Work Text:
IN YOUR EYES by Natasha Barry
Posted to SQUIDGE 2007, edited 2023. Kevin/Jason. BROTHERS AND SISTERS. The couple takes that first step towards consummation.
There was only one thing worse than a blind date, and that was a blind date that started off great, only to sink abruptly into the abyss.
This happened when Kevin consented to his sister’s peculiar determination in fixing him up with a guy she’d just met: now she was a ‘couple’, Kitty wanted him to be a ‘couple’ too, is what he figured.
Jason seemed to respond to his sparkling blues just as he gave a silent gasp at the softer blues across from him. In fact, the man bore a strong similarity to the actor Stuart Townsend, who starred in his more lewd fantasies. But unfortunately a turn to a discussion of politics struck the death knell, and Jason picked himself up, dusted himself off, and went down the road to presumably start all over again.
Well, there were no shortage of men, and though Kevin wasn’t a frequenter of the nightlife along the WeHo stretch, this was a big city and he was a good-looking guy who never troubled getting a date. Even though his last two boyfriends dumped him, that didn’t mean he was on the shelf.
Instead of being furious with himself for speaking a little too vociferously against a candidate – his sister’s boyfriend, Senator Robert McCallister – whom Jason obviously found at least marginally less offensive than Kevin himself, he grew angry with his sister, for setting him up with a good-looking guy. From there he’d been feeling secure enough in the mutual attraction, it’d been a shock to have his romantic – or at least lustful – hopes dashed so precipitously.
Eventually, he found out why it went wrong. Jason was a McCallister, and Kevin had spent the most vocal part of the coffee date lambasting the man who was his date’s brother. Well, he couldn’t blame the man for his reaction, which was an insulting version of getting up and leaving, utilizing his own just-spoken preference of fake medical emergency back at him, as he knew how he’d feel if one of his brethren were assaulted. Still, that didn’t mean the man had to walk out on him THAT WAY, or at least without initiating some straight talk between them. There could have been a soothing meeting of the minds, so at least they could have parted amicably. Or contrarily indulged in a quick shag, a nice fuck because the attraction was there, instantaneous, and Kevin had relaxed his normal edge, confident the coffee would lead to more meetings between the two. After all, they were adults, and sometimes sex between people existed for no higher expression than mutual gratification. Instead, Kevin was left feeling the bug beneath someone’s shoe. After the rejections he’d experienced from his last two boyfriends, he didn’t need this latest burning derision layered over it.
==========
Jason never allowed himself to speak forcefully about anything, not even God, finding the evangelic power voice more offensive than persuasive. But Kevin Walker came off to him as strident; unreasonable; even close-minded as he continued that anti-McCallister tirade. In a way, Jason envied him. With a brother in politics, and his vocation considered at odds with his sexual orientation, speaking his mind without consequences was a luxury he couldn’t afford. It was basically true what he really resented was the assumptions the man made, declaring his point of view as if it were one shared, when it wasn’t, thereby putting words into Jason’s mouth, stating mutual opinions which weren’t. In general politics they were probably in agreement, but for reasons blind date Kevin wasn’t in a position to know – it was obvious the man wouldn’t have spoken that way about his brother if he’d known the relationship – Jason had no recourse but anger. But he was seldom that rude or intolerant in his life, and afterwards was left to wonder why he’d reacted so strongly. Was it disappointment this dream date had so quickly turned nightmare? That a guy he initially found himself quickening to had grown horns and a cloven hoof? If so, that meant it was more Jason’s shortcomings than Kevin’s.
Within two days he’d calmed down. Within four days he found himself thinking about that pretty face and fit body, and regretting he hadn’t been in a position to size up the man’s ass.
Within five days he’d partaken of the physically and psychologically healthy pastime of masturbation, and the man with the sparkling blue eyes was the star attraction. Didn’t matter he’d started off with Paul Walker as inspiration, the blond hair going dark and the lips cherry red.
Whenever in his brother’s office, he kept hoping someone would bring up the Walkers or extend a family invite. His brother had attended the Walker Family Traditional (and highly competitive) Game Night. If Kevin’s name was mentioned, it was in passing, and so swiftly had the topic progressed, Jason hadn’t a chance to get a decently worded query in. It even occurred to him, because of his quick phone call to his brother on that day – lambasting Kitty’s choice of blind date – there was a concerted effort by all involved to keep Kevin and himself apart. To be fair, that was the initial impression he’d given his brother, so Robert wasn’t to blame. How to rectify the situation he was at least partially responsible for was now Jason’s quandary.
He knew brother Robert wasn’t perfect; he knew the Republican Party wasn’t perfect. He didn’t vote Republican, except to cast the vote for his brother. And he believed his brother would progress beyond the limited scope espoused by that party, if step by step.
Being a gay minister was bad enough, as that frightened romantic partners away, but if he were a declared Republican, he wouldn’t have dating prospects at all. And it was true his brother wasn’t backed by any gay rights organization. In a way, though he was proud of him, this same brother was a damn inconvenience, and of course Robert could say the same about him. A publicly acknowledged gay minister in the family could be enough to bring down his candidacy, since the Red States would be fine with a minister, but not when that minister was gay. So the Blue States along the coasts would appreciate the family quandary, but the Red States would be affronted at the idea of a gay minister, let alone the reality.
Reflecting on his attitude toward his brother and then Kevin, Jason concluded it was easier practicing tolerance for a member of your family than it was for a stranger, no matter how hot the package.
Unfortunately, his and Kevin’s proposed match-up broke on their first date, and now there appeared a concerted effort to keep the two apart. Which didn’t leave Jason much opportunity to speak with Kevin nor find an excuse to excise the man permanently from his thoughts.
He wondered if Kevin was angry with him for his abrupt dismissal or if he’d be willing to give them another chance. But he could hardly phone the man without making himself a fool, and it might be a conversation he’d come to regret anyway.
By the time he and Kitty connected and Robert brought Kevin’s name into the equation, he’d convinced himself he’d completely misjudged the man, or at least the man deserved the same benefit of the doubt he’d award anyone within his ministry. Besides, and this fact kept browbeating his intentions, the man was damn cute; the physical attraction was there. The dating prospect had, after all, seemed a sure thing based upon few minutes acquaintance. And Jason hadn’t been in a relationship with anyone in a while. Being a young man, he had needs to be met, only he loathed picking it up along the street.
“I’m sure I caught him on a bad day,” he said to Kitty, when she came to beg for his assistance on the engagement party planning,
“No, he’s like that all the time,”
Well, that gave him pause. Neither his future sister-in-law nor his brother treated it as a joke.
He might have been disappointed or enraged, it was Kevin Walker and not Nora Walker chewing out the manager of the room they had reserved for the party. For a moment, he wondered if it was another setup, such as their blind date, but realized quickly how unreasonable that would be. And certainly Kevin seemed annoyed to find him there. On the other hand, it was a fortunate and not pre-planned way for them to become better acquainted, since the expectations would be so low.
It was definitely unfortunate, when even now, just entering the room while listening to the tirade, he wanted to strip the clothes off the neat figure and pin him to that carpet Kevin was busy disparaging. Truthfully, Jason barely noticed the room, too intent on the sudden acceleration of his heart.
Yes, he’d trust Kevin on this one, and evidently the reserved venue was bad taste and unthinkable, but that didn’t mean a more reasonable attitude and tone of voice wouldn’t have worked some magic. Many items were negotiable, in Jason’s way of thinking, but not, apparently, in Kevin Walker’s world.
He made to intercede but was immediately overwhelmed by how off-balance he was emotionally, and he was easily out-shouted by both Kevin and the facilities manager. His instinctive reaction towards a renewed Kevin opportunity something to control, they’d lost the reservation just about the time he should have stepped in firmly and saved the day. Instead, at least he and Kevin were left alone with a problem to solve: how, on such short notice, would they get a party room reserved and organized?
They adjourned to that same venue’s restaurant to discuss it.
“Oh, I love the idea of the backyard. Mom won’t be thrilled. But I’ll work it in. Too bad it has to be formal. Any chance for the McCallisters pushing for a pool party?”
Quickly Jason took his mind off the vision of a Speedo-clad Kevin Walker. “Anything to keep her from blaming you for the room fallout.”
“That, too.”
Jason wanted to smile but Kevin hadn’t, so he didn’t either. His brother always mentioned the Walkers as being in-bred, though not literally, and Jason was glimpsing that dynamic now. He wondered if really his brother was prepared for another marriage, so soon after a traumatic divorce, and the fact one forceful family was marrying into another. Certainly no one had ever reined in either Kitty or Kevin. He witnessed that first hand.
“What’s so funny?”
“What? Oh, I was just thinking of how our two families will get along, at the party.”
“The Hatfields and McCoys.”
“Really?”
“You have a ranch in Santa Barbara?” Kevin changed the subject.
“You haven’t been to the McCallister spread yet?”
“I’m avoiding it.”
The next hour they were splitting the cell calls to prospective contractors for a tent, catering arrangements and the florist. At least the restaurant had the region’s Yellow Pages on hand, and there was Jason’s own reference to parishioners and some he even had their numbers loaded into his cell. “You must organize a lot of parties,” Kevin said.
Jason came to the realization the thing with Kevin was the Walker son was one of those fatally cute types who had a raging need to exercise absolute control, even while undergoing his very precise nervous breakdown.
“Between your cell and my cell,” Kevin said, “this engagement is locked in. And my mother has very little to complain about, which will be a relief, cause this family of mine has gone way too musical tragedy even for me.”
“Your brother?”
“Justin off to Iraq? That, too. And the twins. And the divorce. A baby dies, a marriage breaks up, and a new marriage happens: the cycle of life.”
“Your family is pretty tight.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. We’ve always been accused of being incestuous, like a west coast version of the Kennedys. That would make me Bobby, the outspoken one.”
The one who never pulled any punches. Either Kevin was slick or he’d had time to think on this. “So who’s JFK?”
Kevin grinned. “The Walkers. You can’t live with ‘em, and you can’t live without ‘em.”
That was true, and as there was no excuse for lingering now the tasks of the day were done, Kevin drove away to confront his mother with the new arrangements, while Jason lingered over coffee, feeling as abandoned as Kevin must have when he’d left him so furiously on their blind date.
==========
It occurred to Kevin sometime during the official party planning stages, he was absent a date. Oh, it was a family affair and a date was not required, but still, it would have been nice to appear something less than a loser.
At best, today Jason was tolerating his presence.
So there it was, the only member of the McCallister clan he might have had an accord with, or even a fling with, and he’d already offended him irrevocably. Hell, the man probably thought he was abuzz with negativity! Kevin was already too depressed to be dealing with that. For some reason, the man made him edgy, perhaps a leftover from the awkwardness of their arranged date, but he never felt at ease and consequently was always ready with a sharp quip whenever they met. He was making a point of avoiding the man now, to ensure he didn’t have cause to offend the righteous McCallister with the gorgeous eyes yet once more. The last thing he needed was to be the instigator of a feud, though he sensed one brewing anyway, and that he was the eye of that storm.
Consequently, Kevin was drinking, and drinking good, hoping to drown his sorrows and when that proved insufficient – seemed to take more and more to get him drunk nowadays – his anti-social side kicked into high gear and he sought privacy in the one area of the house his mother wouldn’t hold against him later – the kitchen. The pantry proved an irresistible lure as he soothed his nerves and licked his emotional wounds.
Of course, he could have picked up someone downtown and brought them here, but a stranger to introduce at his sister’s engagement party? That was enough to make his skin crawl.
The engagement party became an ordeal for Jason McCallister, as well. Greeting some relatives he remained cordial with, but also embarrassed by, he kept a surrepticious eye on Kevin as the Walker son moved about the room. It didn’t escape his notice the man was drinking steadily but always seemed to have a full glass. More than once, Jason plotted to move in that direction but was prevented by a well-wisher with a hand on his shoulder or arm. It was getting frustrating, but eventually he spied Kevin going into the kitchen. Well, the kitchen was an easy place to find an excuse to linger in. But when he found his way there, it was to see other occupants, but no Kevin, until he spied a bit of sweater – not flattering to Kevin’s coloring or body type at all, but also similar to what the man had worn at their abortive first date – through the open door of the pantry.
It was with a ridiculous excuse in mind, but he made his way over there anyway. Kevin’s back was to him until he picked up on the fact there was someone near.
There commenced a ridiculous, and belligerent, brief conversation between the ‘gay scouts’, as Jason termed them.
Jason’s, “What is that, your fourth Marguerita?” seemed to really get the invective going. Shortly that progressed to his, “Why are you such an unpleasant person?”
They were standing way too close to each other by now, each of them prepared to do battle, but Jason felt he could deflect all Kevin’s belligerence with his reasonable nature.
“What do you care?”
“I don’t.”
It was a game of GOTCHA, their reactions to each other quite visceral. Came the observation - Kevin strangely astute considering the amount he’d had to drink - “You didn’t come in here looking for a band aid, did you? You came in here looking for me.”
“Maybe,” he conceded, since the band aid business would have been taken more effectively into a bathroom or such. But talking isn’t what he wanted to do anyway, as that only got them into trouble, and he’d been ignoring the proximity of that kissable mouth for too long. It was the man’s acknowledging tilt of the chin, as if in provocation, that did it. Quite literally, if they hadn’t been in a public access area, with the door open, as well, the kiss would have resulted in much more fulfilling physical contact. The behavior was shocking, even to himself. He couldn’t recall ever behaving as if he were in a rut cycle. There was something about Kevin Walker that brought it out in him. Like wanting, needing to stake his claim on the man, molding the man’s nature and body to his own.
Fortunately, Kevin came up to him later, after the dramatics had died down a little. At least his declaration of being a “traditional person” was understood and accepted. Maybe they could go on from this. It was a possibility, anyway, and at least they were both prepared to give their relationship a shot at success. A lunch or dinner; that should be enough to clarify what level it could progress to.
“Be awful funny if the two gay guys of the families did get together,” Jason said.
“I think a mating is what they’re waiting for,” Kevin said. “You do realize, of course, everyone in your congregation wants to fuck their minister.”
“Not all of them.”
“Trust me. One thing you McCallisters do have going for you is sheer physical appeal. Funny, but I still don’t see the resemblance.”
“We’re both even-tempered and avoid violent confrontation, that’s about it.”
“Thanks for telling me.”
Jason hesitated. “You speak from your heart and your head. I like that about you. It’s uncomfortable for everyone else, and I don’t always appreciate it either, but your honesty is rare; it’s a gift. Too many things try your patience; have made you unhappy. You have to find happiness within yourself before you can have it with others.”
“I’ve been in some bad relationships.”
“I guessed that.”
“I wouldn’t have shot off my mouth on our date if I’d known who you were.”
“I get that. I overreacted.”
"But you liked me anyway, huh?”
“Well, at first glance, and then later, when I separated what you said from who I am.”
How could Jason express to the man he found him both a challenge as well as a hot prospect? He’d rejected Kevin once, and the man must be smarting from that, since Jason suspected the seeds of unease, and he imagined Kevin was taking baby steps in this relationship, maybe all he was equipped for, wounded bird as he was, requiring wings before he could take flight. Maybe he was meant to be the implement that allowed Kevin to explore his full potential, so the man was ready to settle down. And if his heart got broke in the process, that was an ordeal Jason would have to bear.
“Ironically, I was trying to impress you, though I wasn’t saying anything I didn’t believe to be true. There you were, gorgeous, seemingly perfect. And I had no reason to suspect Log Cabin Republican, which it turns out you’re not anyway. But obviously I wouldn’t have had such a big mouth – I do have some self-restraint, though nobody credits me with any – if I’d known who you were. I don’t like people trashing my family, either. I would have apologized, you know.”
“I would have accepted. Not the first day, perhaps, but a day or two later. Unfortunately our families were trying to keep us apart at that point. And I was afraid if I initiated contact with you, it would have a greater meaning than I intended.”
“Like the kiss earlier?”
“Maybe. More about how if we were still offended by each other – “
“You never offended me.”
“Well, I meant to, in leaving you like that. I should have declared why I was leaving, especially since you were trying to apologize. But I was short-tempered and intolerant, so I was afraid of risking a repeat occurrence.”
“Something about me brings it out in you, huh?”
“Actually, yes. I read and hear stuff against my brother all the time, and it just washes over me. But when you say it, I have no choice but to react. And sometimes I don’t like my reaction.”
“Sounds heavy.”
Intent on each other, they must have garnered attention, since a McCallister cousin came up to them. “You gays talk too much. Come on back to the party.” They dismissed her with a look, easily done since she was obviously plastered, and shortly she stumbled along.
But it broke the spell. A bit more casual conversation, and they both had families to return to. After all, they weren’t the couple whose contract was being celebrated, so they shouldn’t be the focus of discussion. And they could really do without undue speculation as they tried to organize their lives. So Kevin returned to the embrace of the Walker clan and found out brother Justin was already on that plane to Iraq, the youngest Walker sibling striving to make a clean getaway.
When Nora Walker cannon balled into the swimming pool, Jason was surprised. He wasn’t particularly surprised at his brother, Robert’s, desire to get soaked. And Kevin’s energetic leap into the pool was to be expected. Jason would have been shocked if he’d held back.
In the pool frolicking joyfully with the rest of his close-knit kin, Kevin’s mind remained reeling from the kiss earlier, and the current promise between them, as well as this evening’s other surprise, his next boyfriend was a Methodist minister. It was a good thing he’d had so many drinks earlier, or the shock would be enough to put him over the edge. It had been bad enough he was attracted to a McCallister, and one he’d offended – it seemed – for life. Well, life spans proved much shorter than he thought, the man’s attraction to him obviously an inconvenience, as they couldn’t be more opposite, in fact Kevin wondered how they’d get along. But he was willing to give them a try. He’d been choosing wrong partners for himself all along, his instincts driven strictly by physical attraction, so the handsome minister – so blatantly wrong for him on so many levels! – might prove to be the success, the new foundation he needed in his life. Maybe he needed to work at getting a guy before he would appreciate him properly. He wasn’t a kid anymore, and it was time to get serious. You couldn’t get any more serious than a minister, Kevin thought. And you couldn’t get luckier than if that minister was also dangerously hot. At least now he could get over the burn caused by the rejection of the man earlier; they’d simply delayed their coupling, is all.
Jason tried, but it seemed he wasn’t resistant to temptation. Once the soaking wet Kevin disappeared upstairs, he soon followed. The sound of the shower let him know which room to enter, and he did so after a polite rap on the door. No response, and he was inside the bedroom, decorated in stripes and deep colors. He assumed this to be Kevin’s former bedroom.
When the tap shut off, that meant his prey was stepping out of the shower. The open bathroom door allowed Jason a glimpse in, but there was no mirror for reflection or he might have caught a lingering sample of the genitals, but instead he was entertained by a generous portion of backside. It was obvious his intended romantic partner was a gym bunny, but falling short of the steroid enhanced demons, thank God.
Slipping into a robe hanging off the bathroom door, a barefoot Kevin was stepping into the outer room when he stopped short, in true surprise at seeing his dark-garbed guest sitting atop the bed. “Thought you were resolved to take this slow.” He was reminded that tall, dark and dreamy had come onto him in the first place. After all, he’d been either ignoring the man, or avoiding him, so Kevin knew he wasn’t to blame. He’d given up on them achieving any sort of amicable relationship, so his realization in the kitchen the stupid band aid excuse was just an opportunity to trail him, had been a source of joyous wonder. So much for Jason McCallister hating him! Unless hate was the other side of love.
“Couldn’t resist.”
“The opportunity or the offer?”
“You always have this sharp a tongue?”
“Try me.”
Remembering that tongue curling around his own was threatening his balance, especially as he was struggling to control his desire. “Wanted more time alone with you.”
“That’s the problem with parties,” Kevin said. "Guests tend to show up." Except for the fact he was enjoying himself, even with his brother off at war, or in spite of it, he wouldn’t have minded a continuation of that mind-blowing kiss in the pantry. It was unexpected; he’d only been joking to his mom and uncle about the McCallister brother having a crush on him. Hell! He’d only wished. But with the tension emanating from the man while they stood next to each other, plus the fact Jason was counting his drinks intake! Well, that wasn’t something you bothered to notice about someone you disliked; only someone you had a proprietary interest in. In fact, that kind of watching out for is what married couples did with each other.
A bed, with himself barely attired, and a prospective romantic conquest all too available. So what was the holdup? Oh, yeah, that whole “traditional” thing. McCallister may be hunting him out this evening, but that didn’t mean Jason was ready to take the relationship to the next step. Unlike older brother, this McCallister preferred a sedate life. So Kevin needed to practice caution, rather than make assumptions. “This whole flirtation is a surprise. When I met you, I thought, you’re too handsome. But Kitty made a good choice, for once. Then I worried why a guy like you would be on your own. Then I remembered I was on my own, so I forgot about that.”
“Generous of you. I like your sparkling eyes. And those lips of yours, it’s like you’re always waiting to be kissed. You frighten me. Nice ass, by the way.”
“Physical attraction frightens you?” He would ignore the compliments until they proved useful. “Or that it’s me you’re attracted to?”
“I can think of people who would be more compatible.”
“Same here,” Kevin said. “But that can be boring, too. What we have is better than physical attraction. It’s chemistry, and that’s impossible to fight. And there’s nothing harder to forget.”
Jason was feeling that chemistry right now. He stood up, facing that temptation in a taut fitting robe. “I should leave.”
“You just got here. How was your view, by the way? Besides my ass.”
“Not good.” When the other man raised an inquisitive brow, “But what I saw is nice, very nice.”
“Something for you to think about when you’re alone?”
“It won’t be the first time.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Not that I had any specifics; so I’ll do a better job this time.”
Caught off guard, Kevin was speechless for once. Then he recovered. “A sexy minister.”
Jason nodded sagely. He knew they were getting into very dangerous territory. Part of that was their proximity to each other, and they were proven combustible. The other part of it was they were alone, precisely what he wanted, but his better nature kept reminding him this was all proceeding at too fast a pace.
“My last boyfriend picked me up at the gym,” Kevin said. “He was gorgeous. But then he was a soap stud on TV. I can’t wait to see what you’ve got.”
“I’m not a TV star.”
“Neither am I. Neither was my prior boyfriend, who was a waiter. See, I’m democratic. And I don’t sleep around as much as people think I do.” Meaning Kitty, for one, who always had nasty things to imply about his dating habits.
Jason couldn’t hold back the smile. “I can tell.”
“Not that I’m celibate.” Sighing in frustration, Kevin said, “But you’re killing me. How long do we have to wait?”
“Until we know each other better. I don’t do casual sex, Kevin.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing. But you’ve made that plain. And I’ve agreed to your terms.” Taking the plunge, “But what if I drop this robe?”
“Now?”
“Now.”
“What if your mother walks in?” Bringing a parent into the discussion was a desperate move on his part, Jason could admit that.
“Believe me, wouldn’t be the first time. She’s made a record of catching all of us going at it, at some point. And see,” he pointed at the door, “I’ve got a lock installed.”
“I notice.”
They stood facing each other in challenge, the one man still damp but feeling delicious with it, the other man more than a little turned on by the prospects, and feeling frustrated in himself, for there couldn’t be anything worse than for a man of his type to fall into bed on short acquaintance. No matter the provocation, he had to resist, but it was damn hard. “So what are you going to do?”
Kevin smiled. “What do you want me to do?” It was fun like this, testing his irresistibility factor. He knew once he got going there was no stopping him. Hell, even Chad had wanted another sexual round when they were supposed to be saying good-bye. At least that was some consolation for him as he was being dumped, that he provided the final rejection, a poor salve to his pride, but the only option he had left.
Yeah, he’d known he was great in the sack since college, and not so bad at kissing either. Plus the fact he could turn on the heat, giving off whatever that pheromone was that attracted a mate, and he’d always had the choicest men at his beck and call. Until it didn’t work out, anyway. Even the latest, Scotty and Chad, they’d both been prime specimens, and the McCallister brother was nothing to laugh about, either. And what about when he was stuck in the desert with his siblings and that gorgeous guy came onto him at the bar? Kevin hadn’t even turned it ON, no projection at all, he’d been too depressed to think about it. But it was working anyway.
Finally, Jason came to a decision. “What I want and what should happen are two different things.”
Abruptly, Kevin grabbed the tie and let the robe fall agape. “Something for you to think about on the way home.” As taunts went, it wasn’t much, but it didn’t take much under these circumstances.
Heading to the bureau to pull out fresh underwear – he noted he was hearing no sound of the door opening and closing - he stepped into his Calvins before letting the robe drop. Then, his back to the rest of the room, he focused on pulling out shirt and pants. “We’re sometimes stuck here at home,” as if he were talking to himself, “like on a sleepover, so the bedrooms are kept up. So are the clothes.”
Oddly, though he’d been caught breathless, Jason was panting while listening with one ear to the man’s recitation. It had been a while for him, and this man was someone he was strongly attracted to.
“You’re a bad influence,” Jason said, moving toward the figure, coming up against the bare back to enfold Kevin into his embrace, his hands coming around the trim waist and pulling Kevin against him.
“So is that the devil sitting on your shoulder?”
“He’s winning.”
Kevin turned in his arms. “It’s not like we have to wait until we get married. There’s a reason we’re meant to fall into bed without complications. At least, that’s as good an excuse as any.” The only one he’d ever needed.
“I want you, Kevin, you know that. But if we’re going to do this, we have to do it my way. Believe me, no one is more sorry about this than me.”
Kevin chuckled. “Damn, you’re tall.”
“I’ve heard that before, too.” Trust Kevin to lighten the mood with a compliment that sounded like an insult. He was getting to understand this acerbic beast. Just wait until brother Robert found out the loathsome Walker brother was the one his kid brother, the ordained Minister, was dating. “Robert will be thrilled.”
“Oh, please, do we have to mention him?”
Jason sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.” He pulled away from the embrace he initiated. “Nice skin. And you’re warm; I like that.”
Kevin was openly flirtatious. "I can get warmer."
“You’re a handful.”
“You run along home; give me a call tomorrow. Take your vitamins in the meantime. E-mail me some sexy photos, if you need to be conservative, maybe wear a thong. Give me something to work with.”
Jason shook his head over what he’d gotten himself into. He’d never met a maverick like Kevin Walker, and only hoped he’d survive the experience intact. “You are too much.”
Kevin resumed dressing while Jason turned on a sudden impulse. “Hey! I just thought about what to do on our first date. Want to see WICKED?”
“Love to." Kevin had seen it six times.
As Jason left, Kevin smiled. He had a feeling sister Kitty had done right for him after all. And, damn it, he knew what that meant: a ton of I TOLD YOU SOs from his blonde, conservative, possibly future First Lady sister. Life wasn’t fair, but at least he had a new beau to share it with.
That was frightening, a new beau. If it didn’t work out, if he screwed up again, it was three strikes you’re out. And just how “traditional” did Jason McCallister intend to be, anyway? The man wasn’t planning an exchange of rings, was he? Oh, oh. With the family connection and all, he’d have to manage this one carefully, or the years ahead would be damn awkward.
Kevin was left musing over tall, dark and dreamy – now that was something to look forward to.
Robert’s kid brother - ‘Jase’ - returned to the remnants of the party with a grin on his face.
THE END