Chapter 1
Chapter One
EWAN
Iprop my elbows on the bar, ignoring the way they stick to the surface, and bask in the knowledge that I don’t have to get up at five tomorrow.
I love my job, even with all its quirks, but a night—and more importantly, the next morning—off sometimes is essential.
Instead of an early night and a dawn awakening, I get a burger, a few drinks, and hopefully someone to spend the evening with.
The complicated living situation at home means it’s been a while since I last got off with anything other than my hand and internet porn, and I’d really like to have sex with another person.
Hookup potential is limited in this town, but I didn’t want to make the drive into Chicago. That would have meant getting up early tomorrow anyway to get back at a decent hour. So… I’ll just have to hope for the best.
Wanting to hook up is part of the reason I came here, to Rusty’s Bar.
It’s basically a dump, but the drinks are good and the food is amazing.
Since I’m not having dinner with my grandmother, who cares if the floor is sticky and the vinyl on the barstools is ripped?
Or that the bikers at the pool tables are so noisy it’s hard to hear myself think?
The bartender brings me a beer right away and a burger in less than ten minutes, and the mirror behind the bar might be cloudy, but it’s good enough for me to check out the other patrons.
Or at least, it will be, after I finish my dinner.
I’m on my second beer and mopping up ketchup with fries when the bartender brings me a shot. Could it be that the hard work has been taken care of?
I raise a brow at him. “Who?” Please let it be a man. I’m really not in the mood to tell a perfectly nice woman that she’s not my type.
The bartender nods toward the other end of the bar, already turning away to help another customer, and I swivel my head to look.
It’s a man. And he’s just my type. Slender.
Messy dark hair. Big eyes. His small smile is tentative as he lifts his glass in my direction, and I pick up the shot and salute him with it before knocking it back.
By the time I put the empty glass back on the bar, he’s on the stool beside me.
I’m surprised to see how much shorter he is—I mean, most people are shorter than me, but he must be only around five-six or -seven.
“Looking for company?” he asks, still with that tentative smile.
“Yep. You?”
“Yes. I’m only in town one night, though.”
I push aside the wistful pang that this isn’t a meet-cute and embrace the possibility of a fun night instead.
“I’m Ewan,” I say, just as the bikers erupt into raucous cheers. He shakes his head.
“Didn’t hear that, don’t care,” he shouts over the noise, although there’s something in his expression that makes me think the words are bravado. “You about done here?”
I glance longingly at the remainder of my fries. I’ll sacrifice them for sex, but I’d rather not if I don’t have to.
Luckily, he snorts a laugh. “Finish them. Want another shot?”
“Sure,” I say happily. “Want some fries?”
He doesn’t bother answering, just waves down the bartender with one hand while swiping a couple of my fries with the other. I like a man who can multitask. “Same again?” he asks with a sideways glance. I nod, and he tells the bartender, “Two, please.”
The bartender grunts—he’s not known for his charm, but Arissa, who works with me, tells me he’s a wizard with margaritas—and a few moments later, we have shots.
My new friend clinks his glass against mine, then knocks back the contents. I follow suit, enjoying the way the warmth of the liquor spreads through my chest. When I put the glass down, I catch him eyeing my biceps.
So I flex. It’s not the first time someone’s been attracted to my physique. I’ve always been a big guy, but when you add that blacksmithing is hard work and builds muscle… well, I’m ripped, and a lot of people like that.
He sucks in a deep breath, meets my gaze, and huffs a laugh. “Sorry. You’re just… impressive.”
I smile, flattered by his word choice, and grab another fry.
“It’s fine. If it bothered me, I’d wear a sweatshirt.
” It’s not an accident that the T-shirt I chose tonight fits me very well.
While I’d love to have a steady boyfriend who enjoys my company and wants more from me than just my body, I’m not against using said body in order to meet prospective candidates…
and not-so-prospective candidates. There’s nothing wrong with spending time with Mr. Right Now while I’m searching for Mr. Right.
“Are you visiting someone in town or just passing through?”
He shrugs. “Visiting, I guess. I have a meeting tomorrow morning.” He doesn’t say anything more, the vinyl beneath him creaking as he shifts on the stool, and I don’t press. Maybe he doesn’t want to share personal information with the stranger he just picked up. That’s fair enough, I guess.
Ten minutes later, we stroll out onto the street.
Rusty’s used to be outside the city limits, but the town’s grown a lot over the past decade, and now the bar’s in what’s called the “new area”—despite having been here for over thirty years.
That means the new motel is just a couple blocks away, and we head in that direction.
It’s a nice enough night, a bit cool, but not out of the ordinary for spring, and the breeze on my face is refreshing.
As we walk past a convenience store, my hookup hesitates. “Do we need to stop here? I’m on PrEP.”
So am I. “Only if you don’t have lube.” I have a couple of packets in my wallet, but more never hurt anyone.
He scoffs and resumes walking. “Please. I didn’t know if I was going to be stuck in my room by myself with bad cable all night. Of course I brought lube.”
Gotta admire a man with a plan.
I follow him into his room and let the door close behind me. The only sign of his habitation is a duffel bag on the generic armchair in the corner. He glances around, then hurries into the bathroom, emerging with a bottle of lube. “So, uh…” He holds it up. “I got it. I guess we should get naked?”
I laugh and pull my T-shirt over my head, kicking off my shoes. “How do you want to do this?”
He watches, smiling, as I open my jeans and shove them to the floor. “I want that in me. I don’t care about the rest.”
I close the distance between us, bend my head to kiss his pouty mouth, and reach around to pinch his ass. “Then you’d better get your pants off.” I leave him to it and climb onto the bed, stacking the pillows behind me and settling in to watch him strip. The bed is surprisingly comfortable.
“Expecting a show, are you?” he asks, yanking off his shirt and sitting on the edge of the bed to take off his shoes. I admire the smooth, slender line of his back, the muscles toned but not defined, as I slowly stroke myself. I want to leave a mark there.
“It’s not my fault you’re slow to get naked.”
He laughs as he stands again and shucks his pants and underwear, then gets onto the bed and crawls over me, straddling my lap and lowering himself to drape over my body. The first skin-on-skin contact sends electric shocks through every inch of me.
Then he’s gone.
“What—”
“Lube,” he informs me, dumping some into his palm before handing me the bottle. I hold it and watch, mesmerized, as he preps himself. He sees me watching and grins. “See something you like?”
I settle back against the pillows and skim my gaze over him. “Oh yeah.” My cock has never been harder in my life. I squeeze just under the head, and a drop of precum seeps out. With barely a hitch, he leans over and licks it off, and breath catches in my throat.
Turnabout is fair play.
Releasing my dick, I reach instead for his. It’s long and slim, as hard as mine, the head flushed red, and as I stroke up the length of it with a firm grip, he closes his eyes and moans.
“Fuck, that’s so good,” he pants. “It’s been too long.”
“I know what you mean.”
Opening his eyes, he meets my gaze. “If we make this round quick, can you go again after?”
Yesssss.
I scan slowly over his body, the toned, pale skin, dark nipples, and the happy trail leading down to his cock in my fist. “Fuck yeah. It’ll be no trouble at all.”
He leans forward and licks one of my nipples, his hot, wet tongue wrapping around it, and goose bumps break out over my whole body. My head falls back, thunking against the wall behind me, but I don’t care. All I can feel is his mouth on me.
Suddenly, it’s gone, cool air rushing over the wet skin, but before I can protest, he’s back, sinking his teeth into my pec.
I whimper at the rush of pleasure/pain, my balls drawing up.
I don’t usually need to come so quickly; it’s obviously been way too long since the last time I had someone’s hands on me.
And then he’s moving again, gently unwrapping my hand from around him, shifting forward, rising onto his knees. I open my eyes to watch as he takes hold of my cock and positions himself.
“Unghhh.” The guttural sound he makes as he lowers onto my dick vibrates through my whole body, overtaken only by the sensation of his tight hole giving way to let me slide into the hot clasp of his ass.
Until finally I’m fully seated inside him.
We’re both breathing hard. The muscles in my thighs tremble with the need to thrust up into him. “Okay?” I gasp, shifting slightly, and his breath catches.
“Oh god yes.”
He starts to move, slow but steady, riding me, and I keep my eyes on him as the tension builds inside me. His head is thrown back, lips parted as he pants, and he’s so fucking sexy I could come just from watching his pleasure.
Opening his eyes, he meets my gaze and whispers, “Take me.”
I need no other encouragement.
Surging up, I wrap my arms around him and flip us so his back is in the mattress. He draws his legs up, and I hook my forearms under them, bracing myself on my knees. I take just a second to check he’s into this, then drive into him.
“Yes, harder!” he yells, arching against me, and the world falls away into a medley of sensations and sounds, thrusting and panting and needing until I feel as though I can’t bear it for a second longer.
“Are you close?” I croak, and in answer, he snakes a hand between us to grab his cock. One stroke, two, and he comes, jizz striping our torsos as he shouts wordlessly, his ass clamping around me.
I explode, my vision blurring with the intensity of it.
When I can think again, I find myself sprawled over him, crushing him into the bed. “Sorry,” I mutter, easing out of his body and flopping down beside him. We’re both still breathing hard—he doesn’t need the added difficulty of my weight on him.
“You don’t need to apologize for anything that’s happened here. You’re insanely talented.”
I huff a laugh. “Thanks. You’re no slouch either.”
For a few minutes, we just lie there, catching our breath, bodies cooling and cum beginning to crust on our skin.
“So,” he says at last, rolling onto his side. “How long until you’re ready to go again?”
I look at his flushed cheeks and big eyes and remember the way they glazed over when I was inside him. “Not as long as I thought.”