Chapter Fourteen
They left the restaurant together, the warm air and chatter dropping away behind them as the door shut. The night was cold enough to bite, but not so bad that Allen regretted agreeing to the walk.
Rick was different. He wasn’t distracted like he’d been the last time they’d gone out. He looked at Allen when he spoke. He’d actually listened, not just waited for the right moment to respond. He’d asked questions and stayed for the answers instead of drifting off.
More importantly, Rick had touched him. Just small things like a hand sliding across the table to rest over Allen’s fingers while Allen talked. Rick’s thumb moving against Allen’s knuckle. Allen had tried to act like it didn’t affect him, but he’d failed.
Now, out on the sidewalk, Rick walked close enough that Allen could feel their arms brushing.
They passed a couple heading the other way, and Rick shifted without thinking, stepping closer to keep Allen tucked on the inside of the path.
His arm came around Allen’s waist, and Allen’s breath caught. He didn’t stop himself from leaning in.
Rick glanced down at him. “Are you cold?”
“A little,” Allen said.
Rick’s hand tightened at his waist, and Allen felt himself smile in response. This was the side of Rick he liked most. The one that looked at Allen like he was the only person important to him.
They walked like that for a minute, their steps falling into rhythm. Traffic rolled past on the main road, and Rick kept his arm around him the whole way.
As they walked, Allen kept thinking about the other night and about the way Rick had taken control. The way Allen had said yes and meant it, and how his body had lit up from it. He hadn’t brought it up in the restaurant. The place had been quiet, and Allen didn’t want anyone overhearing.
They were almost at Rick’s car when Allen cleared his throat. “Can I ask you something?”
Rick glanced down at him. “Yes.”
Allen kept his voice low. “The other night.” He hesitated, then said it anyway. “You were… different.”
Rick didn’t slow down, but his hand tightened lightly at Allen’s waist. “Different how?” he asked.
Allen kept walking, his eyes on the sidewalk. He didn’t want to make it a big conversation out here, but he also didn’t want to pretend it hadn’t happened. “You were… different,” he repeated.
Rick was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Didn’t you like it?”
Allen shook his head. “No. I did.”
Rick stopped beside the car and turned to face him, his eyes fixed on Allen’s. “Tell me.”
Allen swallowed. It was embarrassing to say it out loud, but he didn’t want to dodge it either. “I liked you taking control.”
Rick stared at him. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah.”
“And you weren’t just going along with it,” Rick said. It wasn’t a question exactly. It was more like Rick was making sure Allen was telling the truth.
Allen frowned. “No. I wanted it.”
Rick’s gaze dropped to Allen’s mouth and came back. “So, you don’t mind.”
Allen shook his head. “I don’t want it like that all the time. I’m not saying I want it rough every time we’re together.”
Rick stood still, watching him. “But you did then.”
Allen could feel his face heat up, but he kept his eyes on Rick’s. “Yeah.”
Rick opened the passenger door for him, and Allen got in and watched Rick walk around the front of the car. When Rick got in, he didn’t start the engine straight away but looked over at Allen. “Do you want to come back to my place?”
Allen’s stomach flipped, his dick hardening in response at the thought of being with Rick again. “Yeah.”
Rick’s eyes held his for a second longer, then he started the car and pulled out. As Rick drove, Allen looked down, seeing what appeared to be a business card. Briar House Hotel. Rick must have been there recently for work.
When Rick parked in the garage, he glanced at Allen. “Are you still sure?”
Allen nodded. “Yes.”
They rode up the elevator in the quiet, and when the doors opened, Rick led the way down the hall to his apartment. Once inside, Allen kicked his shoes off and hung his jacket on the hook. Rick did the same, then turned to him.
Rick didn’t say anything. He stared at Allen, then kissed him. Allen moaned into their kiss as Rick’s hand slid to the back of his neck, moving Allen until his back hit the wall with a soft thump.
Allen’s hands went to Rick’s shirt, gripping it, pulling Rick closer as their tongues danced together. Rick rubbed against him, and Allen groaned. Feeling how hard Rick was only made him want Rick more.
Rick pulled back just enough to speak. “Tell me if you want me to stop.”
“I don’t,” Allen whispered. “Don’t stop.”
Rick kissed him again, deeper this time, then dragged his mouth down Allen’s jaw, biting him before moving back to kiss him again. “What do you want?”
Allen didn’t want gentle tonight. He swallowed hard, then whispered, “I don’t want soft tonight.”
Rick’s hand slid down Allen’s side and gripped his ass. “Bedroom.” He grabbed Allen’s hand and dragged him down the hallway and into the bedroom.
Allen went willingly, a small smile on his face when Rick began pulling his clothes off. Allen did the same, then groaned when Rick sat on the bed and patted his leg. “Ride me, Allen.”
Groaning, Allen grabbed what they needed, then moved into position, feeling Rick’s hard cock slide between his asscheeks. He kissed Rick, his hands moving over Rick’s shoulders, holding on to him as Rick touched and pulled at his body.
When Allen finally sank onto Rick’s cock, his head fell back, mouth open as his ass stretched around Rick. Rick’s hands tightened on Allen’s hips, holding him in place until he told him to move.
Allen rode him, leaning closer. The feeling of Rick’s stomach sliding along the aching flesh of his cock made Allen whimper, and he gripped Rick’s shoulders tighter as he moved on Rick’s cock.
He needed more, so he moved faster, harder, whimpering until Rick took control.
He grabbed Allen by the hips and rolled them, so Allen was on the bottom then continued to fuck him.
Allen cried out and held on to Rick, his fingers tugging his hair.
Far too soon, Allen felt his balls tighten and he clenched around Rick’s dick, groaning as he came, the world disappearing.
Some time later, Allen lay with his head on Rick’s chest, listening to Rick’s heartbeat. Their legs were tangled, his body languid. Rick’s hand moved slowly over Allen’s back, causing him to sigh.
Allen shifted slightly. “Better?” he asked.
Rick was quiet for a moment. “Yeah.”
Allen lifted his head enough to look at him. “You seem more here.”
Rick’s eyes flicked to him. “I am.”
Allen nodded and settled back down. They stayed like that for a bit, saying nothing. Allen didn’t feel the need to fill the silence, and he knew Rick felt the same way.
Rick cleared his throat. “I did some writing today.”
Allen lifted his head again. “Did you?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good,” Allen said, and he meant it. He knew Rick had been struggling. “Can I see?” Rick went still, and Allen felt it straight away. “It’s fine,” Allen added quickly before Rick could shut down. “You don’t have to show me. I just—”
Rick exhaled through his nose. “No. It’s okay.”
Allen watched his face. Rick didn’t look happy about it, but he wasn’t refusing either. Rick shifted carefully, sliding out from under Allen. He reached for the nightstand, opened the drawer, and pulled out a couple of sheets of paper.
Allen sat up against the pillows and took them. “Is this new?”
Rick sat back beside him, their shoulders touching. “Yeah.”
Allen looked down and started reading. It didn’t take long to realize it wasn’t a song. It wasn’t lyrics. It read like a scene. A man in a café at a table. A conversation that turned into something else. He glanced sideways at Rick. Rick was watching him, his face blank.
Looking back at the pages, Allen kept reading. It wasn’t exactly them, but it was close enough. The details were shifted, but the feeling was familiar. The loneliness and the relief. The way the man on the page kept noticing things, and the way the other one kept staying.
Allen lowered the pages slowly. “This is… about meeting someone.”
Rick’s jaw hardened. “It’s not meant to be—”
“It is,” Allen murmured. Allen looked down again, then back up. “Is it about me?”
Rick’s eyes stayed on him. “Yeah.”
Allen swallowed, then nodded. “Okay.”
Rick’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes did. Relief maybe? Allen wasn’t sure. He put the pages on his lap and reached for Rick’s hand under the duvet, lacing their fingers together.
“That’s not what I expected you to write,” Allen admitted.
Rick smiled slightly. “What did you expect?”
Allen shrugged. “A song.”
Rick chuckled softly. “I can’t.”
Allen squeezed his hand once. “You can. You just don’t want to show anyone when you’re not sure it’s good.”
Rick didn’t deny it. “Maybe.”
Allen glanced at the pages again. “It is good,” he said. “It’s… honest?” He didn’t know what word to use to describe how he felt when reading what Rick had written.
Rick’s eyes stayed on him. “You don’t have to say that.”
“I’m not saying it to be nice,” Allen said. “I’m saying it because it’s true.”
Rick’s gaze held his for a long second, then he looked away. “Don’t tell your friends.”
Allen blinked. “I wouldn’t. I told you this is between us.”
Rick’s eyes came back to him. “Good.”
Allen nodded, then shifted closer, laying his head back on Rick’s chest. Rick’s hand found his back again, his fingers moving slowly over Allen’s skin.
Allen listened to Rick’s breathing and stared at the dark ceiling, the pages still warm on his lap. He didn’t know what it meant that Rick was writing this about him and how they met, but it made something inside relax. That scared him a little because it made him want more.