Candy Hearts, Vol. 2

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

FORD

“Thanks, guys. I owe you dinner next week.”

Doyle helped me load Lola and Frank into the back seat. “You know we’re happy to pet sit for you any time. The dogs are no trouble, and the cats mostly hid from us when we stopped by.”

Kurt leaned against the hood of my SUV. “Ford, you never told us why you came back early.”

Doyle shut the back door and smirked. “No, but I can guess. Is it the hottie you were mooning about on Discord? You seemed a lot more interested in him than in exploring Palm Springs.”

I shrugged, striving for nonchalant, but I was sure I was giving off desperately awkward vibes instead. “We talked on the phone and texted. It’s worth exploring.”

Doyle put his hands on his hips. “And what do you know about this guy other than his clothing sizes? Kurt could do some, uh, research.” He mimed typing on a keyboard.

“No. No research.” I pointed at Kurt, who held his hands up and gave me an innocent look. “I know he’s thirty-one, he’s single, and his friends just got married in Vegas.”

Doyle nodded thoughtfully. “He has social skills then. That’s good. What does he do for work?”

“He’s Director of Customer Service for... uh, I can’t remember. It’s a software company in Austin. I think they make a language app?”

Kurt straightened up. “He’s a Director? Are you sure?” He pulled out his phone. “What’s his full name?”

I raised my eyebrows. “I thought you weren’t going to do any research.”

He waved this away. “Not like background shit. Rogues Gallery is looking for someone to run Customer Service. We haven’t been able to find anyone who can comfortably deal with our customers asking questions that involve gender identities or—heaven forbid—kinks.” Kurt was head of software development or something similar for an online dating app that provided a safe space for marginalized populations like disabled people and trans folx.

I frowned. “I think he actually mentioned wanting a new job. But I’m not giving you his name without his permission. I will give him your card, though.”

He sighed. “Fine. But I’m going to ask you about him again next week, just so you’re warned.”

Doyle piped up, “And when are you going to see him?”

I was sure my cheeks turned flaming red, based on the delighted grins Doyle and Kurt were exchanging. I cleared my throat. “We have a date tonight.”

Kurt whistled. “Going for Valentine’s Day right off the bat? Brave choice.”

I stared at him. “It’s Valentine’s Day?” Now that he mentioned it, I’d seen enterprising people selling flowers on almost every major street corner on the way over here. “Fuck.” I ran my hands over my face then stared between Doyle and Kurt. “What am I going to do?”

Doyle grimaced. “What were you planning on doing?”

I lifted one shoulder helplessly. “I thought we’d have a drink at my house so I could see if all the pets freaked him out. Then if that went okay, I was planning to take him to Henry’s for dinner. Nothing fancy or anything.” I pulled out my phone. “Shit, Henry’s is probably requiring a reservation tonight.”

Doyle nodded grimly. “Probably.”

A quick phone call confirmed it. Shit.

“Can you cook?” Kurt looked apprehensive about asking.

I waggled my hand. “Some. I can make spaghetti and meatballs. It’s not terribly romantic, but I won’t mess it up.”

“Or the diner over on Bartlett wouldn’t be too busy,” Doyle suggested.

I shook my head and sighed. “No, I think I’d better cook.”

Kurt clapped his hand on my shoulder. “Get a nice bottle of wine and something chocolate for dessert. He’ll think you planned it all along.”

Fuck, I hoped so.

The dogs didn’t mind hanging out in the SUV with the windows cracked while I was in the grocery store. The weather was cool but not cold, so they’d been fine. Shopping took forever, though. I wasn’t the only one doing a last-minute dash for food. In addition to the dinner ingredients and wine, I’d also picked up some flowers and a premade chocolate cake.

Once home, I did a whirlwind cleanup of the house. I’d cleaned it before I’d left on my trip, since Doyle and Kurt would be coming by to feed the cats, but it needed a quick sprucing up. I also threw Zachary’s clothes in the washing machine, except for the lace underwear which had to be washed by hand. By the time that was done and I’d showered, it was time for him to arrive.

I’d barely started panicking over what he would think of me and whether he’d expect us to get naked together tonight when the dogs barked, jumping at the front window. Shit. He was here.

I ran my hands over my shirt, then I took a deep breath and opened the front door.

Zachary drove a new-looking BMW sedan. He’d parked in the driveway and was pulling my REI bag and a bottle of wine out of the back seat.

“Hey!” He grinned at me across the yard.

“Hi! Welcome. Uh, do you need help with that?” I didn’t know where to put my hands. I finally stuffed them in my front pockets.

“I’ve got it.” Still grinning, he ignored the walkway and half-jogged across the lawn in a direct line to reach me. “Hi,” he said a little breathlessly. His eyes twinkled as he examined my face.

He was even more attractive in person. He was probably an inch or two shorter than me, but our builds were otherwise very similar. Zachary, however, had an energy about him I found incredibly compelling. Like some sort of magnetic storm that I wouldn’t be able—or want—to pull away from.

I remembered my manners. “Hi. Oh! Um, come on in.” I stood aside and held my hand out for the duffel bag. “I’ve got your clothes in the laundry. Uh, I did hand wash the underwear though.”

He chuckled as I shut the door behind him. “Thank you, though they can survive a trip through the washing machine. I’ve proved that a few times. I washed all of your clothes last night.”

“Thanks.” I dropped the bag near the door. “Um, I thought we’d eat here, if it’s all right with you. I didn’t realize it was Valentine’s Day.” I rubbed my jaw, then I jerked my hand down and stuck it in my pocket.

Zachary, who’d leaned over to pet Frank and Lola, looked up at me with a slightly wrinkled brow. “Don’t let some manufactured greeting card holiday put any pressure on our date.” He stood upright. “Can I hug you?” When I hesitated, he said, “Or take your hand? I need—I’d like some sort of physical connection if you’re okay with it. I feel....” He waved his hand around erratically.

But I got it. “I understand. This is strange for me as well. Um, sure. I’d like a hug.” Maybe. I wanted to like a hug from Zachary, which was as good a place to start as any.

He stopped a good six inches away from me and opened his arms, leaving it to me to close as much of the gap as I wanted to. Inside, I relaxed. This was Zachary, who’d listened to me drone on about my vacation plans, my sexuality, and Jimmy Buffett without judgment or eye rolls. I’d become attracted to him for a reason, and part of that was how fucking considerate he was.

Slowly I spread out my arms and put one around his shoulder and one around his ribcage. He did the same to me, but didn’t pull me in tight. I took stock. My brain and my body weren’t looking for a way out, so I stepped forward and closed the distance between us.

He felt... good against me. Just right. We fit together. Also, he smelled amazing.

“Are you sniffing me?” He let out a little laugh.

I let go and stepped back. My face felt hot. “Sorry. You smell good.”

He held out his hand and I put mine in it. “Don’t apologize. I liked it; I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“Oh.” I looked around desperately for a distraction. “Um, sorry, I didn’t introduce you when you came in. This is Frank.” I pointed at the three-legged cattle dog. “And that’s Lola.”

After a squeeze he dropped my hand to pet the dogs. “Yes, I saw your picture, Lola. You’re even more gorgeous in person, yes you are. Frank, what a handsome boy.” He rubbed their ears and necks, not putting his hands over their eyes or the top of their heads. Someone had taught him well.

I checked the living room, but it was empty of felines. “Um, you might see a black cat later. His name is Mr. Moon. The other two most likely won’t come out until you’ve been around more.”

His face lit up. “I’ll look forward to that.”

I opened my mouth to deny that I’d assumed he’d come over again in the future, but he’d seemed happy about it, so I stayed quiet.

“Oh, hey, I brought you souvenirs.” He went over to my duffel bag by the door and opened a side pocket to take out a plastic grocery bag. “I got you a little something to remind you of where your clothes went without you.” He walked over to the dining table and spilled out the contents of the bag. “Here. This magnet is from the hotel, for when I wore your swimsuit to the pool. This is a coaster from the strip club where we had the bachelor party. I wore your blue button-down.” He went through all the little items.

I rubbed my chest. He hadn’t spent a lot of money, but the fact that he’d thought of me everywhere he went was... unprecedented. “Zachary, you didn’t have to do all this. I—thank you.” I picked up the shot glass.

Zachary covered my hand with his, forcing me to meet his eyes. “It’s too bad it couldn’t have been you there with me, instead of just your clothes. I thought about you the entire trip.”

Well, fuck. I pulled my hand out of Zachary’s so I could put the shot glass down, then I cupped his jaw. “Can I kiss you?”

His smiling eyes stared into mine. “Please.”

As I lowered my mouth to his, I tried hard not to count the number of years since I’d kissed anyone. But, like riding the bicycle in Palm Springs, this was another thing I hadn’t forgotten how to do.

Zachary’s lips were soft, and his mouth and tongue were warm and intoxicating. The faint rasp of his barely-there stubble against my cheeks and chin was new, but I liked it. I liked it a lot. Zachary was following my lead with the kissing, not shying from thrusting his tongue in my mouth. But he kept his body very still, and his hands hadn’t roamed beyond my back.

Did I want him to go further? Maybe. Experimentally I moved closer, allowing my erection to graze against the front of his jeans. He moaned into my mouth and his hips jerked forward until he seemed to remember not to.

He broke off the kiss. “Sorry, um, I’m not sure how far you want to take this.”

I nodded and ran my thumb over his swollen, glistening lips. “That’s probably as far as I want to go right now. But fuck, I’m so attracted to you.”

His eyebrows lifted, and he grinned. “Yeah? Me too, just so you know.”

I pulled him into a hug. “I’m not sure why you picked me, but I won’t try to talk you out of it.”

He loosened his arms, then he poked me in the chest. “Hah! As soon as I saw you in my underwear, it was all over.”

I grinned, my chest feeling full of champagne bubbles. “It took you that long? Hell, I was a goner when you sent me that first picture.” I hesitated. “Um, but will it bother you if I need a while before we have sex?”

He smirked. “Ford, honey, I hate to tell you this, but we already had sex. Remember?” I opened my mouth, but he put a finger over my lips. “But I know what you mean. And, no, it won’t bother me to wait. It would kill me if you felt like I was pressuring you to move faster than you’re comfortable with.”

I relaxed. “Thanks.”

“That being said....” He winked. “I won’t ever say no to cuddling on the couch or, when you’re ready, in the same bed fully dressed. And I absolutely won’t say no to more phone sex.”

I chuckled. “Noted. And, Zachary, I, um, I really appreciate you slowing down to my pace.” He opened his mouth to protest, but this time I put my finger over his lips. “And I want to reassure you that, once my ex-wife and I started having sex—the kind where we were both naked in the same bed—we had a lot of sex. Like a lot .”

Zachary’s eyes went wide, and his pupils dilated. “Fuck, Ford. That’s, um, something to look forward to for sure.”

I kissed him quickly then patted his ass just to be a tease. “Now it’s time to make dinner. I hope you like spaghetti.”

I put him to work making the salad and pouring wine. While the water heated up for the noodles, I made the sauce and the meatballs. The meal turned out pretty well, in my opinion, and the table looked somewhat romantic with the flowers in the center. The conversation was lively, covering a wide range of topics. And with every laugh, every little glance, I fell harder and harder for Zachary.

He offered to do the dishes, but I insisted we wash them together. At last we collapsed on the couch with the remainder of the wine.

“You want to watch TV or anything?”

He shook his head and leaned into my side. I put my arm around his shoulders. “Let’s stay like this for a while.”

I kissed his head, that bubbly feeling filling my chest again. It’d been a long, long time since I’d had anyone to hold, but Zachary was worth the wait.

Frank and Lola were napping on the rug on the other side of the coffee table, and I finally saw the curious whiskers I’d been expecting. I nudged Zachary. “Mr. Moon’s checking you out from the doorway over there.”

“Yeah?” He looked without moving his head. “He’s cute. How did he lose the eye?”

“Somebody found him while they were out camping a couple of years ago. He was used to people, so he probably got dumped in the woods.” I made a growling noise. There were several shelters in the area they could’ve dropped him off at instead. Zachary patted my chest. “Sorry. Pet peeve.” He made an understanding hum, and I heaved a sigh. “Anyway, it looked like he’d gotten into a scuffle with an animal. His face was all scratched up, and I couldn’t save his eye.”

“Poor little kitty. He seems like he landed in a good place though.”

I snorted. “He picked me. I was planning to find someone to adopt him, but he kept climbing on my shoulders. Doyle, one of the vets at my clinic, told me it was no use fighting it, that I should just give in and take him home. He’s been here ever since.” Mr. Moon crept closer. “Oh, he likes to walk along the back of the couch, so don’t be surprised if you turn your head and he’s staring at you from two inches away.”

Zachary’s chest vibrated with a laugh. “Got it.”

Lola sat up and started inhaling loudly, over and over again. Zachary stiffened. “What’s wrong with her? Is she okay?”

I squeezed his shoulder. “She’s fine. It’s called reverse sneezing. It’ll resolve itself in a minute or so. It’s a little stressful for the dog, but it’s essentially harmless. It only sounds scary.”

He sat forward, pulling away from my embrace. “I feel like I should do something. Does it help to comfort her?”

Well, shit. I usually left her alone, but I didn’t want to come across as an unfeeling asshole pet parent. “Let me go get her, and we can hold her on our laps.” I got up, and Zachary relaxed back into the cushions. “Some dogs respond to having air blown in their faces, but Lola doesn’t.”

I crossed the room to her. She was starting to wind down, but I picked her up anyway. As I stood, I saw Mr. Moon poised on the back of the couch, right above Zachary’s shoulder. His back was hunched up, and he opened his mouth, tongue extended. “Nooo!” I shouted.

Zachary’s eyes went wide, and he turned to look where I was staring. But there wasn’t time for him to get out of the way. Mr. Moon spewed bile and a pretty hefty hairball right onto Zachary’s shirt. He twisted to avoid the vomit, but it was too late. It ran down from his shoulder to his stomach.

He’d hopped up off the couch by the time I made it back over there. I shooed Mr. Moon away, and he jumped down without a care in the world.

“Oh, shit, I am so sorry.” I put Lola down on the couch and helped Zachary unbutton his shirt.

He grimaced. “This isn’t how I imagined getting undressed in front of you.”

I winced. “Hah. I have a bigger problem. Tonight was supposed to make you want to have a second date, not make you run away.” I peeled the shirt off him, careful to hold the fabric so as to prevent drips. I jogged to the kitchen and shook it out over the trash can to get rid of the hairball. “I’ll put stain remover on it and throw it in the wash. It’ll be good as new.” I glanced over at Zachary, who was eyeing his chest with a frown. Crap. “Um, do you want to take a shower?”

He shook his head. “If I can borrow some soap and a towel, I can wash this off.” He gestured at the dampness on his skin.

“One sec.” I dodged into the laundry room and dropped the shirt on the lid of the washing machine. Then I led him to the guest bathroom. I dug under the sink and came out with a washcloth and a towel, which I set on the counter. Then I grabbed the soap from the shower. “Here you go. I am so sorry about this. I’ll get you a t-shirt or something, okay?”

“Great, thanks.” He set about getting cleaned up, and I awkwardly fled to my bedroom. Shit, this wasn’t good. What if he wanted to leave right away? Would I only see him again to return his shirt?

I grabbed a long-sleeved black t-shirt and raced back to the bathroom, sticking it on the counter next to the towel. Zachary smiled at me in the mirror, so that was a good sign. I didn’t pause to admire his bare torso. I ran back to the laundry room and got the stain cleaner applied to his shirt, then I put it in the washing machine.

He came out of the bathroom right as I returned to the living room. I rubbed my hands on my thighs. “Um, are you okay? I feel awful about what happened. Uh, do you want another glass of wine or anything?”

“It’s fine, Ford.” He was smiling as he walked over to me. “I’m not mad. I know pets do weird shit.” He put his arms around me in a hug.

“Oh, thank fuck.” I squeezed him back. He felt so good in my arms. “Because—just so you’re prepared—hairballs aren’t the only gross thing that happens around here. I’ve got five pets and all of them have iffy digestive systems at times. Sometimes at the same time.”

He leaned his head on my shoulder and chuckled. “I can handle it. But I hope that little episode didn’t mean Mr. Moon hates me.”

“Nah. He’s not that devious.”

We stayed in the embrace for a moment longer, then Zachary said, “Ford?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not expecting anything, but I was hoping you’d let me sleep here tonight.”