Chapter 2
Two
E van was fucking this up. The first time he stepped foot in the Cock & Bull was on a Wednesday eight weeks ago when a few people from the radio station where he worked went there for someone’s birthday. At some point during the evening, he spotted the hot bartender on the other side of the room from his group’s table. After that, he had a hard time keeping his gaze off him. Thankfully, the only one who noticed him ogling the six-foot hunk, with tattoos peeking out from the short sleeves of his black T-shirt, was his friend Lily Albert, who worked in the advertising department at KCXN. She sat beside him and leaned over to whisper, “He’s yummy, isn’t he? He swings your way, too, and last I heard, he’s single. His name is Rico Demara, and he owns the place.”
She laughed when Evan stared at her, shocked that she knew all that. “I know his name and that he’s the owner because he advertises with us. As for the rest of the info, when I was here last Saturday with a few girlfriends, we flirted with him and another bartender—not the cute blond one working tonight. Anyway, the other guy said we were barking up the wrong tree with Rico. When Donna said she had a friend she could hook Rico up with if he was interested, he said he wasn’t dating anyone but also doesn’t do blind dates.”
“Jesus, woman. Do you know his shoe size too?” was his hoarse response.
She’d smirked. “My guess is he’s a size thirteen, which means he probably has a really nice package. His shirt wasn’t tucked in the other night, so I can’t say for sure, of course.”
Evan had practically choked at that.
Since that night, he stopped in every Wednesday for a few hours, attempting to get to know the man better while trying to summon the courage to ask him out. All Rico had to do was say hello, and Evan’s knees got weak.
Evan gave himself a deadline to finally ask Rico on a date, and tonight was the night. Now, he wasn’t sure if it was a big mistake.
“No, I’m not bi. Just spent twenty years in denial. When I told my wife, she wasn’t exactly surprised—said she suspected over the last five years of our marriage that I struggled to admit to myself I was gay. We got divorced last year—amicably—and I came out around the same time. Lost some friends and family members over it, but I’m done trying to convince myself I’m something I’m not.” He would’ve ended his little speech there, but in for a penny, in for a pound, as his grandmother used to say. “As for the experimenting, I hit some clubs after we separated and hooked up with a few guys. Not exactly proud of the fact I never got more than their first names, but I had to make sure, you know?”
He was surprised when Rico nodded. Damn, the man was attractive—like, drool-worthy attractive. His hazel eyes appeared more green than brown tonight, and his dark-brown hair was longer on the top and back, fading to very short on the sides. The five o’clock shadow gracing his jawline and upper lip added to his allure. The gray Cock & Bull T-shirt he wore was taut across his muscular shoulders, chest, abs, and biceps and tucked into a snug and faded pair of blue jeans. And Lily would be happy to know that, under the denim, the man did have a nice-looking package to go with a tight, rounded ass.
“Anyway,” Evan continued. “I’ve been on a few dates recently, but they asked me out. I never ... look, I like you, Rico. I’m attracted to you and would like to get to know you better. I hoped we could do that somewhere other than where you work. But if you’re not interested?—”
“I am.”
A shiver went down Evan’s spine as those two words, spoken in Rico’s deep baritone voice, skirted over his skin. “You are?”
Smirking, Rico chuckled. “Yeah, I am. Give me about ten minutes to take care of a few things before we leave. A coffee shop two blocks away is open all night.”
Shocked and a little delirious, Evan nodded and sat back down on the stool. Holy shit. He did it. He finally managed to get the nerve to ask the guy out, and Rico said yes. Wow.
Okay. Play it cool, Ev. Don’t rush things or sound desperate. Keep the conversation neutral, and don’t talk too much. And for God’s sake, stop your hands and knees from shaking like there’s a damn earthquake!
As Evan paid for their coffees, Rico picked up the two cups the barista had placed on the counter, then gestured toward an empty table next to the large window by the front door. “Over there, okay?”
Evan nodded like a bobblehead doll. “Um, yeah, that’s ... that’s fine.”
Rico strode over, trying not to laugh at the other man’s apparent nervousness. It had been a long time since Rico was on a date with someone so unsure of himself. He found it endearing.
He set the cups on the table and then decided to be a gentleman and remain standing until Evan joined him before taking a seat. Across from him, Evan took a sip of his coffee. Rico waited silently for a few moments, watching Evan try to think of something to start a conversation with, then took pity on him. “You mentioned earlier you have a kid—Brian, was it?”
A grateful expression crossed Evan’s face. “Uh, yeah. Actually, I have two boys. Brian’s seventeen, and Mark is fourteen.”
“How’d they take the divorce and you coming out?”
Evan shrugged, then his shoulders relaxed. “How does any kid take their folks getting a divorce? It kinda hit them out of the blue. They had no idea there were any problems. In fact, aside from me finally admitting I’m gay, Susan and I had a good marriage. She became my best friend when we started dating during our sophomore year of high school. She still is—she took my announcement better than anyone, including me. I just feel bad that I didn’t tell her sooner. She deserves to find someone who can love her in a way I can’t. I do love her—I always will—but I’m not in love with her. I’m not sure if I ever was. Getting married and having kids seemed like what I was supposed to do, you know? Brian and Mark were shocked when I came out to them, but they seem okay with it now. What about you? Have you always known you were gay, or did you have trouble figuring it out?”
Swallowing a sip of his coffee, Rico nodded. “Yeah, I figured it out when I was a freshman in high school. Ironically, my best friend realized he was gay around the same time.”
“Scout?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you two ever—” His eyes widened in shock and embarrassment. “Never mind, that’s none of my business.”
Rico smiled. “Don’t worry about it. No, we never hooked up. Never even kissed. We’re close—like brothers—and that just felt too weird to even think about. We did talk to each other about what we did with other guys, but that was it.”
“How did you two meet?”
“We lived a few blocks away from each other but were in different elementary schools. Those combined into one middle school. He sat beside me in social studies on the first day of sixth grade, introduced himself, and asked if I was a Giants or A’s fan. I said I was a diehard Giants fan. He slapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Thank fuck. I thought I was going to have to kick your ass.’ I laughed so hard because he was four inches shorter and about thirty pounds lighter than me at the time. Turns out I found the best friend I could ever ask for.”
Evan grinned, and Rico couldn’t keep his gaze off the man’s dimples. They were sexy and turned him on. He subtly shifted his hips, trying to give his hardening cock some breathing room, and steered the conversation to something more serious as a way to get his body back under control.
“Scout was there for me at some of the worst times in my life. At the end of tenth grade, my folks were killed in a car accident. I was an only child. My aunt and uncle, my dad’s brother, took me in, and I had to switch school districts because of where they lived. Scout never let me go, though. Despite living across town from each other and going to different schools, he was always there for me.”
There were many more occasions when Scout was there to hold Rico’s hand and get him through some bad times, and Rico would be forever grateful for his best friend. However, now wasn’t the time to get into all of that. He and Evan would have to be a lot farther into a relationship before he would spill his guts about everything he went through since his parents died.
Reaching over, Evan set his hand on the one Rico rested on the table. “I’m sorry for your loss. It’s hard at any age to lose your parents, but no more than when you’re still a kid.”
Rico felt a tingling shoot from his fingers all the way up his arm at the warm touch. He turned his palm over and squeezed Evan’s hand before letting go and picking up his cup. “Thanks.” He cleared his throat and took another sip of his cooling coffee. “Okay, let’s get off the morose topics. I just realized I don’t even know what you do for a living.”
The tension surrounding them lifted. “I’m a broadcast engineer, otherwise known as a sound technician, for the radio station KCXN. I usually work from six a.m. to two p.m., Monday through Friday, but I occasionally pick up some overtime when other techs call out sick or take vacation.”
“So, you work with Bentley and Barrett, the sportscasters? I listen to them every morning.”
“Yup, and then I cover Morrison and Savage.”
Rico snorted. “Sorry to hear that.” When Evan’s eyebrows rose and he tilted his head, Rico shrugged. “Sorry, but Savage came into the bar one night—he thinks mighty highly of himself. I wasn’t impressed.”
Evan toasted him with his cup. “Well, then, that makes two of us. He is a bit of an ass, but you didn’t hear that from me.”
“Hear what?” he asked with a grin as he touched his cup to the one Evan held up.
They spent about two hours and another round of coffee, talking and getting to know each other on a more personal level. As much as he hated to end the night, Rico knew Evan needed to get some sleep if he had to be at work by six in the morning. “It’s getting late. Where did you park? I’ll walk you to your car.”
God help him, Evan licked his bottom lip before answering him. It stirred up the desire Rico tried to hold at bay all night. What he wouldn’t give to invite the other man back to his condo where they could spend hours pleasuring each other. But something in him said Evan was special, and the worst thing he could do was rush things and fall into bed with him for a quick fuck.
“We passed my truck on the way here.”
“Great.”
They tossed their empty cups into the trash by the door, then stepped out into the night. Their walk was in silence but not uncomfortable. Rico had the urge to reach over and grasp the other man’s hand in his, but he hesitated too long because Evan stopped next to a late model Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. “This is me.”
Rico eyed the vehicle. “Nice ride.”
“Thanks.”
When Evan didn’t make a move to get into the truck, Rico stepped toward him, forcing the man to back up until his ass hit the door. But Rico didn’t stop closing the distance until barely a breath separated them. He studied Evan’s face, making certain the man was okay with what was happening. He was relieved to see desire and need in those chocolate-brown eyes. Rico knew if he took one more step, smashing their bodies together, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. So, instead, he cupped Evan’s jaw, then leaned forward and brushed his lips over Evan’s. He wasn’t sure if the moan he heard had come from Evan or himself, but he didn’t care.
Rico caressed Evan’s lips again before pulling the upper one between his own. Evan’s mouth was soft and supple as Rico used his tongue to entice him into opening up. When Evan’s lips parted, Rico swept in for a taste. When he heard another moan, he knew it had come from Evan. Their tongues slid against each other as they made out on the sidewalk, oblivious to anyone walking by. Evan settled his fists on Rico’s hips as if needing to touch him, but knowing if he opened his hands, he’d lose control and be all over him.
Reining in his passion, Rico gave Evan one last sweet kiss before releasing him. Ignoring his hard-on begging for relief, Rico took a step back, pleased to see Evan breathing heavily and licking his lips as if savoring Rico’s taste.
Rico was about to say he had a good time tonight, but then an idea occurred to him. “Do you have a tuxedo?”
“Huh?”
He chuckled. “A tuxedo—you know, a penguin suit. You heard Scout and Alex talking about the gala for our friend’s art show this Saturday. I was told to bring a date, but I don’t have one. I thought maybe you’d like to go with me.”
When Evan pursed his lips and hesitated, Rico’s heart sank. But then Evan surprised him. “Um, I’d love to go, but I know absolutely nothing about art.”
“Who said I knew anything about it?” he asked with a smile. “I’m going because Rex is my friend. If anyone asks what you think about one of his paintings, just say you like the composition and the artist’s sense of balance. If there’s a contrast between light and dark, you can mention that too.”
Evan laughed. “Where did you learn that?”
“Rex told me all that before I went to his first show so I wouldn’t feel like an idiot. Scout is also a good person to stand next to—he understands all that shit better than I do, or at least he can fake it enough to sound like he does. Alex and I don’t stray far from him at art shows. If someone asks us something about a painting, we pawn the question off on Scout. We’ve gotten pretty good at it.”
“Well, then, yeah, I’m game. I’ve got a tux too. Splurged on one a few years ago after I had to keep renting one for award shows.”
Rico let his gaze roam down Evan’s body and back up again. “I bet you look hot in it too.”
The man blushed. “I have a feeling I’ll pale in comparison to you in one.”
Stepping in and brushing his lips across Evan’s again, Rico whispered, “I doubt you pale in comparison to anyone, sweetheart. Don’t let me hear you put yourself down again. You’re sexy as fuck, and I’ve wanted you since the first night you were at my bar with that group.” When Evan’s eyes grew wide, Rico nipped at his jaw. “Oh, yeah, I noticed you that night. Pissed me off we were so busy I couldn’t get your name and number.”
Evan gulped. “Why—why didn’t you say anything when I started coming in every week?”
“I picked up on your nervousness.”
He quickly put two and two together. “And you thought I was closeted or newly outed.”
“Yup. But I’m glad I was wrong. Let me have your phone.” Rico moved back and held out his hand. After Evan swiped the screen, he gave him the cell. Rico put in his number and then hit send to connect to his own phone. When it rang in his pocket, he disconnected the call and returned the device to Evan. “The gala starts at eight. It’s only a few blocks from here. If you don’t mind driving, you can pick me up across the street. My condo is in the Paradox.”
“Um, yeah, that sounds great.”
With a final peck on the lips, Rico said, “Yes, it does.”