Well, Dillon had asked for a sign, and he’d sure as hell gotten one. But there were several ways for two guys to make love, and as he stood waiting in the spacious lobby of the Preston Inn while Jamie checked them into a room, Dillon couldn’t help but wonder which way Jamie wanted things to go. Dillon was so nervous, he didn’t even realize Jamie was standing in front of him, again, talking.
“I said, are you ready to go up?”
“You got the room already?”
Jamie held up an old fashioned brass key. “Yep. Room four-sixteen is now officially ours.”
Dillon glanced over at the blonde-haired, uniform-clad desk clerk who was doing his best to watch them without looking like he was. “Did he give you any trouble?”
Jamie shook his head. “Nope. The guy took my card, scanned it, and gave me the receipt. After I signed it, he told me to ring down if we needed anything.” Jamie hesitated, the duffle bag Megan had given him rattling slightly from the tremor in his hands. “Are you, um . . . ready to go up?”
Dillon was pretty sure his palms were gonna start dripping sweat any minute. He’d never been this nervous, not even the first time he and Jamie had made love. Of course, back then he convinced himself it was nothing more than two buddies playing around. Now it was different. This time Dillon knew exactly what it meant. Clearing his throat, he managed to say, “Yeah,” before following Jamie to the elevators at the other end of the lobby.
Dillon barely remembered the ride up or the walk to the room. He waited in a type of trance while Jamie unlocked the door and led him inside. Jamie flipped a switch by the door, causing lamps on either side of the bed to come on, bathing the room in soft, romantic light.
The room itself was nice enough. The walls were painted a warm beige color with little red roses stenciled on top. Three floor-to-ceiling windows took up the east wall. Dillon wouldn’t have cared if the room had been painted green with purple polka-dots and had no windows whatsoever, though. All his attention was focused on the massive, king-sized oak bed taking up the middle of the room. Jamie’s eyes seemed glued to it, as well. So much so that Dillon was the one who had to shut and lock the door.
When he was done, the two of them suffered an awkward moment of silence, both of them just standing there, looking at the bed. Finally, Dillon said, “Did you call your aunt to let her know where you are?”
That snapped Jamie out of it. “I forgot all about that. God, she’s gonna be so pissed.” Jamie grabbed for the phone on the bedside table. “How do you dial out on this thing?”
Dillon pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Here. You can use mine.”
Jamie took Dillon’s phone, but hesitated before dialing the number. “I’m not sure what I’m gonna tell her.”
Dillon sat down in one of the overstuffed arm chairs located in a small sitting area not far from the bed. “Tell her the truth. As much of it as you can, anyway.”
Dillon could actually hear Jamie gulp for air. “You mean--”
“Yep. Tell her that the two of us are here in a hotel room in Chicago. Tell her we’re spending the night together.”
#
Sadie took it better than Jamie thought she would. “Am I to assume from this announcement that you and Dillon are about to begin a new phase of your relationship?”
Jamie sat on the edge of the bed, dying from the embarrassment of discussing this with his aunt. But she’d asked him a question, and he was gonna answer it. “Yes, ma’am. That’s the plan.”
“And is this something you’re ready for, Jamie?”
Was he? He’d been asking himself the same damn question. Before, he’d been nothing more than a quick form of release for Dillon, a toy to be played with and then put away when Dillon was done. But that was a different time, a different Dillon. As far as that went, they were both different people. Jamie might be nervous, but there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Dillon was what he wanted--what he needed. Jamie looked over at his guy, relieved to see that Dillon looked just as nervous as he did. That one thing, seeing the ever-confident Dillon come undone, helped Jamie give his answer. “Yes, ma’am. I’m ready.”
“All right, then. Put Dillon on the phone, please.”
Oh, no. “Aunt Sadie--”
“Jamie, do as I say.” Her voice softened, laced with love and affection. “Put him on the phone, son. I have a couple of things I want to say to him, and then I’ll let the two of you get on with your night. And Jamie?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Remember that I love you, and that I support you no matter what. Now, give the boy the phone.”
Jamie walked over to where Dillon sat and handed him the phone. Dillon straightened from his slouch and said, “Hello?”
Jamie couldn’t hear what Sadie was saying, but he found the play of emotions moving across Dillon’s face fascinating. Dillon’s cheeks went from white, to red, and back again. More than once, he said, “Yes, ma’am,” and towards the end he answered something she’d said with, “No, ma’am. Never, I swear it.” To Jamie’s amazement, by the time he disconnected, Dillon looked far more relaxed than he had when they’d first entered the room. He stood up, shed his heavy jacket and tossed it onto the floor, then helped Jamie pull his own coat off and pitched it in the same general direction. Once that was done, Dillon put his arms around Jamie’s waist and pulled him close.
Jamie’s head came to rest on Dillon’s chest, the steady thump of his heartbeat the most reassuring sound Jamie had ever heard. He lifted his head only long enough to say, “What did Aunt Sadie want to talk to you about?”
The rumbling sound of Dillon’s soft laughter tickled Jamie’s cheek. “She wanted me to know where she stood on the whole ‘me-and-you-having-sex’ thing.”
Jamie moved back within the circle of Dillon’s arms so he could see Dillon’s face. “Really? And where exactly does she stand?”
Dillon grinned. “She’s cool with it, I guess, but she said if I hurt you again, she’s gonna come after me with her grandfather’s deer rifle. I believe she said something about using my balls for target practice.”
Jamie shuddered. “If that’s what she said, then how come you seem calmer now than you did a few minutes ago?”
Dillon trailed the fingers of his right hand up and down Jamie’s spine. Jamie felt the tingle, even through his shirt. “Because when Sadie warned me what would happen if I hurt you again, I realized something.”
Jamie could feel himself dissolving under the gentle pressure of Dillon’s hands. “What’s that?”
