Danny paused for a second, and then took a deep breath. Eliot was right. With the two of them there together, it wouldn’t be nearly as bad. The attention would be spread out.
He let Eliot drag him out to the car and got in, feeling a little better about the state of affairs now that he knew Eliot was there to support him. He hated these things, sure, but at least he didn’t have to face it alone this time.
That was more than worth what he was paying Eliot. He would have paid a lot more.
The knowledge that Eliot was maybe not there for the money anymore hit him again. As he drove off, he blushed, remembering exactly the way Eliot had kissed him.
They clearly had an unspoken agreement not to talk about it, but that didn’t stop Danny thinking about it now that they were alone together. He could smell Eliot’s bright, woody aftershave—or maybe shampoo?—from his own side of the car, the same familiar scent he’d been close to before.
When Eliot wasn’t around, it was easy for Danny to pretend that this was purely a business relationship. The moment he was nearby again, that got a whole lot harder.
Once they got to the party, Danny got to see just how good Eliot was at pretending he cared. He’d expected some of the older men to be weird around Eliot, but it only took him a few minutes to charm them into smiling and laughing with him.
It helped that he’d said he was a reporter. Unlike Danny, they understood that they couldn’t say anything they didn’t want repeated in front of him, and that made them hold their tongues.
“So, how did you two meet?” one of the braver men asked during a lull in the conversation.
They hadn’t specifically discussed their story, so Danny was curious to know what Eliot was about to say.
“I did Danny’s coming out interview.” Eliot beamed at him. “You might have read it? Anyway, I fell for him pretty much instantly. I was so excited when he got in touch after. It’s like a fairytale, you know? I met this amazing person who I usually wouldn’t have any contact with and there was just this… spark.”
He turned to look at Danny with soft, warm eyes. It was incredibly convincing, but not in the same way it had been when he was faking it on their first date.
This was… different.
Real.
It was real adoration, and now that Danny wasn’t afraid to look for it, it was impossible to miss. He could feel it rolling off Eliot in waves.
He couldn’t remember thinking that anyone else felt like this about him. Not so earnestly, not for reasons other than who he was. Eliot had never cared who he was. He’d barely even bothered to find out before they met.
Eliot liked him because he was himself.
“Yeah, a spark is exactly how I’d describe it,” Danny agreed.
There had been a spark. He’d noticed that there was something about Eliot from the first five minutes he’d spent with him, but he hadn’t realized what it was.
The spark wasn’t why he was suddenly getting tingly every time Eliot’s shoulder brushed against his, though. That was something else. Something deeper, something Danny wasn’t used to feeling.
Something beyond physical attraction. Danny wasn’t used to that. Every guy he’d been attracted to before had been all about the physical, and the pattern had always been the same—he’d screwed them a few times, they’d realized that it was never going to be a long term thing, and they’d moved on.
Eliot had come along at just the right moment to break that cycle. All they’d done was kiss, and Danny’s stomach still flipped over whenever he thought about it.
The conversation turned away from him and Eliot, and then Eliot managed to extract both of them after a few more minutes. He led Danny away, and Danny followed blindly until he found himself being ushered into what he assumed was a study in the enormous house this thing was being held in.
He knew his own house was on the too-big side, but this one was ridiculous.
All the same, he was glad to be away from everyone for the moment.
“I thought you could use a break,” Eliot said, as though he’d read Danny’s mind. Or more likely, read Danny’s body language and remembered that he didn’t like these events, and put two and two together.
“Yeah.” Danny smiled wryly at him. “Thanks.”
He moved over to a big, leather couch in the middle of the room and sat down heavily, glad to take the weight off his knee as well. Eliot had probably thought of that, too.
Eliot was everything Danny wasn’t. Smart, thoughtful, observant, good with people, stylish. Everything about him seemed so impressive, and the way he’d charmed and entertained and acted as a social buffer between Danny and all the people who wanted to be able to say they’d hung out with him had been the most impressive of all.
Danny was very slowly starting to realize that all of that was really hot. The more he thought about Eliot, the more he wanted him.
“I’m sorry for disappearing on you the other night,” Eliot said, sitting down next to him. Danny’s stomach flipped again, his heartbeat speeding up.
He’d thought they weren’t going to talk about this, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about revisiting the subject. It was one thing to know he was attracted to Eliot, another thing entirely to have to deal with it.
“It’s okay,” Danny said automatically. Except, it wasn’t really okay. He understood why Eliot had run, but there was a part of him that wished he’d stayed. A part of him that had been devastated.
“It’s not,” Eliot said, perceptive as ever. “But I’m actually not sure why, that’s just a vibe I’m getting.”
Danny shrugged. “I was having fun. I…”
He wanted to say I liked kissing you, but the words caught in his throat. The admission felt too big, too scary to make.
Eliot took his hand, the barest, gentlest touch. Danny turned to look at him, and saw the softness in his eyes, the complete lack of judgement, and that same look he’d given him before. Like he cared about Danny. Like Danny mattered to him.
Not as a star player or as a meal ticket, but as a human being.
Eliot was the only person on Earth, as far as Danny knew, who felt that way about him.
Before he’d really decided he was going to do it, Danny leaned in. Eliot’s eyes widened, but momentum kept Danny going, ducking his head to catch Eliot’s lips. He moved his hand to rest on Eliot’s neck, holding him in place gently, letting himself sink into the warmth and comfort of his mouth.
This was what he wanted. He knew the moment he made contact with Eliot that, regardless of his fears or insecurities or anything else, that this was what would make him most happy right now.
Chapter Fifteen
As soon as Danny let him take a breath, Eliot got up from the couch and headed for the door.
“Don’t go,” Danny said, his voice rough, bordering on broken.
Eliot turned to him and smiled. “I’m not,” he said, flicking the lock on the door closed and turning back to Danny. “Just making sure no one bursts in.”
Danny’s shoulders slumped with relief, and he sat back on the couch as Eliot approached again. This time, Eliot dropped himself into Danny’s lap, feeling no need to be shy anymore.
They’d clearly both reached the point where they knew what they wanted. Excitement flared in Eliot’s gut as he took his glasses off and tucked them into his jacket pocket, not wanting them to get in the way this time.
Without waiting for Danny, Eliot darted in, sealing his lips over Danny’s mouth eagerly. He closed his eyes as he felt Danny’s hands move to his back, under his jacket so there was only a thin shirt in the way.
Danny always ran hot, his body warm and solid as Eliot wriggled closer, wanting as much contact as he could get. A flare of arousal warmed Eliot’s stomach as he pressed himself against Danny hip-to-shoulder, as he felt Danny’s heaving breaths in his own chest.
They were probably both a little old for furtive makeout sessions, but that made it even better.
“I want you,
” Danny murmured between kisses, shifting his grip on Eliot to hold him closer.
“You’ve got me,” Eliot responded, brushing his nose against Danny’s. “You are so hot,” he added, laughing softly.
As much as Eliot hated to admit it, Danny was pretty much the pinnacle of male beauty, from his warm puppy-dog eyes to his knee-weakening smile and big, broad shoulders.
Kissing him was addictive, every tiny, needy sound he made spurring Eliot on to get him to make it again. Everything about the way Danny kissed was perfect.
As the kiss deepened, Eliot could feel Danny getting hard underneath him. That was really hot.
Danny was the kind of man who could have anyone he set his eyes on, and he wanted Eliot. It felt so good to know that, to be able to feel the evidence of it pressing against his thigh.
Eliot nipped at Danny’s lips lightly, not wanting to bruise them too visibly. They still had to go back and face the other guests.
“Need a little help, there?” he murmured, grinding his hips down against Danny’s for emphasis.
“Here?” Danny asked, his face getting hot so quickly that Eliot didn’t even need to see him blushing.
“Door’s locked.” Eliot smiled slowly. “We’ll have to be quiet, but…”
He wasn’t sure Danny was going to go for it. Realizing you were really into the guy you’d been pretending to date was one thing, screwing in someone else’s study while they had about a million guests over was another thing entirely.
A hotter, more exciting thing, but maybe not Danny’s thing.
Danny swallowed audibly, but then, to Eliot’s surprise, nodded. “Okay,” he said, his voice low and his cheeks still flushed.
Eliot surged forward to claim his lips again, taking his time to swipe his tongue along the sensitive inside even as he reached down to open Danny’s pants. They didn’t have time or space for anything complex, but this wasn’t about technique. This was about need, and lust, and confirming for each other that they really did want this, that they’d both gotten to the same page at once this time.
Eliot moaned the moment the moment Danny’s hot, hard cock sprung out into his hand. He kissed Danny again, hard, to stifle the sound. His heart pounded in his chest, blood rushing in his ears.
Unsurprisingly, Danny had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. He was a big guy all over.
One-handed, Eliot struggled to open his own pants, making a soft, happy sound as Danny worked his hand between them to help. It wasn’t necessarily helpful, but every brush of Danny’s knuckles against Eliot’s sensitive cock, even through the fabric of his pants and then his underwear, made his eyes roll back in his head.
He wanted this. Eliot wanted this more than he’d been willing to admit, even to himself. His fascination with Danny had started on the first day they met, he’d wondered then what sex with him would be like, and now he was going to get a taste of that.
Danny grunted as Eliot’s cock brushed against his, bucking his hips. Eliot was forced to grip the back of the couch with one hand to hold on, wrapping the other one around both of their cocks.
The heat and friction between them made Eliot gasp into Danny’s mouth, barely stifling a moan that would have alerted everyone in the house. Sex with Danny was already as hot as he’d imagined. Hotter. And this was just a hurried handjob.
Too out of breath to kiss him anymore, Eliot buried his face in Danny’s neck instead, taking in the clean soap smell of his skin, the slightly astringent scent of his aftershave, the fluttering of his pulse in his veins.
On impulse, Eliot pressed his tongue against that spot. He knew he couldn’t bite or suck, couldn’t risk that kind of thing being noticed or commented on when they went back downstairs, so this was the next best thing. The salty tang of Danny’s skin would have to be enough until they could do this somewhere more private.
Eliot bit down on his own lip to stop himself from crying out, rocking his hips against Danny’s. He squeezed their cocks a little tighter, sped up his strokes now that they were both leaking precome to slick the way.
Already, he was starting to feel the urge to buck and writhe against Danny, to close his eyes and ride him, his cock deep inside Eliot instead of in his hand. He wanted more, so much more, but he knew he’d have to wait.
Danny’s fingers dug into the flesh of Eliot’s ass, anchoring him in place and limiting his movement. That was fine. The closer he could get to Danny, the better.
Closing his eyes to take in the sound of Danny panting into his ear, the feel of their cocks sliding together in his hand, Eliot stifled a deep, heartfelt moan against Danny’s shoulder. His stomach was tight with anticipation, his orgasm building deep in his gut.
This was never going to be artful or drawn-out; it was desperate, needy sex between two people who’d been denying themselves for too long. Fast and messy and so good, so good Eliot almost couldn’t stand it.
All the same, Eliot held back a little, slowed his strokes for a moment, took a few seconds to appreciate every sensation, from the heat of Danny’s mouth next to his ear, to the way their balls were nestled together, brushing against each other as they moved.
“Little more,” Danny gritted out, barely a whisper. Eliot nodded in understanding, tightening his grip and rocking his hips into Danny’s.
Holding back wasn’t an option anymore. Eliot tightened his thighs around Danny’s legs, holding them both in place and resting his forehead against the other man’s. He could hear both of them panting, soft moans punctuating every third or fourth breath, just loud enough for each other to hear.
Eliot’s heart clenched at the intimacy of the moment, even with all the lust and desperation and urgency. Being with Danny felt good. He felt like this was exactly where he belonged.
Working both of their cocks harder and faster than ever, Eliot seized Danny’s mouth again to muffle his shout when he came. Their lips connected just in time, Eliot screwing his eyes shut as his orgasm hit him, making him jolt forward against Danny as the pressure that had been building burst. The first wave was white-hot, searing, almost too much to bear. A physical force that made Eliot feel as though he’d been struck by a speeding train, just for a split second.
Eliot’s grip on the back of the couch tightened, his fingernails digging into the leather as he rode out the aftershocks of his orgasm. A low, deep grunt and a rush of fluid over the back of his hand told him Danny had come as well, so he slowed his strokes down, loosening his grip a little as they both enjoyed a few seconds of bliss.
Once he was done, Eliot heaved a heavy, satisfied sigh and let Danny take his entire weight for a few moments, enjoying the post-orgasm closeness. His skin was still tingling, his balls still brushing up against Danny’s.
Despite this being a quick, needy handjob in a stranger’s house, it felt right. Loving, even, though that was too big and scary a word for the moment.
As soon as he’d recovered enough to think straight, Eliot sat back and reached into his jacket pocket.
“Are those baby wipes?” Danny raised an eyebrow as Eliot produced a small plastic package.
“They’re face wipes,” he explained.
“I have oily skin,” he added when Danny continued to look skeptical. “They’re cucumber?” he tried, since his explanation clearly still wasn’t satisfactory.
“And you carry them with you?” Danny asked.
“Yes. You wanna judge me, or do you want to not be covered in come for the rest of the night?” Eliot asked, raising his own eyebrow.
Danny sat back, chuckling as he exposed his stomach for Eliot to clean up. They’d both managed to miss each other’s shirts, as far as Eliot could tell, which was about as close to a miracle as he’d ever seen. He cleaned his hands, and then used the same wipe to clean Danny’s skin as well.
Danny hissed as he did it, flinching away from him. “Ow,” he complained.
Eliot snorted. “It’s just the alcohol in the wipes. Like aftershave,” he explained.
“I don
’t put aftershave on my dick,” Danny said.
“Quit being a baby.” Eliot stood and tossed the waste paper basket, figuring it’d go unnoticed. “And I can tell you’ve never bothered to tidy up down there, don’t worry,” he added, tucking himself back into his underwear and zipping his pants back up.
Danny went silent for a moment. “Is, uh… is that a problem?” he asked, sounding genuinely unsure.
Eliot looked back up at him, stepping closer to stand between his still-spread legs. Danny was obviously not the kind of man who bounced right back from a good orgasm, which was kind of endearing.
The way he was all spread out and dopey was hot, too. Eliot wet his lips, storing that image away for later.
“No.” Eliot shook his head. “We’re different people. That’s what I like about you.”
“So you like me, huh?” Danny grinned up at Eliot, his eyes dancing.
“I try not to give out handjobs to people I don’t like. It’s less fun.” Eliot bent down, swooping in to peck Danny on the lips.
He jumped when someone banged on the study door.
“Danny,” Walter called through the door. “There are people out here who came to see you.”
Danny’s eyes widened, his mouth falling open. He worked his jaw, but couldn’t quite seem to come up with a response.
“He’ll be out in a minute,” Eliot called back.
Walter grumbled something unintelligible before walking away.
“Thanks.” Danny smiled wryly. “I thought we were about to get busted.”
Eliot shrugged. “We are supposed to be dating. This adds a little more realism.”
“Yeah.” Danny nodded, sitting up as Eliot stepped back and starting to get his clothes back in order. “Yeah, I guess.”
Once they were both dressed and ready to be seen in public again, they sneaked out of the study they’d locked themselves in and headed back downstairs to the party. Eliot couldn’t stop himself from smiling, nor could he stop his heart from skipping every time Danny brushed against him.
He felt good about what had just happened. There was no regret, no guilt, no worry that everything was going to go wrong. It had felt so right. Every touch, every kiss, all of it had seemed like something he was supposed to do.
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