Berengaria Brown Fire and Light

Published by Silver Publishing

Publisher of Erotic Romance

Berengaria Brown

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Dedication

For everyone whose heart beats faster around all those

naked chests at the swimming pool.

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Speedos: Speedo International

Fire and Light

Berengaria Brown

Chapter One

Hugh leaned against the wall of the surf shop and

watched his son, Orion, choosing board shorts. Okay, it

might have been twenty-four years ago, but Hugh was

pretty sure he'd have grabbed the first red pair off the rack

when he was six. His son, however, was taking the decision

very seriously, choosing pair after pair off the rack, holding

them up to the light, looking at the pockets and waistband,

measuring them against his legs then putting them into two

different piles. When he reached the end of the section,

Orion hung the ones in the larger pile back on the rack,

before sorting through the smaller pile again, gradually

reducing it to three pairs, one red, one blue and one green.

After many long moments of silence, Orion

replaced the blue pair on the rack with all the other ones

he'd rejected. Hugh remained silent and watched. Twice

Orion went to replace the green pair then hesitated. Finally,

Hugh said, "How about we buy both pairs? You seem to be

finding the final elimination round pretty tough."

"Could I really have them both, Dad? I really like

the green ones, but your boardies are red, and I want to

match you."

Hugh's heart almost burst with love for his boy in

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that moment. His kid wanted to be like him!

Hugh gave Orion a hug, a far more restrained hug

than he would have liked to give, but their relationship was

still fragile and they were in a store. Then he replied, "Of

course you can have both. If we go swimming often this

summer, likely you'll need two pairs. I should have thought

of that myself."

"Have you got two pairs, Dad?"

"Yeah, I have a spare pair somewhere. Might have

to hunt through the closet to find them though."

Hugh and Orion walked up to the checkout and

stood in line. Right by the cash register was a rack of swim

goggles. "You'd better pick up a pair of goggles, too, so

you can open your eyes underwater without making them

sore," he suggested. There were three people in front of

them in the line. Hugh hoped Orion could make his choice

before they reached the head of the line. Fortunately, this

time Orion chose a silver pair instantly.

"The lightning flashes on my boardies are silver.

These goggles will match both pairs," the child said

triumphantly.

Hugh ruffled his son's flaming red hair. "Good

decision."

The man in front of them in the line turned to grin at

Hugh and Orion. "You have more fashion sense than many

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adults," he said to Orion, pointing to the black board shorts

and yellow goggles he was holding. Then he put the yellow

goggles back on the rack and picked out a black pair.

"Mom says it's important to be color coordinated."

"Smart woman, your mom," responded the man.

"Maybe." Suddenly Orion looked much younger

and insecure. Hugh rested a hand on his shoulder and

squeezed. Orion looked up at him with a worried frown.

"We'll cope. We'll get it all sorted. I love you," said

Hugh softly.

"I'm sorry. I—" Now the man looked worried as if

he realized he'd brought up an unwelcome topic.

"It's fine," said Hugh, just as the checkout operator

said impatiently, "Next!"

"Shall we go to the swimming pool this afternoon,

just to look around and find out where everything is,

instead of waiting for Monday?" suggested Hugh.

"Can I wear my new boardies?"

"Of course."

* * * *

After returning home for a quick meal and a hunt

through the closet for Hugh's swimwear, they put on their

red board shorts, collected towels, goggles and sandals,

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then headed to the local swimming pool, which was a ten-

minute drive from Hugh's apartment.

In the two months since his ex-wife, Tallulah, had

decided she no longer wanted custody of their son, Hugh

had gained a whole new outlook on the neighborhood in

which he lived. He'd chosen his apartment because it had a

reserved basement parking space, was affordable, and was

an easy commute to his job. When Tallulah had phoned and

told him the new man in her life wanted kids of his own,

not someone else's child to rear, Hugh had been overjoyed.

It'd broken his heart to leave Orion behind when the

marriage had collapsed shortly before his son turned two.

Hugh knew a baby needed his mother, and Tallulah had

been fair about sending the boy to him for vacations and

access visits.

Now, suddenly, he'd found himself checking out

schools, Little League clubs, and wondering how the hell

he was supposed to look after a child during the summer

vacation. Thank God he hadn't taken any vacation time in

two years, so he'd be able to spend a lot of the time off

work. Still, he couldn't help wondering what they'd do all

day long in a two-bedroom apartment that seemed so much

smaller with the addition of a little boy.

A trip to the local community center had resulted in

Orion happily signing up to learn archery one afternoon a

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week for the next six weeks. The local library had a weekly

story-and-craft time aimed at four to eight year olds so that

filled in another morning each week, and Orion seemed to

like reading, so they'd borrowed an armload of books for

him during their visit, as well.

After Orion was in bed one night, Hugh had

Googled his neighborhood and ended up with a list of

things they both might be interested in doing together. The

stand-out activity was the local swimming pool.

Hugh smiled as they drove to the pool,

remembering. Even as a teenager, he'd been equally

attracted to men as to women. But he'd always imagined

himself getting married and having a couple of kids, so he'd

assumed Ms Right would turn up one day, and he'd fall in

love.

Instead, he'd had a very brief affair with Tallulah,

fallen asleep inside her instead of pulling out and disposing

of the condom, and three weeks later she'd found out she

was pregnant. He'd been thrilled at the idea of a child of his

own, and they'd gotten married in less than a month.

The only good part of their marriage had been

Orion. The moment the baby's red head had appeared he'd

named him Orion, "Son of Fire, Son of Light", and the

child had been the light of his life for the next two years.

His very first Father's Day had been the second best

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day in his life, after the day Orion was born, until this

Father's Day just past, when he'd had Orion living with him

again.

Tallulah had been a conscientious, caring mom, but

their personal relationship had never moved past casual

friendship and an occasional fast fuck. Tallulah had

decided she wanted to get on with her life, and reluctantly

Hugh'd agreed, but leaving Orion behind had devastated

him.

Now the child was living with him permanently, the

bridges between the two of them were being rebuilt. Hugh

hoped that, once they began swimming lessons together,

some distant memories might surface in Orion of the times

he'd taken the baby to infant swimming classes. They'd

swum together every Saturday morning for the twelve

months before he'd left.

Hugh also understood, now that he had a child to

rear by himself, any chance of him finding his Mr or Ms

Right had vanished. That was a sacrifice he was more than

willing to make because of the joy of being with his son

full-time again, at last.

* * * *

The children's pool was a pretty amazing place,

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Hugh thought, looking around. Way different from what he

remembered as a kid himself and considerably better than

the place he'd taken baby Orion to only five years ago.

One end had white tiles with no step in or anything,

and the water was only an inch deep. This was called "the

beach". Gradually a few blue tiles appeared among the

white, then the tiles were a mixture of blue and white, and

finally, they were only blue. At that point, the pool had

sides and the water was almost up to his knees. Hugh sat on

the side of the pool and watched as Orion joined some

other children playing under a series of poles on which

brightly colored "buckets" were mounted. One by one, the

buckets would empty onto the screaming children, who

thought it a wonderful game.

Then Orion moved across to the fountain, a series of

bubble blowers on the floor of the white-tiled section. One

or another of them would shoot water up into the air in a

random pattern as the children played within the jetting

sprays.

Hugh envied the children's ability to become instant

friends at such a simple activity. His life was sadly lacking

in such friendship at the moment.

A pair of long, tanned legs with just the faintest

smattering of black hair appeared in his peripheral vision,

then a figure in black board shorts sat down next to him.

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Hugh looked up into a kindly, intelligent face with

sparkling brown eyes and a worried frown creasing the

forehead. It was the man who'd spoken to them at the surf

shop. "Name's Quigley. I do hope you don't think I'm

stalking you, but I wanted to apologize for putting both feet

in my mouth this morning. I'm awfully sorry. I'm not

usually so insensitive and inept."

Hugh shook hands with Quigley, and then laughed

as they both wiped wet hands on equally wet swimwear.

"No, not at all. It was a natural thing to say to the

kid. He's only come to live with me in the last few months.

His mom's gotten a new man in her life who didn't want

Orion hanging around. I'm thrilled to have him living with

me. It's… different… but we'll adjust. I do want him."

Hugh saw Quigley's gaze resting on the children

who were now lying on their stomachs under the buckets.

"I've always loved kids but knew I'd never have one of my

own because I'm gay," said Quigley simply. Then he rushed

on. "I sponsor a couple of little girls in a third world

country through a charity. Girls in those places don't seem

to get much of a life unless someone helps. Sending them

to school gives them the hope of getting a job, and with a

job, they can avoid being married at puberty to some

middle-aged man."

"I'd never thought of it like that before. We'll do

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that too. I'll get Orion to help me choose a girl to be his

sponsored sister. We can write letters and exchange

pictures and stuff."

"It's very fulfilling and worthwhile both for the girls

and for me. I have their photographs and artwork on my

refrigerator like any other dad," said Quigley.

Both men sat silently for a while then Quigley said,

"Orion. Interesting name for the boy. You named him for

the constellation?"

"Son of fire, son of light. The moment he was born

and I saw his flame-red hair, I knew the name was perfect

for him."

"Not really surprising. Your hair is brownish-red. I

bet you were a redheaded kid."

The men chatted about their lives and jobs for a

while until a mother came to call the other children. Hugh

waved to Orion, and the boy splashed through the pool to

where Hugh sat with Quigley.

"Hey, you were in the store where we bought my

boardies," Orion said, looking at Quigley.

"Yes. I heard your dad say you were coming to the

swimming pool this afternoon, and I wanted to apologize to

you for hurting your feelings."

"Wow! You came to the pool just for me? Didn't

you want to swim in your new boardies yourself?"

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"I have two weeks' vacation, so I thought I might go

to the beach for a few days. Now I think I may stay home

and come to this swimming pool instead. It's really nice

here."

"Dad, can we go into the big pool now? Please?

Kids are only allowed there with a grownup." Orion turned

to Quigley and smiled. "You can come, too, if you wanna.

You know, test-drive your new boardies and all."

"Thank you, Orion. I'd like that." Quigley stretched

out his hand, and Orion shook it. "My name's Quigley.

Pleased to meet you, Orion."

Orion nodded then bounced up and down in the

water, splashing to the edge as the men followed him

through the complex, past the lap pool, to the deeper pool

where swimming and play were both permitted.

The three of them spent the next half hour doing a

little swimming, a little floating, and a lot of laughing as

they splashed and played, dunking each other and towing

Orion around the pool. Hugh was thrilled that the boy was

confident and at ease in the water, although only the most

doting of fathers would have called the boy's arm and leg

movements "swimming". Still, he stayed upright in the

water, and that was good enough for them all. Maybe those

infant swimming lessons had given him a head start after

all.

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Hugh was also impressed with Quigley. The man

had come to apologize to a child—something few adults

would have bothered to do—and stayed for the entire

afternoon, entertaining the boy and his father. He seemed to

be a genuinely nice person, upset that he'd hurt the feelings

of a child. He'd come prepared to apologize and now

happily relaxed with them in the pool.

I like him, and I'd enjoy spending more time with

him. But wasn't he planning to go on vacation? Or did he

say he'd spend time at the swimming pool? Well, I'm pretty

sure he said he had two weeks' vacation, anyway. And

wow! What I wouldn't give to spend a bit of that two weeks

with him. Who knew adults could make friends as easily as

kids? Or is Orion the catalyst that breaks down barriers?

As they stood under the showers together, Hugh

was trying to think of a way to ask if Quigley would be

coming back to the pool again when Orion did it for him.

"Mr Quigley, on Tuesday I go to craft class, and

Dad said we also need to stock up on groceries. Will you be

coming to the swimming pool at all on Monday and

Wednesday?"

"You can call me Quigley, Orion. It's my first name.

No need for the mister. I'm on vacation for two weeks, so

I'm a free man and can choose my activities. I'd like to meet

you and your dad here again on Monday and Wednesday."

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"Dad took a week off work when I first came to live

with him. That's two months ago. He has six whole weeks

off now. When he goes back to work, I'm going to summer

camp. Mom sent me to summer camp last year, but this will

be a different summer camp. They have kayaks, and I'm

going to learn how to paddle them. By then I'll be able to

swim real good because Dad is going to teach me how.

Aren't you, Dad?"

"Absolutely. You can already float. What say we all

meet here at two on Monday, then? That work for you?"

"Sounds like a plan."

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Chapter Two

The next few weeks settled into a pattern with

Hugh, Orion and Quigley meeting at the swimming pool

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons,

Orion going to craft classes on Tuesday, archery on Friday

and talking to Tallulah on Skype on Sunday evenings.

While Orion played in the kids' pool, Quigley and

Hugh sat on the side of the pool and talked. They talked

about their work, about politics, about the environment and

climate change. They talked about baseball and football,

about cars, kayaks, and motorcycles. Movies, books and

their childhoods were all fodder for their conversations,

broken by comments about Orion and the other children

and about teaching Orion to swim.

On the second Saturday, Quigley said, "I can't have

mentioned more than a couple hundred times I go back to

work Monday. I'm going to miss our trips to the swimming

pool. Would you both like to come out for a meal

somewhere with me tomorrow?" He grinned at Orion.

"Maybe we could go to a type of restaurant you've never

been to before. At camp they may expect you to eat weird

food, you know."

"It would have to be early. Tallulah Skypes Orion at

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seven-thirty."

"How about lunch, then? Would that work?"

"That would be awesome. Say yes, Dad, please."

"Of course. Thanks, Quigley, we'd love to come.

Where should we meet you and at what time?"

"Have you ever been to the Japanese Steakhouse?

The chefs are wonderful to watch and the food is very

good," asked Quigley.

"Oh, where they do the hibachi grill? I've heard

about it, but never been. Would you like that, Orion? The

chefs cook the food while you watch."

"Actually it's a teppanyaki grill. They use a flat-

surface grill heated by propane gas. Hibachi grills use an

open grate and are heated by charcoal. Jeez, I'm sounding

like a food advertisement. When I went, the chef stacked

onion rings into a volcano which was quite spectacular."

"An onion volcano?" Orion's eyes were round with

wonder.

"Yes, would you like to see that, Orion? Eat some

Japanese cooking?" asked Hugh.

"Yes, please, Dad, Quigley."

"How about we meet in the parking lot at noon

tomorrow, then?" suggested Quigley.

* * * *

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Quigley was excited that Hugh and Orion had

agreed to his invitation to the restaurant. He'd thought long

and hard about how to move their relationship to the next

level. Although he loved his job, in one way, going back to

work would put a real blockage in his romance plans. He

was incredibly attracted to Hugh, and Orion was a great

kid, smart and bold, yet polite. But it was Hugh he so

desperately wanted to know on a deeper level. They'd

talked and laughed and had fun together nine times over

two weeks, so surely that was long enough before they had

a real date.

Of course, what he wanted was to be in bed with

Hugh, to have Hugh pounding into his ass, sucking his

cock. To lick and suck every inch of Hugh's delicious body,

from his reddish-hair, down his muscled chest, to his long

toes. Hugh had made no secret of the fact that he was

bisexual. He seemed to be equally attracted to Quigley and,

hopefully, would be ready to move to the next stage.

Quigley just wasn't quite sure how sex would work with the

boy present. Screaming orgasms wouldn't be possible. Hell,

people with kids, even single parents, had sex all the time

so there had to be a way around the problem.

Just thinking about Hugh's delightfully sculpted

muscles, his strong thighs, sinewy calves, broad shoulders,

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and berry-brown nipples gave him the hard-on from hell.

Quigley just knew his cock would be perfect. Several times

as they'd been talking, he'd noticed Hugh's cock growing

inside those red board shorts. It looked to be a most

impressive package, and Quigley longed to suck every inch

of it down his throat, to play with Hugh's balls, to slide a

finger deep into Hugh's ass and watch his cum spurt over

them both, then to lick it all up.

Even if they didn't get as far as fucking, Quigley

was determined to kiss Hugh, to sink his tongue into the

other man's mouth, to taste and tease that warm cavern, and

to nibble his earlobes. Quigley wondered if Hugh realized

just how sexy his earlobes were. His ears were perfectly

shaped, a delicate pink, and begging to have a tongue thrust

inside and teeth nibbling the edges.

Right now, the big question was what to wear. He'd

heard how carefully Orion chose his clothes and wanted to

do justice to this first date with Hugh and the child. A

button-down shirt? Dress pants and dress shoes? Or

loafers? Hmm.

He finally decided on navy dress pants, black dress

shoes, and a pale blue button-down shirt left open at the

neck with the cuffs rolled up. When he arrived at the

Japanese Steakhouse, he was relieved to see Hugh had

chosen cargo pants, not jeans, and that Orion looked very

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smart in long brown shorts and a tan shirt that

complemented his flame-red hair.

But his gaze kept returning to Hugh, who looked

absolutely luscious in his beige pants and cream shirt. Good

enough to eat, and so delicious Quigley's cock was standing

up and begging to be touched, his ass clenching with the

need to be filled, his heart pounding with the hope that he

would have the chance to tell Hugh of his desire to make

love. Yeah, make love. He didn't just want to have sex with

this man; he wanted them to make love together.

Orion was entranced by the display the chef put on.

The man was a performer as much as a chef. He flipped

and caught foods with his spatula, chopping mounds of

vegetables with strokes so fast the human eye could

scarcely follow his movements. Next, he arranged onion

rings into a fire-shooting volcano. He concluded by

flipping a shrimp through the air to land in the center of

Orion's plate on top of a pile of noodles.

With their beef, onions, and noodles, they had

cabbage, zucchini, bean sprouts, and garlic chips. They all

ate every mouthful, and it was superb, but not half as

superb as the delectable man sitting opposite him at the

table. I'll die if we don't go to bed together tonight. I can't

wait another day!

Fortunately, by the looks Hugh was shooting him,

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Hugh's mind was running along the same pathway as his.

From the restaurant, they went to the children's

playground so Orion could run around after sitting still and

quiet throughout the long meal. Hugh took a large rubber

ball from the trunk of his car, and they played catch for a

while, then Orion was happy to climb over a wooden fort

and amuse himself.

"You are truly blessed. He's a good kid," said

Quigley. They sat on a seat watching the boy, Hugh idly

flipping the ball from one hand to the other.

"I always wanted a kid, and I don't regret having

that affair with his mother at all. Marrying her may not

have been the smartest thing I ever did, but I don't regret

that either, because I was there for his first smile, his first

word, when he started to crawl and walk. Having him with

me all the time now is the best gift she could have given

me. I love that boy so much it hurts," said Hugh softly.

"Son of fire, son of light," whispered Quigley.

"Exactly. All that's missing from my life now is that

special adult someone," said Hugh, looking straight into

Quigley's eyes.

Sweat broke out on Quigley's forehead, his palms

grew damp, his heart pounded against his ribs, and his cock

tried to force its way out of his pants. "These past two

weeks with you and the boy have become very special to

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me," he said softly.

"And you to me. We've talked so much it's as if

we've known each other for years, not a few weeks."

"I want us to know each other even better yet. To

take that next step. Into bed." Quigley was so nervous he

thought he might upchuck the wonderful meal he'd just

eaten. It seemed to be bouncing around in his belly and

forcing its way back up his throat. He made himself

swallow hard and hoped he didn't look pathetic and needy

to Hugh.

Fortunately, Hugh was smiling. "Yeah, that's what I

want too. Can you sleep over tonight?"

"I didn't pack a razor and toothbrush. Besides, how

will you explain it to the boy? Better I leave before he

wakes up."

"Orion's used to Tallulah's partners sleeping over so

I don't believe it'll worry him. Besides, when he first came

to live with me, I used to worry about him waking up in the

night, not remembering where he was. I used to check on

him every hour, and he never stirred. One night I dropped a

glass jar on the kitchen counter, and it smashed into a

million pieces. It sounded so loud I expected the neighbors

to be banging on my door complaining. But Orion didn't

even roll over in his sleep. Once that kid's asleep, he won't

notice anything, I'm sure. I want to fuck you so bad."

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The last sentence was almost soundless, but Quigley

heard it, and his heart raced harder. "I want that too."

They played some more with the ball, then chased

each other around the park, burning off some of the calories

they'd eaten. Nevertheless, Hugh made sure Orion was

home in good time to shower and get ready for bed before

Tallulah's call came through on Skype. Orion chattered

happily to his Mom for the usual fifteen minutes then called

to Hugh. "Mom wants to talk to you now, Dad."

Hugh walked over to the computer, which was set

up in a corner of his living room, and Quigley could hear

the conversation easily as Tallulah explained she and Ron

had decided to backpack around Europe for a few months.

"I've always wanted to go to Rome, and Ron wants

to see England, so we'll backpack through Europe for a few

months then come home and settle down and have a couple

kids. I'll send you some postcards, Orry, and you can come

visit with us for a week at Thanksgiving, or maybe

Christmas. With a bit of luck, by this time next year, you'll

be able to visit again and meet your new baby brother or

sister."

Ouch! I hope Orion takes that okay. What kind of a

name is Orry? He's a kid, not a dog!

Quigley watched carefully as they logged off the

computer, but Orion didn't seem upset. There was a slight

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crease between Hugh's brows though. Quigley really hoped

Hugh hadn't just been hurt all over again even though the

marriage had been off for a long time. Hadn't they divorced

when the boy was two? That had been four years ago, so it

was only to be expected she'd have found a new man, be

wanting to start a new family.

Quigley joined them as Hugh read a couple chapters

from one of the children's books they'd borrowed from the

library, then said goodnight to the little boy.

"Mommy always says she loves me. She said a boy

needs his father. I'm glad I live with you now, Daddy. But

you won't mind when I visit Mommy at Thanksgiving, will

you?"

"I'll miss you, Orion. But it'll be a nice visit for you.

I'm so glad you live with me now." Hugh hugged Orion

fiercely, and Quigley saw the hint of moisture in his eyes.

When Hugh shut Orion's door, Quigley raised an

eyebrow, but Hugh nodded. "He likes it shut. I wanted to

leave it open when he first came, but he said he was used to

having it shut."

Quigley shrugged. It was none of his business,

really, but it would make things easier for them if they did

get to bed. He still desperately wanted them to go to bed

together. However, after this news from Tallulah…

"Coffee?" suggested Hugh, and they walked into the

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kitchen together.

"Will your ex-wife travelling overseas upset your

plans?" Quigley asked carefully.

"No. It was pretty obvious when she didn't want

him living with her anymore that she was changing her

lifestyle with this new man. In fact, if they're traveling,

likely it makes it easier for Orion. Backpacking's no life for

a kid, and he's settled and happy here. You don't get a

passport and immunizations organized overnight though, so

I bet she's known they were leaving for a while. She just

didn't tell him until now."

They sat sipping their coffee in silence. God, Hugh

looked sexy, his tongue poking out to lick the edge of his

mug, his head thrown back as he swallowed the last of his

coffee. Hugh made drinking coffee a sexual act. Quigley's

cock was once again harder than a spike, pushing against

his pants, begging to get out.

Quigley spread his legs wider apart, trying to ease

the ache in his cock and balls. Every nerve ending was on

fire, and all he could think about was getting naked with

this man.

"Got a problem there I can help you with?" asked

Hugh, laughter in his eyes and a smile breaking across his

face.

"I…"

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"Here, let me." Hugh kneeled in front of Quigley

and gently eased the zipper down his dress pants, careful

not to catch Quigley's bulging erection in the teeth.

As the zipper lowered, Quigley gratefully wiggled

his butt and let his balls spread out farther.

"Nice boxers," said Hugh as he lifted Quigley's hot,

aching dick out from its blue silk confinement.

Hugh ran a finger up the length of Quigley's shaft,

pressing the pad into the long vein. "Ahh," moaned

Quigley, worried he'd come on the spot if Hugh did that

again.

"You like that?" asked Hugh, trailing a nail over the

top of his cock and making pre-cum bead in the slit.

"God, yes. I'll come if you do much more to it. I'm

on the edge here."

"We've got all night. No reason why we both can't

come two or three times. It's been a long time for me. I'm

looking forward to reaming your ass real good, but I reckon

I won't last more than a minute the first time I get inside

you, so let's make sure you have some fun now."

"What about Orion?" protested Quigley.

"Truly, in all this time, he's never once stirred once

I've put him to bed. Never, ever called out, far less left his

room. He likes to be wrapped up under the blankets, his

door shut tight, in his own little world."

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With those words, Hugh sank his mouth over

Quigley's tortured dick and sucked him in deep. His cock

was in heaven. Hugh's mouth was hot and wet, and the

suction was just right, enough to tease and torment but not

quite enough to send him over the edge.

Quigley ran his fingers through Hugh's red-brown

hair, loving the silky touch of it, enjoying the way the

colors shifted and blended as Hugh moved his head over

the cock. Soon Quigley had to hang on to Hugh as Hugh

was scraping his teeth over his cock now, and it was damn

hard not to let go of his discipline and come. Oh, hell, he

wanted to last a little longer.

Hugh's mouth eased back a fraction as his tongue

played along the length of Quigley's shaft, running up the

vein, sliding under the head, poking into his slit. Once

again, Quigley gasped, his hips thrusting up into Hugh's

mouth of their own volition.

Quigley felt his balls draw up tighter and harder,

and the base of his spine tingled. Hugh sucked him deep,

deeper, deeper still, until the head of his cock was resting

on the back of Hugh's throat, and Quigley couldn't hold on

any longer. Biting his lip so he wouldn't shout and wake up

Orion despite what Hugh had said, he unleashed his control

and let the explosion burst up his spine, out through his

cock, his cum hitting the back of Hugh's throat as he jetted

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stream after stream of hot seed into Hugh's mouth.

Hugh sucked and swallowed, then sucked again as

Quigley released a final spurt.

"So good," Quigley whispered.

Hugh lifted his face from Quigley's groin and

grinned, then licked his lips.

They stood together then kissed, sharing Quigley's

taste, sucking each other's tongue, running their own

tongues inside each other's cheeks and behind teeth.

"So hot," murmured Hugh.

"You're hot. I haven't come so hard in a very long

time," replied Quigley.

"But you will again later tonight. Let's go to bed."

"Good plan."

Silently they walked through into Hugh's bedroom

and undressed, stepping out of their shoes, leaving their

pants on the floor where they fell, dropping shirts and

underwear on top of the rest of their clothes, then rolling

into the big bed together.

Hugh grabbed lube and a condom from the

nightstand, and Quigley lay on his front, spreading his legs

wide apart so his ass was readily accessible.

He'd waited so long for this and wanted it so very

much he could hardly believe it was about to happen at last.

He had to trust that Hugh really knew what he was saying

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about Orion never waking up, or leaving his room at night.

He really liked Orion. He was a good little kid, but the last

thing Quigley needed was an underage audience to their

sex play. He hoped like hell Hugh was right and the child

wouldn't wake up any time soon.

Then his brain stopped functioning as all the nerve

endings in his ass sat up and begged. Hugh had a wicked

way with his stroking, educated fingers that touched

Quigley in the most sensitive places. It wasn't five minutes

since his last orgasm, and already his cock was springing to

life again.

Hugh had two fingers in his ass now, massaging

cool gel into his hot walls, stretching and softening his

tissues, opening him wide to receive Hugh's cock.

It'd been a long time since Quigley'd had a partner.

Over the years, he'd had half a dozen brief relationships,

the last one nearly two years ago. The only long-term one

had been almost twenty years ago, when he was fresh out

of college and newly out of the closet. At the time, he'd

expected their romance to last forever. Of course they'd

grown up, become interested in different things, drifted

apart and eventually separated. They'd reluctantly admitted

that mentally they'd been solo for months, just living out

the shell of a defunct partnership.

His most recent significant other, Rafe, had been a

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mistake from the beginning. They were both lonely and had

nothing in common outside the bedroom. Truthfully, they

had little in common even in bed, and the sex had never

been better than mediocre. They'd quite quickly agreed to

part.

That was one reason he'd taken two weeks to invite

Hugh to dinner. He wasn't looking for a pity fuck—he had

several excellent dildos— and the child was a huge

complication. But the more he saw of Hugh, the more he

wanted him. They'd talked, really talked, and had deep,

meaningful conversations. As for the little boy with his

daddy's sparkling green eyes, Quigley was already halfway

in love with the child and keen to share in his life. Besides,

he was back at work tomorrow, and although he loved his

job, he'd sure as hell miss spending time with Hugh and

Orion.

Hugh's mouth pressed soft kisses to Quigley's

shoulder and neck, and Quigley shivered with the eroticism

of Hugh's touch. "Mmm," he murmured softly.

"I think you're ready for me now," said Hugh, with

a light slap to Quigley's buttocks.

"At last!" Quigley breathed. He pulled himself up

onto all fours, watching over his shoulder as Hugh rolled

the latex over his cock, a cock every bit as delicious as he'd

imagined, long and thick with a flared head and the blue

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vein standing out clearly against his fair skin.

Quigley braced himself as Hugh guided his

cockhead to Quigley's opening and pressed. Quigley

breathed out, then as soon as he felt the cock breach the

muscled rim, he thrust back hard, ramming Hugh inside

him to the hilt, reveling in the sudden burst of sensation,

the feeling of intense fullness after such a long time without

a real cock in him.

"Hell! Slow down or this'll be all over before it's

begun," said Hugh.

"I thought you said we have all night to do it several

times so it didn't matter how fast the first time was,"

Quigley quoted back at Hugh, trying not to laugh at the

look on Hugh's face.

"Well, yes, but I was hoping to get a few strokes in

first," Hugh joked back. He pulled his cock almost all the

way out and gripped hard onto Quigley's hips to prevent

him from pushing again just yet.

Hugh began a slow, steady thrust and retreat,

powering in hard and deep then slowly sliding almost out.

He rolled his hips to scrape his cock along Quigley's walls,

causing Quigley to shiver in need, his cock standing

straight up against his belly and already dripping pre-cum.

Quigley took his weight on his knees and just one

arm, wrapping his other fist around his cock and stroking it

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in time with Hugh's pounding in his ass. When Hugh was

deep inside him, he clenched his ass muscles with all his

strength and was rewarded by a deep groan from Hugh,

who then sped up his rhythm, pushing harder, faster, a little

more raggedly.

Sweat slicked both their bodies, and their breathing

was loud and heavy. Quigley added a little twist to his hand

movements and a regular clenching of his inner muscles.

"Gonna come," warned Hugh.

Quigley dropped his hand from his cock to the bed

and swiveled his hips while holding his inner muscles tight.

Hugh's cock dragged along his walls, pinged his

prostate, and a burst of heat told him Hugh had come. In

that moment, Hugh's hand curved under his body and

tugged hard on his cock. He exploded over Hugh's hand

and his own belly, hot streams of ropey white cum jetting

from him as if he hadn't already orgasmed once that night.

Hugh pressed his body onto Quigley's back, his

nipples hard little points digging in. Quigley twisted his

head for a kiss, then they collapsed onto the bed together,

sweaty and panting, but sated and fulfilled.

Hugh pulled out from him and dealt with the

condom, then they lay together, face to face, and snuggled

and kissed. It was wonderful to hold a living, breathing,

naked man in his arms once again. Quigley hadn't realized

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just how much he'd missed the human contact until he had

Hugh in his arms.

Quigley pressed kisses across Hugh's face, along his

jaw line, on the tip of his nose, across his forehead and

brows, then he did what he'd imagined himself doing. He

sucked Hugh's earlobe into his mouth, licking around the

shell, nibbling on the cartilage and flicking his tongue

inside.

"Damn that's sexy," Hugh whispered.

"You're sexy," Quigley murmured.

"Let's take a nap and we'll see how sexy we can be

together again," suggested Hugh.

Snuggled together, they napped, but only briefly.

Quigley had wanted to lick and suck every inch of Hugh,

and he wasn't wasting their precious time alone together in

sleep.

He sank down the bed until he was level with

Hugh's knees, lifted the other man's legs high into the air,

and sucked the tender skin behind the knee, first one leg,

then the other. He moved a little higher and began licking

and sucking the sensitive skin of Hugh's inner thighs. Hugh

let his legs flop widely apart to give Quigley better access.

Quigley moved between Hugh's legs and bent his

head to his task, painting circles and spirals on the skin

with his tongue, blowing on the wet skin with warm puffs

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of air, and gradually working his way toward Hugh's

cock—a cock that was already growing again in its nest of

red-brown curls.

Deliberately ignoring Hugh's unspoken invitation,

Quigley licked along the crease between Hugh's leg and his

torso, up onto his belly and across to his bellybutton. He

nibbled carefully all around the edge of flesh before letting

his tongue dive into the indentation and swirl around the

sides and across the bottom of it.

Hugh groaned, thrusting his cock and his hips up

into the air.

Quigley grinned, but kept moving steadily north,

nibbling his way up the center of Hugh's body, occasionally

pulling on the chest hairs with his teeth, up the abs,

continuing until he reached a brown little nipple. Quigley

nudged it back and forth with his nose while he licked the

flesh around it, ignoring Hugh's increasingly frantic pelvic

and chest movements. Finally, he relented and sucked the

small button into his mouth, biting down on the tip just

hard enough to send an erotic flash though his own body.

He hoped he'd done the same to Hugh, and judging by the

man's moans, he'd been successful.

After thoroughly licking and sucking both nipples,

Quigley took possession of Hugh's mouth, teasing and

tasting every inch of it before drawing his tongue deep into

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his own mouth and savoring his flavor. Hugh grabbed his

head, his fingers threading through Quigley's hair. Hugh

twined his legs around Quigley's lower limbs, and Hugh

took command of the kiss, cranking it up from sensual to

steamy in a heartbeat.

For frantic seconds, they drank from each other's

mouths, rubbed their nipples together, dragged their cocks

against each other, and kissed harder and deeper than

Quigley could ever remember kissing before. When they

broke apart, they both glistened with sweat, their chests

heaving to drag in air.

"Sixty-nine?" suggested Quigley.

"Good plan," gasped Hugh in reply.

Swiftly Quigley turned himself upside down,

leaning on one elbow, his upper leg wide apart, the foot flat

on the mattress to give Hugh maximum access. Their

bodies were side by side with just a little overlap, and lots

of delicious skin-on-skin sensations.

First, he licked up the side of Hugh's engorged, red

cock, trailing his tongue along the blue vein that stood out

clearly against such fair skin. Quigley deliberately pushed

the tip of his tongue down as he dragged it along to

heighten the sensation for Hugh. The sensation of the cock

pumping under his tongue was turning him on unbelievably

fast.

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Next, he slid the very tip of his tongue into the eye

of Hugh's dick, collecting a pearly drop of pre-cum. Damn,

but the man tasted delicious—salty, yet tart and spicy, all at

the same time.

Quigley dropped his free hand to Hugh's balls,

gently rolling them across his palm, loving the slightly

tougher texture of this skin and the feel of the heavy sac in

his hand. As he played with the balls, he opened his mouth

wide to take in as much of Hugh's erection as possible. In

this position, he couldn't tilt his head back as far as he

would have liked to, but he was still able to suck quite a lot

of his partner deep into his mouth.

Quigley focused on licking up the cock, playing

with the ridge where the head joined the stalk then sucking

the cock deep into his mouth. Damn, concentration was

difficult when Hugh was doing such amazing things with

Quigley's own dick. The man surely had a talented mouth.

Hugh seemed to know instinctively what to do to make

Quigley shiver with the need to come.

Hell, he'd come twice already tonight; he shouldn't

have had it in him to come again this fast, but he really was

going to blast it all out again soon. His cock was full and

aching, his balls were drawn up tight, and there was no way

he was going to last much longer.

Desperately Quigley put all his efforts into

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pleasuring the cock in his mouth. He teased and tantalized,

licked, nibbled, and sucked. And was rewarded with an

explosion of hot seed firing from Hugh straight against the

back of his throat. Quigley redoubled his efforts to lick and

suck the last of Hugh's cum as he relaxed his hold on his

own iron control and erupted into Hugh's mouth. He was

shaking and spasming so hard it was difficult to lick Hugh

neatly, but somehow, he managed it before flopping onto

his back and gasping with the power of the release.

Hugh tugged on his arm, pulling him up the bed.

Quigley grabbed the sheets and pulled them up with him,

then wrapped in each other's arms, their two heads together

on the same pillow, they fell asleep.

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Chapter Three

Hugh hadn't wanted Quigley to leave so very early

in the morning, but the man did have to go to work, after

all. Orion seemed disappointed to find Quigley not there

when he got up, too.

"It's not going to be as much fun at the swimming

pool without Quigley," the child said as he made hills and

valleys with the muesli in his bowl.

"No, we'll miss him. Maybe you can learn some

more swimming to show him on Saturday when he comes

there again."

"I swim pretty good already. But I can't dive real

well. Can you teach me to dive?"

"Sure. You already have your toes on the edge of

the pool and your hands and arms right. It's just a matter of

kicking your legs up and keeping them straight."

"No, I mean off the springboard. I want to do a real

dive."

Hugh looked into the green eyes so like his own.

While a straight dive was actually quite difficult to do

properly, a tuck dive, with the body folded into a ball and

the hands holding the shins, was quite easy. He should be

able to teach Orion to do that before Saturday. "Okay, I'll

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teach you to do a tuck dive. But you have to get good at it

from the side of the pool before you go onto the

springboard. Coming off the board, you'll go much deeper

into the pool than you're used to from just jumping in.

You'll need to hold your breath for longer and swim up to

the surface farther so you'd better know what you're doing

first."

"Awesome, Daddy! Can we go to the swimming

pool right now?"

"You'd better finish off your breakfast first. Then

we'll do our regular chores. It won't take us more than an

hour though, then we'll go to the pool."

Barely an hour later, Orion rushed them straight to

the adult pool to begin learning to dive. He concentrated so

hard and climbed in and out of the pool so many times,

Hugh's head was spinning. Finally, he had to call a halt to

the lessons. "Orion, you're using your muscles differently

from normal. You need to take a break or they'll ache

tomorrow and you'll be in pain."

"Aww, Dad, I have to be able to do this by Saturday

to show Quigley."

"Yes, but if you pull a muscle, you won't be able to

swim at all for a few days. Better to slow down. Slow and

steady wins the race."

"What?"

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"Come with me to the children's pool. We'll sit over

the bubble fountains in the warm water, and I'll tell you the

story of the tortoise and the hare."

Orion groaned but followed Hugh through the

complex to the children's pool then lay on his tummy and

listened to Hugh tell the old story.

"That hare was just stupid. Only an idiot would take

a nap in the middle of a challenge."

Hugh pulled his son onto his lap for a hug. "That's

true; it was a stupid thing to do. Sometimes people do silly

things because they are sure they're right. We always need

to think before we act."

Hugh looked down into Orion's little face and felt a

burst of pride as the child nodded and agreed with him.

"And we have to keep going and going and never give up,

because we might still win even if we think we can't!"

"Exactly right."

* * * *

On Wednesday, Hugh let Orion dive from the

springboard for the first time, and by Thursday, the child

was doing passable tuck dives every time.

"Quigley's going to be very impressed, Orion,"

Hugh said proudly.

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"That's on Saturday. Can we see him on Sunday as

well? Maybe for lunch again?" Orion asked, hope shining

brightly in his eyes.

"I've missed him too," said Hugh. So very, very

much! "How about you and I organize a picnic in the park,

then? You need to understand though he may not be able to

come. Now that he's back at work he only has the weekend

to do his chores."

"Why don't we ask him to supper sometimes too?

He has to eat supper, and so do we, so that would save him

some time," Orion said.

Hugh laughed. "Let's just ask about the picnic first,

then we'll see."

* * * *

When Quigley told people he worked in a hospital,

most of them automatically assumed he was a doctor. In

fact, he regularly received mail addressed to Dr. Quigley.

Quigley was his given name, though, not his last name. He

was Quigley David Young, not someone-or-other Quigley.

Not only wasn't he a doctor, he wasn't a nurse either, or a

porter, or a security guard. He was a hospital administrator,

with a double degree in Public Health and in Business

Management. He was someone who sat in an office and

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juggled the contradictory demands for the hospital to run

profitably, with the needs for people to be given good

health care, and for medical and other staff to have the

equipment and services they needed—an impossible

mixture of conflicting demands. Yet he enjoyed the

challenges, reveled in the balancing and juggling required,

and rejoiced every time he miraculously pulled the required

rabbit out of his hat.

Despite all that, he missed Hugh terribly. They'd

had one night together, a brilliantly satisfactory night, but it

was still only one night. He missed throwing that rubber

ball to Orion and Hugh. He missed seeing Hugh's lovely

bare chest in his red board shorts. He missed his glorious

green eyes and Orion's matching gaze. When they both

looked at him, it was almost like seeing double.

At night after work, Quigley found himself surfing

websites for houses with a yard where a small boy could

play and two men could live together. It had to be in a good

neighborhood for kids, but a tolerant one for gay men, and

not too long a commute for either himself or Hugh. Also,

he realized he'd better check out the local schools and

daycare arrangements too. Hell, this was going to be hard.

At least as hard as the balancing and juggling he did at his

job in the hospital.

But negative thoughts kept intruding in his plans.

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What if it wasn't what Hugh wanted? What if Hugh didn't

want the relationship to deepen any further or wasn't

interested in considering them moving in together? Was he

getting ahead of himself here? Was it too soon?

Resolutely, Quigley thrust those thoughts to the

back of his mind and continued his search for

neighborhoods and houses with yards.

Thursday night after work, he did his grocery

shopping for the next week and cleaned his apartment.

Friday after work, he did all his laundry then packed a

swimming bag and an overnight bag. Just in case. He didn't

want anything to stand between him and the opportunity to

spend time with Hugh and Orion.

Saturday morning, he was standing on the stoop at

the surf shop when it opened. He'd seen people at the pool

playing on long, foam tube things that supported them in

the water. They weren't precisely a flotation device, but

they did offer support, and kids seemed to ride them like a

horse and have races in the water with them or lie back in

the water using them to support their necks. He wanted to

get them all one. They seemed like a fun toy.

He found them at the side of the store, labeled Pool

Noodles. Well, at least now he knew what they were called.

Quigley chose a blue one, a green one, and a red one then

made his way to the checkout. As he was about to get in

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line, the idea that Orion liked to copy Hugh drifted through

his mind. Thoughtfully he went back to the display and

replaced the green and blue noodles, getting out two more

red ones. He knew they both liked red, so they'd all have

red noodles.

* * * *

His damn dick was harder than a spike. He could

pound nails with it for sure. Thank God his black board

shorts were baggy. He'd likely be arrested for indecent

exposure if he was wearing Speedos as many of the men

did. Not that he didn't want to see Hugh in a teeny tiny pair

of swim briefs. Oh yeah. He'd like to see the brown hair on

his chest trailing down, pointing to heaven, his cock a neat

bulge in the Speedos. They'd be red, of course. Red seemed

to be Hugh's favorite color. At least Hugh never wore a

swim shirt, so he got to stare at the man's muscled

shoulders and nice pecs. Hugh had a truly delightful chest,

highly lickable, with just that faint trace of hair. Hugh's

chest hair was so soft, perfect for running his fingers

through as they slid across to tweak his nipples or trailed

south to Hugh's glorious cock.

Desperately, Quigley pulled his mind away from

luscious Hugh before his cock exploded and got him into

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real trouble.

He'd arrived far too early at the swimming pool,

longing to see Hugh again and Orion. Orion was the first

small child he'd really known. The kids of some of his

work colleagues had never entranced him the way Orion

did. He was sometimes just a little boy, yet at other times

the things he said and did were so mature, well above his

age. The kid was a thinker and bright as a button, a child to

be proud of. Son of fire, son of light. Hugh had named him

very appropriately.

Quigley sat on the edge of the children's swimming

pool idly watching a young mother with a baby girl. The

woman looked to be maybe twenty years old and had

excess flesh bulging out of her swimsuit. Her eyes were

only on her daughter, and the baby was happily splashing

in the water bubbling up from the fountain. The mother was

laughing and splashing with the infant. They were totally

absorbed in each other and the water and full of joy.

Happiness comes from within. You're the master of

your own destiny. She doesn't care she hasn't got the

perfect figure. She's completely happy with her baby. I

would be happy with Hugh. Orion is the icing on the cake.

They're my fire and light. Hugh fires up every nerve ending

in my body, and both he and Orion light up my life. I will

talk to Hugh about moving our relationship deeper and

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further.

Just then Quigley heard the sexy rumble of Hugh's

voice. "We're at least half an hour early, Orion. Likely he

won't be here yet."

Then he heard Orion's piping treble. "Yes, I know,

Daddy, but I didn't want to be late."

That sound was followed by a shrill squeal and a

small body hurtling across the concourse toward him.

"Quigley! You're here!"

Quigley opened his arms to hug the little body

throwing itself at him.

"I've missed you, Quigley. I told Dad we should all

have supper together sometimes during the week, and he

said yes. You have to eat supper so that won't use up too

much of your time, will it?"

"No, it won't. I've missed you, too. Both of you. I

think having supper together regularly is a great idea."

Orion tugged on Quigley's arm.

"Come on. I've got something to show you. I've

practiced, and I've practiced, and I'm good. I'm good, aren't

I, Dad?"

Without waiting for a reply, Orion hustled them all

to the adult pool and hurried to line up at the springboards.

"He's started diving?" Quigley was trying hard not

to drool at the wonderful picture Hugh made, his eyes a

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deep sparkling green, his hair tousled from getting changed,

his delicious, muscular chest nakedly on display.

"Uh-huh. Watch."

When it was his turn, Orion walked to the end of the

springboard and waved to them. Then he stood with his

toes over the edge and did a perfect tuck dive, hands

holding his shins, body curled, toes pointed.

When the flame-red head bobbed up out of the

water, Quigley was clapping. He wanted the child to see

straight away how impressed he was.

"That was perfect, absolutely perfect! I'm proud of

you, Orion," he said as the boy bounced across to him.

"I wanted to have something new to show you. I'm

going to learn a pike dive next, but Dad said they're harder,

so it'll take a while to get it good."

"Your tuck dive was amazing. I'm very impressed.

Anyone who learned a tuck dive so fast will defeat the pike

dive, too," Quigley said.

"Do you want to see me do it again?"

"Of course."

Orion hurried off to line up at the springboard

again, and Quigley let his eyes rest on Hugh. "He's a good

kid, your boy," he finally said.

"He is. He likes you too. He's missed you this

week."

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"Me too. I've missed you so much it hurts."

"Let's not spend so long apart again."

"Hell, no."

When Orion got tired of showing off his new skills,

Quigley went and got the noodles from his locker, and they

spent a happy half hour chasing each other on them and

having make-believe horse races up and down the pool.

Then they moved to the children's pool so Orion could play

while he and Hugh sat in their usual place on the side of the

pool down at the deeper end, and they talked quietly about

the past week. While their spoken conversation was light

and venue-appropriate, the subtext of their message and the

hot glances they were sharing were decidedly X-rated.

"My cock's killing me. It wants inside you so bad,"

Hugh finally whispered.

"I've been thinking of nothing else since you

arrived," Quigley replied.

"Tonight."

"Oh yeah."

* * * *

They returned to the adult pool and swam some

more. Afterwards, they played catch with the rubber ball

and had a picnic in the park. They played catch with the

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ball there too. Then Orion climbed in the wooden fort with

a few other children, and Hugh and Quigley were able to

whisper to each other some of the things they'd like to do

and body parts they wanted to touch.

"I've got to get my mind off your body or my balls

will burst," said Hugh.

Quigley grinned then said what he'd been thinking

all week. "I've been surfing the net a bit, looking for a

neighborhood where a boy could have a backyard to play

in, and two men living together wouldn't be out of place."

Hugh's eyes lit up. "I know it's not even a month

yet, but I missed you so bad this week. I've been thinking

about living together, at least as a trial. A trial was all I'd let

myself hope for, with Orion to consider. I haven't said

anything because my apartment is crowded with just two of

us in it." Then his face dropped. "Ah, shit. Orion has just

moved schools. It wouldn't be fair to move him again."

"We wouldn't have to. Since he goes to a private

school, as long as we weren't too far away, he could go to

daycare before and after school, and one of us could pick

him up and drop him off. It'd have to be a daycare he liked

though if he was spending time with them every day."

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't like leaving him in daycare

because we were so new to each other. He had less than

two months at school before vacation started. We'll have

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had these six weeks together, and we're pretty relaxed

around each other now. He doesn't seem to be missing

Tallulah too much, although once she stops Skyping him

each Sunday, that might change."

"I know Orion likes me, but will he mind if we start

living together? You know, sharing a bedroom and being

with you?"

"Orion doesn't remember me living with him

before, but he's grown up with Tallulah's boyfriends, many

of whom have slept over and some of whom have moved

in. Now, okay, this is two men, not a man and a woman,

but I really think he's young enough that he'll be okay with

it because he likes you. We'll definitely need to make him

part of the process though, choosing a house and a

neighborhood and all."

"There's a few more weeks before school starts. By

next Sunday, we might have a suitable neighborhood to

look at," said Quigley. He then told Hugh about some of

the things he had learned in his web searches.

They talked about various localities each knew were

accepting of non-traditional families and several were an

easy commute to both their jobs. One in particular was not

far from where Hugh and Orion were currently living, so

they decided to start their house search there.

Then Orion was running back to them talking about

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supper, and it was time to go home and prepare a meal.

Then bed. Oh God, bed with Hugh again at last! I

can't wait to feel him pounding in my ass.

* * * *

Hugh loved Orion with his entire heart and would

be forever grateful to Tallulah for giving him the child, but

he was still relieved when the boy was tucked up in his bed,

story read, door shut, and finally the adult games could

begin.

He raised a querying eyebrow at Quigley and

nodded in the direction of his bedroom. Quigley's face

almost split in half with a broad grin, and Hugh's gaze

dropped to the man's package. Oh yeah, Quigley was

aroused and ready for action.

Hugh wrapped an arm over Quigley's shoulders,

and the other man responded by placing his arm around

Hugh's waist, pulling them hard together, hip to hip. As if

Quigley had read his mind, when Hugh turned his head to

kiss him, Quigley was already looking at him, brown eyes

sparkling, lips slightly parted.

Hugh dived in for the kiss, relishing Quigley's lips,

hard and soft at the same time, against his, his manly,

earthly, spicy scent, his taste of coffee, and that indefinable

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something which made him unique. "You taste so good,"

he whispered softly.

"You too. I want you inside me now."

The words inflamed Hugh. His cock wanted out of

his jeans so bad it was about to break his zipper. He needed

Quigley naked, in his arms, right now.

Hastily they finished the journey to his room, then

he shut the door silently and pulled Quigley back into his

arms again. Their noses rubbed together as they were in too

much of a hurry to get the angle of their lips right. He

pushed Quigley's shirt up, longing to feel his skin, and ran

his hands up that muscular back, loving the hard muscles

beneath his palms.

Their cocks ground against each other through the

layers of clothing. Their hips pressed to each other as they

kissed deep and hard, mouths open, tongues tangling,

passion pouring from them both through their lips, hands

and bodies.

Finally, they broke apart, needing to gasp for air.

"Undress. Bed. Can't wait any longer," he murmured.

Hugh wanted to watch Quigley get undressed,

wanted to see that wonderful body gradually be revealed.

However, his cock was so ready for action he was worried

he'd come in his pants like a teenager if he became any

more aroused. As it was, he knew he wouldn't be able to

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last as long as he should.

He unbuckled his belt and dropped his jeans,

grateful to give his aching cock some more space. It only

took a moment to kick his shoes and socks off, to pull his

shirt over his head, and to sit on the side of the bed and take

out condoms and lube. He got out the whole box of

condoms this time as he knew one, or even two, wouldn't

be enough tonight. Quigley was sleeping over, and he was

damn well not going to do a lot of sleeping. Tomorrow was

Sunday, not a work day, so they could fuck 'til they

dropped. Oh yeah! What a plan!

Quigley rolled onto the bed, lay on his back and

spread his legs, holding them up with his forearms. "See

anything you like?" he asked.

"Maybe," he teased, leaning forward and biting one

of Quigley's ass cheeks. They both drew in quick breaths,

and Hugh saw a pearly drop of cum bead at the top of

Quigley's cock. He leaned over to lick it, rolled his tongue

around that long, hot erection, then slid it all the way down,

across his balls, and to his puckered rosette.

He shuddered with delight at the heady eroticism of

that act and hastily rolled on a condom. Then he squeezed

lube over the latex and onto two fingers, sliding them deep

into Quigley's dark channel, before twisting them to

massage his walls.

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Hugh looked up in time to catch the lustful

expression on Quigley's face and kissed him while his

fingers probed and twisted in the man's ass. "God, that's

hot," he said, his own cock now weeping pre-cum between

their bodies.

"So is that." Quigley nodded his head toward

Hugh's cock. It was long and fat, standing upright, and

leaning toward Quigley. Hastily he squirted more lube into

Quigley's anus and massaged it into the walls. If he didn't

get inside soon, it'd be too late!

"Enough. I can't wait," groaned Quigley.

Hugh dropped the lube onto the nightstand and

leaned back against the headboard, shoving the pillows

behind his back and opening his legs wide. "Climb aboard."

Quigley straddled him, then using his strong thigh

muscles, crouched lower and lower as Hugh guided his

aching dick to the entrance of Quigley's hole. He popped

easily through the softened sphincter ring and slid deep

inside that hot cavern, the heat and wetness nearly making

him come on the spot.

Quigley sighed and sat down on Hugh's lap,

accepting the last inch of Hugh's dick with a happy smile.

"I've waited so long for this. You feel wonderful."

"You're so hot and tight; I'm not going to last long

this time," Hugh warned him.

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"I don't want slow; I want fast. We can do slow next

time."

"Good plan." Hugh grabbed tight hold of Quigley's

hips, and they moved together, both using their leg muscles

as they separated and came together, sliding Hugh's cock in

and out of Quigley's ass.

The first time Quigley clenched his ass muscles,

Hugh nearly lost it, but he stayed still, drew in some deep

breaths, and managed to hold himself together. He began

stroking in and out again.

Not all the control in the world could make this time

last very long. They were both way beyond aroused, needy,

and desperate for completion.

Quigley tugged on his cock as their hips and thighs

moved up and down in unison. Then Quigley buried his

face in Hugh's shoulder as his cock erupted between their

bodies, spraying hot seed onto their chests. Hugh relaxed

his control and spurted hard into the condom, coming again

and again as Quigley clenched his ass muscles and wiggled

his hips.

They clung together breathlessly for long moments

as their heart rates slowed down then kissed gently but

thoroughly with sensuous lip movements.

"Time for a shower," said Quigley.

"Sounds like a plan."

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Carefully they untangled themselves then headed

for the shower, Hugh surprised by how weak and wobbly

his legs were. Damn he'd come hard, harder than with

anyone else he could remember, but no harder than he'd

come last week with Quigley. Proves this relationship is

meant to be, he thought.

They leaned into each other as the water warmed

up, then took turns soaping each other's back, shampooing

each other's hair, sharing kisses and touches at every turn.

Once they were dry, they knotted their towels

around their waists and moved into the kitchen for coffee.

"This is so good, sitting here together. I can't wait

until we can do this every evening."

"Yeah. Me too. But I don't want Orion thinking he

has been pushed aside in any way. He has to be your top

priority when he's awake."

"I don't think that will be a problem. Tallulah has

always been an excellent mother, but I'm pretty sure there's

almost always been a man in her life. Orion's used to being

alone in his room, entertaining himself, things like that.

"When he first came to live with me, I hated him

being out of my sight, and he used to say, 'Dad, I can do it',

when I wanted to do things for him, or watch him do

things."

"Then why did she send him to you for good now,

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instead of just for when she's overseas?"

"She wants to have a few more kids while she's still

young, and I don't think Ron wanted Orion as well. When

he first arrived, sometimes Orion almost seemed to think

Tallulah didn't love him anymore, but underneath it, I think

he understands it was Ron. He knows I want him, always

wanted him, and I'm pretty sure he knows Tallulah does

still love him."

"No one could fail to see how much you adore that

boy," Quigley replied softly. "I like him a lot. I missed his

company while we were apart."

"He missed you too. Learning to dive was his idea,

and he really worked hard at it." Hugh looked at Quigley

and suddenly his cock thrummed to life, standing up and

ready for action again.

Hugh stood up and walked to his pantry, returning

with barbecue sauce. He riffled through the refrigerator for

a few minutes, emerging with a bag of mini chorizo

sausages. Quigley stared at him with a puzzled look.

"I think we need a snack. Let's have it in the

bedroom."

Quigley grinned, and they hurried back to the

bedroom. Quigley dropped his towel and lay on the bed,

folding his arms under his head and spreading his legs to

allow his cock to stand up. "You'd better take your towel

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off too. You wouldn't want to get sauce on it now, would

you?"

Hugh hissed and undid his towel, thrusting his hips

forward to give Quigley a good look at how very aroused

he was already. Then he placed the mini chorizo sausages

between Quigley's legs, uncapped the barbecue sauce, and

drizzled it in spiral patterns around each of his lover's

nipples. From there, he made wavy lines across Quigley's

chest, gradually moving lower. At the bellybutton, he

stopped to fill the little indentation with sauce before

painting a circle around it and drifting the bottle down

toward Quigley's now very red and engorged cock.

Hugh opened the plastic bag, took out a sausage,

dipped it in Quigley's bellybutton then placed the end in his

lover's mouth.

"I'd rather suck your cock," mumbled Quigley,

munching the sausage.

"Yeah, but right now, it's my turn to play."

Hugh picked up another mini sausage and began

swirling it through the sauce, coloring-in the spirals and

making patterns on Quigley's chest. He sucked first one

nipple into his mouth, then the other, flicking them with his

tongue before releasing them and popping the sauce-laden

sausage into Quigley's mouth.

The third sausage he dipped in Quigley's

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bellybutton before placing it in his own mouth, then he

picked up the bottle of barbecue sauce and began making

patterns on Quigley's thighs. He licked over the thighs,

following his sauce-trail then stroked his tongue up

Quigley's cock, dragging breath into lungs suddenly starved

of oxygen.

For a while he licked and nibbled and drew and

sucked until Quigley gasped, "Enough!" He sat up and

grabbed Hugh's hips then sank his own mouth over Hugh's

cock.

After three long sucks, Hugh pushed Quigley's head

away from his cock. "I want to be in you when I come."

Quigley rolled over, presenting his ass to Hugh.

"What about lube?"

"I'm still stretched and wet. Hurry up or I'll come

before you get in."

Cautiously, he pressed his cock at the entry, but

Quigley was right. It popped straight in, sinking deep into

the welcoming heat. Hugh moaned with the blissful feeling

of being surrounded by silky tightness.

Hugh gripped Quigley's hips and started to stroke in

and out. Quigley thrust backward onto him with every

stroke, cranking up the sexual tension with little wiggles of

his hips. Soon they had a good rhythm going of thrust and

retreat, Hugh jack-hammering into Quigley with long hard

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strokes and Quigley pressing back into him to take every

last inch of him as deep as possible.

Hugh kept a tight grip on Quigley's hips. Hugh

leaned over Quigley, his palms flat on the mattress for extra

balance. When he knew he was close, Hugh let go of one

hip and pushed his hand underneath Quigley's body to

grasp his lover's cock. It was hard as steel, the head covered

with moisture. Quigley was obviously as close as he was.

Quigley raised his body off the bed just enough to give

Hugh room to grab his cock.

Hugh stroked Quigley from root to tip, keeping his

grip firm, adding a little twist as he reached the base each

time. He synchronized his hand movements to complement

his cock's thrusts, and Quigley groaned. "So close."

Hugh swiveled his hips hard, aiming to ping

Quigley's prostrate. The wonderful sensation of his dick

dragging across Quigley's walls almost sent him over the

edge himself, but he managed to repeat the maneuver, and

this time Quigley exploded in his hand. With relief, Hugh

pounded as hard and deep as he could into Quigley. One

stroke, two, and on the third, he blasted his cum deep,

feeling it spurt and jet and spray over and over again.

He rested his face on Quigley's shoulder, their

bodies both covered in sweat and sticky from the barbecue

sauce. "Every time we fuck, the sex gets better and better."

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"Except that now we really do need a shower.

Likely need to change the sheets too."

"Not a problem."

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Chapter Four

"Oh shit! I didn't use a condom. I'm sorry,

Quigley—"

"I knew at the time. I'm clean. I haven't been in a

relationship for a while. Besides, if we're talking about

moving in together, we need to establish trust. I trust you."

Quigley pulled Hugh against him for a harsh kiss.

He did trust this man. With his life, as well as with his

heart. He gazed deeply into worried green eyes and saw in

them that Hugh did trust him, but simply felt guilty about

not wearing the condom.

"It's okay. Really."

"I'm clean too. Like you, it's been a long time for

me. Years. It's just we'd never talked about going bareback.

And I do trust you. With all of my life and everything in it.

Including Orion."

Quigley's heart pounded so hard he thought he'd

crack a rib. For Hugh to say that was beyond anything he'd

expected. The best compliment ever. "Thank you. I won't

betray your trust."

Hugh punched him on the arm. "Right. Let's get

cleaned up."

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* * * *

The next few weeks settled into a pattern, with them

eating together most evenings, often at Hugh and Orion's

apartment, occasionally at Quigley's, and a few times at

different family-friendly restaurants.

Saturday mornings were spent at the swimming

pool and afternoons at the park. Tallulah and Ron left on

their vacation, and Orion didn't seem unduly worried by not

speaking to his mother each Sunday night.

On Sundays, the three of them had looked at several

houses in nearby neighborhoods, but none was quite what

they wanted. Orion was very excited by the idea of having

a backyard and was keen to move, telling both men over

and over that he wanted them all to live together.

Unfortunately, the house they all really liked would mean

Orion would either have to change schools or he would

need to stay in daycare for a short time in the morning and

several hours each evening.

"I don't want him to change schools when he's only

just gotten settled in his new school, and I don't like to

leave him in care so long every day," said Hugh.

"Don't stress; we'll keep looking. It's a great house,

but there'll be other great houses as well," consoled

Quigley.

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Then it was time for Hugh to return to work. He and

Orion had talked at length about it, and Orion seemed fine.

His archery class had already finished, his water confidence

and swimming was more than good enough for what he'd

need at summer camp, and there'd only be a few days

between when camp finished and school began. Hugh still

worried.

Finally, it was Orion who said, "Dad, I went to

camp last year. It was great. I'll be fine. You need to go

back to work before you forget how to do it."

Hugh laughed and hugged the boy. "Wise words

indeed, my son. But I'll miss you. It'll be strange coming

home each night and not having you here."

"So invite Quigley over. Then you won't be so

lonely. Maybe when I get back, we'll have a house."

"That would be good."

Both men were there to see Orion off to camp then

they rushed off to their jobs, having already agreed that

Hugh would stay at Quigley's place most nights while

Orion was away.

* * * *

This camp was way better than the camp from the

year before. Of course having the lake was great, but the

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giant swing was even better. And they slept in tents, not

boring old cabins.

Meeting up with Saffron was cool too. Saffron had

boardies just like his and was going to his school when it

started back. Saffron knew how to kayak. Orion hadn't even

seen a kayak until he got to camp. You had to kayak with a

buddy, and Saffron and Orion buddied up just awesome.

They paddled good together too.

"Dad and Quigley and me are getting a house soon,"

Orion told Saffron one lunch time. "With a backyard for

me."

"Mom and me just have an apartment, but it's fine

for the two of us. Riley, my daycare mom, has a house with

a huge yard and seven kitties. She leaves her Christmas tree

up all year because the kitties like to play in it. She's cool."

"That does sound awesome. My mom always took

the tree down right after Christmas. I wonder if Dad and I

will have a tree this year. Dad said I'd likely go to daycare

if the house was a bit farther from school and his work.

Unless it's close to Quigley's work I guess. I wouldn't mind

going to daycare with you at Riley's. Are there lots of

kids?"

"She has two really little girls. They're like babies.

Plus me. I'd like it with another man in the house," said

Saffron.

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Orion smiled. "I'll tell Dad when we get home. Me

and you're going on the giant swing again this afternoon. I

can't wait. It's the best!"

* * * *

Quigley loved having Hugh in his apartment. At

first, it seemed a bit weird not having Orion there as well,

but it was wonderful to walk around naked, to fuck against

the wall if they felt like it, to scream out in orgasm.

They cooked for each other, did chores together,

and talked. At last, they could talk about anything and

everything, not having to worry about who at the

swimming pool or park might be listening in to their

conversation or moderating what they might say because of

Orion's presence.

They sat on the sofa, their arms around each other

on Friday night.

"Apart from the whole having-to-go-to-work thing,

it's almost been like taking a honeymoon this week," said

Hugh.

Quigley laughed. "It has been great, and we still

have all of next week as well. But I miss him. I keep

looking around expecting to see him come running up to

us."

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"So back looking at houses again tomorrow and

Sunday? Or do you want to go swimming?"

"Half the fun of swimming is having Orion there. I

would have quit going long ago if it wasn't for him.

Besides, we need to get the house thing sorted. Especially

with school starting so soon."

"It's a shame that Fifth Street house is just a bit far

away," said Hugh.

"Ya know, I don't think it's as far as we keep

imagining it. Didn't the real estate agent say some of the

kids from around there go to Orion's school?"

"Yeah, that's what he said, but I'm not sure I

believed him. We could do some time trials on the

travelling though. Each take our own car and time the

travel from the house to our jobs and from the house to

school and so on."

"Okay, Saturday, Sunday we'll keep looking at

houses, and we'll time the commute Monday and Tuesday.

Tonight I want to worship your cock. It seems like forever

since I got to suck you off."

"Let's do that then."

Grinning, Quigley slid off the sofa onto his knees.

Slowly, slowly he slid his fingers up Hugh's legs from his

knees to his thighs and higher. Hugh's cock was a long,

thick ridge resting against the front of his business pants.

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Quigley pressed one palm flat against the bulge,

reveling in the heat Hugh was giving off, and in the width

and steely hardness of Hugh's erection.

With his other hand, he tugged at Hugh's belt,

gradually working the fastening undone, popping the button

open, and easing the zipper down. Next, he worked Hugh's

pants down his legs, trying to hide his grin as Hugh lifted

his ass off the seat to help and almost kicked one foot free.

To raise the tension higher, Quigley took one foot in

both hands. He gently massaged each toe, rolling them

between his fingers, then rubbed the pads of Hugh's foot,

stroking under the arch and patting the ankle and heel.

"Holy hell, you're killing me here," moaned Hugh,

thrusting his hips up into the empty air.

"Patience, patience," said Quigley, putting the first

foot down and picking up the neglected foot. This time he

sucked the baby toe into his mouth, treating it like a little

cock, running his tongue all around it then sucking it hard.

"I thought you were going to suck my cock. That's

not my cock."

"Oh, isn't it?"

Quigley licked and teased all the way up Hugh's

legs. Deliberately, he wandered around Hugh's knees,

stopping to paint wet circles on the skin and puff warm air

on them as he gradually moved north.

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When he felt he'd aroused Hugh as far as he could,

Quigley finally grasped the erection around its root and

sucked the head into his mouth. He sucked it hard and

deep, hollowing his cheeks to exert maximum pressure.

Once again, Hugh groaned, and Quigley nodded to

himself. He was obviously doing something right.

He let the cock pop out of his mouth and lowered

his head to suck in one of Hugh's balls. He loved the

different textures of Hugh's skin. The man's skin was much

lighter than his own, so the veins showed a deep blue

underneath it. It also felt and tasted different. It was softer

than his, the hair finer. Even the tougher, wrinkled skin of

his balls was softer than he'd expected at first.

Hugh tasted faintly salty, but with an overlaying

spiciness. His natural scent was also spicy. Quigley

breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with the scent of Hugh.

Then he bent once again to his task. He licked up

the long shaft, nibbling all around the ridge where cap and

stalk met and swiping his tongue over the head. Sucking it

all into his mouth, he tipped his head back, opening the

back of his throat, and taking Hugh right in to the hilt.

For a while he played, stretching the blowjob out as

long as could, loving the togetherness and pure erotic

carnality of the act. Hugh's groans, moans, and wiggles

indicated he was enjoying it too.

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Quigley could sense Hugh was getting closer and

closer to the limit, so once again he sucked him deeply,

holding the stalk while tasting the head. With his other

hand, he grasped the curls surrounding the base of Hugh's

cock and pulled hard enough to add a bite of pain, but not

so hard that the hair would tear loose.

Hugh roared as he came, the hot seed bursting out

of his cock as the cry burst out of his mouth. Quigley

sucked diligently, wanting to swallow every last little bit of

Hugh's delicious flavor.

Then he pulled himself up Hugh's body for a kiss,

sharing Hugh's own taste with him, reveling in the extreme

eroticism of the act and hugging Hugh hard.

"Gonna need a nap after that; you've done me in,"

said Hugh, dragging Quigley up onto the couch with him.

They lay along the couch, pressed tightly to each other,

kissing gently, and Hugh fell asleep in moments. Quigley

rested contentedly in his arms, loving being with this man,

whom he loved through and through. I'm so happy. I don't

think I've ever been this happy before, he thought, thrilled

with the knowledge of it.

* * * *

The commute from the house on Fifth Street wasn't

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as bad as Hugh'd thought, especially from the school. It

seemed the real estate agent had told the truth, since two

children, slightly older than Orion, who lived on the other

side of the same street, attended Orion's school. This house

appealed to Hugh and Quigley much more than any other

house they'd seen. The yard was fenced and ideal for a

child, with plenty of room to put in some play equipment.

The house had four bedrooms, so enough for a

guestroom and an office, which would mean that if he or

Quigley needed to do some work at home they could. This

was important to Hugh, because if Orion got sick, he

wanted to be able to work from home to be with the boy.

The company he worked for allowed parents to do that.

It had a bathroom downstairs as well as a bathroom

upstairs, and that was wonderful too, as he and Quigley

seemed to make love all over the house. Besides, Orion

liked the house, so that was the clincher. Well, it would be

if they could find a really good daycare person whom they

all liked.

"It'd be nice to find an older lady, a sort of

grandmother figure," said Hugh to Quigley. "Orion will

miss his mother at some stage, and I don't want him

thinking we've just replaced her with another young

woman. So an older, grandmotherly lady would be perfect."

"That sounds really sensible and well thought out.

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But where will we find one?"

"Well, yeah, I haven't gotten that far yet."

* * * *

The kids were due back from camp at five on Friday

afternoon, and Hugh and Quigley joined a lot of other

parents and families in the parking lot at ten to five. Some

parents were there in smart business suits, presumably

having come straight from work, others were wearing

shorts and flip-flops, but all seemed eager to meet their

children again.

Quigley noticed a slightly chubby young woman

with two very small girls in a double stroller. One looked to

be about six months old, the other maybe eighteen months.

The woman was crouched on the ground in front of the

stroller smiling and playing with them. With surprise,

Quigley recognized her as the young woman from the

swimming pool all those weeks ago. She seemed much too

young to have a child old enough for camp, but he mentally

shrugged his shoulders and assumed she was older than she

looked or had maybe married young.

The first bus rolled into the parking lot at one

minute to five, with three more busses right behind it.

Quigley and Hugh watched as the doors opened and

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children poured off the busses. If he'd thought it was noisy

before, it had been nothing compared to now. It seemed

every parent was calling to a kid, and every kid was yelling

to friends and family. Quigley was grateful they were

outdoors. He hated to think what such a cacophony of

sound would do to his ears had they been indoors.

"There he is!" said Hugh as a flame-red head

became just visible among the crowd. Quigley and Hugh

made their way through the group, trying not to push and

shove, over to the bus Orion had just gotten off.

When they were almost there, Orion saw them and

jumped up and down, waving. "Dad, Quigley, I had the

awesomest time. Awesome with awesome sauce. I missed

you both," he said, throwing himself into first Hugh's arms,

then Quigley's, then Hugh's again.

"I can paddle a kayak real good, and they had a

giant swing and it went over the lake. It was the awesomest

thing ever!"

Orion chattered non-stop as they retrieved his

luggage, then he tugged on Hugh's arm. "You have to meet

Saffron. He was my kayaking buddy. You have to have a

buddy to kayak."

"That sounds like a sensible rule," said Hugh,

hugging Orion once more then letting him pull him through

the crowd. Quigley followed behind.

Fire and Light

Berengaria Brown

A little blond boy was dragging his luggage over to

a stroller. A double stroller.

"Hey, Saffron, this is my dad and Quigley," called

Orion.

Quigley was surprised anyone could decipher a

conversation with all the noise, but the blond child turned

and grinned at Orion.

"Hey, good buddy." The child turned to the woman

from the swimming pool. "Hey, Riley, this is Orion. He's

my kayaking buddy, and he goes to my new school."

Ah, second marriage, thought Quigley. That

explains why she seems so young.

"Hi, Saffron, Riley, nice to meet you," he and Hugh

almost chorused.

The adults exchanged a few polite sentences while

the children chattered, and Saffron introduced Orion to his

sisters or step-sisters maybe, whose names Quigley didn't

catch.

Then Hugh collected Orion's luggage, and they

headed to the car.

"Hungry, Orion? We thought we might just pick up

a burger or something on the way home," said Hugh.

"A burger would be awesome," said Orion then

launched into a long tale about his kayaking prowess.

Quigley sat and grinned. He suspected he was going to get

Fire and Light

Berengaria Brown

tired of everything being awesome real soon, but it was

worth it to have the boy back home and so delightfully

happy.

Orion talked non-stop through the meal, although he

did manage to eat a burger and fries. They were almost

back to Hugh and Orion's apartment when the child asked,

"Have we got the house? Are we going to be living there

soon?"

Quigley waited in silence for Hugh to answer. It

was his child, and ultimately, his decision.

"It's a difficult decision, Orion. Let's wait until we're

home to talk about it, so we can all sit down and

concentrate properly."

"Okay." Orion started to tell them about the food at

camp, and that topic lasted until they reached the apartment

and had carried the luggage inside.

They sat around the table with glasses of ice tea,

and Hugh said, "No house we've seen suits us as well as the

one on Fifth Street. It and the yard are perfect, the

neighborhood is fine, and there are a couple of older kids

nearby who go to your school. Quigley and I timed the

commute several times, and it's not bad. The problem is

school gets out well before work does, and with the

commute, you would have to go to daycare for several

hours every afternoon, and for a short time each morning.

Fire and Light

Berengaria Brown

So that means we need to find you a daycare we all like."

"Can I go to Saffron's daycare then? He likes Riley,

and she has seven kitties, and she leaves the Christmas tree

up all year because the kitties like to play in it."

"Riley isn't Saffron's mother? Or step-mother?"

asked Quigley.

"No, he lives with his mom, and she works. Riley

picks him up from school and stuff. He's the only boy. She

just has those two baby girls, and he said he'd like to have

another man in the house."

"You talked to Saffron about daycare?" Hugh was

obviously as stunned as Quigley.

"Of course. We're kayaking buddies. Do you want

Riley's phone number?"

Quigley couldn't help it. He burst out laughing.

Here he and Hugh had been worrying themselves crazy

about how Orion would deal with all the changes, and the

kid had them all sorted out, all by himself.

Hugh spoke. "Yes, please, Orion, I think I would

like her number. Tomorrow we'd better go and sign the

lease for the house. It's time for us to live as a real family,

and by next Father's Day you'll have two dads."

The End

About the Author

Berengaria is a multi-published author of erotic romance.

She loves to read all different kinds of romance so that is

what she writes: one man/one woman; two women; two

men, two men/one woman. Whatever the characters need

for their very hot happily-ever-after, Berengaria makes sure

they get it.

Website:

http://berengariabrown.webs.com/

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Berengaria-

Brown/100000055736290/

Twitter:

http://twitter.com/BerengariaBrown

Blog:

http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/

Email:

berengariabrown@gmail.com

Also by Berengaria Brown:

Available from Silver Publishing:

Rowena's Ghostly Menage

Chinese Love Triad

"Taming My Welsh Dragon" in Issue 1 of the Silver Lining

Magazine

Fire and Light

Available from All Romance ebooks:

Four-Way Split

Changing Cherry

Carnal Connections

Sappho's Sisters
Dinner Delights

Huldah's Two Hikers

Loving Lydia

SEX ODYSSEY

Feels So Good

Strung Tight

Three for the Road

Available from Torquere Press:

Paige's Passion

Terracotta Warriors

Rose's Renaissance

Lady Caroline's Reward

Dogged Pursuit

Seducing Susannah
Perfectly Presented

Noticing Nigel

Available from Ellora's Cave:

Sizzling Vacations

Flash Flood

Combustion

Double Satisfaction

Dance for Three

Summer Sizzle

Available from Siren Publishing:

Vivienne's Vacation

Tempting Tenealle

FOREVER YOURS

Intensity

Complexity

Eternity

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