Candy Hearts, Vol. 2

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

GARRISON

It was the longest elevator ride ever. I drummed my fingers against my thigh and shot a heated glance at Lex as Ewan’s grandma, Betty, chatted about how beautiful the wedding was and that they’d done a great job with the deejay pick.

“You’re a good dancer,” she said to Lex as she nodded approvingly. “I’m going to teach my Bridge club the ‘Cupid Shuffle.’”

I bit back a grin. It had been adorable watching Lex teach that to some of the older wedding guests. They’d eaten it up.

As Betty chatted, Lex was the picture of a patience I sure as hell didn’t possess. Making it to the room seemed impossible as the elevator crawled to our floor. At first, I’d been excited about the high floor and view of the Willamette River, but now it was torture.

“Thanks, Betty. You’re not so bad yourself,” he said, then smiled at me over her head.

“You’re darn right. I’ve been dancing longer than you’ve been alive.” The elevator dinged and stopped with an alarming jerk. She took a step toward the door and glanced over her shoulder. “It’s great to watch you on stage, but dancing with you is more fun.”

Lex’s mouth fell open. “Uh. Thanks?”

I looked between them. “When did you see him dance?”

She exited the elevator and held her hand against the door as she turned to us. I had to bite back laughter at her dismissive look.

“Bachelorette party. Last month. You’ve met Dorothy from my Bridge club.”

Lex busted up laughing. “Purple hair? I think I remember her. She’s handsy.”

Betty winked. “Lex, call me. We’ll make plans for that drag brunch. And, Garrison.” She aimed a steely look in my direction. “This one’s a keeper. Don’t fuck it up.” Betty jerked her chin toward Lex.

“Night, Betty.” I shook my head, smiling.

“Bye, Betty!” Lex called after her. He huffed a laugh as the door closed and mimed buffing his nails on his dress shirt. “Grannies love me.”

I crowded him against the wall, pressing my torso and hips against him. “You’re pretty irresistible.”

Lex licked his lips and glanced at mine. I closed the space between us and took his mouth in a kiss. Lex melted against me and gripped my hip, pulling me even closer. He overwhelmed my senses with his fading citrus cologne, the day’s stubble on his face, the softness of his lips, and his tight hold on me.

Just as I swirled my hips and ground against him, the elevator chimed again. Reluctantly, I pulled back, and Lex let out an adorable, pouty sound. I stared into Lex’s eyes, seeing my desire mirrored in his.

Someone cleared their throat. Oops.

I smiled sheepishly at Lex, then grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the elevator, shooting the grinning older couple an apologetic smile. Lex stumbled and laughed as he worked to keep up with my hustle. He draped himself over my back as I tried to unlock the door to our room. It took a few tries before the lock light turned green and the lock snicked open, thanks to the distracting kisses Lex kept dropping on my neck.

I nearly stumbled forward as the door swung open, but I righted myself before we both fell into a heap. The door clicked closed behind us as we moved toward the bed in a flurry of laughter between bumbling kisses and wandering hands. I hadn’t been so eager to be with someone in years. It wasn’t only the sex—it was how much fun we had together.

Lex draped both of our jackets over the back of the office chair. He pushed me back on the bed and climbed on top of me, straddling my waist.

“Hi.” He dropped his palms onto the bed on each side of my head.

I hooked my arm around his waist and returned his smile. “Hi.” I appreciated the breather moment to savor being here with him. “What do you want?”

He hooked his bottom lip with his teeth and did a slow grind of his hips. “You.”

I tightened my arm around his waist. “You’ve got me.” But even as I said it, I imagined the long day in a suit and all the dancing—and sweating—I’d done tonight. “Mind if I take a quick shower first?” I’d feel more comfortable if I was clean, and I didn’t want to be distracted when I finally got my hands on him.

Lex leaned down and kissed me deeply, making my body melt farther into the bed. His tongue teased mine as his fingers tangled in my hair. I was dazed when he pulled back.

“Can I join you? We can get clean before we get dirty again.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Hell yes.”

We shamelessly watched each other strip, and I got so distracted by his thighs as he pulled down his slacks that I nearly face-planted into the desk while tripping on my own pants. By the time we got to the bathroom, we were naked and kissing as we waited for the water to heat.

In the shower, we swapped wet kisses and touched each other’s newly exposed skin. I usually felt a level of awkwardness when getting intimate with someone for the first time, but that was absent with Lex. His eager touches and the laughing at himself when he nearly slipped cut through any tension.

I was so lost in him already. I’d never experienced this particular cocktail of feeling like I’d known someone forever mixed with the giddiness of a new connection. It was wildly different from my past dating experiences. Like the times when I’d forced it or worked overtime to find and feed the connection. I knew a relationship took work, but shouldn’t some elements come easy?

He flashed me a devilish smile that made my heart swell along with my dick.

I dropped my head against the tile wall as Lex’s soapy hand trailed down my stomach and gripped my dick. “Fuck. I’ve been dreaming of this since you showed up in my office wearing that ridiculous costume.”

His strokes were maddeningly slow as he kissed along the column of my neck. “Got a thing for foam hearts or N*SYNC?”

“I’ve got a thing for sexy men with a sense of humor who don’t mind looking goofy while singing as well as Lance Bass.”

Lex let out a throaty chuckle. “Smooth talker.”

I reached for him and matched him stroke for stroke. Water sluiced down our bodies as we soaped each other’s skin. Honestly, I’d never had more fun kissing someone. Lex kissed me with an eager interest that matched my own.

When he teased a soapy finger down my crack, I had to grip the safety rail. The last thing I wanted was to have to call for medical support after slipping and banging my head on the shower while naked and hard. Lex seemed like a good sport, but I wanted our first date to be memorable for better reasons.

Lex managed to tease the sensitive skin around my hole with one hand and jerk me with the other. Meanwhile, I was about as useful as a lump while holding on for dear life.

I’d thought nothing could top a glittery, shiny, dancing Lex, but I’d been wrong. A wet, naked Lex was spectacular. His nipples were small and erect, and a taupe rectangular birthmark marked the skin beneath one. I hadn’t noticed that at the club.

I still gripped his cock—a sizable handful that I ached to have stretch me—but I couldn’t muster trying to hold my body up, not come too early, and get him off. Just as I was about to drop to my knees to focus on him, he beat me to it.

“That’s one hell of a view.” I stared down at him as the water pelted my back and over my shoulders, rinsing the soap from my dick.

Grinning, he gripped my dick and leaned forward. “View’s pretty good from here too.”

When he teased his tongue around my cockhead, I tightened my grip on the safety bar. All I could do was hold on and watch as he licked, sucked, and mouthed along my dick. Lex intuitively knew when I wanted more pressure, attention on my balls, or the almost-too-much sensation of attention on my head.

His other arm jerked in steady motions as he touched himself. Hearing his moans over the pulse of the shower sent me spiraling toward the edge.

“I’m going to come. Feels so good.” My eyes fell closed as I focused on his touch. Having someone give attention to my dick had pretty much always been pleasurable in my experience, but it was heightened with Lex. We clicked in so many ways, and I was already growing to care about him. His touch wasn’t merely a physical sensation, but it zinged my heart too. Fuck, I really liked him.

“ Lex. ”

Water clung to his eyelashes as he stared up at me with a mouthful of my dick. I burned the image into my memory before I shot onto his tongue. Bliss rolled through me, making my toes curl as my eyes fell closed. I could float away if it weren’t for Lex’s gentle strokes as he worked me through the aftershocks of my orgasm.

My eyes snapped open at his grunt, and I caught him coming on my feet. His eyes were closed, his thick lips forming an O .

“You’re beautiful.” I wanted to cuddle with him and ask him more about his life before we drifted to sleep, then maybe wake up and do this again.

He opened his eyes and tilted his head, studying me for a moment before gracing me with a shy smile. “Thank you.”

I held my hand out and helped him to his feet. Fortunately, the water was still warm, so I shifted us to put his back against the water and kissed him. I filled it with all the satisfaction and hope coursing through me.

When I pulled back, I rested my forehead against his. “I think you sucked the rest of my energy out.”

His laugh sent a tingling shiver up my spine. “All the dancing might’ve done that. I just finished it, well, you , off.”

I chuckled and reached around him to turn off the water. He snagged two towels off the rack and passed me one. I’d wanted to explore his body all night on the bed, but the day’s exhaustion was catching up with me.

As we dried off and rummaged through our suitcases for underwear, I kept waiting for the post-orgasm awkwardness to set in. That feeling after coming where the excitement plummeted. I’d fallen victim to that more times than I cared to count.

“Mind if I play some music? It helps me unwind before bed.”

“Not at all.” I smiled at him as he tapped his phone screen until instrumental music played gently from his speakers. My heart grew even more attached as we stood side-by-side at the bathroom vanity, brushing our teeth and shooting shy smiles at each other.

We crawled into bed and faced each other on our sides, feet tangled together, fingers loosely entwined.

“We never made plans for that second date.” Lex covered his mouth as he yawned.

It triggered one of my own. “When are you free? We can plan around your work schedule. Or I could ride shotgun while you deliver food. I’m easy.”

I had a feeling Lex had skipped work tonight, probably dancing at the club since it was a weekend. He likely would’ve made a ton on Valentine’s Day, and I felt bad that he’d lost out tonight. But he was an adult and could make his own decisions. I was honored he was willing to sacrifice work to spend an evening as my wedding date. It meant a lot.

“Thanks. I’ll look at my schedule. This week?” He yawned again.

“Sounds great.” Lex’s soft smile was the last thing I saw before my eyes fell closed and I dreamed of our next date. It was the best night’s sleep I’d had in months.