it. Davy gave his best apologetic smile and stepped into Gavin’s space. He wasn’t sure what had come over him, but he wanted to give Gavin a reason not to run tomorrow. He wanted to prove himself too, and he knew maybe it made him naïve. Gavin’s eyelids fluttered shut as Davy placed a sweet kiss on his closed lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m so sorry, Gavin.” When Gavin’s Adam’s apple bobbed, face scrunching to conceal some emotion, Davy felt emboldened. He’d make that emotion come out even if—Gavin gave a shuddering sigh as Davy placed his palm to his cheek. Yeah. That’d do it.

  “Gavin, I don’t think badly of you. It was a mean thing to assume. I was teasing, mostly, since you seemed embarrassed.” Gavin was silent but Davy wanted to reassure him. “I don’t think you’re, like, a whore or anything, ya know?”

  Gavin opened his eyes, looking incredulous. Davy snorted. “Okay, so I know you’re no saint. I’m not an idiot, Gavin. But you’re here. You showed me this side of you. I get it. You’re a good guy.” Damn
, that whiskey was good. Davy normally couldn’t mollify his own inner voice much less another human being, but he was doing well right now. Or maybe it was because it was Gavin. Davy really wanted him to know that Davy may not get what made him tick but he did know he wasn’t what he made himself look like in public.

  Davy kissed Gavin again. For a moment Gavin’s response was robotic, as though he was just going through the motions. That wouldn’t do. Davy carded his fingers through Gavin’s hair, knocking his hat to the floor. Gavin’s shaggy brown hair was thicker than Davy imagined. He wrapped his arm around Gavin’s back, pulled them together, and let Gavin’s slip his tongue into his mouth. Gavin melted into him with another shuddering sigh. Gavin wrapped his arms around Davy and held him tight as they kissed, and as they had the last time, started a steady rocking of their hips as their cocks hardened against each other. Davy grunted when Gavin started pushing him back toward the bed, and they fell back onto the mattress together, Gavin on top.

  Gavin leaned up on his elbows, staring down into Davy’s eyes. He placed a kiss on Davy’s nose, his cheek. “I meant it. I’ve never had anyone in here. Ever. I’m not going to apologize for my past, but I hope you know I’m not using you like that. You’re not just another hookup. I’d never have brought you here, never introduced you to Ray.”

  Davy heard the truth in those words and felt honored. He wasn’t sure how the mood changed, but the air didn’t only crackle with sex and chemistry, but a strong blanket of warmth and caring also seemed to be weaving around the two of them. Davy wasn’t good at trusting his instincts where other people were concerned but there, in that moment, he decided Gavin was worth this risk. “I have an answer for you.”

  Gavin kissed Davy’s lips again, then assessed him. “Answer to what?”

  “You asked what I wanted, earlier. I know what I want.” Davy tried to make his voice as certain as he could.

  “Oh?”

  “You, Gavin. No bullshit, though. I want us to figure out what this is between us, okay? If you think there is something between us.” Davy knew he didn’t sound sure.