Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
ZACHARY
“I can take the couch,” I rushed to add. “But I brought a change of clothes. I’d like to hang out with you tomorrow. Or at least take you to breakfast if you have somewhere you need to be.”
He gave me a delighted grin. “Yeah? I’d love that. And no need to sleep on the couch; I have a guest room. Um, I don’t have anything scheduled tomorrow. I was supposed to be out of town after all.” He dropped his arms from my waist. “Is your stuff in your car? Let’s go get it.”
I smiled and nodded to cover up the tiny tang of disappointment. I’d known we wouldn’t have sex tonight, but after I’d brought up cuddling earlier, I’d been slightly hopeful we could sleep in the same bed.
But that would come with time. Ford was into me, I had no doubt. He went out of his way to be near me, to give me barely-there touches. And his hugs were divine.
When we finally had sex—and yes, I already knew I was in this for the long haul—I was sure it’d be explosive.
Ford’s guest room, like the rest of the house, was tidy and minimally furnished. He seemed to favor a sort of modern farmhouse aesthetic, but I’d bet he’d just acquired each item organically and without the help of an interior designer. I fleetingly imagined myself living here one day, and it was surprisingly easy to picture my Nana’s afghan blanket over the back of Ford’s couch. My favorite armchair would go nicely next to his recliner.
But that would be way in the future, if at all. Though it did give me even more incentive to find a new job, since my current one was in-office only, and the commute from Bent Oak into Austin would be brutal.
Ford gave me a sweet kiss goodnight, and as he shut the guest bedroom door behind him, I once again had to contain my disappointment about not getting any cuddles. I accepted we were on Ford’s timeline, and I didn’t want to push him, but damn. After spending all evening together, I wanted more time with him. And not in some underhanded way to try to seduce him. I really only wanted to be close to him. I was sad he was in the other room.
Fuck, I missed him, and he was just down the hall.
Though, actually, it was probably for the best we’d be in different beds tonight. I looked ruefully down at my semi-hard cock. I wouldn’t be able to keep from poking him all night, and that would definitely make him uncomfortable.
Aaaand thinking about poking Ford with my dick had an inevitable result. Shit. I got ready to sleep, but I brought the lube I kept in my travel kit to the bed with me. I wished I could call Ford. Our phone sex was epic.
Well, why couldn’t I call Ford? Unless he was already asleep. I could text him. He might not want to participate, but what if he found out later I’d jerked off without him and he felt left out?
Feeling justified, I unplugged my phone from the charger.
Me: I need to jerk off, and I wanted to see if you’d like to join me. From the comfort of your own bed, of course. No pressure.
I stroked myself as I waited. Come on, come on. Yes! He was typing.
Ford: Call me?
I couldn’t hit the Call button fast enough. I put him on speaker.
“Hey.” He’d answered on speaker. I smiled. He was ready.
“Hey.”
“So you’re jerking off?”
I laughed. “I am. I was thinking about this really hot guy I had a date with tonight. You?”
“ Mmmm . I was thinking about a hot guy too. He took his shirt off for me and everything.”
I snorted. “That must’ve been sexy as shit.”
I could hear the grin in his voice. “It’s not every man who can make cat hairballs look good.” His sheets rustled like he was getting comfortable. “I might not be ready to have sex with him, but I have been imagining how it’s going to be between us.”
Fuck yeah! I laid down and wrapped my lubed hand nice and tight around my balls. “Yeah? I’ve been doing the same thing. In fact, right now you’ve got my balls in your hand. Have you ever held another man’s balls, Ford?”
His breathing was a little more labored. “No.”
My cock jumped. I fucking loved being the first guy to touch Ford’s naked body, even if it was only virtually so far.
“I love balls. I love licking them, sticking my nose up in those pubic hairs, everything. I really like taking them both in my hand and giving them a squeeze. Maybe a little bit too tight, and then a nice firm tug. How does it feel, Ford?”
“Oh, that’s... that’s good .”
“The other nice thing about balls, Ford, is that they’re only a little ways away from your hole. You said you hadn’t played with your hole yet, Ford, right?”
He gasped. “Um, not inside.”
“Oh? Do you like putting your finger there? Maybe pushing at it the tiniest bit? Do you have lube, Ford?” Fuck I should’ve asked him that earlier.
“Yeah. I got it. All over my hand. I’m touching my hole.”
Fuck. “Me too. You want to go inside with me, Ford? Just one finger. Take it to the first knuckle.”
“I—aah! Oh, that feels.... Ungh .”
My dick was throbbing, I was so hard. Goddamn, I wanted to see that finger go inside him.
“Pull on your rim, Ford. Slide that finger around and open it up.”
“Oh, god. I want—I want to put another finger in.”
Yes! “That’ll feel amazing. Not too deep now, Ford. Only to the first knuckle.”
Me? By now I had three fingers inside me as far as they could go. As soon as I got Ford off, all I’d need would be a couple of firm strokes and I’d be done for.
“I want more. I’m going to go deeper. I want to feel my— fuck !” The broken noises coming through the phone left no doubt that Ford was coming.
I imagined his dick pulsing as I jacked myself off. “Ford!” I arched my body as the orgasm crashed through me.
When I came back to Earth, he was quiet on the other end of the line. “Ford? Are you okay?”
“ Mmmm , yeah. Gonna get cleaned up now. Thanks, Zachary.” He ended the call.
Well, shit. That was... abrupt. What did it mean? Was he upset? Did he regret it? Should I not have asked him to jerk off with me?
The pleasant post-orgasm buzz of hormones vanished, leaving me cold and worried. I automatically went to the bathroom across the hall and cleaned up, putting only my boxer briefs back on. I hadn’t dared wear the lace panties in case Ford thought I was planning to have sex with him.
When I came out again, I turned toward Ford’s door, but then I turned back. He hadn’t asked me to check on him. I’d see him in the morning.
Fuck.
I got back into bed, but I couldn’t sleep. I stared into the darkness, worrying about Ford. Worrying that I’d ruined my chances with him by pushing him too far.
My phone rang, and I jackknifed up to a sitting position. Shit! It took me a moment to get the phone off the charger. “Ford? Are you okay?”
He didn’t speak for a second. “Is—is your ringtone ‘Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw’?”
Chuckling, I relaxed. “Actually the official name of the song is only ‘Why Don’t We Get Drunk’. Also, you can hear that? These walls must be thin.”
“Yes, they are, but why ?”
“You got me listening to Jimmy Buffett songs, and toward the end of the reception I kind of hijacked the music system and played it for everybody. I may have played it more than once.” I sniffed. “Usually I have ringer just set to vibrate, but Joel got tired of me playing the song, so he stole my phone and set it to be my ringtone. He said that way I could hear it all the time and they didn’t have to.”
He laughed. “I’m guessing you were a tiny bit drunk yourself at the time?”
“Maaaybe. But I’d just found the song, and it blew my mind that somebody way back in the 1970s would have the balls to lay it out there like that.”
There was a pause. “Zachary.” His tone was cautious. “I hate to break it to you, but people have been writing songs about sex since way before the 1970s.”
I huffed. “You sound like Joel. And I’m sure you’re right, but this was the first older one I really noticed.”
“Okay, okay. I didn’t mean to make fun of you.”
“Sure.” I went heavy on the sarcasm. “Why were you calling anyway? Did you need something?”
Another pause, then he cleared his throat. “Did you mean what you said earlier, about wanting to sleep in the same bed?”
I threw one fist into the air before I affected a casual tone. “I did. I’d love to do that if you’re up for it.”
“Yeah, um. I am. I’d really like that.”
“Great. I’ll be right there.” We hung up and I jumped off the bed and hurriedly sorted through my backpack to find the pajama pants I’d brought just in case. I pulled them on over my boxer briefs and topped it with the t-shirt Ford had lent me earlier. I might be a sweaty mess by morning, but it’d be worth it.
Down the hall, his door was cracked open—probably for the animals—but I still knocked as I pushed it wider.
“Hey, come in.” He was sitting up in bed, wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt and, I discovered when I pulled back the sheets, boxers.
I gave him a kiss before laying down. “Um, how do you want to do this?”
He pulled me over to tuck me against his body, wrapping his arm around me before positioning me with my head on his chest. Got it. I hoped he couldn’t see my smile.
“This is nice, Ford. I’m glad you called.”
“Me too. Oh, hey.” His voice was filled with impending sleep. “Remind me in the morning. My friend Kurt gave me his business card to pass on to you. His company’s here in Bent Oak and they’re looking for someone to run Customer Service.”
Ooh, that was promising. I yawned. Ford’s chest was surprisingly comfy. “Yeah? What’s the company called?”
“Rogues Gallery. It’s an online dating app.”
Immediately I was wide awake. I barely stopped myself from sitting up and shaking Ford for more information. Rogues Gallery was funded by an ex-movie star. It’d gotten great buzz, and it had only launched about a year ago. Getting in almost on the ground floor with a company like that would be career-making for me.
And it was in Bent Oak, which I’d already decided was going to be my new home.
I hugged Ford gently so I wouldn’t wake him. It might take me a while to fall asleep now, but that was okay. This way I could savor our first night together. The first night of the rest of our lives.