Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
DEX
It takes me way too long to move my brain from my dick back into my head and decide not to let him go so easily, but eventually, I manage to squeeze my wet skin into dry clothes fast enough to rush after Rome.
I catch sight of him just as he’s passing through the front doors, and I burst into the main gym, running so fast I nearly brain myself coming around the row of ellipticals.
I become very aware that I have no shoes as the parking lot asphalt cuts into my bare feet, but I don’t stop as I try to close the distance between us.
“Rome! Wait—” I call like a jackass because of course he can’t fucking hear me.
But he does stop and turns toward me with a glower. It takes me a second to remember that Deaf is a spectrum. I’ve never asked how much Rome can hear because he’s made it clear that’s none of my business, but definitely, he heard me shouting his name.
He’s flushed, breathing heavily, one arm holding his gym bag, the other brushing rough fingers through his shower-wet, uncombed hair.
Fuck, why does he have to look so good? His brows lift, and he jerks his chin a little as if to say, ‘What the fuck do you want?’
I appreciate that through Denver’s ASL class, I’m learning to read body language better than I ever have. I come to a halt, wincing as I step on a big piece of rock and shift to my other foot as I fumble in my pocket for my phone.
Rome huffs and rolls his eyes but gestures for me to go on.
Me: Your number?
He blinks at me, then signs an angry ‘Why?’
I learned that one in my first lesson. But for some reason, I’m still jittery every time I communicate with a Deaf person, so I don’t try to answer back in sign.
Me: I want to give you my address.
‘Why?’ he repeats.
Do I really have to spell it out for him? I give him a pointed look, and after a beat, he scoffs but rips the phone out of my hand and types on it for way too long. I see a very faint flashing in the pocket of his gym shorts, which tells me he’s sent himself a text, and my heart does a little flip.
This is so unlike me. Even with women, I take a hundred years to build up the courage to do this.
My ex and I danced around each other for months before I asked her on a date, but with Rome, it’s different.
I’m not going to say it’s easy because it sure as fuck isn’t, but he’s the kind of person who knows what he wants, and maybe that’s who I need in my life.
When he commandeered my rideshare the night after the club, that was the moment I knew working for it was going to pay off.
And so far, as frustrating as he is, it has been.
He slaps the phone back into my hand, and I take a step back, scrolling to the contact he put in. It’s just the letter R in the name, but that’s fine. This will be ingrained in my mind for all eternity.
Then I see the text he sent himself.
Me: dickhead himbo from the gym
I wonder if that’s how he’ll save my name. Dickhead Himbo From The Gym.
I can’t bring myself to care. I just want to know he’s willing to try something with me. I want him to be able to contact me whenever he has the urge to sink to his knees again.
When I look up, he’s halfway across the parking lot again, and this time, I don’t call after him. Instead, I turn and head inside, rushing straight to my office before anyone can stop me.
I’m still reeling from what we did in the shower, and I don’t think I can handle conversation right now. I can still feel his hands on me, his mouth around my dick. I can still see the light glinting off his piercings and the way he looked when he stroked himself into oblivion.
Sitting at my desk, I stare at my phone for another beat, then finally pick it up. I’m done being cautious. I can admit to myself now that Rome isn’t the first guy I’ve been curious about, but it means something that he’s the first guy I’ve been brave enough to touch.
And fuck, I want to do so much more touching.
I tap my fingers on the side of the screen, then open the text thread.
Me: Here’s my address. I usually get home at seven. No one will be there but me.
He doesn’t reply, but he sees the text, and that’s fine. I know he wants me, and I want him. And hell, maybe if he’s willing to give me a chance, he can see that I’m worth the wait it’ll take before we can communicate properly. I know it’s not impossible. Robbie and Thom pulled it off.
They’re still working on it, of course. Thom has come a long way, but he still has a long way to go. Yet, Thom is happier than I’ve ever seen him in our lives, and Robbie doesn’t hide his secret smile meant only for my brother.
I want that. Fuck, I want that so badly I ache with it.
Rome might be the worst choice for me, but I’ve never made things easy on myself, so why start now?
I do not expect him to show up, and up to this moment, he doesn’t disappoint.
It’s almost midnight, and he hasn’t appeared, so I assume he decided to ignore my invitation. Maybe after the shower, he’s not interested anymore. Maybe he got me out of his system.
I feel worse than I thought I would at his obvious rejection.
Why the fuck did I put myself out there like that? It would have been better to pretend like nothing happened.
There’s no point in sitting around waiting for a man who isn’t going to show up, so I head to my bedroom to call it a night. Pulling off my shirt, I toss it onto a chair before shucking my pants. If I’m not going to be satisfied, at the very least, I can be comfortable.
But just as I get the waistband of my favorite pair of sweats around my ass, I hear a soft knock on the front door, and I nearly trip getting to it.
It has to be him. It has to be him.
God, please let it be him.
When I wrench the door open, I can’t contain the feeling of elation welling up inside of me.
He’s here.
He looks pissed, but he’s here.
His eyes slide up and down my naked torso, his cheeks reddening, his chest puffing in and out with his heaving breath.
His tongue peeks out and wets his lips, and he lets out a distressed sound, turning quickly to leave.
I can’t let that happen. I can’t let him slip away again. My hand flings out, and I grab onto his bicep, hauling him toward me.
He stumbles, then catches himself on my shoulders, his fingers curling against my bare skin. He’s so warm.
We breathe in tandem for a moment, and then something snaps between us. His lips slam down on mine, and I swallow the groan he gives me, his body pressing me desperately back into the door.
I’m terrified he’ll change his mind, so I yank him past the threshold and kick the door shut, wrenching his shirt off his head and tossing it aside as I lick up his neck. He arches, giving me more access, and fuck, I go for it.
If he’s offering, I’m going to take without a moment of hesitation.
I nip and bite my way up to his ear and let my tongue slide inside, feeling him shiver as I sink my teeth into his lobe. As I bite down hard, my finger finds the barbell in his left nipple, and I tug lightly, feeling the skin stretch before I let go.
The sound he makes has my cock hardening to full mast.
His fingers curl into my hair, wrenching my head backward as he slams his lips down on mine again. Our tongues tangle, a war of wills, but I’m okay losing this one. I’m just so fucking happy he’s here.
He pulls his mouth away after a short forever, breathing heavily as he knocks our foreheads together. He makes a noise in the back of his throat and then kisses me again like we’re magnets, like he can’t help it. Like he wants to try and resist, but the pull is too strong.
The struggle he’s going through is tangible.
And I know I should make it easier for him…so I do.
My hands slide around his waist, moving to his ass, and I let myself cup the round, firm globes he’s been tormenting me with every time he takes my class.
He grunts as he bites down roughly on my bottom lip, sending a mixture of pain and pleasure racing through me.
Fuck, I’m already addicted to the taste of him.
I moan as I squeeze his ass harder, pulling him close and grinding him up against me. His cock is thick, throbbing, rubbing against mine so hard my head starts to spin with need.
He makes a loud, desperate noise against my kiss, almost feral and hungry.
Without a second thought, I let one of my hands slide down, my fingernails scraping against his skin, and I touch his bare ass.
He gasps and pulls his lips from mine, his face hovering only inches away.
I can feel the puffs of breath against my lips as my fingers sneak toward his crack, my middle finger teasing him where I can tell he likes to be touched.
“Nggggh,” he murmurs and then lifts his hand and holds on to my neck, forcing my head back slightly. My Adam’s apple bobs under his palm as he rocks his ass against my fingers, but I don’t do anything more.
This is just a tease. A promise of what I can do.
I can tell he’s growing frustrated, his fingers clenching and unclenching around my throat as our eyes meet. His pupils are blown out, and I’m sure mine are the same.
And then he lets me go. But I’m not having distance between us, so I lean forward and bite his neck before he can step back too far. He softens and grunts as my finger slides between his cheeks again and flicks up, finding his hole.
His hips rock into me as he moans, our hard cocks grinding against each other with each roll of our bodies. And fuck, he feels so good. Every part of him is so different from what I’m used to.
But it’s different in the best way. I want more. I want an eternity of this.
I press against his rim, and his hole flexes in a kiss. A solicitation.
And as I press harder, I realize he’s slick, which means he must have prepped for this. To take what he wants. To take me.
There are no second thoughts or worry after that. This wasn’t a last-minute decision. This was him showing up here with purpose.
I drag him to my bedroom, and we tumble past the door, slamming it behind me as I shove him onto the bed.