Chapter 23
As Tyler pulled into a parking spot in the hotel lot, he looked over to see that there was still a smile on Dmitrii’s lips.
He didn’t even try to resist the urge to kiss the man.
The few seconds for a gentle press of their lips wouldn’t cause them to be late for anything.
However much trouble they were in wouldn’t be changed by a momentary kiss before getting out of the car.
He stayed close to Dmitrii, but withheld any visible signs of affection when they moved from the car to the hotel.
Prying eyes were the last thing either of them needed right now.
Once they reached the room where no one could see them, Tyler wrapped his arms around Dmitrii’s waist and his lips found the other man’s neck.
As he pressed Dmitrii to the door, he ignored the little voice in his head reminding him about how much trouble he was in.
When Dmitrii moaned like that, he just couldn’t think about anything other than kissing that sensitive skin to make him moan again.
Without letting go of Dmitrii for even a second, Tyler took a few steps, trying to guide both of them across the room. The bed was so close but still so very far from them. The distance seemed even further when he wasn’t willing to take his lips from Dmitrii’s neck for even a second.
Another few steps and the bed was almost close enough when something underfoot tripped up Dmitrii, causing him to grab onto Tyler for balance.
“Shit. I’m sorry this place is a mess.” In truth, before last night it hadn’t been. “You said you wanted to talk?” With Tyler’s lips no longer on his neck, Dmitrii seemed to have regained the ability to form words.
“I helped make the mess. I should help you clean up.” He just could not get enough of looking at Dmitrii. Every smile, every gesture, just everything about this made Tyler feel stupidly in love.
“We don’t have to right now. I mean, last night we … probably…”
The hesitancy in Dmitrii’s words made Tyler smile. He just couldn’t get over how adorable the man was in private. “We should talk about last night.”
For a moment, apprehension flashed across Dmitrii’s face before he nodded, standing a little straighter.
“Nothing bad, I promise. I loved last night. I more than loved last night.” Tyler wasn’t used to being the calmer person in conversations like this.
“I did too.” The muscles in Dmitrii’s shoulders relaxed a little.
“I didn’t ask you on a date last night expecting anything though. I wanted you to know that.” Part of Tyler was just surprised things hadn’t gone further. As Emma liked to point out, sometimes he did all of his thinking with the wrong head.
“It was nice though? Dinner, I mean, the rest was nice too.” Dmitrii paused for just a second. “I’m sorry you got in trouble.”
“It’s okay. It’s not the first time I’ve forgotten to call.
” There was such a temptation just to ignore needing to go talk to his mom.
The thought of just staying here with Dmitrii seemed so wonderful, but he knew that wasn’t the responsible thing to do.
Before they went to see his mom, they really needed to talk about what had happened last night.
This was too important to screw up. “About last night, I meant to ask you out?”
“We went out?” Dmitrii’s confusion was obvious.
Tyler shook his head. “No, no, I mean, not out on a date, but I was going to ask if you wanted to date.”
Dmitrii stood there for a moment, his confusion even more obvious. He slowly mouthed what Tyler had said as he clearly tried to make sense. Tyler could almost see the moment realization hit him. “Oh!”
That was not the response he had expected. Maybe that wasn’t what Dmitrii had wanted between them. He tried to walk things back a little. “I mean, like– ”
“No, no, I mean, yes.” Dmitrii rolled his eyes as he took a half step closer. “Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?” The smile on Dmitrii’s lips made it clear his reaction to being asked would be a good one.
“Yes. I am asking you to be my boyfriend?” Some of the stress Tyler had been holding slipped away at finally saying the words.
“Even with me getting you in trouble with your mother and pretty much being a mess?” He draped his arm over Tyler’s shoulder before leaning in for a slow kiss.
Once they pulled away, Tyler nodded, “I told you I was falling.”
“You told me that you had already fallen.”
Tyler shrugged with a smirk. “Something like that.” He pulled the other man in for another kiss, this one slower. He wasn’t in a rush. At the moment, all that he wanted was to stay here all day and kiss this man.
It seemed like both forever and an instant until Dmitrii pulled away enough to speak.
“I need to grab a shower.” He didn’t actually make any moves to pull further apart, as if Tyler could talk him out of that decision, even though they both knew they really needed to get ready to go see Tyler’s mom.
“Yeah. I’ll be here.” Tyler knew that sounded silly. Where else was he going to go? Dmitrii pressed one last kiss to Tyler’s cheek before he grabbed clean clothes and reluctantly walked to the bathroom.
They didn’t have much time before lunch with his mother, but they had said the most important things. Everything else could be figured out later.
Once Dmitrii was out of the shower and finished getting dressed, Tyler cleaned himself up as best as he could in the bathroom, and then it was time to drive home.
Technically, they could have spent another twenty or so minutes at the hotel, but there was no way Tyler was risking being late. Being early was much safer.