by _Anthology
Tommy glanced up, laughing. “Yeah, the way I hit the bumps in my driveway, you’d have been unconscious by the time I got you back to my house.”
“Driveway? I suppose I should have asked where you’re taking me before I got in the Jeep, huh?” Mark asked, shaking his head.
“I live up on the ridge. My driveway is about a mile long and full of ruts and bumps and potholes,” the shorter man shrugged. “Still sure you want to go?”
Mark looked at him evenly for a long moment, obviously considering, then nodded. “Yes, I still want to go,” he said quietly. Tommy gunned the engine, laughing. “Let’s go!” He backed out of the parking spot and sped out of town, maneuvering the Jeep around the curvy roads before pulling off onto a graveled road.
Content to watch the scenery as they drove, Mark didn’t speak, and when they arrived, he was surprised that he hadn’t felt uncomfortable. Glancing over to the other man, Mark wondered where this evening would lead.
“So,” Tommy spoke up as they stepped into his small home. “Tell me more about Mark Baker.” “Mark Baker. Nice guy. Works at a hardware store, lives in the brownstone he grew up in,” Mark said offhand, as if he were talking about a stranger. “Never married, no kids, has lived his whole life here in Barstow.”
Tommy nodded. “Tommy Griggs, grew up in Raleigh, moved here a year ago. Never married. No kids. No inclination.” “Tall guy, Mark,” Mark said as he followed Tommy through the house to the kitchen. “Played basketball in high school and college. Thought about being an architect, but came home to take over the hardware store after his dad died. So here he is, well, him and Audrey.”
Tommy’s eyebrow lifted. “Audrey?” He pulled a saucepan from the cabinet as Mark talked, filling it with water and dumping the pasta into it. Sitting on a stool, he kicked another one from beneath the bar for Mark to sit on.
Taking the hint, Mark slid onto the stool. “Audrey,” he said with a silly, happy grin. “The love of my life. Such a gorgeous girl, takes really good care of me and just loves to snuggle at night...”
Running back over the facts Mark had fed him already, Tommy mused, “Is she a girlfriend?” Chuckling, Mark’s eyes twinkled. “Oh yeah, she’s my girlfriend. I can tell her anything, and all she does is give me kisses and snuggle close. And she never tells a soul. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
“Should I be jealous?” Tommy asked, rising to stir the pasta. A small smile pulled at the corner of Mark’s mouth. “You don’t need to be jealous... but you can be, if you want,” he said, setting his chin in his palm, elbow on the bar.
Tommy stepped closer. “Tell me more about Audrey.” His fingers traced around Mark’s elbow where he leaned on the bar. “Hmmm. She has short black hair and huge brown eyes. She doesn’t eat a lot, so she’s pretty light, although she still loves to go for walks. She really likes going to the park and sniffing flowers,” Mark murmured, watching Tommy’s every move, trying not to blush again.
Tommy’s free hand teased along the inside of Mark’s arm, sliding up to thread their fingers together. “Audrey is a dog, isn’t she?”
Lips curving up, Mark just nodded.
Tommy leaned forward, letting his lips brush against the curve of Mark’s chin. “Maybe I can share you.” Jitters roared through Mark’s stomach, but there was no way he was backing out now. “She’s real protective, but if you don’t mind her lying on your crotch, you’ll win her over in no time,” he murmured, eyes almost dilating in excitement.
Tommy grinned, huffing a laugh against Mark’s chin. “A female... near my crotch... that’ll be a first.”
Mark snickered and then laughed, some of the nervousness easing. “So I don’t need to be jealous, either?” “Not of any females,” Tommy grinned. He nodded toward the kitchen window where a huge tabby cat dozed lazily. “But Jack, he’s another story...”
Peering at the cat, Mark looked awfully serious. “Jack looks pretty serious,” he said, voice unsure. Tommy leaned just a touch closer, nose gliding along Mark’s jaw. “I’ll give you a hint. Find a can of tuna in my cupboard, slip him some beneath the table, and he’ll be putty in your hands.”
Shivering slightly, Mark turned his chin and their lips almost collided. “So we’ve established that Audrey and Jack aren’t problems?” he asked.
Tommy’s blue eyes met Mark’s brown ones, and he nodded slightly, breathing faster. “Apparently not.”
Mark nodded, too. “So are you going to kiss me?” Tommy closed his eyes, moving his lips the miniscule distance until he bumped against Mark. His lips caught the other man’s, puckering slightly before releasing. He backed away slightly, opening his eyes to check Mark’s reaction. Mark’s eyes closed as soon as he felt Tommy’s lips, but it was over all too soon and his mouth opened on a pleading sigh as Tommy pulled away.
Tommy’s eyebrow quirked at the soft sigh, and he wrapped his hand around Mark’s neck, pulling the other man closer for another kiss.
Melting against Tommy’s mouth, Mark’s lips were soft and warm and giving, and the taller man was thrilled to be the recipient of Tommy’s attention. He slid his hands to Tommy’s waist, his seat on the high stool putting them on pretty much even ground.
Tommy stepped between Mark’s spread thighs, his free hand coming to rest on Mark’s hand, sliding up the bare arm to tease under the short sleeve of his blue shirt. His lips caressed and teased at Mark’s, inviting them to open to him. Feeling a rush of warmth as Tommy nipped at his lips, Mark slowly opened his mouth against the intoxicating kisses, his tongue darting out to lightly touch the full lower lip close to his.
Tommy’s tongue darted out at the same moment, meeting Mark’s. The warm, slippery touch turned him on, causing him to press closer against Mark. Just then, he heard a low hissing sound behind him. Coming out of the kiss slightly dazed, he turned and frowned at the range top, where the saucepan boiled over onto the heating element. “Fuck,” he breathed.
Mark blinked and then grinned. “Not before cheesecake, sorry.” Then he laughed, spinning on the chair. Tommy laughed. “You set the table. I’ll clean the mess up.” He pointed Mark to the cabinet holding plates and wine goblets. He then drained the pasta, letting it sit while he used the saucepan to heat the sauce.
Drawing a settling breath, Mark stood and moved to the cabinet, puling out a couple plates and glasses, moving them to the table. He returned to the counter to snag flatware off the hanging mounts, and he grabbed some paper towels as well.
When the sauce bubbled, Tommy moved both it and the pasta into serving bowls and put them on the table. He unwrapped the Italian bread from the bakery of the grocery store and pulled the wine from the fridge before gesturing to a seat. “Make yourself at home.”
Standing in one place, Mark nodded and sat down, pulling a plate close and looking over the food. “Smells great,” he complimented, picking up the tongs to first put pasta on Tommy’s plate, then his own.
“It’s not much, but it’s about all I’m capable of doing,” Tommy smiled. He thanked Mark for the pasta and then poured sauce over it before grabbing a chunk of bread. “I’m told that the grocery near your store has the best cheesecake around.”
Mark slowly grinned. “Asked around, did you?” he said as he stirred up his pasta, mixing it with the sauce. The graceful movements of Mark’s strong hands mesmerized Tommy. “Couple of older ladies near the shop. Figured they knew what they were talking about.”
Eyes narrowing, Mark paused in his eating. “The two ladies sitting outside the deli under the umbrellas?”
Tommy chewed his bite. “Yeah. You know them?” Mark closed his eyes and sighed. “Yeah. I know them.” He shook his head and pulled open an eye. “You didn’t tell them why you wanted cheesecake, did you?” his voice was a little strained.
“Not really, just told them I had a date I wanted to impress. Why?” Relaxing a little, Mark chuckled. “They’re the terrors of the neighborhood. Matchmakers. They’ve been after me to find someone and settle do
wn for some time. And they know I’m easy when it comes to cheesecake.”
Tommy gulped a little. “They did mention Mark and his cheesecake.”
Mark’s eyes got big, and he stopped chewing. “What did they say?” he asked through a mouthful of pasta.
Tommy shrugged. “They just grinned and told me to get turtle cheesecake if I was stopping by the hardware store.” Mark closed his eyes and covered them with his hand. “You know, I think I liked it better when they were sending single women my way. It’s just weird to have grandmothers trolling for men for me,” he muttered.
Tommy’s heart jumped in his chest. “I have some friends, if you want me to send them your way. Lisa is nice. She’s a looker, too, if you like that sort of thing.”
Mark raised his eyes to meet Tommy’s, staying quiet for a long moment. “I like more your sort of thing, really,” he said almost offhand.
Tommy watched Mark’s face for signs of teasing. After a long moment, he smiled. “I like you, Mark.”
Face transforming with a pleased grin, Mark’s hand froze with pasta halfway to his mouth. “Yeah?” he asked.
“Yeah. I feel comfortable with you,” Tommy admitted. “Like I’ve known you forever, even though I just met you today.” “Yeah, I’ve felt...” Mark paused and set down his fork. “I’ve felt that since you tripped on that mat and started talking to me. I usually just blush and stutter. But with you, I was even able to, well, you know,” he said, face flushing a little.
“Flirt?” Tommy teased. “You surprised me. I surprised myself. I normally don’t do that with anyone, much less someone I’ve not even exchanged names with yet. But it felt right.” He reached across the table, touching a fingertip to the smooth flesh on the back of Mark’s hand. “I like feeling like this.”
Feeling a flurry of sparks follow Tommy’s fingertip, Mark nodded. “Me too,” he murmured. Tommy stood, taking Mark’s hand in his as he stepped around the table. He leaned down, capturing Mark’s lips again. His tongue teased Mark’s, picking up where they’d been interrupted before. Mark sighed into Tommy’s mouth, dragging his tongue against the other man’s boldly since he couldn’t say what he wanted to. His arms slid to Tommy’s waist, his hands shaking slightly.
Tommy straddled Mark’s legs, settling on his lap. His hands slid beneath Mark’s arms, grasping his shoulder blades to pull him closer.
Whimpering very softly, Mark pulled Tommy closer, his mouth opening under the other man’s kisses. He wanted to be closer to that warmth, wanted to be wanted.
Tommy’s breath shortened into small gasps as he pushed forward, rocking his erection against Mark. His hands slid higher, threading into Mark’s hair as his tongue pushed inside Mark’s mouth. He teased the other man back into his own mouth, sucking at the slick organ that brought such lovely feelings out in him.
Mark gasped as Tommy pushed against him, and he was suddenly very aware of how aroused Tommy’s kisses were making him. He clasped him closer, throwing caution out the window and kissing him with abandon.
Rocking wantonly against Mark, Tommy pushed closer and closer, gasping into the other man’s mouth as their arousals met. He slid a hand down the center of Mark’s chest, hooking beneath the waistband of his trousers. “I want you. Want to touch you. Right now,” he whispered hoarsely.
“Oh, God...” Mark gasped, face again flushed, but for a different reason. He nodded quickly, giving Tommy permission. Tommy fumbled blindly at the fastenings of Mark’s trousers, pushing the placket aside as he reached inside. He moaned as he looked down, pulling boxers out of the way as Mark was revealed to him. “Perfect,” he hissed, fingers closing tightly around the throbbing flesh.
Mark about choked on his inhaled breath. “Um, that’s a new one,” he breathed, trying not to laugh, trying not to lose control. He moaned as Tommy started stroking him slowly within tight fingers.
Tommy grinned happily as his fingers worked beneath the dark fabric of Mark’s trousers, his mouth migrating to Mark’s neck. Just then the phone rang. He had half a mind to ignore the insistent trilling, but having no answering machine and a father in poor health didn’t allow him that luxury. Groaning loudly, he pushed off of Mark’s lap. “I’m so sorry. My dad...”
“Go ahead, it’s important,” Mark said huskily, trying to get a hold of himself. He tucked and zipped himself back up, now a bit embarrassed. He couldn’t have done much more but strip down and throw himself at Tommy’s feet. Sighing, he resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands as he listened to the sound of Tommy’s voice, not really focusing on the words.
Tommy sighed in frustration as the insistent salesman on the other end of the line refused to take no for an answer. He finally hissed, “I was just about to get lucky, but thought you might be my poor mom calling about my father’s condition. Fuck off, jerk.” He slammed the phone back down into the cradle, blushing as he turned back to Mark. “Sorry,” he apologized, waving a hand to indicate everything.
Mark glanced up, surprised at the last few words Tommy hissed. “Let me guess. Telephone poll? Amway salesman?” Tommy shook his head as he rubbed at his temples. “Damned credit card representative.” He looked up at Mark and a small chuckle escaped him. It turned into a full-blown laugh as he realized the ridiculousness of the situation.
Wincing a little, then laughing along as the silliness of the situation struck him, Mark relaxed and shook his head, looking at the other man over the table. “Well. I guess dinner was a moderate success. Ah...” he trailed off, at a loss for what to say next.
Tommy’s laughter softened into a fond smile. “No, I wouldn’t classify it as a failure by any means.” Mark’s mouth quirked into a nervous smile, and he unconsciously licked his lower lip as he looked around the kitchen, eyes lighting on the bag he’d brought with him. “Oh, you said you had a painting to hang?”
Tommy’s grin returned full force. “Ah. The actual screwing that was meant to take place this evening.”
Eyebrows flying up, Mark’s eyes grew huge before he flushed red. “Ah,” he groped for something to say. “Just kidding. Follow me.” Tommy led the way into the back bedroom of the small house. “I need this hung above the headboard.” He indicated the large landscape that sat propped against the foot of the bed.
Mark’s face fell as Tommy turned to walk away. Just kidding? Although he supposed he could have been more upbeat about the not-actual screwing. He sighed as he followed along, then looked over the painting and dug into the paper sack he’d carried along from the kitchen, pulling out a drywall anchor, a large screw and a screwdriver. “Is it okay if I pull the bed out from the wall while I hang this?” he asked.
Tommy kept a perfectly straight face. “You don’t want to romp about in my bed?” Keeping his reaction to a blink, Mark slowly turned to look at Tommy over his shoulder, then down at the full-size bed, then back up at Tommy. “Something tells me this isn’t your bed,” Mark managed to drawl halfway convincingly.
Tilting his head, Tommy asked, “What do you mean?” “I mean, if you have in mind some romping, we’re gonna need more room than this,” Mark said, looking up and down himself obviously before raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I can see your point,” Tommy mused. “You are rather tall, and even though I’m small, I’m very active.” Mark’s lips curved into a grin. “So? Can I move the bed? Sooner I get this particular screwing done...” he flushed again. Tommy tugged at the bottom of the bed, barely budging it. “Oh, by all means, let the screwing commence.” Shaking his head, Mark lifted the foot of the bed fairly easily and walked it a couple steps away from the wall, setting it down carefully. Then he took up the screwdriver and started lightly tapping on the wall.
“What are you doing?” Tommy asked, fascinated at the play of muscles across Mark’s broad shoulders under the thin cotton shirt.
The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Looking for a stud,” Mark replied. Spreading his arms, Tommy crowed, “Look no further!” Mark dissolved into
laughter, leaning against the wall face first before turning around to grin at him. “Yeah, but you got better things to do than hold up a painting, right?”
Tommy snorted. “Not if this is all the screwing that’s going to happen in this house tonight.”
Leaning back against the wall, Mark looked him over. “I hope not,” he said a little more seriously. Tommy propped himself against Mark’s arm. “So, the wall tapping, is that some sort of bizarre stud call that I should learn or something?”
Mark blinked and stood up. “Ah, well, it sounds different in the wall. Deeper, so you know you’re driving into something hard,” he explained, turning back to tap on the wall.
“I like it when you talk dirty to me, Mark,” Tommy grinned, tapping at the wall himself. Glancing at Tommy again, Mark snorted. “Listen here, wise guy. *tap tap* Hollow. *tap tap* Hollow *thump thump* Solid. That’s the stud.”
Tommy gripped Mark’s hand and pulled it to his chest, making a small thumping sound. “Solid...” Chuckling, Mark tapped his fingers against Tommy’s chest. “I don’t know. Got a little give there,” he said as he lined up the drywall anchor. “Now, the anchor goes through the drywall and spreads, pretty much easing the way for the screw and holding it tightly so it doesn’t slip.” Tommy squirmed a little under the gentle taps and the unintentionally erotic words. He stood quietly, holding Mark’s tools for him.
Mark screwed in the anchor and pulled on it carefully. “Make sure you pull on the anchor a little to make sure it’s seated solidly. Then you screw in the screw. Carefully, because it’s a really tight fit.” Now aware of the double meaning behind his words, Mark’s cheeks burned, but he kept with it.
Once again, Tommy found himself fascinated by the play of muscles, but this time in Mark’s tanned forearm. “You seem to be very skilled, Mr. Baker,” he mused.