Chapter 12 Liam
TWELVE
LIAM
Liam stepped out the door of his annexe and Austin was waiting for him in his truck.
He noticed his hands were shaking, but wasn’t sure why he was so nervous.
It wasn’t like Austin was a stranger. They’d first met ten weeks ago, but so much had happened in that time.
His dad coming into the bakery had been a tremendous change this week.
He’d said it was because of what Liam had been through at work, and his dad had felt guilty that he hadn’t been there to support him.
Liam hadn’t shared everything with his dad, but he suspected Giselle knew it all and she’d visited a few times over the last week.
Whatever it was, he was grateful. It would take some time, but seeing his dad outside his bedroom or his mum’s old armchair were all signs his dad was making progress with his grief.
Before he could make for the passenger side door, Austin was out of the truck and opening it for him.
“You look very handsome tonight, Liam.”
Liam looked down at his attire, which he may have spent two hours overthinking with a few frantic calls to Hassan, who was the best dressed of all of them.
He’d opted for dark blue chinos, brown loafers, and a brown button-up shirt, which showed off his muscles.
Austin was wearing jeans, which hugged his thick thighs deliciously, and a plaid shirt he hadn’t seen before, which was a mix of olive green and a dull honey yellow.
He also had black ankle boots on and a black belt to match.
All he needed was a cowboy hat, and he’d be a wet dream fantasy, not that he wasn’t already.
Liam didn’t want to think about how many times he’d wanked off to this man – that would be creepy.
Maybe Austin had wanked off to him? Not a question he’d be asking . . . ever.
“You look pretty hot as well,” said Liam. “Oh my God.” He felt his face flame and went to walk back to his house.
Austin laughed and pulled him back. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ve been waiting for this night for weeks. Now, get in the truck. And thank you,” he added with a smile.
Liam breathed and did as he was told, which caused his brain to wonder if Austin was bossy in the bedroom.
His dick thickened as he imagined many inappropriate things.
He needed to get those thoughts out of his head, though.
Nothing was going to happen tonight. Austin had made that clear.
Liam was okay with taking things slow – well, his brain was.
His body was imagining what it would be like to be held down by Austin and fucked until he blacked out.
Okay, maybe not that extreme, but it had been a while, he was horny, and the hottest guy he’d ever met wanted to woo him.
Liam wondered if a good dicking could be considered wooing?
Perhaps he should have negotiated with Austin.
He learnt recently that he was very good at negotiating what he wanted.
“Are you still not telling me where we’re going?”
“We’re going to Roseville, and that’s all I’m telling you.”
Roseville was a neighbouring town. Heartwood was classified as a village as the population was only a couple of thousand, and Roseville was a small town, but much bigger than Heartwood.
They had more shops and restaurants, and the train station Liam used when he had to travel to London.
They even had a gay bar, although Liam hadn’t been there in years, which was a bit crap of him given that one of his employees’ brothers owned it.
“Will we have time to pop into The Rainbow Tap?”
“I’d planned for us to go there for drinks after dinner, why?”
“Callum’s brother owns it, and I feel bad that I’ve never been. Plus, it’s a local queer business. I should really support it more.”
“Callum’s brother is Dominic? What a small world.”
“How do you know Dominic?”
“Same high school, but I haven’t seen him in years. I went to the pub with the guys when it first opened.”
“Even Gerard and Kevin?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t they go?”
“Aren’t they a competitor?”
“Not at all. The Stag and Lantern is mostly a restaurant and is queer-friendly. You wouldn’t really pick up in there, though.”
“Unless you’re Tony.”
Austin snorted, and Liam grinned. Tony had a bit of a reputation, even though he didn’t live in Heartwood full-time.
“It’s nice to get out of Heartwood for a night, but I wouldn’t have minded staying local so you could have a drink,” said Liam
“I thought it would be nice not to have an audience for our first date.”
Austin put his hand on Liam’s thigh, gave it a squeeze, and smiled.
Liam felt a jolt of electricity through his body, and if they weren’t driving, he’d be tempted to jump the guy.
Austin needed to stop touching him if he wanted to stick to his rule of no sex on the first date, or was it multiple dates?
How long did wooing take? Was Austin going to edge him for months?
“What are you thinking about over there?”
“Erm . . . just . . . you know . . . never mind,” he mumbled, his face heating.
Austin chuckled. “Just relax, Liam. Enjoy yourself. All tonight is about is for us to get to know each other better, and away from the town gossips.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Giselle and Henrietta are following us.”
Austin laughed. “Me neither. That’s part of the reason I’m not saying where we’re going. I’m convinced they have bugs planted all over the village. And I want it to be a surprise for you as well.”
“Well, I eat anything, so I’m good with wherever.”
“Wow, such a flatterer.”
Liam flushed again when he realised what he’d said and how it might have come across. Austin gave him another reassuring squeeze on the thigh, which made his dick take interest. Was he going to spend the whole evening either embarrassed or hard? Probably both!
They parked up in the town centre, and Austin jumped out of the truck, not giving Liam a chance to get his seatbelt off before the door was opened for him.
The whole gentleman bit might be old-fashioned and cliché, but he’d never experienced it before, so he was going to enjoy it while it lasted.
Once they were both wrapped up and the truck was locked, he followed Austin onto the high street.
It was busier than Heartwood, but would be like a ghost town compared to London.
How had he lived there for ten years? It hadn’t even been three months, and he couldn’t imagine ever living there again.
When he’d had to stay there to sort out his work stuff, he’d felt suffocated.
“Have you ever lived in a city?” asked Liam.
“No. Always been a small-town boy. Why?”
“I’m just wondering how I lived in the London hustle for ten years when this feels busy to me now,” he said, gesturing to the high street.
Austin frowned. “Are you okay being here?”
“Of course. Like you said, it’s good not to have an audience.”
Austin smiled. “Here we are!”
They’d stopped outside The Hushed Chicken. The place had a Michelin star. Liam was speechless. He’d always wanted to come here, and it was somewhere he’d planned to bring his mum to for her birthday in June. He couldn’t stop his eyes watering.
“Hey,” said Austin, holding his shoulders and pulling him close. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m good.”
“I only ask one thing of my partners, Liam. They need to always be honest with me.”
“I don’t want to put a damper on the evening.”
“Well, if you don’t tell me, then I’ll spend all night worrying that I’ve upset you.”
“I was planning to bring Mum here for her next birthday.”
Austin’s face showed overwhelming compassion. “We can go somewhere else . . .”
“No. I’ve always wanted to come here, and I can’t think of anyone better to do that with than you.”
Austin smiled. “I was going to wait until the end of our date, but I really want to kiss you now, Liam. Can I kiss you?”
Liam felt himself get choked up, and his eyes watered again, but he couldn’t nod his head quick enough.
Austin put his hand behind Liam’s neck and pulled him forward.
Their lips met, tentatively at first. Liam wasn’t expecting Austin’s beard to feel so soft against his skin, but his lips were even softer.
Liam felt Austin’s tongue tease his lips, and he used his hand to pull Austin closer by the hip.
When their tongues connected, he was positive he heard fireworks.
He’d never been kissed like this before.
His hips involuntarily thrust against Austin.
He was hard as well. In fact, that couldn’t be his dick.
Whatever it was, it was enormous, so it had to be his phone or something.
Austin was the one to pull away, but he was smiling.
“That was even better than I’d hoped it would be. Now, let’s go inside and stop giving everyone a show.”
Liam looked around and saw there were people milling around them, going about their evening. A few flashed knowing smiles at them both. Thankfully, Roseville was just as inclusive as Heartwood, so it wouldn’t have been the first time they’d seen two men snogging on the high street.
He couldn’t help but lick his lips, to savour the taste of Austin a bit more. Liam wasn’t sure what it was, but it was both sweet and masculine. It was . . . everything. Austin was looking at his lips. The heat in his eyes was unmistakable.
“Shall we go in, then?” asked Liam.
“Yes.”
Austin smiled before taking hold of Liam’s hand and walking them into the restaurant – swoon! Liam had read a gazillion romance novels, so his fantasy expectations could be a little high, but Austin was superseding all of Liam’s book boyfriends with this first date, and they hadn’t even eaten yet.