Chapter Four
Asher
Compared to dance clubs in Hollywood, this place wouldn’t have made any lists. There wasn’t a famous DJ turning tracks or bartenders flipping cocktails. The VIP section had no velvet rope, and I’d wager the inhabitants had never owned a designer label. It was every bit Everett’s description—mediocre music, sweaty bodies, and overpriced drinks in a bar that hadn’t seen fresh paint since the nineties.
Regardless, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Or laughing.
Or flirting.
Or touching Everett Dawson.
And maybe because it was the complete opposite of any place I’d go with my ex-boyfriend, I loved it even more.
Everett and I talked about the joys of being gay in a small town while sipping our drinks, each of us sharing a tale of embarrassment of being set up by a well-meaning resident. Once we finished, we’d moved to the dance floor which had been three, maybe four songs ago. I could honestly say it was the best time dancing I’d ever had. Everett had a way of moving that made you feel safe and desired.
Running my hands up my lumbersexual’s broad chest, I had to remind my dick not to chub up too much.
“You like touching me.” Everett’s eyes bore into me. I loved how he said it as a fact, not a question, and the intense focus he gave.
Maybe because this was a hookup, he could, but it felt nice to have his complete attention. Nothing else mattered outside the two of us. He wasn’t on his phone or scanning the crowd. Every fiber of his being was honed in on me.
“Can you blame me?” I teased. “This shirt is soooo soft. You need to take it off and give it to me.”
Everett laughed, the sound booming and full, reminding me of popcorn coming to life as the kernels popped, erasing any inch of space as they expanded. Everett did that, too.
Other people might be on the dance floor around us, but I couldn’t tell. His hands were clamped on my ass, wrapping around me and creating a cocoon. The music thumped over the speakers, but I could only feel, see, and smell him.
I smiled at him, loving that I’d made him laugh.
“You have a nice laugh. I have a feeling you don’t share it with many people.”
“Hmph. You think you know me, Dimples?”
Smirking, I ran my fingers through the hair at his nape. “I’m beginning to.”
We moved together, sending my dick into full chub territory when I felt the outline of what he rocked. Moaning, I softly bit his pec. Everett sucked in a breath then cupped my ass cheek, and my teeth sunk in harder. Desire filled our bubble and I lost all train of thought.
Closing my eyes, I willed my cock to behave and not embarrass me. I gripped Everett’s biceps, clinging to him to keep me grounded. Then, I nuzzled my nose into him and imprinted his pine and cotton scent forever in my mind.
“Had enough dancing?” he asked, his voice sounding like liquid honey. It seeped into my crevices, and I shuddered.
“Somehow, I think I could dance with you forever, but if you’re asking if I’m ready to get out of here, then the answer is an enthusiastic yes.”
He grinned, making the once dormant butterflies beat their wings in my chest. His hands dropped from my backside, and I instantly missed the feel of him. My hands were mollified when he took mine into his and linked us together. Everett pulled us off the dance floor—a man on a mission. The other patrons moved out of the way, eyeing us as we passed.
We made it out the door, his steps increasing now that no one was in his way. The autumn air cooled my flushed skin as we half-jogged to his truck. I frowned when Everett bypassed the passenger door and rounded the front.
“You need me to drive?” I asked. He didn’t answer with words. Instead, he pushed me against the driver’s side door and trapped me.
Holy hell!
His cock rubbed against mine and my eyes rolled back. Everett’s lips descended before I could utter a word. A frenzied back and forth ensued, sending my lust overboard.
Our first kiss had been for show—a kiss to claim before we’d even spoken to one another.
Our second had been soft and attentive, a test to see if the chemistry we’d felt was still there.
But this kiss… it was full of heat and want with a swirl of emotions I couldn’t name.
Everett kissed with his whole body, heating me from the inside out. His tongue rolled with mine and his hands gripped me like I’d fly away otherwise. When he lifted me, I lost my ever-loving mind.
“Everett, oh my fucking god.”
“I want you so bad,” he groaned, sucking on my neck as he rocked his dick more forcibly into me. From this angle, I could feel him fully against me.
“Please tell me you have a place in town,” he said, breaking my lust-fog.
“Huh?”
“I live about forty-five minutes from here, so if it’s between my place or fucking you against my truck, I might not have enough reason to stop myself.”
“Part of me is willing to risk it, too,” I admitted.
Everett chuckled, not helping the situation. I licked my lips, getting lost in his eyes for a second.
“But, Dimples?” he prodded.
“Oh! Right.” I frowned. “How did you know there was a but?” I asked.
“You said part of you, so…”
“Ah. Yes. Well, the other part wants privacy. And as luck would have it, something my hotel room provides.”
“Fuck yes. You at the Pine Cone Inn?”
“For tonight, yes.” I’d never been more grateful I hadn’t told my family I was in town yet. Come tomorrow, I wouldn’t be able to get away with it, but for tonight, my sexy lumbergrump was all mine.
Everett attacked my mouth, giving me one more mouth-watering kiss before he carried me to the passenger side.
“Why did you go to that side?” I asked as he dropped me in the seat. This time I didn’t care he’d manhandled me. It was hot.
“So I could kiss you all for myself.”
Swoon.
I ignored the thought that pointed out I shouldn’t be swooning from a hookup.
We were on the road and headed back to Applewood well before my cheeks quit flaming. Neither of us spoke, the radio playing silently in the cab. I’d become lost in my head, trying not to freak out about how natural this connection felt. Or that it felt more real than the two years I’d spent with Ethan ever had.
“You’re sure woolgathering awful hard there, Dimples.”
“What?”
“Woolgathering,” he said, like that cleared it up.
“You’ve lost me.”
His beard shifted as if he wanted to smile but didn’t. The lights of the other cars illuminated the cab now and then, giving me a small glimpse of his handsome face.
“It’s a phrase. It means you were daydreaming like you had all the time to indulge in gathering wool. It’s something my grandmother used to say.”
“Cute. And yeah, I guess I was.” I chuckled. “I’m not sure you’ll want to hear what I was thinking.”
“Sure I do. That’s the beauty of hookups.”
My gut sank and I stared at my hands. There was no way I could look at him now. “Fair. But that’s kind of what I was thinking. This feels more natural than any previous hookup. It kind of freaked me out.”
Everett pulled into the Pine Cone Inn, proving how deep in thought I’d been. “Do you want me just to drop you off?”
“God, no. I want you. My dick might murder me if I sent you away.”
Everett smiled, and my heart went all twitter-pated. Yep. Gotta keep this a hookup. It would not serve me well to fall for a one-night stand.
“Race you,” I said, needing to get out of the truck filled with emotion and into my room where we could focus on lust.
Everett’s steps reverberated behind me as I raced into the front door. The night clerk jerked awake at my entrance, and I slowed my steps. I nodded but speed-walked to the elevator. I could feel Everett behind me, his body heat alone setting off tingles. The elevator ride was silent, but the space buzzed with sexual tension. I’d never felt this keyed up, and knew once we were behind closed doors all bets were off—Everett would consume me.
His pinky reached out, grazing my finger, and curling around it. I sucked in a breath. My heart pounded at the simple touch, and my pulse raced faster. I might not survive his full touch, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.
The second the elevator doors closed, Everett blocked me against the wall. I noticed it was a theme with him. He liked to cage me, to trap me with his body.
Every one of my senses flooded with him. I might be worried I was being manipulated by anyone else, but not with Everett. There was something about him that was honest. Between the directness and seeking consent, I couldn’t fathom him needing to manipulate people.
“Can I help you?” I teased, licking my lips.
“Oh, baby, you’re gonna regret that.” Everett’s eyes were molten, drowning me in lust.
I gulped, more turned on than I thought possible. The slam of a door was the only thing that interrupted our bubble. Everett grasped my hand and led the charge. He turned right, and I chuckled.
“Other direction.”
He spun, not breaking his stride, and slowed when he realized he still didn’t know the room number.
“453.”
With that, he was off again, stopping in front of my door and crowding me from behind as he waited for me to open it.
Two steps into the room, and he hauled me up, smashing his mouth to mine. His hands ran over my body, shoving the hoodie I wore over my head. When his hot palms hit my skin, I moaned. My fingers shook as I unbuttoned his flannel, struggling to get the buttons undone with him kissing me and desire pouring through my veins.
“I take it back. I hate this shirt. It’s stupid.”
Everett chuckled and dropped me, and I whined. But again, I’d deny it if anyone mentioned it. He raised a brow, before slowly, so very slowly, unbuttoning his shirt. Each inch of skin he revealed had my cock leaking more.
There were so many tattoos. Beautiful expanses of ink covered his chest.
I rubbed my cock for some relief, whimpering as I drank him in. “Not fair, Lumbergrump.”
Everett smirked, dropping his shirt on the floor and kicking off his boots. I followed suit, stalling when he went for his skintight jeans, too eager to see beneath.
“Clothes off, Dimples.”
“But…” I waved my hand in front of him.
He said nothing, only crossed his arms and leaned against the dresser. Groaning, I kicked off my shoes, shoved my jeans down, and turned to climb onto the bed. He sucked in a breath, then growled.
“Fuck, they’re better than I ever imagined.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Everett. He stood closer to the bed, his jeans mid-thigh and black boxer briefs peeking out.
Winking, I grabbed the bottle of lube I had out and tossed it onto the bed. Then, I yanked a strip of condoms from my bag and added them. Bracing myself against the pillows, I finally took in Everett. He kneeled on the edge of the bed, stroking himself, eyes locked on me. The sight of his cock was my undoing.
I’d seen a lot of dicks in my life, but Everett’s might be the biggest and prettiest.
My heart rate sped, leaving the train station without judgment and caution, driving headfirst off the cliff.
Funny how at the beginning of the night, I wanted to push my cousin off one, and now I’d willing jump if Everett was at the bottom of it.