“I want to kiss you,” Angus blurted out, and I fumbled, nearly dropping the plate and the remains of my lunch on the floor. “I’ve wanted to for a long time. But I was afraid.”
Carefully setting the dish on the counter, I turned to look at him and found him standing right in front of me. Used to be, I would have heard him struggling to get up and the click of the cane as he walked on the hardwood floors. But it seemed Angus no longer had trouble getting out of a chair, and his cane was nowhere in sight.
Up close, Angus was thrumming with vitality, and it was attractive as hell.
“Seriously, Colt. Why haven’t we ever kissed?” The softness in that perpetually gruff voice was doing things to me. Angus moved closer, and I tightly gripped the counter as I leaned back against it.
“Because I wasn’t sure you wanted—”
“Well, I’m telling you now, I did want to and I still do.”
My heart knocked against my ribcage. Angus wanted to kiss me. It was something I’d never dared imagine.
“Did you hear me?” Angus asked softly when I didn’t answer. Putting his hand against my cheek, he looked me in the eyes. “Is it okay if I kiss you, Colt?”
He said my name like it was precious, and my knees trembled. I nodded, holding my breath as Angus leaned closer.
That was when the sound of the front door opening and Maddox’s voice calling for us panicked me so much, my hands shot out and pushed Angus away. He stumbled, his right leg buckled, and then he was falling.
“Angus!” I lunged to catch him, and he pulled me down with him.
Maddox walked in the exact moment Angus landed on his back on the floor, with me on top of him, the two of us nose-to-nose.
“Are you okay?” I asked Angus, quickly pushing myself up and off him. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay; I’m fine,” Angus grumbled as I helped him up.
“What happened?” Maddox asked, and I looked over my shoulder to where he stood in the doorway with David and Ben beside him.
I couldn’t think of a plausible explanation other than the truth, so I asked stupidly, “Where’s Trey?”
“Bertram took him and the baby home.”
“Ah.” I nodded.
“I lost my footing, that’s all,” Angus said to Maddox. “What are you doing here? I thought you were out mending fences.” He looked at Ben and David. “And you two are supposed to be planting the garden. How do you expect us to have vegetables this summer if you don’t plant them?”
“We haven’t had lunch yet,” David said, scooting around Angus to get to the refrigerator. “I’m going to make us some sandwiches.”
“Oh, well, fine.” Angus turned to me. “Colt, come help me with my physical therapy.”
I kept my eyes down as I followed him to his bedroom. Angus’s legs were doing so well, he didn’t need physical therapy anymore. The others had to know that.
When we got into the bedroom, Angus shut the door and then pinned me to the wall so quickly, it confused me for a minute.
“Let’s try this again. Can. I. Kiss. You?”
“Yes,” I rasped out and his lips took mine. Hard and soft and a little salty and…amazing. As I kissed him back, he deepened it, and my tongue eagerly met his stroke for stroke. But when Angus wrapped his palm around the back of my neck, I stiffened and pulled away.
“What is it?” Angus asked, breathing hard.
“I, um, your hand.”
“My hand?” He looked at his left hand, which was on my waist. “You want me to move it?” He brought it down to my cock, and I let out a groan.
“Not that one, the other one. On my neck.”
Angus stared at me a moment, and then understanding seemed to dawn. “Oh. Sorry.” He removed his palm from the back of my neck.