Chapter 11
11
Ryan
After work, I went home to shower and change out of my suit before heading to The Whispering Flask to meet Court. However, traffic made me a few minutes late.
When I entered the restaurant, the hostess smiled and said, “Good evening. Would you like a table for one?”
“Actually, I’m meeting someone.” I glanced around the restaurant and saw him sitting near the window. “He’s right over there.”
She nodded as I scooted past her stand and made my way over to Court. He looked up from the menu as I got closer and gave me a blinding grin.
“Hey,” he greeted me as I slid into the seat across from him.
“Hi. Sorry, I’m late. I didn’t get to leave the office as early as I wanted, and then traffic sucked.”
“Don’t even worry about it. I’m just glad our schedules finally aligned for me to ask you out.”
“Is that what you did?” I teased. “Sounded more like a suggestion rather than asking me on a date.”
“Oh, it’s definitely a date.” He smirked.
I took a sip from the glass of water already on the table. “Good to know.”
Although I already knew I was going to order the lobster roll, I opened the menu to check out their list of cocktails. Since I was driving, I planned on ordering just one small drink with my meal. A minute later, our server came over.
“Hi there. Are you ready to order, or do you want to have drinks first?”
I glanced at Court. “I’m ready to order if you are.”
He nodded. “Go ahead.”
“I’ll have the lobster roll and a whiskey sour, please.” I handed the server my menu.
“Great.” He turned to Court. “And for you?”
“That sounds good. I’ll have the same.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back with your drinks.” He spun around and walked away.
“So, did you do anything exciting today since you don’t have to work later?” I asked.
“Not much other than catch up on sleep.” He chuckled. “What about you? How’s work been?”
I shrugged. “It’s been pretty busy lately with a lot of new client meetings. Tonight is the first time all week I haven’t gone home and just watched some baseball before crashing.”
“Baseball?” His face lit up. “Please tell me you’re a Red Sox fan?”
I balked. “Like there’s any other option.” Having been born and raised in Boston, I was devoted to our home team.
“You’d be surprised. Lately, I’ve met too many Yankees fans for my liking. I can’t believe they’re willing to show their faces around here.”
“Tell me about it.” The Red Sox-Yankee rivalry was one of the longest-standing in the MLB. “Do you go to games often?”
“Not really. I’m usually at work or sleeping when they play. But I try to watch a couple of innings on TV when possible.”
The server returned with our cocktails, and I took a drink of the tart liquid. “Well, the game should still be on when we finish here. We could go back to my place to watch it after we eat.”
Sure, I wanted to watch the game, but I liked the idea of getting Court alone in my apartment even better.
“That sounds like a great idea.” He took a sip of his drink.
We continued to talk about our favorite players, and I learned Court had played in a youth league for a couple of years. He’d also played basketball and football growing up, and his dad coached some of his teams.
“Are you close with your family?” I asked him.
He nodded. “I am. I mentioned before that I have a sister, but I also have a pretty large extended family as well. We get together a few times a year, and most of them live in the area. What about you?”
“Same. My mom died from cancer six years ago, and I think going through that brought my dad, sister, and me even closer.” I took a sip before continuing. “But we also have the Donnelleys, who are basically family as well.”
“I’m so sorry to hear about your mom.”
I gave him a small smile. “It definitely made me realize how important family is.”
“Yeah. I agree. When I can, I try to see my family often and I’m so thankful for all the get-togethers we have.”
It was nice to learn he valued family as much as I did. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do the whole partner and kid thing in the future, but if I did get serious with someone, I wanted it to be with a person who understood and accepted the roles Dad and Morgan played in my life.
Our food was served a few minutes later, and it could have been a figment of my imagination, but it seemed as though both of us ate as quickly as we could without looking like we didn’t have any manners. Maybe Court was just as eager to go to my place as I was.
When the bill arrived, I tried to grab it, but Court was faster than me. “I invited you, so I got this,” he said as our server walked away with his credit card.
“Thanks, but you know that means we have to go out again to keep things even.” I smirked.
His eyes sparked with mischief. “I wouldn’t say no to another date with you.”
Once he signed the receipt, we headed outside. I pulled my keys from my pocket. “Did you drive?”
“Yeah. I’m parked right there.” He pointed to a Dodge Durango a couple of spaces away from my car in the parking lot.
“Okay. There’s some guest parking at my place, but you’ll need a code to get into the underground lot.” I slid my phone out of my pocket and texted him the security code.
“Sounds good. I’ll follow you.”
It took about twenty minutes with traffic to drive from The Whispering Flask to my building. Court found an empty guest space as I drove to my designated spot.
“I was listening to the game on the way over here,” he said as I led him to the elevator. “And we’re winning.”
The doors opened as soon as I pushed the call button, and we entered. “That’s good. I’d hate for you to see me yelling at my TV the first time you come over to my place.”
He laughed. “I do the same thing, so don’t hold back on my account.”
We got off on the fifth floor and walked down to my apartment at the end of the hallway. Unlocking the door, I stepped inside and flipped on a couple of lights, illuminating my open-concept apartment. “Do you want something to drink? I’ve got water and beer. Or I could make some coffee.”
“Water’s fine.”
“Make yourself comfortable,” I suggested as I opened my fridge to pull out two water bottles.
I handed him one as I sat beside him on the couch. Turning on the TV, it was already on our local sports channel, and the game was in the seventh inning. The Red Sox led the Royals seven to one.
We watched the television for a few minutes, but the game wasn’t what I was interested in. Stealing a glance at him, I watched as the corners of his mouth quirked up.
“If you keep looking at me, we’re going to miss the end of the game.”
“Looks like the Red Sox are going to win anyway.” I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck, pulling him toward me. My lips pressed against his, and the kiss deepened as I licked inside his mouth.
He let out a small groan, then took control of the kiss. My fingers trailed down his back, exploring the muscles flexing under his T-shirt. He was by far the fittest guy I’d ever been with. Hottest too.
Breaking away for a moment, he stared into my eyes, a mix of desire and amusement in his gaze. “I thought you brought me here to watch baseball,” he teased.
“It was one of the reasons.” I winked and then captured his lips with mine once again.
As I reveled in the taste of him, his hand made its way up my thigh and brushed against my dick, which was starting to harden and press against my zipper.
I gasped at his touch, and my hips involuntarily bucked forward. He chuckled softly against my mouth, clearly pleased with my reaction. His hand continued its exploration, palming me through my jeans as our kiss grew more heated.
“Fuck, I want to taste you,” he growled as he began working the button on my pants.
My breath hitched as his fingers undid my zipper. “Please,” I breathed, lifting my hips to allow him to slide the denim down.
He wasted no time, dropping to his knees between my legs. His warm breath ghosted over my cock, still hidden behind my boxers. He nibbled gently at the fabric, torturing me.
“God, you’re such a tease,” I moaned, threading my fingers through his hair.
He looked up at me with a wicked grin. “Patience is a virtue.”
Despite his words, he didn’t make me wait long. He tugged my boxers down, freeing my now fully erect cock.
“Damn, I’ve been wanting to do this since you walked into the restaurant,” he murmured before gripping the base of my shaft.
He leaned forward, his tongue darting out to lick up the underside of my dick. My fingers tightened in his hair as he swirled his tongue around the head, teasing the sensitive spot just underneath my crown.
“That feels so good.” I struggled to keep my eyes open, not wanting to miss a second of his soft lips stretched around me, but the pleasure was almost overwhelming.
He hummed in response, sending vibrations up my shaft as he took me deeper into his mouth.
“I’m not going to last long if you keep that up,” I warned, my voice strained.
He pulled off with a wet pop and continued to stroke me. “That’s the idea.”
My head fell back against the couch cushion as he engulfed me once again. The suction he created had me seeing stars, and I couldn’t stop the groan that escaped my lips as he bobbed his head up and down my length.
When I hit the back of his throat, I couldn’t hold back. “I’m gonna come,” I barely managed to gasp before my orgasm hit me like a tidal wave and I spilled into his mouth.
He swallowed everything I gave him, then placed a gentle kiss on my tip and sat back.
“That was …” I couldn’t finish my sentence because I was still trying to catch my breath.
He grinned up at me. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should,” I agreed. “And if you give me a second, I’ll return the favor.”