Better Than Beginnings: A Better Than Good Short Story Collection (Better Than Stories Book 5)

by Lane Hayes

  “Sure!”

  An hour later, we finally emerged from hell. I was beyond irritated. I had been in charge of the cart, obediently following my boyfriend around like a fucking puppy while he fought to make difficult decisions regarding which shade of green was the best choice. He stopped asking my opinion when I snapped and told him to hurry the fuck up and choose any fucking shade he wanted. I was sick of dodging small kids running in front of my cart and adults who were certainly not paying attention to their kids or carts. Aaron looked a little miffed, but he headed toward the check-out counter. His attention was momentarily diverted by a colorful display of wastebaskets and toothbrush holders.

  “You’re kidding, right?” I swore I was sweating. I could feel my blood pressure rise with every minute I was stuck in this warehouse hell filled with pillows, towels, and sheets. I had no idea there were so many pillows in all of DC, let alone in one store.

  “Matt. You are acting like a child. I am never taking you shopping again!” he hissed menacingly.

  “Promise?”

  A young mom with a full cart and kids bouncing around her overheard our exchange and laughed.

  “Leave your husband behind next time, honey. Trust me, I know!”

  We both smiled politely at her, but Aaron shot another evil eye at me before finally heading toward the exit.

  Once we were back home with our new towels, I was fine, but Aaron was pissed. He gave me the silent treatment for a while, and I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t mind the quiet. For an hour anyway. Then I did mind.

  “Come on. You can’t not talk to me all day.”

  “Oh, so now you want to talk?” he huffed.

  “Yeah. Let’s talk. Come closer so I can touch you too. I’ll be good.” I perched on one of the stools at the island in our kitchen and swiveled to face the hockey game on the flat-screen across the room.

  “I don’t trust you,” he grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at me.

  “Come on. I’ll behave. Give me a kiss. Please?” I gave him my best “You can trust me” look.

  Aaron sighed dramatically before shuffling over to stand between my thighs. Directly in the way of the hockey game.

  “Are you going to make it up to me? Or are you going to watch the Steelers?”

  “Okay, funny guy, let’s start with a little re-education. The Steelers are a football team.” I pulled him into my arms and squeezed him tightly, burrowing my chin into his shoulder and blowing raspberries on his neck. “Sadly, their season is over, but thankfully it’s basketball and hockey season now. You’re currently blocking a hockey game, but not my Penguins, so I’ll let you off the hook.”

  “Excuse me?” he huffed irritably.

  “You heard me. If you’d like to take some time to make up for my hour in hell, I will more than gladly join you…on the sofa, in the bedroom, or even in that green guest bathroom with the cool new towels we just bought. What’s it gonna be?” I held him even tighter and tickled his sides.

  He laughed, his eyes twinkling with restored humor as he stepped out of my reach and peeled off his T-shirt.

  “First of all, the color is eucalyptus, not green. Hockey and basketball are only marginally better than football and…” He furrowed his brow when I smacked his ass for sheer blasphemy. “And, you are making up with me. Not the other way around. You behaved like a five-year-old. I had no idea you were such a brat.”

  “You promised not to torture me, but you did anyway. Even that lady at the store agreed you should have gone alone,” I singsonged.

  He stepped between my thighs and rested his arms over my shoulders.

  “She called you my husband. That was kind of funny.”

  “Yeah.” I kissed his nose and pulled him closer to squeeze his ass.

  “It didn’t freak you out?”

  “Nope. And you wanna know why?”

  “Hmm?”

  “ ’Cause I’m gonna marry you someday.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I just do. You’re my person. And even though I can think of about ten other things I’d rather do with you, going shopping wasn’t the worst ’cause I still got to be with you.”

  Aaron bit his bottom lip and nodded. “Oh, that was good, Matty. I almost can’t remember why I’m mad at you.”

  “You’re not mad. You love me. You just don’t know it yet.” I scooped him over my shoulder in a fireman’s hold before he could protest. “No more talking. You have some making up to do.”

  I carried him into our bedroom and tossed him onto the bed before kicking off my shoes and pulling my sweater over my head. Aaron undressed quickly, then folded the duvet back and got on all fours in the middle of the bed. I gulped when he shook his ass in invitation. Fuck, he was sexy. I stepped out of my jeans and boxer briefs in a hurry and immediately reached for my cock. I was so hard it hurt. I approached the bed and kneeled behind him, running my fingers along his spine and over the curve of his hips.

  Aaron turned to give me a seductive look. “What are you waiting for?”

  “Sometimes I can’t believe I’m here with you.”

  He frowned before straightening and scooting toward me, wrapping his arms around my neck. “But here we are. And I think this is the way it’s supposed to be,” he whispered.

  I brushed my lips over his and closed my eyes for a moment. “Mine.”

  Aaron smiled into the kiss, pulling me on top of him as he fell backward, opening his legs wide. “Then come and get me.”

  I lowered myself over him, hissing at the first electric feel of skin on skin. “Fuck, you are so damn sexy.”

  He yanked my head down and bit my lower lip before licking it better. He wrapped his legs around my waist and arched his back. I slid my cock alongside his and groaned at the friction. It was sexy as hell, but it wasn’t enough.

  “I want you, Matty. I want you inside me.”

  “Fuck, yes.”

  He gestured for me to grab the lube from the nightstand. I sat on my knees and noticed a candy heart next to the bottle. I gave a half chuckle and picked it up. It said, “Text Me.” I laughed out loud and gave it to Aaron to read. He snickered appreciatively.

  “Oops, I thought it said, ‘Sext Me.’ ”

  “These things are turning up everywhere,” I said with a laugh.

  Aaron chuckled. “ ’Tis the season. I should order a bag of naughty hearts. Did I tell you about the ones I saw online?”

  “No. What they’d say?” I poured some lube on my fingers and gestured for him to spread his legs wider. I rubbed the sensitive skin around his entrance and slowly pushed inside.

  “ ‘Pull My Hair, Doggy Style, Blow Me, Plow Me, Spank Me.’ ” He sucked in a breath when I hooked my finger and found his sweet spot.

  “Do you want me to spank you?” I hummed, kissing the inside of his knee before adding a second digit.

  “Mmm. Yes.”

  I snickered. “Yes?”

  “No.”

  I chuckled softly and smacked his ass with my free hand. “Which one? Yes or no?”

  “Just…just fuck me, Matty. Please.”

  I nodded, then drew his knees to his chest, lined my cock at his hole, and pushed. I didn’t get far. He was so damn tight and warm, I swore I saw stars.

  “Fuck, you feel so good, baby,” I groaned.

  I held myself over him, moving slowly at first. Pulling almost all the way out and surging forward again. I sucked his bottom lip and bit his chin, licking his jaw before whispering nasty sweet nothings in his ear. Things I knew drove him crazy, like “I love your tight hole, I want to fuck you all night.” Yeah, I know…I wasn’t great at dirty talk, but Aaron seemed to love it. He arched upward, raking his fingernails down my back and clutching my ass as he begged for more, harder, faster.

  I delivered. The headboard hit the wall, and the bedsprings creaked as I gained momentum, pistoning my hips wildly.

  “Fuck, yes. Do it, Matty. Fuck me!”

  My control slipped anot
her notch. I wasn’t going to last. I held him tight and fucked him relentlessly. “Baby…I’m so close.”

  “Come inside me, Matty. Come inside.”

  Wave after wave of intense pleasure flooded my senses as my release hit. I saw white light and stars and heard a keening cry I figured was probably me. I couldn’t control anything I did or said at that moment. I was utterly lost. And Aaron was right there with me. He clung to me as he fell apart, and I held him close until he stopped shaking.

  I pressed my forehead to his and whispered, “I love you.”

  Aaron smiled, then traced my jaw and kissed me. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. I knew I wasn’t alone here.

  Valentine’s Day wasn’t a real holiday in my book. Too much pressure and too many ways to fail, if you asked me. I wasn’t an overly creative gift-giver either. I tended to stick to classics, like roses. If I remembered at all. And yeah, it sort of slipped my mind this year. I knew the holiday was looming, but in my defense, I had a lot going on between work, the move, and my mother’s impending visit. After a long week at the office and the mile-long to-do list we had to get our condo in order, hearts and flowers were the last thing on my mind. I just wanted to watch the Super Bowl.

  Aaron gave me a blank stare when I reminded him that Super Bowl Sunday, one of my own personal high holidays, was that weekend. I explained in-depth why it was significant to a sports fan and particularly to a football fan.

  “But the Steelers aren’t in it, are they?”

  “Ouch. That hurt.”

  “Sorry.” Aaron chuckled. “Not to worry. We’ll finish moving our things on Saturday, and Sunday can be your day of rest. I’ll unpack boxes and you can go watch your super football with your friends.”

  “The Super Bowl.”

  “That’s what I said.”

  “No, you said ‘super football.’ ”

  “Oh. Same thing.” He waved dismissively and kissed my cheek, then spun in a circle in the middle of the great room. “Once we have the heavy furniture where it needs to go, I can take over. The hard part is the actual moving.”

  “The painting was kinda hard too.”

  Aaron rolled his eyes. Then again, he loved what he called “the decorating process.” It wasn’t my thing at all. I couldn’t wait to be settled in our new place. We’d spent the past ten days getting it move-in ready. We shopped, cleaned, moved some furniture, and painted. If I had to choose, I’d rather paint than shop. But it still sucked.

  Painting with Aaron was exhausting. He wanted my opinion, but…not really. He wanted my help, but he had very exacting rules about painting procedures. The prep work alone was draining. And we hadn’t even picked the colors…plural. Once he had Richie’s permission, Aaron decided we needed a whole new palette. He pored over colors with names like Charcoal Pinstripe and Revere Pewter. He would ask my opinion and chuckle when my eyes glazed over. It took us two weekends to finish the job, and it looked amazing. But knowing Aaron, our condo would be worthy of a home magazine spread when he was done with it.

  “Go have fun with your friends, Matty. I’ve got this part.”

  So, with a clear conscience and a hall pass, I showed up at my old apartment with a twelve-pack of beer to watch the game with my buddies. Curt, Dave, and Jason greeted me with a round of catcalls and good-natured teasing. They sprawled on the furniture, watching preliminary commentary and knocking back Bloody Marys.

  “So Matt, tell us about your first night as a married man,” Jason teased.

  “Moving sucks. Did you get some for all your troubles, man?” Dave asked before putting his hand up and shaking his head. “No, don’t tell me. I can’t hear that stuff.”

  “Speak for yourself. You can tell me all about it, Matt,” Curt chimed in with a wicked grin.

  “Yeah, yeah. You guys are hilarious.” I popped the cap off a beer bottle and perched on the sofa next to Curt. “Moving sucks, but it’s done and the place looks great. As for what I got…you’ll have to use your imagination. I’m not sharing my sex life with you.”

  “Yep…practically married,” Dave replied ruefully.

  As I settled in to watch the game and hang out with my old friends, I found myself looking around my old apartment, wondering if I should feel nostalgic or even worried that I’d made a huge mistake. I didn’t. My friends would always be my friends no matter where we lived, but Aaron was definitely my future. I wanted to live with him and build a life together. No questions necessary.

  Jason and Dave headed to the market for more snacks at halftime. I hung out with Curt, who was glued to the television, anxiously awaiting Madonna’s upcoming live performance.

  “You’re kidding, right? Madonna is the halftime entertainment. You three figure out who’s going to the store. It sure the hell isn’t me.”

  I handed Curt a beer and took a seat at the opposite end of the sofa. He raised the bottle in a toast and shot an appraising once-over my way.

  “So…everything good so far?”

  “Well, since it’s technically been less than twenty-four hours since I moved out of here, yeah…so far so good.”

  “Technically maybe. But you’ve basically been living together for, what…six months?” When I nodded in acknowledgment, he grinned and nudged my knee playfully. “You really are gay, aren’t you?”

  I laughed. “Technically, I’m really bi.”

  “Hmph. It’s kind of unfair,” Curt groused. “I’ve known I was into guys since I was thirteen, and I’ve never been in a relationship that lasted longer than eight months. You and Aaron have been together for a year, right?”

  “Almost exactly.”

  “That’s cool. You don’t seem to have any issues with gay life, that’s for sure.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing bad.” Curt looked surprised at my sharp tone. “I used to be your lone homo friend, Matt. You never hung out with other gay or bi guys before you met Aaron. Now it’s your life. You spend a lot of time with Aaron’s friends, who are either gay men or women who love gay men. Add me and you’re practically surrounded. Is it weird?”

  “Weird? No. Not at all. Truthfully, being with Aaron is all I care about. Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends and my family. I’ll always want to hang out with you guys and watch games and stuff, but…he’s the person I want to come home to. I want to be with him every chance I get. Maybe that’s how it starts. Who knows? I just know I’m happy and I really like the company I keep, gay, straight…whatever. It’s all good, Curt.”

  That wasn’t the most poetic declaration, but it was true. Aaron was my number one.

  “Cool.” His grin was lopsided but sincere. “So, what are you doing for Valentine’s Day?”

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “Matt, come on. Just ’cause you’re with a guy now doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. I guess you could always just go for candy and flowers. Kind of boring, but…”

  I tuned Curt out and stared unseeing at the flat screen. Hearts and flowers? Valentine’s Day. Fuck. I hated Hallmark holidays, but Curt was right. I had to think of something.

  Part 6-

  My mom’s flight arrived late afternoon the following Friday. I had every intention of being home in time to meet her, but I got pulled into a last-minute emergency meeting. Aaron told me not to worry. He said he wanted to leave early to start on dinner, so he’d be there if I was delayed. Things were stilted with my folks, and I couldn’t help being nervous about my mom finally meeting Aaron in person. I should have been there. I felt guilty and anxious as fuck about leaving him to deal with her on his own. Which was nuts, because my mom was awesome. She just hadn’t been quite so awesome lately. When I opened the door to our condo later that evening, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

  Our condo looked and smelled inviting. Bright pillows were strewn on the comfy light gray sofa, and strategically placed candles and soft jazz music added ambience. The delicious smell of homemade cooking made everything
seem homey and welcoming. I set my briefcase on the bench in the foyer and moved into the great room. I spotted Aaron chatting animatedly with my mother from behind the island, his hands moving in rhythm with his speech. I smiled and took a deep breath when my mom laughed at something he said. I was home. Everything would be okay.

  “Hi there,” I said, tugging at the top button of my oxford shirt as I moved into the kitchen.

  My mom hopped from her seat and gave me her customary “mom” hug. I glanced over her shoulder and gave Aaron a searching look. His smile seemed guarded, but I wasn’t sure if that was a bad sign or if he was just tired.

  “I’m so happy to see you, honey! Aaron’s been keeping me company. I love your new place. Very grown-up.”

  “Thanks. We like it.” I stuffed my hands into my pockets. “How was your flight?”

  “Oh, fine. I found your condo easily. It’s very nice. Aaron showed me your room, so I went ahead and put my bag in there. I noticed it seems a bit more sparse than normal.”

  “Um, well…that’s ’cause it’s not really where I slee—”

  “Hold that thought. I have something for you.” Mom squeezed my arm and danced around me before heading toward the guest room. “Be right back.”

  I skirted the island and moved behind Aaron. I set my hands on his hips and pulled him against my chest, pressing a kiss on his neck and cheek.

  “Thank you.”

  Aaron smiled weakly. “No problem.”

  “You okay?” I ran my hand down the small of his back soothingly.

  “I’m fine. But don’t—”

  “Here you go. Your grandfather said you forgot this book at Christmas.” My mom reclaimed her spot at the island and took a sip from the wineglass at her elbow. “Where do you want to go to dinner, honey? Aaron was kind enough to offer, but I don’t want to impose. I feel like Italian food. Why don’t you call that restaurant we love downtown and make a reservation for two?”

  Oh. Fuck.

  “Uh, Mom, Aaron made dinner for us.” I furrowed my brow and gestured toward the kitchen.

  She widened her eyes in surprise, but her expression was a little too contrived to seem sincere. And the affectation made her look like a stranger to me. A badly behaved one.