Chapter 1 #3
He had a sexy laugh. I liked it a lot.
“What’s the hotel?” I asked.
“The Westwater by Reading Terminal.”
Very close to my place, in other words. “On that note…” I dug out the napkin and handed it to him. “In case you wanna hang out after work. Or crash, for that matter.”
He was quiet for a beat, studying the napkin. Then he cleared his throat. “I don’t get off until two AM.”
“I’ll be up, but it’s your call. I figured it could be nice to have a night you didn’t have to go all the way back to Strawberry Mansion.”
“Heh. That’s unfortunately my reality three times a week,” he said.
“It’s not a normal shift. My dad’s wife’s cousin is the manager at the hotel, and he created a position for me.
Most second-shifters come in at three and get off at eleven…
” Was he nervous? He was almost rambling now.
“Sometimes, I’ll work the night shift too, and then I gotta go directly from the hotel to my regular job. ”
Fucking hell, it all sounded exhausting. “And you have a third job too?”
“Yeah, I deliver pizza on the weekends.”
I shook my head. That was fucking insane. “I’d lose my fucking mind. I’m not a stranger to sleeping three or four hours a night, but if I don’t get my weekends off, hell has no fury.”
He chuckled. “Hath.”
“What?”
“Hell hath no fury.”
I side-eyed him. “What the fuck does hath mean?”
“It’s the old version of has, and it’s how that phrase is used.”
Oh. Whatever. “I’m a modern man, Nathan.”
I caught him smiling out his window.
Fuck him. Fuck him for making me think about him all night.
At two AM, I turned off my TV and just let the silence fill the place.
I’d actually invited him to my sanctuary.
My little studio slice of heaven. Where I could see every inch of the place, aside from my bathroom, from the comfort of my cushy couch.
The sleep alcove, the kitchenette, the dining area where I just dumped mail, and the entryway.
A place that was sacred to me. I’d never had a guy over.
My mother was allowed to visit because she tended to bring casseroles and steaks.
My brother wasn’t welcome. He had a nasty habit of taking off his dirty socks and leaving them here.
So what was it about Nathan?
Even though I was making plans for a life full of mess, gray areas, and chaos, I wasn’t there yet.
I’d just started dipping my toes in the world of adoption policy.
I quizzed Ma sometimes. I spent an hour or two at the library here and there.
I made calls. I was learning about state laws and federal laws—and how nobody seemed to have solid answers, because every rule had an exception.
Not to mention extensive waiting periods.
But other than that, everything in my life could be fit into specific boxes.
Friends belonged in one. Family in another.
Hookups were kept separate. I didn’t have many exes, so that box was small.
I was very new at exploring BDSM as well, making that box even smaller.
Nathan should be crammed into the hookup box, but that didn’t feel right.
He was dating material. That much was clear.
Maybe I was rusty. I hadn’t had a boyfriend since… Fuck.
I scratched my head.
The year after high school? Nameless hookups and casual play partners were so much easier.
I blew out a breath and rose from the couch, and I brought my plate and soda can with me to the kitchen.
2:09
Was he gonna come? He hadn’t indicated either way. The topic had been forgotten, and I hadn’t brought it up again, in case he’d wanted to let me down easy.
Good thing I knew where he worked. I could yell curse words at his boss’s window and lure him out.
How long did it take to walk from the Westwater? Two, three minutes?
Before I could overthink further, the buzzer went off on my intercom, and a ridiculous grin took over. I hurried out into the entryway and pressed the button.
“Sorry for the late call, Mr. Riley, but I have a Nathan Mills here to see you…?”
“No problem, Roger. Send him up,” I replied. “You can put him on my list and give him the guest code, by the way.”
The fuck did I just say?
“Will do, sir. Have a good night.”
Now I was handing out my guest code left and right to guys I’d just met.
There was something wrong with me.
Fuck it. He was here. He was on his way up. He’d taken the hint, I hoped. He had to know I was interested.
I ducked into my bathroom and applied more deodorant. I ran a hand through my hair too, and I nodded to myself. Abs on display. My lucky sweatpants on. I wore them every time I watched an away game.
It worked occasionally.
We were nearing a minute now since Roger had buzzed me, so Nathan should be here any second. The elevators were pretty fast, and he was only coming to the ninth floor.
Then add a few seconds because the hallway was fairly long, and I—
He’s here.
The moment he knocked on the door, I bolted out of the bathroom, in a cool way, and undid the chain lock.
Then I was face-to-face with him again, and it was as thrilling as it was… Well, let’s just say he looked tired as fuck, and it made me pump the brakes entirely. Christ, he needed to get some sleep. I felt bad for him.
“So, you have a doorman,” he stated. “A lobby that’s staffed around the clock.”
I let out a chuckle. “It was my mom’s stipulation. Her sweet, innocent boy was moving all the way into the big city.”
He quirked a tired smirk. “You may be sweet, but I’m not sure about innocent.”
“Well, don’t tell her that.” I opened the door wider to let him in. “How was work?”
“Exhausting.” He yawned and removed his shoes, and he dropped his bag on the floor.
“We had a late check-in for probably twenty tourists from India, and they all wanted sight-seeing tips that went beyond the usual stuff. And it doesn’t matter how long I’ve lived here, I’ll never pronounce the Shoil-kill correctly. Chuy-kill?”
I laughed and relocked the door. “Skoo-kill.”
He snapped his fingers. “Right. Already forgotten it. But I did recommend a picnic along the Chuy-kill to twenty Indians tonight.”
Call me ridiculous, but I was grinning ear to ear, and I couldn’t believe how good it felt to see him again. Also, those Indians would get a surprise of a lifetime if they stumbled upon the area popular for cruising.
“Tourists are supposed to mispronounce shit, so you did them a favor.” I walked farther in to show him the kitchen. “You gotta be dead on your feet, but do you want something to eat before you crash?”
“I’m good. I ate at work.” He shifted closer to me as I opened the fridge. If he didn’t want to eat, maybe he’d want something to drink? “Was that the plan here? To feed me and put me to sleep?”
He’d had a Coke at our non-datey happy hour earlier, so I grabbed us two Cokes now too, placed them on the counter, and shut the fridge.
“Uh, kinda. I guess. I mean…when I opened the door, I first thought the zombie apocalypse had started.”
His blue eyes flashed with amusement, and he trailed even closer. “Do you think a zombie would knock on your door?”
He had a point.
“I guess they’d claw at it,” I amended.
“No, I mean…” One more step. “Would they knock on your door? Aren’t they looking for brains?”
Holy—
That fucking—
Did he just—
“Let me close that for you.” The shithead hooked a finger under my chin to close my mouth.
I smashed my lips together, still stunned by that—I couldn’t lie—brilliant insult. Delivered so perfectly too.
“You fucking dick,” I blurted out.
He grinned and leaned in, and before I could react, he kissed me.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist fucking with you.”
Shut up and keep doing what you’re doing.
I recovered swiftly and pulled him flush to me, and I deepened the kiss.
Then I backed him up against the counter as I snaked my tongue around his, and it was like being smacked by a wall of lust.
Cupping his face in my hands, I took control and gave as good as I got. I couldn’t be the only one fucked in the head by us meeting today. I needed him on the same page as me.
“You gave me a code to the building,” he mumbled into the kiss.
I nodded and dropped my hands to his shirt. Those buttons needed to come undone.
He shuddered, easing his own hands down my arms. “I can’t get over how hot you are.”
That boded well for me.
I didn’t stop kissing him for a second. He stole every ounce of my focus with how passionately he kissed.
I got his shirt off, and I threw it aside.
The undershirt would have to wait. I could not for the life of me get my mouth off his.
He tasted of mint and a hint of coffee, and he knew how to use his tongue.
Every push and every swirl were seductive and whispered of equal amounts of urgency and patience.
I wasn’t sure I had much left of the latter.
Eventually, he was done wearing clothes, so he pulled away enough to haul his undershirt over his head, followed by undoing his slacks.
I ducked down and kissed his neck, and he groaned as he pressed our cocks together.
Before I knew it, his hands were sliding under my sweats and grabbing at my ass.
“Do we have anything to worry about?” he asked, out of breath. “I wanna suck you off.”
“Fuck,” I exhaled. “Nope, nothing.”
That was all he needed. He sank to his knees in front of me, and he pulled down my sweats enough to expose my cock.
I swallowed dryly, sure I’d never seen something so sexy before.
He leaned in and gripped the base as I combed my fingers through his hair.
My lips fucking tingled after all that kissing. Goddamn amazing.
He didn’t wait around. He sucked me into his mouth and peered up at me, and I carefully removed his glasses and placed them on the counter.
“How blurry am I?” I smirked.
He chuckled around my cock and shook his head.
“Fuck, that’s good.” I eased one hand down his throat, then back up to his thoroughly kissed lips. The way they felt around me, man. Both soft and firm. “You like this?”
He hummed and closed his eyes.
I shivered.