The New Hand, Part Forty

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13

LINK TO PART ONE

~

Adam opened his eyes drowsily on Sunday morning. As they came into focus, he realized that he and David were both still dressed and were both still on top of the covers. That showed how tired they must have been last night.

Judging by the light streaming in through the windows, it was almost noon. Adam glanced down at David. He was lying with his head against Adam’s shoulder, still asleep.

Adam pulled David a little closer to him and rested his chin on top of his head. Strange that he didn’t feel in the least uncomfortable.

He ran his fingers through David’s hair as his thoughts turned to Marty. What should they do about her? Should they go and talk to her today? No—she might be seeing Ed Niles. The man worked like a dog from Monday through Saturday, so he’d probably spend Sunday with his mistress. The last thing Adam and David needed was to run into him.

The thought of Marty in Niles’ clutches still caused Adam’s stomach to twist itself into knots. He should have kept a closer eye on her—and he shouldn’t have fallen for her innocent act.

David began to stir. Adam felt him yawn and then heard him addressing him.

“’Morning, Adam,” he mumbled.

Adam smiled. “Good morning. Are you awake enough to talk?”

“I suppose,” he answered through another yawn.

“We’ll have to put off talking to Marty until tomorrow,” Adam informed him. “We can’t risk running into Niles.”

David nodded. “I agree. Tomorrow’s going to be busy—we have to get a look at Gregory Miller’s accounts as well.”

“Do you need to rehearse?” Adam asked, still stroking his hair.

“No,” he answered. “I think I’ve got this role down pat.”

He paused to smile up at Adam. “I’d like a rematch in chess today,” he continued, “and I’ll bet we can round up two other people for a few rubbers of whist.”

Adam grinned. Whist was a challenging, strategic card game. He and David had partnered together before, back when they had first met. Together they had beaten all the other teams hands down.

“We can do that,” he agreed. “But right now, I’d like to discuss our other partnership.”

David used his arm to prop his head up. Then he favored Adam with an audacious grin. “We could always save the talk for later,” he suggested.

“That’s tempting, but no,” Adam retorted. “We might as well have this out, David. I expect fidelity—on both our parts.”

To Adam’s surprise, he nodded at once. “I wouldn’t have it otherwise,” David assured him. “It’s not always a popular choice, mind—but it saves a lot of trouble and it’s considerably healthier.”

He paused and cocked his head at Adam. “And now shall I address the elephant in the room?”

Adam responded with a wry smile. “Go on,” he encouraged him.

David nodded. “We’re both, ah, dominant, alpha-wolf types,” he began. “There’s no point in denying that. It’s part of what lends spice to our relationship. But I think I’ll prove more apt than you will at changing roles—at least for now. There, was that blunt enough?”

“That was blunt enough,” Adam owned, raising his eyebrows at him.

“Good,” David said, leaning closer to him. “Now that’s enough talk.”

LINK TO PART FORTY-ONE