Chapter Nineteen

RYAN THREW his head back and laughed. Leo giggled, with more chocolate on his face than on his graham cracker, while in the other hand he held a roasting stick over the campfire as a marshmallow engulfed in flames slid off into the fire.

“I need another one, Daddy,” Leo said.

“I think you’ve had more than enough, buddy.” Dylan took the skewer from Leo’s sticky fingers. “Let’s get you cleaned up and into your jammies.”

“And then we get ghost stories?”

“Yup, I’ve got three for us to read,” Dylan said, leading Leo toward the outdoor kitchen on the patio to wash up.

Ryan was finally having the family experience he’d always wanted. It was all because of Dylan. He’d organized the day to make it a learning adventure for Leo. Leo’s backpack was filled with all the essentials for a camping trip, including a compass and a custom-drawn backyard map. They embarked on a “hike” through the dense “woods,” identifying different plants in the backyard and discovering the little plastic forest animals Dylan hid in the surrounding bushes. Dylan taught Leo how to use the compass to mark the location of each animal on his map. Even putting up the tent became a math lesson, using the tent poles to learn about measurements. Leo took a nap in the tent after eating the roast turkey sandwiches made by Mrs. Lieu. Dylan scattered wood pieces around the yard for Leo to collect for the campfire.

“You’re an amazing teacher.” Ryan kissed Dylan’s cheek as he used stencils and water-soluble spray-paint to create animal tracks around the yard. “Where did you get all this stuff?”

“I ordered it and had it delivered overnight.”

“Let me reimburse you.”

“It’s fine, Ryan. It didn’t cost too much, and I’m happy to do it.” Dylan rested his hands on his hips, eyeing his handiwork. “I think I’ll do something like this for my kids next year.”

Ryan’s heart fell. It was selfish, but he wanted Dylan to stay beyond the summer. But what could he offer him? He couldn’t ask Dylan to stay and keep their relationship a secret. That wasn’t fair to either of them.

He reached for Dylan’s hand. “I never could have come up with anything like this. Thank you.”

Dylan smiled. “Consider it training for when you can take Leo on a real camping trip.”

“You’ll be there to keep me from straying off the trail and getting us lost in the woods.”

Dylan’s smile faded, replaced with a worried look.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s—I hope you know I would never. I didn’t mean to… lead you astray,” Dylan said with a slight wince.

“Whoa, where is this coming from?”

“I… your sister is worried I’ll influence you, and I don’t want you to think I’m….” He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “I would never make you do something you didn’t want to do.”

Ryan’s jaw ticked. “Exactly what did my sister say?”

“She was worried about Leo camping, that’s all.”

“That’s not all.”

“She’s your sister. I’m not going to get in the middle of your relationship. Let it go, Ryan. It’s fine. I’m a big boy, and I know how to take care of myself.”

But he couldn’t let it go. He put it aside while he spent the rest of the afternoon collecting firewood with Leo and doing the other activities Dylan planned. After roasting hot dogs for dinner and making s’mores for dessert, Leo sat in Dylan’s lap reading silly camping ghost stories with a flashlight while Ryan thought about his earlier conversation with Dylan. He’d told Stephanie to back down, and she didn’t listen. He was mad as hell. She’d crossed a line. She might interfere with other aspects of his life, but Dylan was off-limits.

“Ryan,” Dylan called out softly.

His head jerked up from the hypnotic dance of the flames to see Leo curled in Dylan’s arms, fast asleep.

He got up and went over to gently extract his son from Dylan’s arms. Dylan entered the tent, adjusted the lantern, and prepared Leo’s sleeping bag to make it easier for Ryan to tuck Leo in.

Ryan glanced at Dylan kneeling by his side. It felt so right. This was the family he’d hoped for, the family he wanted. He tipped his head toward the front of the tent and motioned for Dylan to follow him outside.

As soon as they stepped out of the tent into the warm summer night, Ryan reached for Dylan, pulled him close, and kissed him. Dylan melted into him, parting his lips, welcoming Ryan in. Ryan devoured the perfect wet heat of Dylan’s mouth, mapping every inch with his tongue. When he broke the kiss, Dylan looked up at him, his lips wet and pupils dilated with lust.

Ryan’s fingers caressed the smooth column of skin at Dylan’s throat.

“I’ve been waiting all day to kiss you by firelight,” Ryan murmured, his heart pounding in his ears. Dylan’s fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of Ryan’s neck. He leaned in and kissed the spot between Ryan’s neck and the curve of his shoulder.

“I’ve been thinking about you all day.”

Ryan sighed, pressing his forehead to Dylan’s. “I’ve been reading some of those authors you told me about. I’ve read about it, watched people in movies talk about it, but I’ve never known what kissing was really supposed to feel like until I kissed you.”

He began walking Dylan backward until they reached a chair by the fire. Ryan turned Dylan around, sat, and pulled him into his lap, as he had that memorable time in the movie room. Dylan straddled his thighs and took Ryan’s face in his hands, his eyes searching Ryan’s for a moment before he captured his mouth in another bone-melting kiss. Ryan’s body responded, becoming almost painfully hard.

He tore his mouth away. “Dylan, stop,” he panted. “I need more. I need to touch you.”

Dylan leaned back and ripped his shirt off. Ryan leaned forward and pressed a kiss over Dylan’s heart, breathing in the fine smell of chlorine, rosemary, and mint that was uniquely his. He let his hands trail down Dylan’s abs, tight and toned from his time in the pool. Dylan reached down and palmed Ryan’s cock. As their mouths clashed, Ryan started thrusting his hips, seeking release.

“More,” he said between clenched teeth.

Dylan leaned in and nuzzled his neck. “Hold on, sweetheart. I’ll take care of you,” he whispered in Ryan’s ear before dropping to his knees and unzipping Ryan’s shorts.

Ryan pressed the back of his hand against his mouth, stifling a shout when Dylan’s lips wrapped around the head of his cock. The feeling of being enveloped in the warmth of Dylan’s mouth had him instantly on the edge.

“I’m going to come if you don’t stop,” he managed to get out.

Instead of stopping, Dylan took him deeper, increasing the pressure, leaving Ryan in a mindless haze of lust. He grabbed Dylan’s silky curls as his release hit him, leaving him light-headed, with spots dancing before his eyes.

Dylan looked up at him with a shy smile. “Are you okay?”

Ryan hauled him back up and kissed him, tasting himself on Dylan’s lips. He grabbed Dylan’s ass, fusing their bodies together.

“Now it’s my turn,” he growled in Dylan’s ear.

Ryan reached into the waistband of Dylan’s shorts. Dylan threw his head back with a low moan when Ryan grasped his cock.

They exchanged sloppy kisses while Ryan slowly jerked Dylan off, his release spilling into Ryan’s hand. Dylan sighed, dropping his head to Ryan’s shoulder. This time when they kissed, it was slow and tender.

“Next time we’re doing that in a bed,” Ryan said, his voice gruff.

Dylan wrapped his arms around Ryan’s neck. He would have been happy to stay like that all night except for the mess they’d made. They used the bathroom by the pool to clean up. Exchanging soft smiles and shy glances, they walked back to the fire arm in arm. Ryan added more wood to the fire and pulled Dylan back into his lap. Staring into the blaze, his thumb brushing back and forth along the back of Dylan’s neck, he watched the flames twist and flicker the same way his heart was.

“Daddy,” Leo called out.

Dylan gave him a quick peck on the lips and stood up. Ryan snagged his hand and pulled him toward the tent with him.

“We’re here,” he said as he poked his head through the flap.

“I have to go potty,” Leo said with a sleepy yawn.

“Okay, buddy.”

Leo was already half asleep again in Ryan’s arms when he carried him back from the bathroom. Dylan had put the fire out and had Leo’s sleeping bag ready for Ryan to tuck him into, with a sleeping bag for each of them unrolled on either side of Leo’s.

They took turns getting ready for bed, and once they’d turned out the light and were in their sleeping bags, Ryan whispered in the dark, “Thank you. For today. For giving Leo this experience. He’ll never forget it.”

“I’m going to miss this, miss you when summer’s over,” Dylan said with a slight quiver in his voice.

“Leo and I could come to California for winter and spring break, or you could come back here.”

“It would be fun to take Leo to Disneyland.”

“I bet you look pretty cute in mouse ears,” Ryan said.

Dylan chuckled, and then Ryan heard him sigh softly. “We can’t pretend like this is going to be easy.”

Ryan lay back on his sleeping bag, staring at the ceiling of the tent. “I know, but can we pretend for a little while longer that it’s just us, and nobody else matters?”

Dylan didn’t answer for a long time. “We can pretend, but other people won’t. What happens then?”

“I don’t know.”

Eventually he heard Dylan’s soft, even breathing in sync with Leo’s, but Ryan couldn’t sleep. His heart felt heavy and light at the same time. Dylan’s concerns were valid. Ryan would have to face his family at some point. Dylan’s parents weren’t going to accept their relationship either. Ryan brushed his fingers over his lips, remembering the warmth and firmness of Dylan’s lips and wanting more. Every intimate touch he shared with Dylan confirmed Ryan’s sexuality. A door had been unlocked, and now that he’d walked through it, there was no going back. But Ryan’s feelings for Dylan weren’t solely based on Dylan being a man. He challenged Ryan. Dylan was creative and smart, compassionate and thoughtful. Those qualities made him as attractive as his looks. Ryan loved the way Dylan’s eyes lit up when he laughed, and the little dimple that formed on his cheek when he smiled. He’d thought he wasn’t a cuddler until Dylan. Now Ryan couldn’t get enough of cuddling him.

How could he make his parents and sister understand Dylan was the right match for him?