Relief washed over me when I saw that he was safe and sound at the kitchen table, and I was surprised that he wasn’t alone. “Um, hey, guys,” I said, rubbing my hand over the back of my neck nervously.
Wren’s eyes raked over my body then snapped back up to meet my gaze. “I told your grandpa that you weren’t feeling well and had fallen asleep while helping me unpack.”
“That’s mighty nice of you, Dare,” Grandpa said, but he kept his eyes on the photo album in front of him. “Here’s the one I was talking about, Wren.” He pointed to a photo of a purple car. “Check out this nineteen-seventy Dodge Charger in Plumb Crazy. She was owned by a fella who lived here a few years between sixty-eight and seventy-two. Nice guy.”
Wren looked at the picture Grandpa kept pointing at to get his attention. “She’s a beauty, all right.”
“Well, I think I’ve had enough excitement for the night, boys,” Grandpa said then slowly rose to his feet. “Think I’ll turn in.”
“Let me help you get settled, Grandpa.” I slowed as I neared Wren. “Wait for me?” I asked. Wren said nothing but nodded his head.
Once I had Grandpa in his room, I helped him change into his pajamas and get settled between the sheets. “Do you need anything? Want me to bring in a glass of water or juice?”
“Nah, go out there and spend time with your guy.”
“He’s not my guy, Grandpa.”
“I might have poor vision, but I see the way the two of you look at each other. It’s the same way I looked at your grandmother. I know love when I see it.”
“Grandpa…” I let my words trail off because there was no point in arguing with him.
“If you wanted to convince me nothing was going on then you shouldn’t have put your sweatpants on inside out before you came back home.” Grandpa cackled when my face turned red. “Now get out of here so this old man can get some sleep. I need a sharp mind so I can beat Maren at The Price is Right tomorrow.”
“Goodnight.” I kissed his forehead and turned out the light. I left the door open a crack, so I could hear him if he needed me in the night. I would rather put some kind of monitor in his room, but I’d only found ones made for babies, which would rob him of his dignity. “I love you.”
“Love you too, Dare. Now go spend time with your guy.”
When I returned to the kitchen, Wren was no longer sitting down. “Come here.” His voice was husky and full of promise, and I didn’t hesitate going into his arms. “I should’ve left you a note so that you didn’t panic when you woke up.”
“Why’d you let me sleep so long?”
“Guilt?” he asked. “I really wrung it out of you, so the least I could do was let you rest.” Wren ran a finger across my cheekbone, caressing me with more tenderness than I knew he possessed. “Maybe then you would’ve noticed your clothes were inside out.”
“My shirt too?” I looked down and sure enough, all my clothes were fucked up.
“Are you feeling okay?” Wren asked, changing the subject. “Did I hurt you?”
“Tender but amazing, although I do have one regret?”
“There wasn’t a number four?”
“God no!” I chuckled. “I didn’t get to touch you at all or put your dick in my mouth.”
Wren took a shaky breath and released it. “I’ll submit my body to you next time.”
“How soon is next time?”
“When you can walk without a hitch,” Wren replied.
“I don’t need my ass to blow your cock. There’s nothing wrong with my mouth.” I pressed my nose against his neck and breathed in his scent. “Mmm, you showered.”
“I couldn’t show up at your grandpa’s door with your dried cum all over me.” Wren pressed his lips to my forehead for a sweet kiss. “Tomorrow night you can have your way with me. I’ll be good and let you do whatever you want.”
“I’ll hold you to it.” I walked him to the door where he kissed me one more time. “Wren, thank you so much for spending time with my grandpa. He looked so happy when I came through the door.”
“He’s fun to be around, so it was my pleasure.” His lips tilted up in a wicked smile. “Sweet dreams, Sparkles.”
I watched as Wren jogged across the driveway and disappeared into the garage. My world suddenly felt like it had shifted from its axis. I felt dizzy and giddy and ridiculously happy. Oh fuck! Grandpa was right. I was in love with Wren. I couldn’t let on though, or I’d lose him for good.
The week that followed was one of the most incredible in my life. Things were going great at the salon, and I spent my evenings either naked with Dare at my place or fully clothed at his house hanging out with him and Ralph. On the few nights we were apart, I spent time stripping more wood paneling off the walls after Ralph and Dare gave their approval.
“You’ll have to let us knock some money off the rent,” Ralph had said. “It doesn’t seem right for you to pay to live there and remodel it for free.”
“It keeps me busy and out of trouble,” I had replied. “I don’t know a lot about remodeling and construction, but I do know how to patch and mud drywall. I’m thinking a fresh coat of paint will really liven the place up.”
“You mean bring it to the current decade,” Dare had teased.
I knew Dare was embarrassed by the condition of the apartment, but with new flooring and fresh paint, it would look like a brand-new place. Dare could worry about overhauling the kitchen cabinets and bathroom sometime down the road. I hadn’t given much thought to how long I planned to live in the apartment; I just wanted to make things a little easier on Dare.
The only dark spots during the week were the daily calls from a man I didn’t want anything to do with. After years of having his monthly attempts to reconnect with me ignored, my father had apparently grown tired of it and stepped up his game. What could he do about it though? I was a twenty-eight-year-old man who didn’t need his permission to do anything. Every time he called, I sent him straight to voicemail. What was he going to do about it? Show up here in Blissville? I snorted at the thought. He had a new wife and a shiny new baby son. What could he possibly want with me? Furthermore, what could he possibly think I wanted with him?
When Sunday rolled around, Jimmy and Danny came over to eat pizza and watch football. Jimmy had even bought me a lava lamp and had it delivered to me midweek as another joke about how old-looking my new digs were. My friends could laugh it up all they wanted, but I was happier in that small apartment than I’d ever been in my entire adult life. I knew the source of my happiness had nothing to do with the walls that surrounded me and everything to do with the guy whose moans bounced off them.
“Hey, the place looks better already,” Jimmy said, looking around the living room. “Oh man, you even plugged in the lamp.” There was no way in hell I was going to tell him that staring at that dumb lamp eased the tension that rose inside me each time my sperm donor called. I could’ve changed my number, but what fun was that? I liked to be reminded of pain and betrayal because it kept me from making the same foolish mistakes that my mom had when she was younger.
Not doing such a fantastic job at it though, pal. You spend more time with Dare than you do without him. What kind of mixed signals are you giving the guy?
“Shut the fuck up,” I whispered out loud.
“Bro, I was teasing about the lamp,” Jimmy said, holding his hands up in surrender.
“I think there’s something else bothering our boy,” Danny said as he looked at me through narrowed eyes. “You look different, Wren. Whatever, or whomever, you’re doing looks good on you.”
“Don’t start,” I said, pointing my finger at him.
“Come on,” Jimmy teased. “You don’t seriously think we missed your reaction to the cutie pie who owns the place.”
“His grandpa owns it,” I corrected.
“Yeah, but I bet his grandson is the one collecting the rent. Am I right?”
“Oh, does he knock a little extra each month if you—”
“Low blow,” Jimmy said. He hated his first and middle name pairing. “Who names their kid James Robert unless they want him to get beat up at school?”
“I don’t look a thing like Danny Zuko from Grease,” Danny argued.
“You kind of do but with blond hair,” Jimmy told our friend. “It doesn’t help that your last name is Zucker.”
“Shut up and eat your greasy pizza. I bet lover boy wants us to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. I bet he has big plans with his new friend.” Danny waggled his brows suggestively. “Can’t blame you. He’s fine as hell.”
“Guys, I’ve known Dare for over a year now. He’s not a new friend.”
“Okaaaay,” Jimmy said. “New boyfriend then.”
“He’s not my boyfriend either,” I growled in frustration. “Since when have we ever chatted about our feelings and shit?”
“We’ve always talked to each other about what was going on in our lives,” Danny countered. “None of us have ever met a person that we were serious about though.” Danny said “person” because he and I were gay and Jimmy was bi.
“That hasn’t changed,” I told Danny.
“If you say so, Sparrow.” I guess it was only fair that he invoked the nickname I hated after I used theirs.
“I say so.”
Jimmy and Danny shrugged at each other and turned their attention back to the game. They soon got caught up in yelling at the Bengals and didn’t notice how quiet I’d become. I stared at the television, but I wasn’t really seeing it. I was reliving the week I’d just had and the happiness I’d enjoyed. I recalled the numerous ways that Dare and I made each other come, the laughs we shared playing rummy with Ralph, who cheated something fierce, and all the stolen sweet moments at the salon. I’d found every opportunity to kiss him or smell my soap on his skin.
Fuck me! I had my very first boyfriend. That was never my intention and wasn’t what I wanted either. I wasn’t made for relationships. Infidelity and selfishness were built into my DNA, and I could not subject someone as special as Dare to the hurt I was sure to bring into his life. I had to find a way to back us away from the edge before it was too late. Hurting him was the last thing I wanted, but it was better to do it before things went too far. Once I made that resolve, I tuned back into the game in enough time to watch the Bengals pull off a fourth quarter, miracle comeback.
After it was over, Danny and Jimmy went home. I walked them down to the garage then got busy working on my Chevelle that Jimmy hauled over in his box trailer along with my Harley. It was too salty and nasty to drive my classic car and too cold to ride a motorcycle. Pizza and a few beers was the least I could offer them for helping me out.
Working with my hands always helped me check out from bothersome thoughts, so I cranked up the classic rock and lifted the hood of my beauty to give her a tune-up that she probably didn’t even need. I lost track of time and forgot about my worries until I sensed that I wasn’t alone anymore. It scared me that I knew Dare was there without looking. It also bolstered my resolve to end whatever was going on between us. That was until I closed the hood and saw him.
“What are you wearing?” I asked, as if I didn’t recognize the dark-blue mechanic’s coveralls. “Steal those from Ralph?”
“Nope. Gotta love Amazon Prime’s two-day shipping.” Everything about Dare from the way he spoke and walked to the way he’d unbuttoned his coveralls down to his sternum spoke of seduction. “I didn’t have time to have a customized name patch sewn on though.”
“What would you have chosen?”
“Sparkles, of course.” He didn’t stop moving until he pressed his lithe body against mine.
“My hands are filthy, Dare.” It was my last-ditch effort to put some distance between us.
“Make me filthy too.” He pointed to the Harley behind him. “Preferably while bending me over that wicked beast.” He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a condom and lube packet. His eyes sparkled with happiness and lust, and my resolve vanished into thin air.
“I can do better than that,” I said boldly.
My first instinct was to wipe my hands off on a shop towel, but I changed my mind when Dare started unsnapping his coveralls, revealing more of his fair skin. I wanted to leave my handprints on his hot body, marking him. Needing to be the one to reveal every inch of his skin, I knocked his hands away.
“It’s warmer in here than I thought it was going to be,” Dare said when I simultaneously kissed his neck and pulled the coveralls from his arms and shoved them down to his hips.
“Torpedo heater,” I explained. I reached beneath the fabric to cup his bare ass cheeks. Fuck, I couldn’t wait to see the marks I left behind. I pulled back from him and quickly removed my clothes and shoes before I finished undressing him. “The motorcycle will feel cold against your bare skin. Do you want me to get a blanket from upstairs?”
“You’ll warm me up.”
Who was I to argue? I straddled the Harley and scooted back so there’d be plenty of room for Dare to lie in front of me. The only question was: facedown or faceup? The scene played out so vividly in my mind that I nearly moaned out loud. I crooked my finger for him to come to me.
“Roll the condom on me and make me good and slick.”
Of course, Dare didn’t just roll the condom on. He had to take his sweet time and torture me by licking my nipples and nibbling my neck, reminding me that he was the seducer in this scene. Once I was slick and ready, I patted the motorcycle seat in front of me.
“Straddle the bike and lie facedown with your head up by the handlebars.”
For the first time since he entered the garage with the intent to fuck, Dare looked a little nervous.
“My legs will keep us from tipping over.” I slapped the seat again. “Give me the best ride I’ve ever had, Dare.”
He wasn’t about to back away from that challenge. I bit my lip to keep from chuckling when he gasped at the first contact of cold leather and metal against his bare skin. Hey, I offered to get a blanket. My breath caught in my throat when Dare reached back and began stretching his hole with lubed fingers, prepping himself for my cock.
“Feel good?” I asked when Dare started to moan and grind against the motorcycle seat. His sexy plump cheeks had never looked better than when wearing my mark on them.
“Not as good as you.”
I gripped my cock around the base and lined up to his hole after he pulled his fingers free. Dare reached up and grabbed the base of the handlebars for leverage, and I thrust my cock as far as it would go on the first push.
“Yes!” Dare cried out, loving the bite of my penetration.
I gripped his hips tight and started a slow and easy ride, leaning back as far as I could to get a view of my cock gliding in and out. I pulled back until only the tip remained then slid back inside him until my balls slapped against his.
“Harder.”
There was no way I was giving in to his demands or it would be over too soon. I wanted this ride to last a long time. My hands looked huge against Dare’s narrow hips and his ass was stretched nice and tight around my cock. I lowered my right thumb and pressed it just above his pucker so I could feel the way he expanded as I moved in and out of him.
“Wren!” I loved how my name sounded so different each time he said it. I could tell by the raised pitch that he was ready to come. My guy was so damn responsive and sexy. There was never any guessing whether something felt good to him. That didn’t mean I was going to immediately give in to him.
I continued working slow and steady, building us toward a climax. Dare’s moans got louder as his need got greater, and I decided it was time to take pity on both of us. I raised up on my toes, leaned over Dare’s back, and gripped the handlebars above him.
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“You’ll never be able to look at a motorcycle without remembering this night,” I whispered in Dare’s ear as I thrust fast and hard into him.
“Ohhh!”
“I’ll never be able to straddle this bike without seeing you laid out before me with your plump ass cheeks spread apart to receive my cock. You look so fucking sexy like this.”
“Wren!” His hole clenched around my dick and his body tightened beneath mine. I fucked him through his orgasm, and his spasming ass ripped mine from me.
I nuzzled his neck with my beard and loved the way he squirmed. “Keep that up and you’ll get me hard again.”
“We can break in the hot rod over there next,” Dare suggested.
I doubted anything could ever top the motorcycle sex, but I was willing to give it my best shot. I held the bike steady while Dare climbed off and cleaned up. He tossed me a shop towel and I wiped his sexy release off the seat. I bit my lip to prevent a moan from escaping when he bent over to grab his coveralls off the garage floor. I fucking loved my handprints all over his flesh, especially the thumb print above his hole.
“Well, I hate to fuck and run, but I better get back to the house.”
I should be glad that he wasn’t sticking around, but I wanted to watch some television with him and just hang out like normal…friends do. Dammit, Jimmy and Danny were right. I’d let this develop beyond the fuck-buddy zone and knew I had to walk us back. Dare said he wouldn’t make demands or ask for more than I could give him, and I was about to find out if he was being truthful.
Our kiss goodbye was awkward like maybe he already felt me pulling away from him. I was in no mood to finish the tune-up and went upstairs to remove the condom and shower off the grease and grime. I started with my hands so that I didn’t get the shit everywhere. I stood beneath the hot spray and tried to ignore the acid burning my gut from guilt. I didn’t want to be the reason Dare lost his sparkle. Any-fucking-thing but that. Just because I rarely expressed my emotions, didn’t mean I was unfeeling and cold. It just meant I was cautious about who saw them. Dare made me feel comfortable in ways that no other living person ever had, including the mother that I had loved dearly.
Nobody's Prince Charming (Road to Blissville, #3) Page 9