Say Uncle : An Age Gap MM Romance (Sinful Summers Duet Book 2) by Raquel Riley

Author:Raquel Riley [Riley, Raquel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-08-22T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

We pulled into the marina at Cooper’s Cove and expertly maneuvered into our boat slip. Our guests thanked us with a generous tip and disembarked, and we set to work hosing down the boat, the lounge chairs, and the hundred other things on our checklist. Two hours passed in a flash, and we’d completed most of our tasks. Nicky and Mattie sat on the edge of the bow, dangling their legs over the side. Nicky wore a T-shirt, but Mattie was bare-chested, his shoulders red with sunburn. I grabbed a tube of sunblock and crouched down behind him.

He startled when I grasped his shoulders, the sunblock cold to the touch, but settled again as I began to knead the lotion into his skin.

“If you’re not gonna wear a shirt, you need to keep reapplying the sunblock. Skin cancer is no joke.”

Mattie glanced over his shoulder at me. “Yes, sir.”

“I was just telling Mattie about these travel blogs I follow. Ever since last summer, when I first started sailing with you, I’ve taken an interest in them. I could help him submit his photos.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Nicky. I’m sure Mattie would appreciate your help.”

Mattie reached out to capture Nicky’s hand, squeezing it, and my chest warmed from the sign of affection between them. Their friendship was unlikely, but had bloomed quickly. Two lonely souls with a common bond—the desire to be loved and accepted for who they were. I was glad they’d found each other and for my part in bringing them together.

“Hey, we’re gonna take off,” Cass called.

“Clear out the fridge and take all that food with you.”

“You don’t want any?”

“Nah, we’ll get takeout on the way home.”

He walked over, popped a kiss on my cheek, and picked Nicky up under the arms, hauling him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He carried him down the dock, with Nicky squealing and giggling the entire way.

“What do you feel like having for dinner?” I asked.

“Whatever you want is fine with me.”

Taking a deep breath, I blew it out and chose my next words carefully. We were heading home—alone—and the lines and expectations had been blurred all to hell this past week. I needed to re-establish them again before things got awkward. I didn’t want Mattie to fall into a trap of pleasing me out of hand, just because he felt like he needed to as my guest.

“This is how it’s gonna go when we get home, so listen up.” He’d become relaxed and pliant from the massage, practically melting against my chest, but now he stiffened, sitting up straighter. “You’re not a guest in my home, even if it’s a temporary situation. I told you that you were welcome there as long as you wanted or needed a place to call home, which means it’s your home too. That being said, I still pay the bills there, and it’s my name on the mortgage, which means you’ll respect it, and me. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

My lips grazed his neck, the heat from his sun-burned skin warming my lips.

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