“Then why is it weird?” Micah set the knife down and turned to gesture between them. “I mean, we’re already seeing each other. Why does it bother you that she’s met someone?”
Daniel couldn’t exactly say himself. “I guess... Look, I’ll be honest, the divorce wasn’t my idea originally. Yeah, we weren’t in love anymore, but I still loved her as a friend, the way I do now. I would’ve been happy to try to make it work, but Tabby, she missed the romance. She missed the sex. And I won’t lie, I missed the physical side of things sometimes, too.” Daniel made a helpless motion with one hand. “But we didn’t want to complicate the situation once we’d had the talk about how we weren’t in love anymore, you know? There was no ‘friends with benefits’ for us, especially not with the kids involved. Separating seemed like the next logical step. The best decision for everyone involved.”
Micah’s eyes moved over his face. “But?”
Daniel couldn’t help his laugh. “Nothing, that’s the thing. There’s no reason I should be upset about her dating someone else. I’m genuinely happy for her. I want her to move on. I want her to find love again. I have.”
Micah smiled and reached up to touch his cheek. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Daniel pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose, to the light dusting of freckles across the bridge. “At the same time, it’s also... I don’t know. The end of an era, I guess?”
“I get it,” Micah said, his head bobbing. “It’s a chapter closed, or maybe the end of one story before another begins. If you’re moving on and she’s moving on, it feels very...final.” He moved his hand to rest his knuckles against Daniel’s sternum. “I’ve never been in your exact situation—you guys were married for a long time—but in my experience, there’s always something bittersweet about seeing an ex with someone new, especially if you didn’t part on bad terms and maybe it was just a matter of things not being right anymore.”
“Exactly.” Daniel sighed. “I was thinking about it last night, and I couldn’t decide how I felt. I guess I just needed to parse through all those emotions.”
Micah leaned into him, his fingers dropping to play with the hem of Daniel’s fleece pullover. “You scared me for a minute there. I adore Tabby, you know I do, but you’re mine now. I want to keep you.”
“And I most definitely want to be kept by you.” Daniel slipped a palm beneath Micah’s thin T-shirt to the small of his back. The skin there was warm and soft, and his questing touch drew a shiver from Micah. Daniel chuckled and dipped his head to kiss the base of Micah’s throat. “But maybe we should continue this later. I think I smell something burning.”
Micah yanked himself away with a yelp of alarm. “The chicken!”
Daniel watched fondly as Micah scrambled to move a pot off the burner.
“Shit, I thought I’d turned that down.” He lifted the lid and poked at the contents. “I think it’ll be okay.”
He was right, although Daniel’s mind was still on the topic they’d been discussing. It would be okay. He and Tabby would always be friends and co-parents. Daniel had to believe that wouldn’t change, no matter what happened in their romantic lives. There might be a bit of an adjustment period for everyone involved, but, well...changes didn’t have to be a bad thing, right?
He helped Micah finish their meal and they settled at the small table in the dining area off the kitchen with plates of chicken tacos and the pitcher of peach margaritas between them.
“This is delicious,” Daniel told Micah after taking a big bite. The meat was tender and savory with just a bit of a kick. He’d never had pineapple salsa before, but he loved the spicy, citrusy sweet flavor combination and the crunch of the cabbage.
Micah beamed at him. “Good thing only the chicken at the bottom of the pot got a little charred.”
“It’s perfect. You can’t even tell.” Daniel took another bite. “By the way,” he added once he’d finished his first taco. “I’m going to tell the kids about us next weekend. It’s time, I think. Honestly, I don’t imagine it’ll be any kind of issue. They already love you, and I want them to know how much I care about you. This is where I want to be, right here with you.”
Micah’s hazel eyes went soft. He reached across the table to grab Daniel’s hand. “That’s what I want, too.”
“Then you’re okay with me telling them?”
“Of course.”
“Good.”
Daniel happily dove back into his food. Despite his uncertainty about his future with the Thunder, at least he and Micah were solid. They were on the same page and they wanted the same things. There was comfort in that knowledge.
After lunch, they retreated to the patio to finish the pitcher of margaritas. Micah had already hung the dolphin wind chime, and between the melodious tinkling and the cool winter breeze, Daniel was feeling pretty relaxed as he lounged in one of the comfy Adirondack chairs.
“So, I was thinking,” Micah started.
“Hmm?” Daniel turned his head to look at him, feeling supple and slow. Micah was as heavy-handed with the tequila in his margaritas as he was with the bourbon in his eggnog, and after three glasses, Daniel was the very definition of mellow. “What?”
“You’re spending the night, right?”
“Yep. The pups are with Tabby and the kids.”
“Well,” Micah drawled, playfulness hinting around his mouth, “why don’t we break out the walkie-talkies? I thought you could go upstairs, and I’ll stay down here. Let’s see how long it takes before you beg me to come up.”
Suddenly, Daniel was feeling a lot more alert. He straightened in his chair and shot Micah a grin. “Yeah?”
“I’ve been fantasizing about it since Christmas.” There was more than a hint of playfulness now. “I don’t know how you feel about dirty talk, but—”
“I like it,” Daniel interrupted, breathless and rough. He more than liked it, though he preferred listening to doing the talking.
Micah’s smile grew downright filthy. “Good. I left one of the walkie-talkies on the bedside table. They’re still on the same channel. Go up there, turn it on, and get naked.”
Daniel didn’t have to be told twice.
Stripping down to nothing was easy enough. Waiting for Micah to say something or give him an order, that was the hard part. Well, that and his cock. Anticipation was a heady drug, especially when he knew how amazingly talented Micah was at making his body sing.
Daniel lay on the bed and resisted the urge to touch himself. The sheets smelled like Micah, which turned him on even more. Daniel twisted his head, burying his nose against the pillowcase. He was inhaling the scent of Micah’s coconut-and-lime shampoo when the walkie-talkie crackled and made him jump.