Chapter 14
Fourteen
L eslie
“You’re right,” Leslie breathed. Joe had assured him he wanted to explore this thing between them. No time like the present? Why couldn’t Leslie just relax and take what Joe was offering? “I don’t…I don’t know what…where to start.”
Joe’s smooth hands on his face were cool from the air conditioning in the sultry summer evening. He ran his fingers over Leslie’s cheekbones, dragging a thumb over Leslie’s lips. Floodlights danced in Joe’s dark brown eyes as he pursed his lips.
“Tell me what you imagined would happen. How did you think of me over the years? What did you wish to happen?”
Joe continued to touch him lightly, exploring, and by the time he reached Leslie’s chest, he was panting. How did he ask for what he wanted? Leslie ran his thumbs over Joe’s pelvic bones and tried to find the words.
“Hey,” Joe said, using his finger to lift Leslie’s chin. “You can say anything to me. I’m always going to be honest with you. I’ve told you before that I have issues around sex, so anything you tell me is going to be between us and I’m going to understand.”
Leslie exhaled, his chest loosening up a bit at Joe’s confession. They had talked about Joe’s issues. He had a hard time with being touched, hard time trusting people, but he’d sworn he trusted Leslie to the fullest. They’d known each other a long time, although the context was unusual.
“Things are different with you,” Leslie began, “but I put so much pressure on performance and worrying that sometimes I just…can’t.”
“You know that doesn’t matter to me, right?” Joe asked him, his finger tracing Les’s waistband. “We could just kiss all night and that’s all I’d care about.”
Leslie smiled. “You’ve always been so understanding. I remember when I told you, after I retired, that my testosterone levels were low and you knew exactly what to say to make me feel better. You always do.”
Joe ran his fingers lightly over the fly of Les’s jeans and Les shuddered, pressing his face into Joe’s neck.
“Seems like you’re in a can-do mood tonight,” Joe teased, his fingers more insistent as they stroked him over his jeans.
“But I…I wanted it to be,” he gasped. “Right…when we finally got to do this.”
Joe held Les’s face in his hands and made deliberate eye contact.
“It is perfect because it’s us . It’s perfect because it’s you and me, Leslie, right here, right now, and that’s all that matters to me.”
Joe kissed him and licked at his lips until Les opened for him. Les clung to Joe’s shoulders as Joe unfastened Les’s Carhartt’s and slid his hand inside, gripping Leslie’s very cooperative erection. Joe’s hands were smooth, warm now…so strong and attentive—
“Oh God, Joe, be…God…be careful.”
Leslie moaned as Joe stroked him slowly, insistently, with just enough pressure. Leslie’s legs shook so hard, he was so overwhelmed with the sensation of Joe’s soft hands running over his tender flesh, he…lost…it.
“Oh my God,” he said, pulling his hips out of Joe’s reach. “I…Joe—”
“Come back here,” Joe said, tugging at Leslie’s hand, which had a death grip on the Bronco’s oh-shit handle. “Come here, Leslie.” Joe wiped his hand on the bottom of his shirt as he pulled him closer.
Leslie let Joe support his shaking body in an embrace and he sighed. “I told you, I wanted it to be perfect—”
“And it is, to me. You are, to me.” Joe stroked his back and held him close. It wasn’t awkward, it was perfect, just like Joe said it would be.
Leslie laughed softly. “Just more evidence as to how tied up you have me. I’m not too proud to admit it.”
Leslie had never been so open about his body’s failings with anyone else.
The sexual experiences he’d had with other men were always a little uncomfortable, and nothing compared to how being touched by Joe had made him feel, and he’d gone and embarrassed himself.
His chest burned. He’d wanted this for so long.
Would Joe ever want to touch him again? A broken-down middle-aged man?
“I haven’t been with anyone in years, Les. I’d probably be the same.”
“ Years ?” Leslie’s head jerked up. They’d never talked about exclusivity.
How could you ask someone to commit to something when you hadn’t even had a date?
There was no saving themselves for each other, no expectations, but he’d assumed Joe had an active sex life.
On Leslie’s end there had been a someday hope, but he’d been careful not to push Joe.
“Surprised? Yeah, years. It wasn’t intentional at first, but honestly, Les?
The more you and I talked, texted, whatever…
that satisfied that need for me. Knowing I could call or text if I wanted to talk, knowing you’d be there with a corny joke or football metaphor was an intimacy I didn’t know I wanted in my life.
I had my years of hookups, tried dating a few times, but I never had that kind of a connection with anyone else.
You’ve always been here.” He placed Leslie’s hand on Joe’s chest and his other hand he placed on Les’s cheek.
“And now you’re here and that’s what matters to me. ”
Joe’s smile made Leslie think about the cocky kid he’d met fifteen years ago, the one who’d captivated him and also made him wary.
He knew Joe needed to spread his wings and fly, which he’d done to the ends of the earth.
The smile on his face now was that of a worldly man who’d gained wisdom and maybe a little heartache along his journey.
It was honest, open, vulnerable. Leslie wasn’t the only one exposed out here.
“And I’m not done kissing you. Come here.”
Joe pulled him in and Leslie kissed him hard, loving the scrape of Joe’s stubble against his lips.
He couldn’t get enough of the contrast between the soft and wet and rough all at the same time.
It was intoxicating and he wanted more, his mouth craving those contrasting sensations of hard and soft at once.
He broke away from the kiss and searched Joe’s eyes. He touched Joe’s waist band, fisting the material there. “May I?”
Joe grinned and leaned back against the center console, spreading his legs in invitation. “By all means.”
Leslie’s hands were shaking so bad he couldn’t figure out the clasp of Joe’s black slacks and he worried he would tear something in his fumbling.
“Need assistance?” Joe breathed.
Leslie’s cheeks flushed and he nodded, no longer frustrated with his clumsiness. Joe made it all seem okay.
Joe took his time unzipping his pants while Leslie teetered on the edge of control. He opened his fly and then Leslie pushed his hands out of the way, preferring to seek out Joe’s cock with his own hands, and his mouth.
“Fuck, Leslie,” Joe groaned and tangled his fingers in Leslie’s hair as Leslie found what he was craving and enthusiastically said hello.
Joe slid down further in the seat and Leslie heard Joe’s hands grasping for something, anything to hold onto.
His feet lost purchase on the floor and the ledge and he moaned, but Leslie was in his own version of heaven with his nose pressed against Joe’s pelvis, breathing in the scent of his cologne—God, the cologne Leslie had bought for him—mixed with his natural scent, tasting the salt on his skin as Joe’s hips bucked.
Leslie wished they were somewhere he could strip Joe of these layers and be skin to skin with him, but he was strangely beyond caring that they were out in the open, that he was in a very compromising position with a man, something he’d never allowed…
“Les, it’s so…I’m coming I’m…”
Joe’s body jerked and he tried to slide his hips back out of Leslie’s grasp, but Les held on tight, his big hands overflowing with Joe’s powerful ass. Joe’s arms flailed as he came in a rush, his whole body tensing. And then he smacked the horn.
“Oh shit,” he said, cracking up. He sat up hurriedly and fixed his pants, pushing his hair out of his face. “I can’t see, Les. Jesus. There were stars!”
“The stars are brighter here, you know. No city lights to drown them out.” Leslie wiped at his bottom lip, so pleased with how Joe responded to him.
Joe flopped sideways against his seat and laughed, his head falling against the headrest. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” He reached for Leslie’s hand and squeezed while he fought to catch his breath.
“You lasted longer than I did,” Leslie said and Joe smacked him lightly in the chest.
“Come on, we’re not going to be competitive about that, all right? And barely. You ran a full blitz there, a total assault. I had no defense.”
Leslie burst out laughing so loudly, Joe shushed him. “We’re being sneaky out here, shhh.”
“Says the guy who hit the horn.”
The porch lights came on and the front door opened.
“Shit. Sandy. Hey,” Leslie yelled. “Sorry, it was just us.”
“Uh-huh,” Sandy called out. “Well, keep it down. And tell Joe he needs to run the defroster before he tries to drive home. Good night!”
Sandy shut the door and they burst out laughing.
“Busted,” Leslie said, shaking his head.
Joe pulled Leslie into an embrace again. “Look at us, acting like a couple of kids. This was fun.”
Leslie nibbled on Joe’s ear and Joe shivered, clutching Leslie’s shoulders tighter.
“Mmm, it was. I wish I could hold you right, though. I want to spend the night with you.”
Joe kissed Les’s neck, sucking and biting as he went, and Leslie thought yes, more. Leave your mark.
“I want that, too. Soon. But for now, I need to go. I need to be ready for tomorrow, for the first step in winning that wager.”
Joe’s grin had Leslie feeling lightheaded.
Real-life Joe was so much hotter than fantasy Joe.
Leslie had lost count of how many times he’d dreamed about finally being intimate with Joe, and now that he’d actually had his kiss, had his spend, he was insatiable.
He’d waited so long, and now any more waiting seemed unbearable.
“Did you hear me?” Joe said, running his tongue over Leslie’s bottom lip.
“Hmm? Sorry, all I can think about is when I can touch you again.”