Chapter 14
JULIAN
“Is that what it’s supposed to look like?” I ask PP, frowning at my rather flat and possibly burned lasagna.
She lifts her head, sniffs the air, and then sneezes. Wow, with critique like that, I may have to stop letting her watch Kitchen Nightmares when I leave her home alone.
Sighing, I check the time on the stove clock.
Ranger is going to be here any minute for our first planned “hangout.” What said hangout entails is yet to be determined.
Is he expecting me to answer the door wrapped in cellophane and immediately bend over for him?
If he is, he might not be entirely on board with my “take things slow” plan.
I know slow and casual don’t usually go together, but considering the bit of kissing last time nearly triggered him, not to mention his lack of experience, I’m not about to jump straight into bed with him.
“Maybe a home-cooked meal sends the wrong message.” I pick up the spatula and poke at the blobby meal. “I don’t want him to think I‘m trying to push this into date territory.”
PP grumbles and rolls onto her back as if belly rubs will solve everything. Dogs.
The doorbell rings, and my stomach flips. With one last helpless glance at my mutant lasagna, I wipe my hands on a rag and hurry to answer the door.
My breath catches at the sight of Ranger, freshly shaved, wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a tight white T-shirt I can totally see the outline of his nipple piercing through.
I don’t give a bit of credence to virginity culture or any of that bull hockey, but the fact that I’m going to be the first man to ever touch him is a little intoxicating.
Fantasies fill my mind of dragging Ranger inside and straight down the hall to my bedroom, shoving him onto the bed and stripping him bare one item of clothing at a time, and then licking every inch of him until the only word he can remember is my name.
My cock jerks and hardens against my thigh, and my throat goes dry.
“Can I come in?” He sounds uncertain and amused at the same time.
“Sorry, of course.” I step aside and wave him in, Benny right at his side as they step into the house. “I wasn’t sure if you planned to eat before coming over, so I made dinner. It’s semiquestionable but likely edible,” I tack on to prevent him from getting his hopes up too high.
“Semiquestionable but likely edible is my favorite,” he teases.
“Lucky thing for both of us, then. Why don’t you sit down and get comfortable, and I’ll dish it up?” I gesture at the couch.
“Okay.” His shoulders relax a bit. Benny is snuffling his hand and sticking close to him. Yeah, I’m not just imagining his tension. My plan to take things slow feels validated. Tonight we can share dinner and watch a movie, maybe kiss some more, and everything else will come in time.
When I return to the living room with two plates of lasagna, Ranger sits on the couch, his shoes off, his ankle resting on his knee as he strokes Benny’s head slowly.
“You have Dogma.” He nods toward my shelf of movies. “I’ve been looking for that movie on for a while, but it’s gone.”
“Yeah, because of ducking Weinstein.” I enjoy how his lips twitch in amusement at my use of the word ducking. “You want to watch it?”
“Sure.”
I hand him his plate, then put mine down on the coffee table and set up the movie.
“Can I ask you a question?” Ranger asks when I pick up my plate and get comfortable on the couch next to him.
“Ask away.”
“Why don’t you swear? I don’t mind. I’m just curious.”
I chuckle. He’s not the first one to give me strange looks about it, but he’s the first person who’s ever asked me. “It’s more fun to come up with creative alternatives.” I shrug.
“That’s it? Because it’s fun?” He furrows his eyebrows.
“Before I started working with animals, I was prelaw. My dad is a lawyer, so is my mom, my sister, my grandpa…” I’m sure he gets the picture.
“I was halfway through my second year, and I realized I was completely miserable. I didn’t want to wear a suit every day or memorize case law.
They’re happy, and that’s good for them, but I wanted something different.
This is fun.” I wave my fork around. “Life’s too short to do anything that isn’t fun. ”
Ranger stares at me for approximately an eternity without saying a word. Then his mouth curves into a smile again. “I like you,” he says, the simple words warming me all over.
“I like you too.” I reach over slowly and pat his knee.
I hit Play on the movie, and we both dig into our food. Based on the sounds he makes, it must not be the worst lasagna he’s ever had. It’s a little crunchy around the edges but definitely passable.
Our shoulders bump while we eat and laugh together at the movie. We have a brief debate about whether or not angels have buttholes, since they don’t have genitals, and whether or not Ben Affleck’s character grows a dick once his wings are destroyed and he’s no longer an angel.
When we’re finished eating, Ranger follows me into the kitchen, where I fill up the sink. He offers to dry the dishes, which is awfully domestic for a casual hookup, but I’m not about to point that out to him.
When everything is washed, dried, and put away, a fresh awareness starts to crackle between us.
Ranger licks his lips, and my eyes linger on the dampness of his mouth.
I reach out and put my hand on the center of his chest, feeling his erratic heartbeat against my palm and watching his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows hard, his eyes fixed on me intensely.
Staring as a form of foreplay? That’s a new one, but based on how quickly my dick is getting hard, it’s effective.
He steps closer, backing me against the counter and resting his forehead against mine.
I curl my fingers around the fabric of his shirt, slowly putting the other on his arm, and nuzzle his nose.
My heart flails as wildly as his, my skin prickling at the closeness, my body aching for his kiss as his breath fans over my lips.
Nothing about this feels casual, but I do everything in my power to keep my mind from going there. He wants a bit of fun, a chance to explore his sexuality in a safe way, and I can give him that. I want to give him that.
I surge forward, closing the space between our mouths.
Ranger’s soft moan vibrates against my lips, his tongue slipping into my mouth and tangling with mine.
He sneaks his hands under my shirt, teasing my skin with his calloused fingers.
My dick aches for more of his touch. His erection is pressed against mine, my jeans dulling the feeling but not dousing it completely.
It doesn’t take long for the kiss to go from tentative exploration to hot and heavy probing, our tongues sliding against each other, teeth nipping, hands everywhere, breaths harsh.
“Do you want to…” Ranger murmurs against my mouth, and I groan. I don’t know his intended end to that sentence, but whatever it is, I have no doubt that I really want to. Unfortunately, some distant part of my brain reminds me of my plan to take this slowly.
“There’s no rush. This is nice.” I kiss along his jaw. “But I wouldn’t be opposed to relocating for a little more comfort.”
His fingers dance along my waist, and he nods. When he steps back, both Benny and PP stand a few feet away, staring at us.
“If I’d realized we were putting on a show, I might’ve hammed it up a bit more,” I joke.
“Benny, lie down,” Ranger says, giving him the signal to stand down for now. I drag Ranger back to the couch, leaving the dogs in the kitchen.
The movie is paused, the screen frozen with Matt Damon’s face, but we ignore it completely, tumbling onto the couch together, Ranger on top of me as our mouths crash into each other again.
Slow doesn’t have to mean boring, and I make it my mission to show him that by sucking a mark onto the base of his throat while I flick his nipple stud with my thumb. He moans, grinding his hips against me, the hard ridge of his cock aligned perfectly with mine.
We kiss and touch but keep things pretty PG-13, all our clothes remaining more or less in place. I have no idea how long we make out on the couch like horny teenagers, but when we finally break apart, my lips are sore, and my balls are aching, neither of which I’m complaining about.
As if in silent agreement, we sit up straight and continue to watch the movie.
He puts his arm along the back of the couch, and I lean in close enough that to the untrained eye, we might appear to be cuddling.
But casual hookups don’t cuddle, which I remind myself of throughout the rest of the movie and long after Ranger has gone home for the night, leaving me with my right hand and his name on my lips, both of which are used to exhaustion before I fall asleep.