Page 76 of Primary Seduction
He was beat. It was nearing midnight, and they all needed sleep. The police had left about half an hour ago, and Samuel was still there talking with Trent about options. Jocelyn and Harper were dead on their feet, he could tell just by looking at them.
They’d all be better staying there but he knew there’d be issues with that, so he made a phone call.
Twenty minutes later, an acquaintance turned up. He was a locksmith and Max had him change every single outside door, including the garage. The man was halfway through the final lock when Trent came in.
“What’s going on?”
Max turned, blushing. “I hope you don’t think it was presumptuous, but I’ve had the locks changed. I thought you might want to stay here but Harper might be worried about Trish coming back. This way, she doesn’t have to worry about anyone turning up who shouldn’t. And you don’t have t—” He stopped talking when Trent’s lips hit his own, making him stumble back a few steps before he regained his balance.
When Trent finally pulled away, Max asked breathlessly, “What was that for?”
“For being here. For knowing what I need. For helping.” Trent kissed him again. “For being you.”
Max buried himself in Trent’s neck, holding him tight. “I love you.”
Trent pulled back and clasped Max’s head in his hands. “What?”
He took a breath. “I said, I love you. I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but I’ve been attracted to you for months. I never thought we’d ever have a chance. Thank you.” He saw tears in Trent’s eyes and wasn’t sure what they meant.
As the tears overflowed, Trent leaned his head against Max’s. “I love you, too. Fuck me, but I do.”
Max kissed him, tasting the salt on his face. He couldn’t believe it. This was so not the time to be doing this.
****
Trent
As he held Max in his arms, he replayed what just happened. Max had said he loved him. And even more, Trent had said it back. He was a bit shocked by how all right he was about it all. But he didn’t care. At that moment in time, it was all his.
He couldn’t believe Max had been so observant to know that being in the house would be difficult for them and for him to take the initiative and change the locks meant more to Trent than Max could ever realise. Max had been thinking about his kids and doing what he could to keep them safe. Trent couldn’t ask for more.
They eventually said goodbye to everyone who was leaving and secured the new locks. Jocelyn and Harper went straight up to bed after hugging them both. Trent was glad they had taken a shine to Max, especially as he would be around a lot. At least Trent hoped he would.
He flopped down on the sofa and let out a huge sigh. Max dropped beside him and curled into his side.
“That was one long ass day,” Max said with a yawn.
“That it was.”
The next thing he knew, the sun shone through the open curtains. It took him a minute to realise where he was before he went to get up. Realising Max was half on top of him, he moved slightly to slide out from beneath him, then staggered upright, feeling aches and pain in places he wished he didn’t. He was getting too old to be sleeping on a sofa. He heard sounds coming from the kitchen so headed that way, needing a drink of water.
He found Harper cooking breakfast, and Jocelyn laying the table. It was a bit of a shock to find Harper cooking, he had never seen her cook before or heard that she had the inclination to do it.
“That smells good. What’cha cooking, Button?”
“Papa!” Harper laughed.
“What?” Trent loved the sound of laughter. It was a bright start to his day, after all the crap they were thrown yesterday. And he wouldn’t bring notice to it, but for the first time in a long time, she had called him Papa. When she first started learning Italian, she swapped from Dad to Papa overnight, and it stuck for the longest time. She stopped after the divorce. It was great to hear it again.
“It’s only bacon, sausage and egg. Nothing spectacular. I thought you might be hungry.” She blushed.
“I’m always hungry. And thanks. Do I have time for the bathroom?”
She laughed again. “Of course.”
He turned after winking at Jocelyn and headed for the upstairs bathroom. He did his business, found a couple of spare toothbrushes under the sink and brushed his teeth. Then splashed his face with cold water. He would need to go home today to pick up some clothes and things ready for staying here. He certainly wasn’t leaving Harper alone.
Heading back to the kitchen, he heard more laughter, recognising Max’s voice. As he entered, he saw Max sat at the table, talking to Harper and Jocelyn with a mug in front of him.
