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

by Lane Hayes

  I gestured toward the area just beyond the stairs to give myself a moment to pull my thoughts together. “You were dancing right there. I liked the way you moved. You were so sure of yourself, and you were magnetic. Every guy on that floor watched you. I couldn’t look away. I should have been with my straight buddies at the bar, planning our exit strategy. But I couldn’t go anywhere until I saw you up close. I followed you and holy fuck…you took my breath away. I’d never seen anyone so beautiful in my life. Your face, your body. I had a million thoughts swirling in my brain. I wondered who you were, if you had a boyfriend, where you were from, and what your voice sounded like.

  “The guy dancing next to you saw me staring. He bumped your shoulder and pointed at me. That’s when you turned around and everything in my world stopped. Maybe even my heart. It was so loud in here. The music was thumping, the lights were flashing, but it went perfectly quiet for a moment…like it is right now. Silent. Just you and me in a dark room with a single candle. I knew something was happening, but I couldn’t put it into words that made sense.”

  Aaron watched me carefully. His lower lip trembled. I wanted to pull him into my arms and let him take over, but I had so much more to say. I bit my cheek and tried to gather the right words.

  “That wasn’t the day I fell in love with you, but it was the day I recognized a piece of myself I couldn’t ignore. It was the day something raw and real inside me told me to wake the fuck up or I might miss out on the most important moment of my life. Nothing has been the same for me since that night. I’m upside down, backward, and totally in over my head most of the time, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.

  “I love you, Aaron. I love your smile, your temper, your passion, your intelligence, your kindness. I love that you accept me as I am but still challenge me to be better. We’ve come a long way since that night. You aren’t the hot guy I couldn’t stop staring at. You’re my everything. You’re my best friend. You’re my beginning and my end. You’re the reason I want to get up in the morning and the only person I want next to me at night.”

  “Matty, I—”

  “Shh. I’m not finished.” I brushed a tear from his cheek and kissed him tenderly before reaching into my pocket for the black velvet box. “Four and a half years ago, I thought I was someone else. I thought I knew what I wanted in life…a good job and eventually a wife, kids, dogs, and a house in the suburbs. But my list has changed. All I want is you. I want a husband, kids and—”

  Aaron flung himself into my arms. “Yes, Matty. Yes!”

  “Wait. I want to get this right. I meant to bring my guitar and I forgot to call the florist, but I think this is the part that matters.” I gently pushed him back so I could pull the box from my pocket. His breath hitched when I got down on one knee. “I love you, Aar, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

  He bit his bottom lip and nodded. “Yes!”

  I held his left hand, then slipped the ring onto his finger before jumping to my feet and wrapping him in my arms.

  “I love you, baby. Forever,” I said softly, swaying from side to side.

  Aaron sniffled and wiped at his eyes. He rested his arms over my shoulders and gazed up at me with a look of sheer adoration.

  “You say I take your breath away, but…you should know it’s the same for me. I love you too, Matty. I always will.”

  I kissed his hands one at a time, stared at the shiny platinum band, twisted it around his finger, and kissed it again. Then I pushed his bangs from his eyes and caressed his cheek before leaning in to lick his lips and kiss him once more.

  “So I had this plan that loosely involved serenading you with some sappy love song, roses, and dinner here, but everything went a little sideways. I forgot my guitar, the roses were delivered to our condo, and Ted’s been very helpful, but I had second thoughts about the romantic aspect of dining in a bear bar-slash-club with my very non-bear fiancé.”

  Aaron chuckled and gave me one of those stunning smiles that made my heart flip in my chest. “Hmm. I have an idea. Let’s order takeout and have a picnic in bed. You can play guitar for me if you feel like it…but I have one request.”

  “Anything you want.”

  “I want you naked. Naked dinner, naked guitar, naked everything.”

  I gave him a Cheshire cat grin and nodded in agreement. “You got it. Let’s go home, fiancé.”

  Aaron was quiet on the short drive home. Usually his silence would have been cause for concern, but I caught him staring at the ring on his finger and knew he was lost in thought. And maybe even a little overwhelmed. The funny thing was, I had no doubts. I trusted us. I loved him and I knew he loved me too. A lifelong commitment didn’t seem frightening to me. Somehow it felt right.

  We held hands as we made our way from the parking garage to the elevator. The second the doors slid shut, we were all over each other. I set my briefcase on the floor and wrapped him in my arms before fusing my mouth over his in a passionate kiss. Aaron threaded his fingers through my hair and hummed into the connection before pushing his tongue between my lips. Fuck, he tasted sweet. I grabbed his ass and tilted my hips to meet his. The press of our hard cocks, even through layers of clothes, felt amazing. I wanted to back him against the elevator wall, unzip his pants, and slip my fingers inside his briefs. I wanted to hear him sigh and beg me for more. Far more than we could do in an elevator without causing a scene. I held his head between my hands and sucked on his bottom lip before plunging my tongue inside his until we were both gasping for air.

  A loud ding brought us back to reality. I kissed him softly as the elevator opened onto the building’s contemporary lobby.

  “Maybe I pushed the wrong button,” Aaron said breathlessly.

  I peeked around the empty-looking area to see if anyone was waiting. The doorman noticed me and waved a greeting before gesturing at the gigantic bouquet of red roses on the wood-and-concrete reception desk. I gave him a thumbs-up sign and glanced at Aaron, intending to ask him to wait while I grabbed the roses. But he looked so fucking sexy with his mussed hair and swollen lips that I made an executive decision. The flowers could wait. I couldn’t.

  I signaled to the doorman that I’d pick them up later. Then I pushed the button and prayed there were no more stops. I bent to retrieve my briefcase and flung my arm over Aaron’s shoulders. “What is it?”

  “Were those for me?” His wide-eyed gaze was full of wonder. “That had to be at least four dozen roses.”

  “Yeah. That sounds about right.”

  Aaron snickered. “O-kay. Why so many? Were you afraid I’d say no?”

  “Nah. I was pretty sure you wouldn’t turn me down, but I was going for romantic…and flowers are usually a safe bet,” I said in a matter-of-fact tone. “How am I doing so far?”

  “Very well.” He beamed as we exited the elevator and made our way to our condo. “In fact, I have a pretty good feeling you’re about to get lucky.”

  His singsong delivery was meant as a tease, but I was too strung out to play along. I licked his earlobe while he reached for his keys, and I growled for him to hurry up. The second the door swung open, Aaron grasped my tie and pulled me inside. He kicked the door closed, threw himself into my arms, and fastened his mouth onto mine. I hugged him against me, making sure not to break the kiss as I backed him into the great room. I slipped his man-bag from his shoulder and dropped it on the sofa along with my briefcase. Then I raked my hands down his sides and cupped his ass. When Aaron hiked his right leg over my thigh, I lifted his left leg too and held him against me.

  He groaned as he linked his arms over my neck. “I love it when you get all caveman on me. What now, Matty? Do we consummate our engagement, or are we supposed to wait until our wedding night?”

  I snorted with amusement and smacked his ass before carrying him toward our bedroom. “I vote for immediate consummation, wise guy.”

  “Oh, good. Me too.”

  I tossed him onto the bed and snapp
ed my fingers meaningfully. “Get to it, babe.”

  Aaron chuckled as he removed his shoes and socks. I loosened my tie and started working on the long row of buttons on my shirt. I loved the way he watched me with his head bent slightly so his bangs fell in his eyes. It gave him a bashful look that was incongruous with the heated atmosphere in the room.

  He kneeled on the bed and scooted toward the edge of the mattress and beckoned me closer with a subtle crook of his finger. I shrugged my shirt off my shoulders before complying. He pulled at the end of my belt and threaded it through the buckle, then unzipped my trousers and pushed them down my legs.

  “Take off your shoes. I’ll be right back,” Aaron said, drawing his half-unbuttoned shirt over his head.

  I obeyed and bent slightly to free myself from the fabric pooled at my ankles as Aaron worked on his own pants. He fell sideways, wiggling out of them in a comic maneuver that might have made me laugh if I wasn’t quite so far gone. He pushed the duvet aside and reached for the lube on the nightstand and crawled over to me. I hooked my fingers under the elastic of my boxer briefs and opened my mouth to say something. But when he lowered himself on all fours and sealed his lips over my rigid cock through the cotton barrier, I lost the power of speech.

  Aaron swayed his ass seductively as he teased me, flattening his tongue up and down my length. Then he pulled the elastic with his teeth and sucked the precum from my slit. I pumped my hips forward as I massaged his shoulders and ran my fingers along his spine. He let out a plaintive sound when I traced his crack and nudged his entrance.

  “What is it, baby? What do you want?” I asked in a raspy tone.

  He kneeled up quickly and pushed my boxers out of the way before grabbing my cock in a tight hold. “I want you. Now.”

  “Not so fast. Lie down.”

  Aaron shifted sideways at the last second, pulling my arm so I fell on top of him. He laughed, wrapping his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist and squeezing me like an octopus. I rolled us sideways and kneaded his ass before sliding my fingers over his crack and tapping his hole. Aaron went wild. He gyrated and swiveled his hips in a frantic quest for friction. I nudged his entrance with the tip of my finger as I licked his lips and glided my tongue over his. He clawed at my back and lifted his legs higher to give me room to work. I ground my hard cock against his, loving the slick feel of sweat and precum between us.

  When he pushed at my shoulder, I bit his bottom lip and shook my head. “No. Suck me first.”

  He nodded enthusiastically and moved down my chest, stopping to flick his tongue over my nipples as he made his way south. He kneeled between my thighs and stroked himself with his left hand as he bent to swallow me whole. I closed my eyes at the onslaught of sensation. Aaron was really fucking good at giving head. He knew exactly how much pressure I liked—hard but not too much. He fondled my balls while he sucked and licked like a man possessed. It made me crazy.

  I bucked my hips and held him still while I fucked his mouth. It was the sort of thing I would never have done when we first met. I thought it was too raunchy and honestly, I wasn’t sure he’d approve. But I’d learned a lot in the last few years. Number one, my man liked sex a little on the rough side. Dirty talk wasn’t my forte, but naked wrestling definitely was. He glanced up at me when I brushed his bangs from his forehead. The look of absolute adoration in his gaze made my heart skip a beat. I pushed him off, then pulled him up against me before sealing my lips over his.

  When oxygen deprivation became a concern, I softened the kiss and pointed toward his pillow. He obeyed, lifting his legs in the air.

  “Hurry, Matty.”

  I reached for the lube and shuffled toward him, positioning myself so my knees rested against his ass. I poured the clear liquid on my hand and palmed myself before leaning forward to suck my lover’s beautiful cock as I slipped my middle finger inside him. Aaron groaned with pleasure, rolling his hips to meet my mouth and rocking back on my finger. I licked him from base to tip a few more times before adding a second digit, hooking it slightly so I brushed his sweet spot. He trembled underneath me, moaning loudly as he chanted my name over and over. I set a third finger next to his entrance and pressed the sensitive flesh. Three was usually his limit, and this time was no exception.

  “You ready for me?”

  “Yes.”

  I licked my lips as I reached for more lube and lined myself up with his hole. Just as I started to push, he shifted out of my grasp and rolled over, presenting himself like a gift. I blinked and tried to get my breathing under control before pushing inside him from behind. I literally shook with the effort to go slowly, inching my way forward until my balls rested against his smooth ass.

  “Fuck…Aar, you feel so good.” I bent forward, nuzzling his neck and pressing kisses along his jaw.

  He trembled beneath me as I laced my fingers through his and began to move. It was nothing more than a gentle rocking motion at first. But it wasn’t long before he pumped his hips to meet me thrust for thrust. He clawed at the white sheets and buried his face in his pillow before sliding his legs out from under me to shift to a kneeling position. I pulled him against me, flattening my chest to his back. Then I reached around to jack his cock while I fucked him, setting a steady, even pace.

  We were fused in every way possible and damn, he felt amazing. He moved like a dancer. The fluid roll of his pelvis and that soft whimpering noise he made were hypnotic. He was beautiful. I bit his earlobe as I wrapped my arms around him and tweaked his nipples.

  “More,” he demanded in a ragged voice.

  I gave him what he asked for. I tightened my hold and fucked into him harder. He set his hand over mine and reset the tempo, so we stroked his throbbing dick in time with the steady rocking of our hips. He was leaking precum like crazy. I smeared it over his wide mushroom head, then lifted my fingers to his mouth and glossed his bottom lip. He said something in Spanish I didn’t understand but knew meant he was really fucking turned-on. He sucked my finger and fell forward to brace himself on his hands. He bucked against me hard until I let go and rode him like a madman. But when I felt that telltale tingle at the base of my spine, I slowed down. I had to see him.

  “On your back,” I said gruffly.

  Aaron blinked like he wasn’t quite sure why I was changing anything when this felt so unbelievable, but he didn’t ask questions. He wrapped his legs around my ass, then pulled me against his chest. I gathered him in my arms and plunged inside him. I was too close, and I was sure Aaron was right there with me. I balanced myself on my elbow to get a better look at him. And everything in me went kind of fuzzy.

  His eyes glowed with absolute love. There was no other word. He lay underneath me, offering me everything he had and more. Forever. I was shaken by the intensity of my emotion. For as many times as we’d been here, I knew this was different. Maybe it was our new commitment or maybe, I was noticing something that had always been there but shone a little brighter tonight. Whatever it was, I was humbled.

  Tears welled in my eyes as I brushed his hair back and leaned down to kiss his brow. “I love you, Aar. I love you so much, baby. I don’t think I can—”

  “Shh. I know. I love you too, Matty. Te amo.”

  He caressed my face, wiped the moisture from my eyelashes, and pulled me close so our lips hovered. I moved inside him, aware that in every way that mattered, we were no longer two people. We were one. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I came apart. And he was right there with me.

  We lay in companionable quiet for a while before Aaron got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He climbed over me with a damp washcloth in hand when he returned and got to work cleaning the sweat and cum on my chest and penis. I pushed his hair from his eyes, chuckling when he spent more time than necessary on my balls.

  “What are you doing down there?”

  “I’m just trying to be a good husband-to-be,” he said with a mischievous grin.

  I started to laugh but let out a
contented sigh instead when he licked my flaccid dick. “I think you’re pretty fucking amazing already. Don’t change.”

  Aaron snickered as he tossed the washcloth over his shoulder, then crawled beside me. He kissed me quickly before curling into my side to rest his head on my heart. I hugged him close and reached for his left hand to examine the simple platinum band.

  “I never thought this would happen,” he whispered.

  “Why not? I think I’ve been pretty clear that you’re the only one for me.” I entwined our fingers and squeezed.

  “I meant before you came along. I feel so lucky you’re mine, Matty. Sometimes I can’t believe we’re here.”

  “Hmm. I knew it would be you. Not immediately maybe, but I caught on quickly. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and the incredible thing is that it gets stronger every day. I’m the lucky one, Aar. I know I am.”

  He shifted sideways and propped himself on his elbow. “You’re killing me with the romance tonight. My heart is going to burst.”

  I chuckled lightly. “Good. I wanted this to be special. So…when do you want to get married?”

  Aaron’s smile took over his face. He wrapped his left leg around mine as he leaned down to rain kisses on my nose, cheek, forehead, and lips. “How soon is too soon?”

  “Uh…I don’t think there is a too soon. I kinda thought you’d want the full wedding thing with two hundred of our best friends, though. Do you want to go to City Hall tomorrow morning instead?”

  Aaron rolled his eyes and shook his head definitively. “Hell, no! I want the full wedding thing for sure. I’ll need six months to properly plan it.”

  “That would be October. The month we met.”