Chapter Twenty-One

Colson was almost as nervous meeting David as the night he'd lost his virginity, but when David kissed his cheek, all his fear melted away, and he kissed him back. Seeing Harper become emotional about that simple gesture tugged at his heart.

Inside Harper's bedroom, he set his duffel on the dresser. "So, does this mean you want me to stay tonight?" Harper pulled him close and kissed him until his head spun and his toes curled. Whenever this man kissed him, he wanted to get naked. Colson smiled against the curve of Harper's lips. "I'll take that as a yes."

Those fathomless eyes locked into his. "I do, but the choice has to be yours. Let's spend the day together, and then you'll decide."

"Fair enough. What do you have planned?"

"How about the zoo? Then we can get pizza and ice cream and a frozen coffee drink. That's usually our treat on Saturdays in the summer."

"Sounds like a plan."

Harper cupped his jaw. "You have no idea…" He blinked and turned away, but Colson caught his arm.

"Don't hide from me. I appreciate how deeply you love your brother. There's no shame in showing it." He kissed Harper. "Tell me what's in your heart right now."

"You," he said, and Colson's heart leaped.

"Show me everything. Let me walk in the footsteps of your life."

A wry grin tipped up Harper's lips. "Just a warning. There's an awful lot of stumbling."

Colson slipped his arms around Harper's waist. "Good thing I'll be there to catch you when you fall."

Harper guided their lips together, and he fell into a kiss that tasted of hopes and dreams and the promise of forever.

"I'm not sure this is real. I didn't think I'd ever find someone who understood."

"I can't promise I have all the answers, but I'm ready to try. All I know is, I want you by my side to help me figure it out." He gazed into Harper's eyes. "You and David. You see, I've never had a brother, and I always wanted one."

Harper pulled him close, the kiss possessive and demanding, and Colson almost swooned from the heat pouring off Harper's body.

"If David wasn't waiting for us, I'd have you naked and be inside you in a minute."

"All the better to wait until tonight."

Harper gave his ass a squeeze and they headed to the kitchen, where Luis and David waited.

Luis grinned. "Get all settled in?"

Harper turned a cute shade of pink and grabbed the keys hanging on the pegboard. "Yeah, ready to go, David?"

Colson caught Luis's eye and received a wink and a thumbs-up. Unsure what to do, he hung back, waiting. Harper handed him a cooler bag.

"This is David's lunch and snacks. I always bring them because we never know if they'll have what he can eat where we go."

"Gotcha." He hefted it to his shoulder.

Harper wheeled him down the special ramp, and Luis stayed behind. "He's off on the weekends, if I don't work, although half the time he's around to help. His schedule is fluid to help me. There's no one like him. Luis is a godsend."

"And a great beta reader. He found some inconsistencies, and he's really helped me with the book."

They reached the van, and he watched as Harper made sure David's chair was locked in place. Maybe one day, Harper would trust him to do this, and he'd make sure to be ready.

Colson settled into the passenger seat, Harper started the van, and they were off. He kept peeking over his shoulder at David, who stared out the window, the serene expression never leaving his lips.

"Stop worrying," Harper murmured. "He loves going for car rides and seeing people."

Colson put his hand on Harper's thigh. "Was I that obvious?"

Harper took his hand and squeezed. "Yeah, but it's sweet. You don't have to worry about making a good impression." He winked. "You already won me over."

Relaxed for the first time that morning, Colson began to look forward to the day. "I haven't been to the zoo in years."

"We'll be there in time for the seal feeding."

They parked the van in a handicapped spot, and Colson stayed on one side of David, while Harper wheeled him. They found a spot where David could see the seals. Colson noticed several people eyeing them, and when he caught them at it, they quickly looked away.

"See what I mean?" Harper murmured. "They don't want to see you, but they can't stop staring."

"That's their problem, not ours," Colson stated firmly.

The handler came out with the buckets, and the seals slid off their rocks and swam about the pool, barking. David made the same noises, and this time people moved away. Colson took the opportunity to push David closer.

"Thanks," he addressed a woman with a double stroller. "He loves to see them."

"Oh, uh, sure. Yeah." She darted a look at David, whose fingers twitched while his head moved side to side as he grunted. "What's wrong with him?" she whispered.

Angry for David and Harper, Colson leaned down to return the whisper. "Nothing. He's really okay. We're on surveillance with the FBI."

Her mouth opened, and she hurried off, clearing the way for him to bring David by the gate. He felt Harper behind him, his breath hot on his neck.

"You know, impersonating a federal agent is a felony," Harper whispered too, and Colson shivered at the touch of Harper's lips to the shell of his ear.

"Oh, yeah? Maybe you should call the police."

Harper's smile pressed against his cheek. "I'll take you prisoner later."

David began to make louder noises, and Colson jumped. Harper circled the chair and kneeled at David's side. "What is it, buddy? Everything okay?"

David's mouth opened and closed, and Colson's heart broke as he watched him struggle. He and Harper looked alike, and it was eerie to see them together. So similar, yet so different.

"Let's go sit and have something to eat. How does that sound, David?"

At the twitch of his lips upward, Colson's nerves settled. For a second he'd worried David was upset at seeing him and Harper touching, but as they found a table, he happily ate the squares of peanut butter and jelly Harper had for him. There was also cut-up fruit in containers, which they shared.

Harper took out a squeeze yogurt and handed it to Colson.

"Do you want to feed it to him?" Harper asked.

David tracked it and licked his lips.

"Really? Are you sure?"

Harper's face was tender. "Luis told me you helped him with his ice cream and did great."

"Yeah. I don't know why I'm so nervous now." He tore the end off and held it up to David's lips. David made humming noises of obvious pleasure, and soon they'd finished the entire stick. "Can we give him another one?"

Harper hesitated. "I don't know. He usually doesn't eat two."

"Yeah, but it's a special day and he deserves a treat. Don't you think so, David?" At the sight of his bright eyes, Colson appealed to Harper. "Come on. Don't be a party pooper."

"All right. All right. Nothing like two against one." Pretend-grumbling, Harper cut off the edge of another yogurt stick, and David finished that as well. "You okay to watch him for a minute? I'm just going to run to the restroom."

"Don't run. Us guys are just going to hang out and people-watch, right, David?" He hitched his chair closer to David, who looked at the crowds passing by.

Harper took off, and Colson decided he should talk to David. "Did your brother tell you I write books? They're kind of gory, but it's fun to name the characters. Maybe my next book will have a detective named David. What do you think?"

David's smile remained constant, so Colson couldn't be sure if he understood, but he kept talking.

"I really like your brother. He's a very good detective. When my house was broken into and people stole my things, he was able to get them back for me. That's how we became friends."

Harper returned. "How's it going? Should we take a walk through the rest of the park?"

David hummed, and Colson jumped to his feet. "I'll dump the garbage." Harper caught his arm and pulled him close.

"Thank you."

Colson kissed him. "You can thank me later."

***

The day passed swiftly, and not once did Colson feel as if David was a burden. They traversed the entire area of the zoo, and Colson took tons of pictures on his phone of David at the petting zoo, and with the stuffed seal he bought him at the gift shop.

"You're going to spoil him," Harper teased. "What's going to happen when he goes to the aquarium? Am I going to find a giant whale in his room?"

"I wanted something special so he'd always remember today," Colson explained.

Harper squeezed his shoulder. "I don't think that's going to be a problem. I know I always will." They shared a smile, and Harper put an arm around his shoulders. "Thank you for this. I can't imagine a more perfect day."

Before they left, Colson stopped to take a picture of the three of them, sent it to Harper, then showed it to David.

"The three of us."

"Ready to go home?" Harper pushed David's chair out of the zoo and to the van. "I was thinking a barbecue for dinner. Burgers and hot dogs?"

"Sounds great," Colson agreed. In fact, the day had been perfect. Walking through the park with Harper and David, feeling part of a family, emphasized how lonely he'd been.

The ride home was short, and Harper disappeared for a while to take care of David. When he reappeared, Colson took out beers for the two of them, and they sat together on the sectional in the cool of the living room. Luis was out, and the house was quiet. He rested his head on Harper's shoulder.

"David's taking a nap. I had to change his bags, and I gave him a quick sponge bath."

Colson understood Harper was telling him all this to give him all the facts concerning his daily care.

"I think he enjoyed himself today. He didn't resent me being there, did he? I wouldn't want him to think I was taking away his special time with you." That was his biggest concern.

Harper kissed the top of his head. "He doesn't. He was so relaxed and happy. I think he understands you're special." He kissed him again. "Very special to me."

Who needed the blasting music and party lights of the clubs? All he wanted was right here. Right now. "Thank you for allowing me to share today with you and David."

"I know it's not what you're used to, but it's all I have to offer."

"What I'm used to is nothing. This is more than I ever dreamed possible. Growing up, I was so damn lonely." He thought back to all those afternoons spent sitting against a tree, with a book, lost in stories of other people's lives. "And hiding who I was added another layer of solitude. Writing can be isolating too. I get caught up in my head, and while the reward is creating characters and stories people love, it's not enough. And when my ex left me, I buried myself so deep, I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to dig myself out of the darkness."

Harper toyed with his hair. "I consider myself lucky. After spending my days looking at the worst of humanity, I get to come home to David's sweetness and pure heart. He's the balance in my life."

"You are lucky."

Harper took the bottle from his hand and set it on the table next to his. "I'm lucky because I remember seeing you that morning at the coffee shop and thinking, who the hell is this guy with those sexy tats? He's hot as fuck."

Colson snickered. "And then you thought I was a murderer and wanted to arrest me."

Harper's eyes danced. "A minor technicality." He framed Colson's face with his hands. "I wanted you then because you're sexy as hell and turned me on. I want you now because I know you've got an amazing, giving heart beneath that ink. I'm never going to stop wanting you." He kissed him lightly. "Needing you." Another butterfly kiss. "Loving you." Harper's gaze held his.

If bones could melt, he'd be in a puddle.

"I love you, Harper. It's only three words that more books have been written about than any others, yet they fill my heart to overflowing. And I'll never get tired of saying them to you."

"I love you too." He trailed his fingers over Colson's face. "I've never said those words, but with you it just comes naturally." Harper's eyes clouded with concern. "You're sure you're okay with all this? It isn't always going to be this easy. He has good days but some bad ones too."

"I think if I can handle your grumpy ass, I'll be fine with David."

"I'm not grumpy. I'm focused." Harper's lips ticked up in a devilish grin. "And you'll have to wait until after dinner to handle my ass. I'm going to start the grill soon." He leaned in for a kiss, and Colson slung an arm around his neck to anchor him in place.

"Let me heat you up a little first. Give you a taste of what's in store for you later." He pushed Harper to the cushions and tugged his jogging pants below his hips, revealing a mouth-watering erection. "I'll make it quick and dirty." He licked his lips and took Harper's dick in his mouth.

"Jesus," Harper hissed and groaned as Colson swirled his tongue over the head while pumping the thick shaft. "I'm not going to last." He slapped his hand and tangled his fingers in Colson's hair.

" Mmm ," Colson hummed, his tongue bathing Harper's swollen cock. Pleasure-pain ripped through him from Harper tugging on his hair, and he moaned, working his mouth and hand faster.

"Colson, what the hell." His hips bucked hard, and Colson slipped a finger past his taint to rub the rim. A violent shiver rolled through Harper and he came, hot and heavy down Colson's throat.

He swallowed it all and sat back, loving the sight of Harper lying wrecked and blissful under him. One final kiss to his stomach, and Colson tucked him inside his clothes. Harper cracked an eye open and motioned with his hand for Colson to come close. He snuggled in and sighed.

"That's the first time I've ever had sex in this house," Harper said. "I always thought I'd be alone."

"And even when I was with my ex, I was lonely." Colson pressed a kiss to Harper's mouth. "Now it's all about us. Together. And we'll never be lonely again."