A Clean Break (Gay Amish Romance Book 2) (8 page)

“What was it about him?” David asked.

She ran her finger around the rim of her glass thoughtfully. “He’d been through so much. He was the oldest twenty-three-year-old I’d ever met. He wasn’t hanging at the frat house playing beer pong, you know?”

David was pretty sure he knew what a frat was, but beer pong was a mystery. Still, he nodded.

“I couldn’t imagine leaving my whole family and everything I knew behind to start over. Just to get into college was a huge accomplishment considering he stopped school in the eighth grade. And I knew what it was like to grow up in a weird religion.” She made a face. “I shouldn’t say weird, sorry.”

Isaac shifted in his chair. “I guess it must seem strange to English people even if it doesn’t to us. Although sometimes it does to us too. I don’t know how to feel about it.”

David could well imagine how
weird
it all must seem to outsiders. As a child, any questions of
why
were answered by quoting the Ordnung, or a simple:
Because it’s our way
. He’d once asked Father why God cared about the width of their hat brims, and had persisted until Father gave him a lash with the buggy whip. He’d never questioned out loud at home again.

Jen said, “No, that was disrespectful, and I’m sorry. We respect everyone’s beliefs—or non-beliefs—in this house.”

“It’s okay.” Isaac sat back. “What religion are you?”

“Funny story: While ninety-nine-point-nine percent of Filipinos are Catholic, my family’s Seventh-day Adventist. Missionaries went over back in the day, and my forebearers were convinced.”

David pondered it. “I’ve never heard of that church. It’s Christian?”

“Yep.” Jen swallowed more wine. “Started in Michigan in the eighteen hundreds. In a nutshell, they observe Sabbath on Saturday, which was the original seventh day, and believe that the second coming of Jesus is going to happen any minute now. As such, we should be living clean and avoiding all those worldly temptations.” She smirked as she lifted her glass. “Booze, for example.”

“I take it you’re not following the church anymore,” David said.

“Nope. I went to an Adventist school until college, and I couldn’t wait to move away from home and start
living
. I still believe in God, but not all the trappings made up by men.”

Excitement rippled through David at the idea of still believing in God without being weighed down by the rules.
Trappings
. He mulled the word over in his mind.

Jen sighed. “Don’t get me wrong—I love my family, and I grew up very happy. Adventists are good people. The church certainly isn’t as controlling as the Amish, and even though they didn’t want us to go to movies or parties, we still had a normal life.” She winced. “Not that you guys aren’t normal. I should stop talking now.”

David huffed out a sudden laugh. “It’s all right. When you think about it, it’s not very normal to live like it’s still two hundred years ago. What’s wrong with everything God’s done in the last two centuries?”

“An excellent question,” Aaron said. “I think the answer is that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the modern world.”

“Your parents still talked to you when you stopped going to church?” Isaac asked Jen.

“Oh yeah. They were disappointed, but it happens a lot. It’s not really a big deal. Not like it is with the Amish. Adventists still live here in the real world, so it’s not such a culture shock. I was a little sheltered, but college took care of that quickly.” She whistled softly. “Spring break in Mexico. Innocence shattered within twelve hours.”

David thought of a movie he’d seen at the drive-in about students on spring break. He’d sat there in June’s pickup watching the screen with wonder, confusion, and half an erection.

“Anyway, back to our epic romance,” said Aaron. “The coffee date lasted about seven hours. We walked down to the water, and ended up going for dinner. Then she really did get paged by the hospital, but she kissed me before running off.” He grinned. “I didn’t even want to brush my teeth that night because I imagined I could still feel her on my lips. I did, though, for the record. We got together again for lunch the next day, and here we are.”

“It was that easy?” Isaac asked.

Jen and Aaron laughed loudly, and Jen answered, “Not always. But when you know you’ve found the right person, it’s worth the work.”

Isaac and David shared a look, and David lifted his glass the way people did in movies. “To the right person.”

They all drank to that.

As David walked into their room, Isaac was by the mirrored closet doors, and he scrambled, his head down while he yanked the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around his waist.

David froze in the doorway. “Should I have knocked?” He hadn’t shared a room since Joshua, and it hadn’t even occurred to him—especially given that he and Isaac had done a lot more than see each other undressed.

“No, of course not. Come in. It’s your room too.” Isaac didn’t look at him.

David shut the door behind him, but didn’t move any closer. “Are you sure? If you want privacy, I can…”

“Why would I want privacy from you? It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.” Isaac laughed nervously.

“Then what’s wrong?” Perhaps he shouldn’t have had so much wine, because he couldn’t figure out what Isaac would be upset about. He wanted to take Isaac in his arms and make whatever it was better, but hesitated.

“I thought you’d be downstairs longer.”

“June wasn’t home, so I left her a message.” How strange and wonderful that he’d heard her voice and spoken to her machine from thousands of miles away. Still, David had secretly been relieved when she hadn’t answered. She’d surely gone to see his mother by now, and he dreaded the news of Mother’s reaction.

“That’s too bad. I’m sure you’ll reach her tomorrow.” Isaac was still tense, gripping the sheet.

The wooden blinds were closed, and the lamps on the little tables beside the bed cast a warm glow that reminded David of the kerosene lamps from home, especially with the white paint on the walls. But Isaac’s face was in shadow.

David skirted the bed. “Did I do something?”

Isaac sighed. “Of course not. It’s the mirrors.”

“Oh.” Was he afraid or ashamed to see his body? David hoped not, because Isaac was beautiful. “Do you want to cover them like we did at the motel?” Forcing away thoughts of how that day ended, David squinted at the ceiling. “Maybe we could hang up a spare sheet? I’m sure Aaron will—”

“It’s not that.” With a sheepish expression, Isaac finally met David’s gaze. “I was looking at myself. It’s stupid. And vain.”

Exhaling in a rush, David stepped closer and rubbed Isaac’s arm. “Don’t be embarrassed. We’re supposed to be free in here, remember? It’s not stupid, and it’s not against the rules anymore. I did the same thing this morning.”

Isaac’s eyebrows shot up. “You did? Where was I?”

“Fast asleep and drooling.” David grinned.

“You should have woken me.” He nudged David’s shoulder.

Inching forward, David reached around and ran his fingers down Isaac’s spine. “You’re awake now.” The sweet buzz of the wine hummed through him. “We’re going to be so hungover in the morning, but I don’t care. I don’t care about anything else tonight. Just being here with you.”

Isaac kissed him. “Me either. What’s that mean? Hungover?”

“It’s what English people call it when they’ve had too much to drink the night before.”

Isaac’s skin had the same rosy flush as David’s, and his eyes were bright. “I didn’t really like the taste, but I feel nice.” He rolled his head back and forth. “A little drunk I think. I’ve never been drunk before.”

“Me either.” David nodded to the mirror a few feet away. “Tell me—did you like what you saw?”

Isaac shrugged, his gaze skittering away. “I look okay, I guess.”

“Better than
okay
, my Isaac.” David tugged on the sheet at Isaac’s waist. “Look again.”

With a deep breath, Isaac faced the mirrors. David moved behind him to run his palms over Isaac’s shoulders and down his arms. David was a little taller and bigger, and Isaac leaned against him. They looked good together. He thought of Aaron and Jen’s wedding photos, and wondered if he and Isaac would ever have pictures like that. It made him warm and peaceful to think of it, while still being dressed when Isaac was bare in front of him sent a rush of blood to his cock.

“You should like how you look,” he murmured, tracing his fingers over Isaac’s belly and the trail of dark hair. “I could stare at you all day and never get bored.”

Isaac licked his lips, shivering a little as his cock twitched.

“Do you see what I see?” David caressed Isaac’s chest. He felt as though the wine had slicked his tongue, and it was wonderfully liberating. “So handsome.” His fingers danced over a nipple and down Isaac’s quivering stomach. “Beautiful, and so much stronger than you think.”

Isaac shuddered while David touched him all over. As David’s excitement grew, he watched Isaac get harder in the mirror, his cock red and straining. Goose bumps spread over David’s body, his hair standing up as if electricity flowed through them the way it did the house. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the mirror.

“Take your clothes off.” Isaac spoke quietly, his gaze locked with David’s in their reflection.

David didn’t want to stop his exploration of Isaac’s body, but he peeled his T-shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Isaac took a step to the left, watching David closely in the mirror.

With each new bit of flesh he bared, David watched Isaac’s face following along avidly. Isaac’s Adam’s apple bobbed when David kicked off his jeans and stood naked, his cock jutting out.

“Is that better?” Now that David was exposed, his desire hummed even louder.

“Yes,” Isaac breathed as he reached back and stroked David’s hip and thigh. “I can’t believe this is real. That it’s
allowed
.”

David sighed at Isaac’s touch, more goose bumps rippling over his skin. Outside, a vehicle roared up the hill, and they both jumped before giggling in a way David couldn’t remember doing since he was a boy. He wrapped his arms around Isaac’s stomach and kissed the top of his spine. He felt so
loose
.

Isaac swayed back against him and glanced to the window. “No one can see in, right? It really is just us?”

“Just us,” David echoed. “So tell me—now do you see what I see?” He caressed Isaac’s body. He felt so
warm
and joyful.

“This is me,” Isaac murmured.

David skimmed over the light hair on Isaac’s thighs before tracing along his shaft and down to his heavy balls. He whispered in Isaac’s ear, “Be proud.” He didn’t care if it was a sin—more than anything he wanted Isaac to feel about himself the way David felt about him. Isaac deserved it.

They were both winter pale aside from the flush of wine and lust in their cheeks, and their bodies almost merged already in the glass. They looked
good
together. As though they fit the way they were meant to. A horn honked distantly, but here in this room with only each other and their reflection, they were safe.

“And I see you.” Isaac met David’s gaze in the mirror as he reached out, his fingers squeaking on the glass. “
Us
. I never thought I’d have this again. I thought you were lost to me. That I’d have to leave without you.”

Clammy fear at how differently things could have gone constricted David’s lungs. “I don’t ever want to be without you again.” He buried his face against Isaac’s neck, pushing away the memories of the desperate loneliness and sorrow that had filled him the past months.

“You’ll never have to, my David.” Isaac ran his hands over David’s arms where they encircled him.

Exhaling a long breath, David relaxed his grip and suckled at the tender skin behind Isaac’s ear.

Isaac moaned, and then laughed softly. “You know, at first I was so afraid of you.”

Startled, David raised his head. “What do you mean?”

“Mmm, don’t stop.” Isaac tilted his head to the right, baring the other side of his neck.

“All right. But tell me why.” David mouthed at Isaac’s skin, watching him in the mirror. They were both still partly hard, although not as straining as they had been. The desire flowed through him languidly. There was no rush tonight. They were safe here.

“Why do you think?” Isaac smiled, his fingers still tracing over David’s hands and arms around him. “I wanted you. Not that I really knew it—at least not that I’d admit. You were so mysterious, David Lantz. Always keeping to yourself. That first day of work, I thought I might pee my pants. That would have made quite an impression.”

David chuckled. “Quite.” He pressed slow, wet kisses along Isaac’s neck to his shoulder, and back again. “It wouldn’t have mattered. I still would’ve fallen in love with you.”

Isaac shuddered. “Really?” he whispered.

“Yes.” David met Isaac’s gaze in the reflection. “You’re good and kind. Smart and loving. I’d thought so from watching you, but once I knew you for myself…”

“What?” Isaac waited, his lips parted and his breath coming quick.