Stage Two

by Ariel Tachna

  Blake fumbled in his pocket for his keys. If he opened the door without letting go of Thane’s hand, maybe Thane would follow him inside without the necessity of an actual invitation. Thane caught his other hand before he could reach for the door.

  Blake looked up and froze, his breath arrested by the intent look in Thane’s eyes. He felt more than saw Thane lift one hand to stroke Blake’s cheek, much the way he had done in the storage closet the day he’d told Blake he’d found him in the yearbook. The day he’d told Blake he intended to keep him.

  Blake’s eyes fluttered closed as Thane leaned down and brushed their lips together. Blake shivered as the slight prickle of Thane’s mustache and beard added an unexpected layer of sensation to the kiss. He swayed on his feet as he lifted up on his toes, seeking more contact. Thane steadied him with an arm around his waist as he closed the gap between their bodies. Blake braced his hand against Thane’s chest, feeling the solid wall of muscle covered in silk, and parted his lips.

  Thane shifted, sliding one thigh between Blake’s. Blake gasped into the kiss as he rocked against Thane. Thane swallowed the sound with a sweep of his tongue into Blake’s mouth. Blake grabbed Thane’s shoulder with one hand and the back of his neck with the other—his hair really was as soft as it looked—and held on for dear life.

  His senses spinning, Blake lost track of where they were, what time it was, how cold it was, everything but the heat of Thane’s body against his and the possessiveness of Thane’s grip. Then Thane moved his hand to squeeze Blake’s ass. Blake moaned into the kiss and tangled his fingers in Thane’s hair.

  “Come inside?” he begged against Thane’s lips.

  Thane broke the kiss and stroked Blake’s cheek again. “Not yet. If I take you to bed tonight, you’ll always wonder if that’s all I wanted. I did promise to treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”

  An inarticulate sound of protest escaped Blake’s throat. Thane bent and kissed him again, deeply. He pulled Blake against him tightly, letting Blake feel how aroused he was—and certainly feeling Blake’s interest in return.

  Then he stepped back. “I’ll call you tomorrow and see you on Monday. Sleep well.”

  Blake watched him go in silence and wondered how he was really supposed to sleep after that.

  Chapter Twenty

  THANE thanked his lucky stars that it was colder than expected for the end of March, because the hostess had seated them near the lit fireplace, making it warm enough at their table that Blake had taken off his jacket. Watching him walk toward the restroom at the end of the meal in those sinful, formfitting trousers was the nail in his coffin. He’d been good last week and given Blake space. He’d spent the intervening week working at Blake’s side every afternoon and not stealing more than a touch or two until Blake pulled him into the supply closet and kissed him—and hadn’t that been an unexpected turn of events? Dinner at Merrick Inn had been delicious, but Thane couldn’t have said what he ate. He’d been too focused on Blake.

  He caught the waiter’s eye and took care of the check so that when Blake came back, they could leave immediately. He had plans for the rest of their evening, and they didn’t involve food.

  Thane leaned back in his chair to watch as Blake wove his way through the tables. He might be an ass man through and through, but Blake looked as good coming as going. He’d gone for a flashier shirt this week rather than the white one he’d worn the week before. Thane wouldn’t have expected coral to look as good on him as it did, given his blond hair, but it picked out the highlights Thane hadn’t noticed before. Thane knew the exact moment Blake noticed his gaze because his cheeks flushed a perfect shade of pink and he tucked his chin bashfully. God, Thane wanted to take him home and wreck him. Peel him out of that fancy suit, lick him all over, and fuck him until he couldn’t see straight.

  Take it one step at a time, he reminded himself. Blake wasn’t the love ’em and leave ’em kind. He was the marrying kind, which was fine by Thane. But that meant doing this right, so Blake would believe he really meant it.

  Thane rose as Blake reached the table. “Ready to go?”

  “Oh, you didn’t want coffee or something?” Blake asked, sounding disappointed.

  Thane smiled, trying to keep the expression fit for anyone else who might be looking. “I thought we could have coffee at my place, if that’s okay with you.”

  Blake nodded so enthusiastically Thane couldn’t help but laugh. He put his jacket back on and held Blake’s so he could do the same. And if he snuck in a quick caress across Blake’s nape, who could blame him, with the way Blake shivered visibly at the touch?

  Thane kept a hand at the small of Blake’s back as they walked outside to his truck. He glanced around, but they were alone in the parking lot, so he pinned Blake against the side of the vehicle for a searching kiss before opening the door for him. Blake blinked up at him dazedly. Fuck, this was going to be the death of him. He couldn’t wait.

  “What about Kit and Phillip?” Blake asked as Thane pulled onto New Circle Road to head toward home.

  “They’re out for the evening,” Thane said. “Darcy invited them to a party with a bunch of the other stage crew kids. It’ll just be us.”

  “Thank God.”

  Thane almost pulled the truck over and pulled Blake onto his lap right then, but they were both too old for making out in the car. His house was only ten minutes away. He could wait until they got there.

  Blake reached across the space between them and put his hand on Thane’s thigh. “Is that okay?”

  Was that okay? He could feel the heat of Blake’s palm through his slacks like a brand. He covered Blake’s hand with his own, keeping it in place. “That’s perfect while I’m driving. When we get home, you can put your hands wherever you want.”

  Blake inhaled sharply at that, making Thane shake his head again at the contradiction Blake presented. Bold enough to reach out and touch, then taken aback by an invitation to touch more. Timid enough to be flustered by a kiss, yet bold enough to steal one in the storage closet and then walk out to deal with students. Thane couldn’t wait to find out what other contradictions Blake possessed.

  Thane pulled into the driveway, relieved to see the house was still dark. He hadn’t actually given Kit and Phillip a time to be home—or a time not to come home before—because they’d teased him enough about his interest in Mr. B. already. If they knew he was planning on seducing their favorite teacher—not that Blake would need much seduction, if Thane was reading him right—they’d never let him hear the end of it.

  Blake didn’t say anything as they got out of the car, but he leaned into Thane’s side when Thane put an arm around his waist and didn’t hesitate to follow him up the steps and inside. Thane ushered him into the kitchen, where he’d set the coffeemaker to start automatically half an hour ago. “Have a seat.”

  “The only reason I suggested coffee was because I didn’t want the evening to end,” Blake said bluntly.

  “I know, but there’s something to be said for anticipation.”

  “If I anticipate any more, I’m going to explode,” Blake blurted out.

  Thane laughed and poured two cups of coffee. He set one in front of Blake and took a sip from the other. “You’re sure you won’t regret this in the morning?”

  “Are you going to break up with me because we had sex?” Blake retorted. “Because unless you are, I won’t have any regrets at all.”

  “You never cease to amaze me,” Thane said as he set his cup down. He pulled Blake to his feet and into an embrace. Blake pressed against Thane from knee to chest. Thane traced Blake’s cheekbone with his thumb as he bent his head to nuzzle the line of Blake’s jaw. His beard had to be leaving marks against the tender skin, but Blake didn’t protest or pull away. Thane nipped at his earlobe and smiled at the sharp intake of breath that elicited. He drew the lobe into his mouth and suckled lightly. Blake’s hands clenched on his lapels, urging Thane on. “If I do anything—anything—you don’t like
, tell me and I will stop.”

  Blake chuckled. “Not likely.”

  Thane lifted his head and met Blake’s hooded gaze, his conversation with Phillip still fresh in his mind. “I’m serious.”

  “So am I.”

  Thane peeled Blake’s jacket off and tossed it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. Blake reached for his tie, but Thane caught his hands and put them back on his own shoulders. However eager he was to have Blake spread out beneath him, they didn’t need to rush. It was only ten. The boys would be out for hours yet. He slid his hands down Blake’s back to cup his ass with one hand and to pull his shirt loose from his waistband with the other. Blake moaned and rocked against him, letting Thane feel just how invested he already was in their lovemaking.

  Good, because Thane was hard enough to pound nails.

  He kept Blake in place with the hand on his butt while he ran the other one up and down his back, learning the feel of his skin and the curve of his spine. Blake moaned into his mouth, a needy little sound that went straight to Thane’s head. He broke away long enough to turn Blake in his arms. Blake leaned back against him immediately, his head falling to one side to expose the line of his neck. Thane steadied him with one hand low on his belly. He pulled Blake’s shirt the rest of the way free of his pants and explored his chest the same way he’d explored Blake’s back.

  Blake ground back against him with a louder moan when Thane tweaked his nipples.

  “Do you like that?” Thane asked. “You know what I like. You’re giving it to me already, rubbing your ass against me like that. What do you like?”

  The sound of the front door opening and voices in the living room shattered the moment. “Fuck. Kit and Phillip are home early.”

  Blake looked at Thane with panicked eyes. “Relax. I’ll go intercept them. Tuck your shirt in and sit at the table. They’ll never know we weren’t just having coffee.”

  Blake nodded, although the wild look didn’t leave his eyes. He started fixing his shirt, though, so Thane hurried into the living room to catch the boys before they walked in on Blake putting himself back together.

  “Uncle Thane, you’re home early,” Phillip said when he saw Thane.

  “I could say the same about you. I don’t remember parties ending until after midnight when I was in high school.”

  “Darcy has a baby sister,” Phillip said. “We were trying not to make too much noise, but I guess we didn’t succeed. How’d your date go?”

  “Fine,” Thane replied. It had gone fine right up until they got home and interrupted things. He loved his nephews, but he could have done without them cockblocking him. He’d have to plan better for next time. “We were just having coffee. Hang your coats up and then come say hello.”

  That would give him a minute longer to check on Blake and make sure he’d recovered his composure. He went back into the kitchen to find Blake sitting at the table sipping his coffee as Thane had suggested. His jacket was still across the back of the chair he was sitting on, but other than that and the whisker burn on his jaw and neck, he could have been sitting in his office rather than in Thane’s kitchen moments after Thane had been intent on taking him apart.

  “I told them we were having coffee and to come say hello,” Thane warned Blake. He took the seat next to Blake and reached for his own cup. He’d need the prop, to convince the boys if nothing else.

  “Hey, Mr. Barnes, we didn’t expect to see you tonight. Sorry for crashing your party.” Kit waggled his eyebrows at Thane suggestively. Thane sent him a repressive stare. Bad enough they’d interrupted. He didn’t need them making Blake reconsider his decision.

  “We were just having coffee,” Blake said, and if Thane hadn’t seen him flushed and panting not two minutes before, he would never have guessed. Nothing but the reddish abrasions from Thane’s beard even hinted at anything more illicit. Another of those fascinating contradictions Thane couldn’t wait to explore. “How was your party?”

  Kit launched into a play-by-play recounting of their evening, with Phillip adding details occasionally. Blake nodded along and asked leading questions whenever Kit seemed to be running out of steam. If Thane hadn’t had other plans for the evening, plans that involved shattering every bit of Blake’s composure, it would have been a thoroughly enjoyable moment.

  Thane finished his coffee and set the cup aside, trying to figure out if he could get the boys settled in such a way that Blake would agree to pick up where they’d left off—in the bedroom with the door locked—but nothing came to mind, because no matter what he set the boys to doing, they’d know, and Blake would never be comfortable with that.

  He might, might, let Thane come into his apartment when Thane dropped him off, except even then, driving there and back only took twenty minutes. If he was gone more than thirty, Kit and Phillip would tease him about it. And maybe they wouldn’t say anything to Blake directly, but they’d know, and they’d be right back where they started.

  He’d just have to plan better next weekend, because he didn’t know if he could wait any longer than that.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  THANE tucked the overnight bag behind the seat of his truck before walking upstairs to get Blake. He hadn’t told him where they were going for dinner—or what other plans he’d made—but he didn’t think Blake would protest. When they’d managed time to talk since their aborted date the weekend before, Blake had said more than once how much he was looking forward to a date where they weren’t interrupted.

  Short of his house burning down while he was gone—and he’d kill Derek if that happened on his watch—nothing was going to interrupt them tonight. Spring break had started that morning, and Blake didn’t have anywhere to be until school started back up a week from Monday. Thane knew. He’d asked. Not that he was planning on hijacking all of Blake’s vacation. Thane still had to work, after all. But he had every intention of hijacking the rest of the weekend. He’d thought about seeing if Blake would have dinner with him on Friday so he could have two full days, but that would have required a change of clothes and for Blake to miss his weekly drinks with his friend. Thane had decided it was easier to surprise him with one night. He had condoms, lube, and an extra toothbrush for Blake. They didn’t need anything else.

  Blake opened the door wearing the same ass-hugging suit, with a dove-gray shirt this time. Thane didn’t even wait for him to say hello before pulling him into a thorough kiss with lots of tongue. And wandering hands.

  “Mmmm,” Blake said when Thane let him go. “I like that kind of greeting.”

  “Anytime you want, sweetheart. Just say the word,” Thane said. “I figured you wouldn’t appreciate it at school, so I’ve been playing it cool, but I’ll never refuse to kiss you hello.”

  “Where are we going tonight?” Blake asked.

  Thane grinned. “I think you know the answer to that.”

  Blake sighed, but Thane could see the amusement in his eyes. “It’s a surprise.”

  “Exactly. We should go, though. It’s a forty-five-minute drive with no traffic, and on a Saturday night, we might have traffic to worry about.”

  “Nowhere in Lexington is forty-five minutes away,” Blake said. “Which direction are we going?”

  Thane shook his head. “You’ll see when we get there. Come on. We don’t want to be late.”

  THANE took the parking ticket from the valet when they reached Boone Tavern almost exactly forty-five minutes later. Blake stepped out of the other side of the truck and looked up at the façade of the historic tavern and hotel. The white colonnades reached to the second story and gave the front of the building an elegant grace. While Blake was preoccupied with the architecture, Thane slipped the valet an extra twenty to take his bag up to the room. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise by letting Blake see the bag now.

  “This is amazing,” Blake said when Thane came around the car to join him. “I’ve lived in Lexington since I was fourteen, and I’ve always said I wanted to come out here to have din
ner, but I’ve never done it.”

  “Then I’m glad I thought of it,” Thane said. He squeezed Blake’s hand as they walked into the lobby. The hostess seated them at a table overlooking the garden. It would be dark before long, but it added to the ambiance, and Thane approved of anything that put such a charmed look on Blake’s face.

  Once they’d ordered their drinks, Thane excused himself on the pretext of finding the restroom. He checked in for their hotel reservation and slipped the key into his pocket. He’d save that surprise for after they’d eaten.

  Just in case Blake didn’t like the idea as much as Thane hoped he would.

  “I’VE never had rabbit before,” Blake said as they left the restaurant at the end of dinner. “It was really good.”

  “Good,” Thane said. “I’ll have to try it if we come back.” Blake started toward the front door, but Thane caught his arm. “Unless you want to take a tour of the garden in the moonlight, you’re going the wrong way.”

  The confusion on Blake’s face made Thane want to kiss him. He didn’t, but only because they were standing in the middle of the lobby. Instead he reached in his pocket and pulled out the room key. “So we won’t be interrupted.”

  He met Blake’s gaze and waited. It took a moment for Blake to catch on, but his smile when he did was everything Thane could have hoped for. “You have the best ideas.”

  Thane laughed. “I owe Derek a case of bourbon for staying with Kit and Phillip. You’ll have to help me pick it out. I don’t know anything about bourbon.”

  If anything, Blake’s smile grew bigger. “I can do that. Let’s go find our room.”