“Yes . . . in a way. I didn’t know what exactly we’d find when you opened the wall, but the house showed me a vision of that wall with a red spot on it, like it was sore or something.” I paused a moment to let it sink in. “Back to my turn. Tell me why you kissed me. And no one-word answers this time.”
He scrubbed a hand over his head. “I guess I just like you. I don’t know why. I don’t think I’m gay. Not really. It’s not like I don’t think women are still hot. Maybe I’m bi or something? I don’t know.” He stopped meeting my eyes and started talking to the water. If that made this easier on him, I was okay with it. “It’s not just that you’re nice looking. Well, that’s definitely true, but you’re . . . more. Funny and friendly and smart.” He picked at the seat upholstery. “And you get me. All I hear from people constantly is why I can’t or shouldn’t do things. Not only with the house, but with my business, my personal life, everything. I know that I take a lot of risks, but hell it’s paid off for me before, and I know I can get back there again. It’s nice to have a friend who isn’t always telling me no. It means a lot to me.” He paused. “And you sort of smell good.”
I laughed at that. “I do? Most of the time we’re together, I’m either smoking or sweating!”
“Yeah, but you still smell good. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s just you.” Nick lifted his hand hesitantly and then reached for mine. He folded it in both of his, stroking the back of my thumb with his blunt fingertip. The warmth of his skin in the cool night air beckoned to me, making the hair on my neck stand up.
“Nick Cooper, you are one sexy man, and I can honestly say that you do it for me too. What do you want to do about it?”
“Isn’t it my turn to ask a question?”
“Fuck the game. We both want this answer.”
“Then I don’t know. I liked kissing you, but I don’t know about the other stuff.”
“Well, what do you say we start with that, then?”
I stretched my free hand across the back of the bench seat and touched his shoulder, then ran my fingers up the soft, warm skin of his neck and traced his ear. Nick leaned into my hand like a cat needing a scratch. Taking that as a green light, I moved closer, letting my fingernails lightly scrape through his shorn hair.
“God, Sasha,” he sighed. “You drive me crazy.”
“Feeling’s mutual,” I whispered, close enough for him to feel my breath on his ear.
With an unintelligible groan, Nick turned his head and took my mouth in a fierce kiss. His tongue wrapped around mine, making my heart stutter with want. The scent and taste of the cinnamon gum he was always chewing flooded my senses and went straight to my stiffening cock.
We licked and nibbled and sucked for several minutes before he tunneled one hand into my hair and used the other to guide me down. If I’d been smaller, the move would’ve had me on my back with him on top of me. Unfortunately, I was over six feet tall. Between my legs getting tangled up in the gear shift and then bonking my head on the window, this wasn’t going to work.
“Sorry.” Nick chuckled, touching the sore spot on my skull.
“It’s fine. Why don’t you take me somewhere more comfortable, and we can try this again?”
Nick was off me and starting the truck in a flash. He was backing out of the parking lot before I’d even gotten my seat belt rebuckled.
“In a hurry?” I laughed.
“Fuck, yes. Mind going to my place? It’s closer.”
“Well, considering my place doesn’t have any actual furniture, I think that’s a good idea. How far it is?”
“Not far. Ten minutes or so.”
“Ten minutes is plenty of time for you to cool off and change your mind about me.”
He squeezed the lump in his pants. “Do I look like I’m cooling down?”
“Mmm, that’s sexy. You gonna let me touch it?”
The truck made a funny lurch as if his foot slipped off the gas pedal, and he shot me a glare. “If you don’t want to end up wrapped around a telephone pole, I suggest you behave while I’m driving.”
“Fine,” I said with an exaggerated sigh. We crossed the river and entered a working-class neighborhood lined with single-family homes. I was curious to see where Nick lived. I expected an apartment complex, but was surprised when he pulled into the driveway of a cozy post-WWII bungalow.
“I could have sworn you told me you lived in a studio apartment.”
“It is a studio,” he answered as he cut the ignition. “Follow me.”
We climbed out of the truck. Then I followed Nick around the side of a detached garage, where there was a rickety set of stairs going up the side.
“A garage apartment? That’s cool!”
“Don’t get all impressed yet. It’s small.”
After he opened the door and flipped on the light, I stepped in and looked around. He wasn’t kidding. It appeared to be one open room, with a bathroom tucked into the corner. Beside the bathroom was a tiny galley kitchen, separated from the living area by a breakfast bar with two stools. It had a refrigerator, but no stove—he must have a hot plate stashed somewhere. The living area contained a leather sofa, cracked with age but comfortable, and a low shelf of books. A wood stove in the corner appeared to be the only heater. Nick crossed to the unit and began to build a fire using kindling and a fat log.
I couldn’t get much of an emotional read on the place. Nick was probably one of the first full-time occupants.
“No TV?” I asked.
“Nah. Can’t afford cable or any of those streaming services, so there’s no point.”
For a man who owned his own business, he sure lived like he didn’t have a dime to his name. The room was clean, but sparse.
“Do you sleep on the couch?” I asked, not seeing a bed.
Nick grinned. “No. I sleep there.” He pointed up to a loft with a ladder.
“Are you serious?” I climbed the ladder to see over the ledge. The loft fit a king-size mattress and not much else. There wasn’t even enough room to stand. I crawled in and laughed. “Holy shit! You have your own fort! I would’ve loved this when I was six.”
Nick stood on the ladder and watched me rolling around on his bed. “Looks like you’re loving it now.”
“Sorry,” I said, sitting up. “I didn’t mean to just jump into your bed.” I moved to leave, but he waved me off.
“No, please stay. You saved me the trouble of trying to coax you up here.” His eyes glittered with mischief.
“As nice as this is, I don’t think I want to lay here alone.”
He kicked his shoes off, and they dropped to the floor below with hard plunks. Then he climbed in beside me. I toed my shoes off too, and they dropped into a foot-wide crevice at the end of the mattress. The only light was what bled up from the kitchen beneath us. I couldn’t think of a more perfect place to be alone with Nick.
“Come here,” I said, pulling him closer so he was stretched out beside me, propped up on one elbow.
Nick’s expression was both eager and scared, and his fingers trembled as he stroked the side of my face.
“It’s okay,” I assured him. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. I’m happy to lie here and talk if you want.”
“I don’t know what I want. I just know that I haven’t wanted anyone in my bed so much in a very long time.” He kissed me on the mouth. Then he laughed. “I’m kissing someone with a beard!”
“Sorry. Would you prefer I shaved?”
“No, I like it.” Then he kissed lower, on my chin and along my jaw. “It’s soft.”
I let my hands roam over the powerful muscles of his back. I’d never been with a guy this built before; Nick Cooper was a wet dream on legs. When he draped a thigh between my legs, I let out a groan and pressed against it. He gave me a light nip on my earlobe before he moved back to my mouth.
The pace of our kissing grew more frantic, even if it was a little clumsy. In his eagerness, Nick’s erection grazed my
thigh, and he jerked his hips back. I examined his expression, making sure he was still with me. At the first hint of gun-shyness, I needed to be able to pull away. His eyes were glazed and lustful, but the way his hands wandered, barely touching me, betrayed his awkwardness.
“Still okay?”
“Yeah, just . . . not sure what to do.”
“I meant it when I said we can stop anytime. Got it?”
He nodded.
“Want to stop now?”
“Hell no.”
“Shirt off, then,” I said, tugging at his hem. “I want to touch you.”
Nick reached behind his neck and yanked his T-shirt over his head, tossing it to the side. His skin was smooth and sprinkled with a dusting of hair on his well-defined chest. I traced his ribs, but he knocked my hand away.
“Not yet. Your turn.” He popped the pearl snaps on my shirt open one by one, taking his time. I lifted to slide out of the sleeves, and then lay back with one hand under my head, allowing him to look as much as he wanted. Lightly, he ran a finger over my chest, avoiding my puckering nipples. “Fuck, Sasha, you’re perfect.”
“I’m nowhere near as built as you.”
He shook his head. “You don’t need to be. You’re so . . . sexy.” He flattened his rough palm over my abdomen, and then touched the trail of hair leading down from my navel. “I’ve been lying in bed picturing this spot right here all week.”
So, he did check me out that day in the kitchen after all.
Nick dipped his head to place openmouthed kisses on my collarbone. My cock throbbed, begging for friction, but it was important to let him lead. He nibbled up my jaw to my mouth again. His fingers ran through my hair and clutched, holding me in place.
We made out like that for several minutes, Nick taking more liberties to explore my skin with his fingers. It drove me fucking crazy.
“Trust me?” I asked.
He nodded.
I turned Nick over, straddled his hips, and tongue-fucked his mouth, rocking my body in rhythm with the kiss.
His hands drifted down my spine to grip my ass. I arched back and then rolled forward, running our clothed erections against each other.
“Oh, holy fuck,” he moaned.
I did the move again, eliciting the same rumble from him.
My jeans were getting restrictive but freeing my cock now might be too much too fast for him. If I ever wanted to have a repeat of this night, I had to make this good for him. I pulled away from his mouth, and shifted down his body to lick the groove between his pecks. His body had a faint scent of soap. I kissed and licked across his chest to the nipple, where I latched on and sucked.
“Jesus . . . Sasha . . .”
I transferred my attention to the other side. When both nipples were wet and pebbled, I explored the ridges in his abs, my fingers brushing his sides. Nick squirmed.
“You’re ticklish?” I grinned.
“A little.”
“Don’t think I’m not filing that information away for later.”
I left his ribs to lavish attention on his navel. The rosy tip of his cock poked out from the waistband of his jeans, a bead of pre-come balling in the slit. I peered up to meet Nick’s hooded gaze.
“Still with me?” I asked.
He took a deep breath and nodded.
I flashed him my best wicked grin. “Can I suck you now?”
My hips shifted eagerly, and I gave a brisk nod.
Sasha moved down my legs, yanking my jeans and underwear off. He took off his jeans too, but left his boxers on. I admit, I was glad for that. This was going fast, and I still wasn’t sure how far I wanted it to go. Each time I paused to think, I couldn’t believe how crazy this was. Me and Sasha? But then he’d give me a look, or touch my skin, and the electricity between us would ignite some spot inside me that I hadn’t known was there. I owed it to both of us to explore this strange new attraction.
I peeled my socks off and leaned back.
Sasha stared down at me with carnal hunger in his eyes. His skin shone in the dim light. He didn’t have a lot of body hair, only that delicious trail leading down to his tented shorts. One sexy man.
Unable to help myself, I stroked my cock. Sasha glared playfully and knocked my hand away as he settled between my legs. He pressed his nose in next to my balls and inhaled deeply.
“I could get drunk on your scent,” he whispered. Then he licked the base of my cock, before dragging his wet tongue up the vein to the tip. He swirled around the cut head before drawing it into his mouth. I gripped the comforter in my fist and willed my hips not to buck.
Slowly, he dipped his head lower, taking me into the back of his throat, before he hollowed his cheeks and drew back.
“Fuck . . .” I hissed, placing a heavy hand on the back of his head and grabbing a fistful of his curls. He sped up his rhythm, still taking me so deep that the blunt head of my cock knocked the back of his throat with each stroke. He reached down to cup and tug my balls, sending tingles up my shaft.
Soft grunts escaped me, and soon Sasha was echoing with short hums.
“Christ, you have to stop. I don’t want to come yet.”
He withdrew from my cock with a pop and grinned up at me. “Mmm…I could do that all day.”
He crawled up my body and took my mouth with his. I could taste myself on him a little, and I wondered if that was how he’d taste. I wasn’t quite up to finding out yet, but I wanted to reciprocate somehow.
Well, carpe diem and all that shit.
With nervous fingers, I fiddled with the elastic of his boxers, before slipping inside to brush against his erection. At his moan, I wrapped my hand around his shaft and gave an experimental tug.
“Yes . . .”
The feel of him was both familiar and completely fucking foreign. So different from my own equipment. I’d seen plenty of cocks in my life—in locker rooms, in porn—but had never considered how powerful it would feel to hold another man’s most vulnerable part in my palms.
Sasha fucked into my fist and panted against my neck. After a minute though, he pulled away and sat back on his heels. “I need to come, and so do you. Still with me?”
“Yeah.” And I meant it too. Maybe tomorrow I’d have second thoughts, but tonight, I needed more.
He leaned over to his discarded jeans and fished something out of the pocket. Then he shucked off his boxers. His cock wasn’t quite as thick as mine, but a little longer. My heart skipped, and I swallowed hard. I was really doing this. With Sasha.
Sasha straddled my thighs and ripped open a packet with his teeth. I thought it might be a condom at first, but instead he poured out lube into his palm. After tossing the empty packet, he slicked the lube over first my cock, then his.
“Give me your hand,” he said, his voice rough.
He took my right hand in his and ran the oil over my palm. Once all was sufficiently coated, Sasha shifted his hips closer, settling in with his cock touching mine. Then he wrapped our entwined hands around both shafts at once. Slowly, he began to jack us while rocking his hips, so the underside of his cock slid along mine.
“Holy shit . . .” I groaned. Hot sparks shot out from the base of my spine, and I bucked into our fists with him.
“Like that, Nick?”
“Fuck, yes . . . so good.”
Sasha flicked his thumb out to rub the tip of my head with every upstroke, eliciting unintelligible grunts from me.
“I’m gonna come,” I warned.
“Do it,” he urged. “I want to see you let go.”
I thrust faster. Then with a shout, I spurted all over my stomach. A few pumps later, Sasha groaned, and came on my chest in several powerful spasms.
When my mind cleared, I looked up to see Sasha sitting back on my thighs, panting. His face flushed with exertion, he was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I sat up, wrapped my arms around his waist, and nuzzled his chest.
He stroked my head with his non-lubed hand, lightly scraping his short nails
over my scalp, sending warm tingles down my neck.
We held each other like that a minute, our breaths slowing, the come between us growing cool and sticky.
“Stay with me tonight?” I asked. “I promise to get you back home early enough to open the coffee shop.”
He didn’t answer immediately. Had I overstepped?
“Or I can take you home. I’m not usually much for sleepovers either. I just thought . . .”
He tilted my face up to meet his gaze. “Of course, I want to stay here tonight. And not only because you have a real mattress. What kind of girl do you take me for?”
I shoved him off me with a chuckle and reached for my T-shirt, which I used to wipe the mess from my hand and belly. We crawled under the covers, and Sasha snuggled in with his head on my chest. I was almost asleep when he spoke.
“Hey, Nick? I lost my job at the coffee shop. That’s why I was home early yesterday. Business hasn’t been so good, and I had the least seniority.”
Shit, can’t he ever get a break? I wrapped my arms around him tighter and kissed the top of his head. “Don’t worry about it right now. We’ll figure something out tomorrow.”
I woke up in the morning wrapped in Nick-scented sheets and fingers tangled in the hair on the back of my head. The memory of falling asleep with him petting me like a kitten filled me with comforting warmth. I rolled over to face him, surprised to find him awake and staring at the ceiling in the early-morning light.
“Hey,” I said in a voice rusted by sleep. “Good morning.”
His mouth turned into a wicked grin. “A very good morning.”
“Not freaking out about waking up with a guy in your bed?”
A growl rumbled in his throat, and he climbed on top of me, settling between my legs and nipping my bottom lip. “I’ve been debating waking you up for round two for the last half hour.”
Ignoring our morning breath, I drew him in for a deep kiss. I loved kissing. Most guys I’d been with had been so focused on getting off quick that kissing had fallen by the wayside. It’d been a long time since I’d truly made out with someone, and Nick used his mouth with the creativity of an artist.
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