Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 18067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 90(@200wpm)___ 72(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 90(@200wpm)___ 72(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
“Nope. I want to be fed and to ride a train. Then maybe you’ll get your surprise at home.”
“Please tell me it’s you in a big red bow!”
“You’ll see,” Abe teased before getting out of the car. Dom was an enormous ego boost. For as much as Abe loved to get his hands on Dom’s body, Dom seemed to feel the exact same way about Abe’s somewhat older body. Dom showed no distaste for the liberal sprinkling of gray in his chest hair or the fact that he wasn’t as sculpted as Dom. The younger man wanted to touch Abe constantly, regardless of whether they were fucking or just stretched out on the couch watching a movie. And Abe soaked it all in.
Locking the car, Dom came around to the passenger side and slid his fingers through Abe’s. “You know, I’ve never been on a train. When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a train robber and ride up on a black horse. Thought something like that would be exciting.”
“Not the sheriff?”
Dom chuckled. “No, I started out as a bad boy. But for you, I’m straight and narrow.”
“Well, hopefully not too straight.”
“Yeah, definitely not.”
Dom was sure he had the dopiest damn grin on this face as he stared at Abe, but he didn’t give a shit. The silver fox sitting across from him looked like he was on cloud nine. Since taking their seats at an intimate, candle-lit table with a pristine white tablecloth, Abe hadn’t stopped talking. He glanced around the beautifully updated train car that looked like it was something straight from the Orient Express. Other passengers arrived and took their seats, but they were barely noticed.
And then the train started to move. Abe launched into stories of all the times he’d taken trains when he’d been younger—up through New York and throughout New England with his parents. Then another trip along the West Coast. He loved the gentle rocking of the train and the steady clack of the wheels on the rails.
Dom had to admit—he was enjoying it more than he’d expected. The sun was setting, casting the cold, winter sky in shades of pink and orange, while the bare trees threw long shadows across hills and homes. It was incredibly relaxing, and the food was damn good so far. The first course had been a selection of cheeses and cured meats along with some goat cheese stuffed olives. The salad had also been good with a house-made raspberry vinaigrette.
“So…it might be a little early to talk about this,” Abe started as an opening to a new topic.
Dom froze in the middle of lifting his iced tea to his lips. His heart skipped a beat at those words, and his mind raced at the possibilities. Little early to talk about…
Was Abe about to broach the topic of marriage? Dom was ready to drop to one knee and propose right there if Abe showed even a tiny hint that he’d be open to the idea. It was great to have Abe in his home, in his bed every night. But marriage…fuck…that would make Abe his permanently, and Dom couldn’t think of anything better.
“I was wondering if you’d be interested in going out west this summer,” Abe continued.
“West?” Dom repeated. He blinked a couple of times, trying to get his brain back on track after its excited panic down the aisle.
“Yes. I was thinking maybe we could go to a dude ranch or maybe rent a cabin near a national park. Do some hiking and fishing.”
Dom put his glass back down and released a pent-up breath. “Jesus, Abe. You almost gave me a heart attack. You’re talking about vacation.”
“Sure. What’d you think I was talking about?”
Dom could feel his cheeks heat. “You mentioned that it was early to talk about…” Dom paused and cleared his throat. “Never mind.”
Narrowing his eyes, Abe stared at him for a second and Dom was sure he was trying to see inside his brain. He opened his mouth to distract Abe, put him back on course with his talk of vacation, when Abe’s mouth suddenly dropped open.
“Did you think I was talking about marriage?” Abe asked in a hushed tone, leaning forward across the table. Before Dom could reply, Abe was shaking his head and making a tsking sound with his tongue. “Baby, if I propose, I’m going to be far more romantic than starting with ‘little early to talk about.’ ”
“Well, when I propose, I swear that it’s going to be the most romantic thing you’ve ever experienced.”
Abe lifted one eyebrow at him. “Are you telling me it’s a race now?”
“Nope. I’m just saying that when we’re ready, my proposal is going to be epic.”
“We’ll see who ends up doing the asking,” Abe said before lifting his glass of wine to his lips.