by Shea Balik
His zipper was pressing so hard against his sensitive flesh that Nick had to adjust himself or risk causing permanent damage. They hadn’t talked about whether they were ready for sex yet… What was he thinking? Nick was beyond ready to make love to Tim, but he also didn’t want to pressure him.
Unsure how to bring it up, Nick hadn’t said a word, but he’d kind of been hoping Tim would want to spend the night. He’d tried not to be disappointed when Tim hadn’t brought an overnight bag. Since Tim had to work the next morning, it would stand to reason he’d want a change of clothes if he had planned on staying with Nick.
Another moan as Tim finished the rest of his hot dog nearly had Nick running from the room to jerk off. He swore the sweet sound was going to kill him, at the very least give him blue balls.
Clearing his throat, Nick placed the tray with the ingredients for the smores onto the side table. “Let’s play.” If his voice was huskier than normal, who could blame him? Nick was only grateful he hadn’t jumped Tim and taken him on the floor already. “Is there a game you want to try first?”
Tim’s tongue peeked out, then licked the corner of his mouth that had a bit of mustard on it from the hot dog. Nick couldn’t hold back the moan bubbling up inside of him. Those blue-grey eyes widened a fraction and Nick could see Tim’s pupils dilate with desire.
Fuck, if he wasn’t careful, the only game they’d be playing was hide the sausage, because he sure as hell was having a hard time controlling his dick at the moment. How was he supposed to sit there all night with Tim without taking him to bed?
It didn’t seem reasonable. At least not to his cock, who was all on board for skipping the night Nick had meticulously planned, and improvising with no clothes and a whole lot of touching.
They stood there staring at each other for several minutes. Nick was doing everything in his power not to grab Tim and take him on the very table they were about to play a board game on. He feared he’d lose that battle, when Tim finally pulled out one of the boxes.
“Candyland,” Tim whispered as if he were just as affected as Nick by their closeness.
Forcing his lust down, Nick put on a cheerful smile. “Perfect. Be prepared to lose, because I’m an expert at Candyland.”
****
“That’s it,” Nick laughed. “You’re cheating. It’s the only explanation for you winning at Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Hi Ho Cherry-O, and Sorry.”
Tim was rolling on the floor laughing and had been the moment he placed his last green colored piece in the circle, declaring him the winner of Sorry. “I swear, I didn’t cheat,” he said in between bouts of laughter.
“I demand a rematch in the future.” Nick had been putting the game away and didn’t notice immediately that Tim had stopped laughing and was now sitting up and staring at him.
“You-you really want to play again sometime?” The hesitancy in Tim’s voice alerted Nick something was going on.
He stopped what he was doing and glanced up to meet those unsure, yet hopeful eyes. Crawling over to the other side of the table where Tim sat, Nick leaned in and stole a kiss. “Of course, I want to play again. I’ve forgotten how much fun board games can be.” Then he kissed Tim again. “I especially enjoy doing it with you.”
Light chased away the doubt in Tim’s gaze as he smiled and grinned at Nick. “I like playing with you, too.” His eyebrows went up and down as he teased, “Especially since you seem to suck at it.”
Not about to take that without any kind of retribution, Nick lunged at him so Tim was on his back and Nick was over him, trapping him. His fingers went to Tim’s sides and started tickling him.
Tim howled with laughter as he twisted and turned trying to get away from Nick. “What did you say about my skills?” Nick taunted.
“Oh my God. I meant you’re an amazing player.” Tim had to stop and start speaking as he tried to catch his breath while they rolled around with Nick’s unrelenting tickling. “You should be in tournaments, winning trophies, you’re so good.”
That was when Nick lost it and slid off Tim to lay next to him on the floor as they both cackled. “A trophy? Really?” Nick said when he finally was able to speak again.
“What?” Tim asked. “I would have said anything to stop the tickling. I think it might be my kryptonite.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “You are such a dork.” Then he rolled up onto his feet and put a hand out to help Tim up. “Come on, superman, we still have smores to make before I take you home.”
He thought he saw a flash of disappointment from Tim, but it was gone almost as quickly as it came, so Nick couldn’t be sure. Should he talk about spending the night?
Even if they both wanted it, Nick wasn’t sure how to make it happen, since Tim didn’t have any extra clothes with him. They both had to work in the morning and with Nick needing to talk to his team first thing in the morning about helping on the proposal, he couldn’t be late.
Still, it was probably something they would need to talk about before the next weekend. But that would have to wait. Right now, he couldn’t wait to see Tim’s face as he bit into a smore.
CHAPTER 13
The instant Tim had bitten into that ooey-gooey marshmallow-y goodness, he’d sworn he’d come a little in his pants. It wasn’t the same as sex, but it sure as hell was a close second. Which worked, since apparently sex hadn’t been a part of Nick’s plans.
Tim had tried to hide his crushing disappointment, but let’s face it, he wasn’t an actor and never pretended he was. That was especially true when Nick had kissed him until Tim’s toes curled, and his cock had been twitching with glee, after that first bite of the smore.
He’d been hopeful when one of Nick’s hands had threaded into Tim’s hair, holding him still while he devoured Tim’s mouth. But it was the other hand, that found its way to the front of Tim’s pants, cupping his burgeoning groin that nearly had him coming apart at the seams.
A mix of lust and giddiness surged through him that this incredible man might truly want to have sex with him. His brain had short circuited when that hand cupping his groin slid behind Tim and grabbed hold of his ass. Fireworks went off inside his head as he imagined them naked.
He was sure he was about to go up in flames. Then, in the next instant, Nick released him, practically reeling backwards as he scrambled to stand up. Tim heard Nick speak but his brain still hadn’t caught up with what was happening and he hadn’t heard a word he’d said.
Minutes later, they were in Nick’s car on their way to Tim’s tiny, rundown apartment. Even as he got out of the car, Tim still hadn’t been sure what had happened. All night long, he’d gone over each and every detail of the date, but try as he might, Tim wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong.
Even worse? He had no idea if Nick wanted to see him again or if that was the end.
“Uhm, Tim?” Mr. Sullivan said after clearing his throat loudly as if he’d been trying to speak to Tim for quite some time.
In a daze, Tim glanced up from where he knelt on the floor next to a display of backpacks, pencil cases, and lunch boxes. He sat there staring at his boss, unsure why he was even doing so, or why Mr. Sullivan was there instead of helping customers.
He could tell his boss was expecting Tim to say or do something but for the life of him, Tim had no idea what that would be.
“Tim.” With any luck, that was concern in Mr. Sullivan’s voice, not annoyance. “You’ve been crouching there for the past fifteen minutes without moving. Are you okay?”
Each word was heard, but together? Tim couldn’t make any sense of what was being said. Was he having a stroke? Could he have a stroke? It would probably be better than what was really wrong with him.
“Tim.” The sharpness in Mr. Sullivan’s voice managed to pull Tim from the mental fog he’d been in. “Did something happen with you and Nick?”
There was no way his boss could have known that. He hadn’t said a word about his date the night before. Did it even matter at this point?
<
br /> A hand wrapped around his upper arm and pulled him to his feet. Tim glanced at the hand, then to the owner, Mr. Sullivan. He had no idea his employer had that kind of strength. His gaze met Mr. Sullivan’s kind, yet determined eyes. “Talk.”
That was all Tim apparently needed to open his mouth and once more find a way to humiliate himself in front of his boss. “I think I’m a bad kisser,” he blurted out way too loud.
Several titters from customers browsing was enough for Tim to finally realize what he’d just said. Great, now everyone would know his personal business. Closing his eyes, he prayed that a hole would open up right there beneath his feet.
When it didn’t, Tim cursed his luck. Could this day possibly get any worse?
“I… uhm… well… maybe if you tell me what happened,” Mr. Sullivan said kindly.
Yep. Day worse. Because God forbid this conversation was over with. Nope, it was only the beginning of a very awkward, very mortifying conversation.
Tim should have told Mr. Sullivan never mind, he hadn’t meant to say anything at all, but nooooo. His mind still wasn’t functioning enough for him to keep his damn mouth shut. “Nick planned all this stuff. Cooking hot dogs over a fire, playing board games, and he even had us making s’mores. S’mores.”
Tim’s arms went up in the air as if he were flailing, which in a way he was. Who did all that for someone? No matter how he looked at it, Tim couldn’t understand how he’d met anyone as sweet and kind as Nick, who went out of his way to give Tim a piece of the childhood he’d never had.
“Is that the problem?” he asked to no one in particular. “Does he consider me some sort of charity case and not a real boyfriend?”
Mr. Sullivan had the nerve to laugh. “I don’t think Nick thinks of you as a charity case. Far from it, in fact. Why do you think he does?”
“Because he kissed me. I mean, really kissed me and the next second it was as if he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.” That hurt more than anything else. It was as if Tim had suddenly become a pariah. “I was out the door and in the car before I could even ask what was wrong. The next thing I knew, he pulled up in front of my apartment.”
“Did you ask him why he took you home?” Mr. Sullivan asked gently.
Tim hung his head. “No. I was too scared he’d tell me he didn’t want to see me again.” He still was. “It was that kiss. It had to be.” He looked up at his boss, whom he’d was starting to think of as a father figure. “What if I’m a bad kisser?”
There was amusement in Mr. Sullivan’s eyes, but he didn’t laugh. “I don…”
“That’s got to be it. I’m a bad kisser,” Tim wailed, no longer even caring who heard him. He was going to be alone for the rest of his life anyway, so he might as well be known as the crazy man who blurted shit out inappropriately.
“Tim.” There was that hard, yet still kind voice, his boss had an uncanny ability to use when Tim was spinning out of control. “Stop. I’m sure that’s not it. Nick loves you, right?”
Did he? Tim was no longer sure. “How the hell do I know? He hardly even attempted to see me for the past six weeks and then last night happened. Maybe he’s decided it was better when I wasn’t around.”
Please, don’t let that be it. Tim was just discovering life could be fun, instead of nothing but work, and more work, just to get by. It would truly suck to have to go back to that existence.
“You need to call Nick and ask him, Tim.” Mr. Sullivan might be right, but there was no way Tim was going to take that kind of chance. He may fear the worst, but at least he still had some kind of hope that Nick still wanted to see him. If he asked Nick, and he found out Nick no longer wanted anything to do with him, all hope would be lost.
It was weird. In his whole life, Tim never really knew what hope felt like. As a child, his mom made sure he and his brother knew the harsh realities of life. Often she would tell them hope and wishes were for the weak or suckers.
The older he got, the more Tim believed her. Life was hard, especially when he had no education or skills to fall back on. All he did was work, and for what? Too many times he still went hungry. God forbid he got sick and had to take a day off. Not only did he risk losing his job, there were times those precious shifts he missed meant going without electricity or having to worry about being able to pay the rent.
He should know how to let that small bit of hope he was holding onto go. His mother’s voice in his head kept telling him too, but Tim found himself unable to give it up. Now that he had a real taste of what it was like, he never wanted to let it go again.
CHAPTER 14
Three days. It had been three days since his date with Tim and Nick had barely had time to sleep, much less try and text Tim to make sure he was okay. At least, that’s what he told himself so he didn’t feel like an ass for not having the guts to talk to Tim after he’d practically shoved the man out of his house.
The night had ended in disaster and Nick had no one to blame but himself. The confusion, disappointment, and utter despair on Tim’s face as Nick all but dragged him from the house and put him the car to take him home had nearly killed him.
He never should have let the man leave without explaining that Nick didn’t think he could have been with Tim another moment without pinning him to the floor and fucking him like some animal.
Nick closed his eyes in frustration. That had been a mistake, for the moment his eyelids shut, he was transported back to Tim taking a bite of that stupid s’more. It was like watching Tim in the throes of an orgasm, or at least, what Nick imagined Tim would look like as he came apart in Nick’s arms.
It had all been too much, yet not even close to enough. The need to taste the ecstasy of Tim’s enjoyment had been too much for Nick to ignore and he’d leaned in to kiss those sweet plump lips.
That kiss had been unlike all the others they’d enjoyed as they’d gotten to know each other. Then again, Nick had purposefully made sure to keep the others on the chaste side. But not this one.
No. This one he’d been all in. He took Tim’s mouth like he wanted to take his body. His tongue drove deep just as he wanted his cock to sink into Tim’s tight heat. Every part of that kiss had been carnal and Nick had nearly given into the lust that had taken over as he tasted pure sin on Tim’s lips.
He honestly couldn’t say how he’d managed to gain even a modicum of sense back to stop what they were doing before it went too far. But instead of taking the time to explain why they needed to stop, Nick had pushed Tim away as if the hounds of hell were chasing him.
Now he was haunted by the rejection he’d seen in Tim’s eyes. What was worse? Instead of manning up and explaining why he’d done what he’d done, Nick chickened out and used work as his excuse for not contacting Tim.
He was an idiot. Plan and simple.
The question now? What did he do about it?
Would Tim ever forgive him? Nick wasn’t sure he would have if the roles were reversed, especially since he’d made Tim feel like he’d been discarded and unwanted, which wasn’t at all the case.
“Hey, Nick, I think I have an idea… Are you okay?” Joseph, one of Nick’s team at work, stopped in his tracks as he entered Nick’s office. “Did we already lose the account? Because I thought the meeting wasn’t until Friday.”
Nick wasn’t quite sure when he’d put his head down on his desk, but he wasn’t all that surprised that he had. The surprise was that he wasn’t banging his head against the surface.
“No. I think I’ve just fucked up my life, is all.” Nick had no clue why he was telling Joseph any of this but he was beginning to think he needed help if he was going to have any hope of not losing Tim.
“Uhm. Okay.” Joseph couldn’t have looked more uncomfortable if he tried. Clearly, this wasn’t the person to go to for advice. “Do you want…” Joseph actually took two steps backward as if he hoped to get out of the office before finishing, “to talk about it?”
This was stupid. Joseph obviously wasn’t going
to help him. No one could. Nick needed to man up and talk to Tim in person. “No,” he told a very relieved Joseph, who then practically ran from his office.
A glance at the clock on his laptop told Nick what he needed to know. Tim would be finishing his shift at the café in a half hour. If he left now, Nick might have a chance to catch him before he headed to the toy store to work there for a couple of hours before his shift at the diner.
Mind made up, Nick grabbed his phone and headed out of his office. He let Steve, their receptionist/coordinator, know that he would be out for an hour or so and headed for the elevator.
It wasn’t until he stepped inside and the door closed that the panic set in. What was he going to say? He couldn’t just show up and expect all to be forgiven. Should he get Tim flowers? Candy? Maybe a balloon?
“Fuuuuck, I suck at this,” he mumbled just as the doors opened to reveal several people on the other side waiting to enter. Whatever. What others thought of him at the moment didn’t matter. Tim’s opinion was the only one he cared about and he feared no matter what he did, the man wouldn’t forgive him for the way he was treated the other night.
****
Nerves had Nick shaking as he waited outside the café for Tim to finish his shift. He’d taken a peek at him through the window and Nick’s heart sped up while his dick twitched at the enticing sight of the man who had him acting like an idiot.
He never should have let Tim leave the other night, much less been the one to push him out the door. If he hadn’t been out of his damn mind with lust and unable to think – at all – Nick would have made a better choice. Well, he hoped he would have. As it was, he feared he’d have a lot of groveling to do.
