Page 66 of Doubting Hearts

Chapter Eighteen

RAIN

THE BULL and Horns Pub in the middle of the town was our local watering hole. It was a great pub, warm, busy, and full of ambience. We were sitting, halfway through our beers, waiting for Tammy and Lucas to show up. Toby had his hand over mine as he idly traced my fingers with his. It was well known here in this pub that Toby and I were a “couple,” and it was the one place we felt comfortable being together like this. The publican, a man called Shaw Mortimer, was retired from the nearby air force base, where he’d been a flying instructor. He was pretty liberal in his views, and we gave him our custom as a result. Other pubs were not as understanding, but then, that happened everywhere you went.

“Hey, lads. Whazzup?” We both smiled as Verne Smith wandered over to our table with a big grin on his face. Both Toby and I enjoyed Verne’s company. He was bit of a village institution with his easygoing demeanor and tough attitude. You’d think that an Afro-Caribbean man with skin as dark as tar would have a soft lilting accent when he spoke, but when Verne opened his mouth it was pure Londoner. It was the price of moving out to the UK when he was just a boy. Toby smiled at him as he leaned back in his chair.

“Verne. Good to see you. How’s the taxi business?”

Verne chuckled. “It’d be better if this big lug of a boyfriend of yours was still using my services. He was one of my best customers, he was. I was always taking him here and there to another bloody pub or to Leicester to those bloody gay bars to pick up a man—” He had a wicked twinkle in his eye as he glanced at me. The man was a shit stirrer of note and knew everything that went on in the town.

I cut him off swiftly, seeing Toby’s look of interest. “Verne, you’re a bloody liar. I was never one of your best customers like that, you little bastard. So, we don’t need the history lesson. I’m sure Toby’s not interested.” Toby’s snort told me he was indeed interested, but I had no

intention of letting Verne spill any beans about the couple of alcohol-laden past indiscretions that had actually occurred.

Verne laughed loudly. “All right, don’t get your panties in a bunch. Toby, what are you feeding this man of yours to get him all growly? Raw meat?”

Toby smirked. “Oh, this and that, Verne. He’s definitely not a vegetarian, I can tell you.” He snickered with Verne as I turned to them both with raised eyebrows.

“You’re both so bloody funny, you know that? It’s like having my very own version of Morecambe and Wise.” I picked up my pint glass and took a large gulp. Verne chuckled as he stood up and made his way over to the bar. Toby grinned.

“Scared he’ll let loose all your secrets, lover? I don’t mind a few sordid tales.”

“I’ll bet you wouldn’t.” I put my glass down and looked at my watch. “Where the hell’s Lucas? He was supposed to be here half an hour ago.”

My boyfriend shrugged. “What’s the rush? Just sit and enjoy the ambiance, Rain.” He reached under the table and gently stroked my thigh. My groin reacted almost immediately.

“Maybe we should go to the bathroom, and I can relieve some of your tension?” he murmured suggestively. I shook my head.

“As much as that appeals to me, this is not the place to do that. Hell, can you imagine someone seeing us disappear together, then finding us? That would just give complete credence to the idea that all gay men hook up in bathrooms for a quickie.”

“And that’s wrong how?” he said, his hand moving farther up my body and definitely causing mayhem. I heard the teasing tone in his voice, seeing the glint in his eyes. It was time for a little payback.

“Wouldn’t you rather wait a little, drive up the tension, and then when I get home, I can dance for you?” I leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “I can put on that sexy music you love, and you can watch me strip and dance naked round my pole. I can watch you lying on the bed, just you and skin, and you can touch yourself while you watch me.”

His breath hitched, and his hand clenched at my jeans just short of the erection that was threatening to burst into song. But I manfully controlled myself, suppressing a grin. It had always been very easy to turn Toby on with thoughts of a striptease and a dance. The pole in my living room had become a great source of pleasure and entertainment for us both. I needed more practice for the fete, although Toby had told me one night, after a particularly satisfying burlesque event, that I definitely didn’t need any more. I think he was worried I might get too many admirers at the village fair. I leaned over, flicking the inside of his ear with my tongue. He started and pulled away, his face flushed rosy in the dim light of the pub.

“Christ, you two, are you at it again?” The aggrieved voice of my friend echoed in my ears. “I swear you just don’t stop.” Lucas pulled up a chair for Tammy to sit, plonking himself down in the vacant chair next to me. He stared at us in wonder. “Honest, I have no idea how you boys keep it up, literally. Is it some sort of gay-man thing I should know about? If so, I might have to switch sides.”

Tammy rolled her eyes at me as she gestured at Lucas. “Hush up, you. Shall I go get us a drink?” She made a move, but Lucas forestalled her.

“No, I’ll get us something. You just see if you can lower the testosterone levels between these two horny bastards before it infects me as well.” He leered at Tammy. “Then you’ll be in for trouble.” He stood up and ambled off to join Verne, who was still at the bar.

Tammy gave a fond sigh. “That man will be the death of me.” She saw our grins and flushed. “Not in that way. God, is everything about sex to you two?”

Luckily she didn’t have time for an answer, as there was a loud cough behind her and the buxom form of Ginny Loomis came into view. Her wild red hair curled like octopus tentacles around her rounded face, and her ample bosom brushed Toby’s cheek as she leaned in to give him a hug from behind. Ginny had a definite soft spot for him.

“Toby, Rain. Good to see you in here. It’s been a while.” She gave Toby a smacking, wet-lipped kiss and flopped into a chair next to him, placing a half-drunk pint of beer on the table. He watched her uneasily. She had a habit of enfolding him in said bosom, and he’d complained to me once he’d felt like he was being suffocated. I was always amused at the sight of my scrappy Toby being wary of a woman who stood five foot four high at most in her heels but was, admittedly, built like the Titanic.

Lucas and Verne had joined us, and we sat in our circle of friends and acquaintances. Ginny gazed at Toby with adoration, reaching out to grab his hand. I bit my lip to stop a chuckle as Toby glanced at me in panic.

“You look yummy in those chinos and that tailored shirt, Toby. It’s so nice to see a young man who dresses up for the pub as opposed to others who simply look like they just walked in from a western movie set.” She looked over at me, and I grinned, comfortable in my checked shirt, blue jeans, and cowboy boots. I had it on good authority that Toby quite liked my cowboy attire. I even had the hat to go with it. Sometimes I just wore the hat and nothing else.

Yeehah, cowboy. I grinned at the memory.

Ginny poked Toby’s arm. “So, sweetheart, it’s so good to see you all better. I bet Rain here had a lot to do with that, didn’t he? Kissing all of your boo-boos better. So, where’s Simon? I thought he might be here with you tonight.” Ginny raised an eyebrow in question.

Toby leaned forward. “He was visiting family. I did ask him if he wanted to join us, but he goes back in a few days to Cadiz, and he has very little time to get everything done.”