Not Used To Cute

by Becca Seymour

  The two of us walking side by side, Elijah holding my hand, was definitely a couple-y thing I could get used to. I told him so with a grin, earning me a chuckle and a “Me too.”

  A few moments later, Elijah said, “Harriet’s invited us over for a barbie in a couple of weeks, if you’re up for it.”

  I side-eyed him. “She knows we’re seeing each other?”

  “I told her we’re together, yes.”

  I grinned at the emphasis. “You know, she was the one who told me in no uncertain terms that you were attracted to me.”

  He snorted. “Well, she was the one who told me in no uncertain terms that I was a dickhead for taking so long to pull my head out of my arse and make you mine.”

  It was no use. With my heart slamming against my rib cage and my breath catching far too dramatically at his words, I halted. He stopped and moved to stand in front of me. My gaze travelled to his face. “Is that what I am?”

  There was no doubt what I referred to. Understanding was immediate in the softening of his brown eyes. “I like to think we’re each other’s.”

  I leaned in closer, my voice lowering as I said, “Let’s seal that tonight, properly.” There was so much more I wanted to say, and it was unlike me to clamp my mouth shut and hold back. But explaining how I wanted to ride him hard until he blew my mind, which would then lead to me considering in graphic detail just how the image of the two of us connected would look, was a little too much in public, the door of the takeaway just a few metres away.

  When his breathing changed and his eyes became heated, I grinned and pushed myself against him, angling up so he could lean down and kiss me. The touch was quick and firm and all the confirmation I needed that he understood and was on board.

  “Do we really need to eat?”

  His question had me laughing and so tempted to say screw it. “We’ll both need the energy,” I said, and his already heated eyes almost glowed with the promise of tonight. “Come on. Let’s grab our food, eat, and then you can finally stop being a gentleman and fuck me hard.”

  The look on his face was comical. And apparently, I wasn’t that great at keeping my mouth clamped shut.

  I didn’t have it in me to care that my words often ran away from me, not when Elijah’s gaze turned possessive and he wrapped an arm around me, his head lowering to my neck. “Me doing the right thing by you and making sure you know how real this is between us just changed tacks,” he whispered, his tongue lapping at my skin. A groan slipped past my lips. “Your arse is mine.” One more lick followed before he pulled away. I stumbled, only remaining upright because his arm was securely around me.

  I swallowed hard, then forced myself to look away. “Okay. Food first.”

  I all but dragged him to Wok Me, where Xiu Mei’s smile turned into an open-mouthed gape when her eyes sprang to Elijah, whose hand was possessively at my waist.

  “Hey,” I said in greeting.

  Her surprise turned into delight when she said, “Hey, Seb.” She flipped a glance in her dad’s direction, whose back was turned as he cooked. Gaze back on me, she lowered her voice. “I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you in ages, but now I know.”

  I rolled my eyes at her, though I didn’t hold back my smirk. “This is Elijah. Elijah, Xiu Mei.”

  “How’s it goin’?” Elijah said from beside me.

  “Good, thanks. You picking up an order?” Her gaze returned to mine, question there. “Didn’t see your usual.”

  “Geez, I know I’m a creature of habit, but can’t a guy mix things up every now and then?”

  “Apparently,” she sassed, then stood upright, her voice turning to its normal pitch when her dad moved to the front of the counter with a bag of food that I really hoped was ours.

  Interacting with Xiu Mei was great and all, but my dick was still hard, and with Elijah’s words still pinging around in my brain, the implication rushing around through my veins, I was desperate to get home.

  Her dad bobbed his head in my direction and passed his daughter the bag. She glanced at it. “Elijah, looks like this one’s for you.”

  He stepped from my side, saying, “Thanks,” and pulled out his wallet. As if sensing exactly why I was stepping to his side, he focused on me. “I’ll get these.”

  I bobbed my head, absolutely fine with that. There’d be other times I could pick up the bill. The knowledge sent a fresh wave of excitement through me at the certainty that we were officially dating and planned to make this work. “Thanks.”

  A flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes, which was quickly chased away by something else. Relief, possibly, that I didn’t feel the need to argue.

  As he paid, Xiu Mei continued to throw glances between us. She practically vibrated with the need to ask questions. I threw her a lifeline. “Perhaps we can catch up for a coffee in the next couple of weeks. You have a break coming up, right?”

  With the increased rightness washing over me, the desire to settle and put myself out there urged me on, encouraging me to start building my own network of friends. And it would be good to know someone who wasn’t linked to Bar QK.

  While Xiu Mei was a few years younger than me and we didn’t appear to have that much in common on the surface, I’d liked her from the first time we’d chatted. Her friendship was worth investing in.

  “That sounds great.” Her attention shifted to Elijah. “It was nice meeting you.”

  “Yeah, you too,” he said before turning, his hand settling on my shoulder.

  I threw Xiu Mei a wink as I headed out, then looked up at the man whose heat pressed against me, comfortable and reminding me how letting down my guard could look all kinds of awesome.

  Fifteen

  Elijah

  We abandoned our food halfway through. Honestly, I was surprised we’d managed so many mouthfuls before I couldn’t take it any longer.

  Despite Seb being the one to make his intentions and need for me clear, there was no hardship in his desires. I wanted him fiercely. He’d mentioned earlier me holding back and being a gentleman, but that wasn’t really it.

  Being too damn afraid of jumping in and taking him completely had held me back. In truth, I’d been protecting my damn heart.

  I’d never been more relieved to be called out for procrastinating.

  My mouth latched to his. I battled with the need to kiss him forever and the desire to wrench myself away so I could open him up and bury myself deep. Seb made the decision for me when he pulled away, gasping for breath.

  “I can’t wait anymore. I need you too bad.”

  I kissed him again, unable to resist when he said shit like that to me. He laughed against my mouth, and I angled away, taking in how the lust in his eyes didn’t diminish alongside his small chuckle.

  Already naked and grinding up against each other, we’d both end up coming if we stayed like this. I eased away, snatching up the lube and the foil wrapper Seb had placed on the side when we’d first entered his room.

  The hitch of his breath drew my attention to Seb and the flare of heat in his gaze.

  “This what you want?” I asked, my voice raspy.

  “You know it.”

  Seb asking for and taking what he wanted pushed my arousal into overdrive. For all his clumsiness, his inability to rein himself in sometimes, his confidence shone through. I liked even more that it was faith in me that encouraged him to be so open.

  Cock sheathed and lubed, fingers slick, I teased him open, dipping in and stretching.

  Gasps came free and fast from Seb as I kept a steady pace while my dick throbbed, sure I could get off on this moment right here alone. On my knees, I continued to ease inside him, my other hand moving to his half-mast cock. I smiled, watching his face carefully to make sure he was okay.

  It didn’t matter how turned on I felt or how good it was having fingers or a dick up my arse, my own dick always reacted the same initially. My aim was to get him as hard as steel just before he blew. Just the thought of him painting his ji
zz across the two of us had me easing a third finger in.

  He garbled a moan, eyes closing before springing back open when I nailed his prostate. “Yes, right there.”

  “You want me to keep going with my fingers?” I desperately hoped that wasn’t the case, but I’d give him whatever he wanted.

  My words had his half-open eyes snapping wide. “No. Cock.” He reached out and grabbed me. I moaned, humour at his impatience bubbling to the surface.

  Quickly freeing my fingers, I instructed, “Hold your legs.”

  Seb followed my instruction, his gaze now solely on my own.

  I pressed against his opening, my breath catching when just my head dipped inside. Tight and hot, just this was already fucking spectacular.

  “More,” Seb groaned.

  A glance at his face told me he was okay, so I pushed deeper, pausing a moment before drawing out, then in, and then finally, I bottomed out.

  Our moans were in unison, my own tapering off when I breathed through my need to start slamming into him. His legs wrapped around me, one hand now moving to his cock. His lips parting, eyes zeroing in on me, it was all too much, but still not enough.

  “I’m good,” he whispered, his lips curving.

  I returned his smile as I pulled out before pushing back in, loving how he contracted around me, loving the steady flush of his skin.

  I continued, hips angling and moving, pressing in and drawing out. My heart thudded in my ears along with my movements, the sound amplifying as I grew closer to losing my mind.

  With increasingly erratic movements, I picked up speed. “Fuck.” The word spilled out as Seb continued to jerk himself off, his own words rolling into one another incoherently.

  A slight shift had the loudest groan spilling out of his mouth. Wide-eyed, he focussed on me, his mouth forming an O. “There, holy fuck. There.”

  I arrowed in on the spot that I hoped like hell would push him over. With a surge forward, my legs shook, my toes straining against the mattress. “Fuck!” My release all but punched out of me, hard and fast. I shuddered, neck straining, and drove in twice more, a rush of contentment flooding through me when Seb went rigid and shot his load.

  I sagged against him, aiming blindly for his mouth, somehow connecting and swiping my lips across his. Shifting my head to his neck, trying to catch my breath, I asked, “You good?”

  A bob of his head followed, the quickness of his breaths matching my own. “Spectacular,” he said with a chuckle.

  I groaned at the movement, having no choice but to hold on to my junk and pull out carefully. “No laughing when you’re clamped down on me,” I grumbled lightly. Back on my knees, I stared down at the man before me.

  “I bet I’m not looking quite so cute now, covered in cum,” he challenged, eyes alive with humour.

  I shook my head, amused. “You’ll always be fucking cute, especially when covered in jizz.” I pressed my lips to his for a brief kiss. “Let me go clean up. You want a shower or a cloth?”

  “I could shower.”

  I nodded, wondering just how small his shower really was, and hoping like hell he exaggerated how unsuitable it was for two men.

  He wasn’t exaggerating.

  After a couple of near misses, and genuinely worrying for the both of us, I’d tapped out, much to Seb’s humour, and stepped out of the shower.

  I’d explained in no uncertain terms that in the future, my place needed to be the hub when he wanted his wicked way with me. His laughter had followed me out of the small bathroom.

  Fortunately, he’d listened, and with another week passing us by and Seb being in my bed every night, it was easy for this to become my new norm.

  Yeah, we worked together, but with him only being at Bar QK about twenty hours and us not working directly together, we weren’t in each other’s space all day. Though, I couldn’t help but seek him out whenever just the memory of the touch and taste of him on my lips got the better of me.

  In the bar, Marco—Lady Bra Ga when in drag—and I discussed the new music set he was interested in doing. While the set was his own and he didn’t need my permission exactly, I appreciated him looping me in.

  “I think the two will work well together,” he said, explaining the swapping of two songs. “I just need to fine-tune the routine, and I’ll need Adrian and Mo to join me on at least one of them.”

  I nodded in approval. “I agree. Are you able to organise rehearsal space? Or will the bar on Sunday morning do?” We didn’t open till late every other Sunday, the only couple of days a month we didn’t offer breakfast.

  “We’ll definitely need both, but I’ve got it sorted. The village hall near me is great at offering me their space.”

  I quirked my brow at that. “That’s the one James is on the committee for, right?”

  Marco quirked his brow back at me. “Maybe. I can’t help it if he can’t resist my charms.”

  My snort followed. “Charms, right, that’s what we’re calling it?”

  “Hush,” he said, giving me a nudge. A door opening drew Marco’s attention away. “Ooh… and another gorgeous specimen…. How do you find such lickable staff?”

  I flicked my gaze in the direction of the door, my eyes landing on Seb. My smile was instant.

  “Alrighty then,” Marco said, no doubt in response to my focussed attention, “this is the guy everyone’s talking about. Got it.”

  Seb locked eyes on me, offered me a wink, and stepped over to Tom.

  While I’d heard Marco’s comment, I had no desire to know what people were saying. Plus, with my eyes following Seb’s every movement, it was hard to concentrate.

  Marco’s sigh finally pulled me away, however.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Just you, finding this gorgeous beau,” he said with exaggerated whimsy. “Obviously he’s an amazing guy, since he adored my performance so much.”

  I laughed. “He did rave a little.”

  “Rave, right! I think I could make him my biggest fan.”

  Amused, I shook my head at Marco. “I thought that was James’s job?”

  A small shoulder lift preceded his words. “I’m not sure I’m feeling it. He’s all up for staying in at weekends and cosying up at night.”

  The thought of me and Seb doing exactly that sounded like bliss. “And you don’t want that?”

  His nose scrunched up. “Maybe one day, but not yet and not with James.”

  “You need to sort that sooner rather than later. The guy’s seriously into you.”

  A flash of guilt appeared on his face. “I know. Dumping someone sucks, especially when they’re a good human being, you know?”

  I bobbed my head, returning my gaze to Seb, smiling when he started laughing at something Tom said. A moment later, he turned and walked in my direction, his gaze flicking up to the window to the left of me and on the other side of the door. When his eyes widened, his mouth parting, I made to stand. My movement was cut off by the smash of glass. Instinctively, I covered my head, my heart pounding, and Seb’s shout echoing in my head.

  As the last large tin smashed to the ground, I was moving. “Seb,” I called, standing before him. He’d crouched, covering his head with his arms. His frightened gaze shot to mine, and I reached out to him, hands shaking as I took in the few drops of blood on his face and the splashes of different coloured paint covering him.

  I heard movement and swiftly looked in the direction of the noise, watching Marco dart outside. Fuck, if someone was still out there…. But then Tom rushed past me, and I refocused on Seb.

  “You okay?” I led him towards the bar, away from the debris, and eased him back on a stool.

  “I’m okay, I think,” he said, wincing slightly as he touched one of the small cuts on his face. He then looked around the bar. “Is everyone else?”

  I knew I should care, knew I should focus on others, but with Seb injured, no matter how insignificantly, I couldn’t concentrate.

  “I’ve called the police,�
� Carla said, her voice taking me by surprise.

  “Thanks.” I glanced over at her. “Can you just check no one else was harmed?”

  “Of course,” she said, heading into the main bar from the open doorway.

  My focus returned to Seb. “You can see okay, yeah? No glass went in your eyes or anything?”

  “My eyes are fine. I’m okay.” He huffed out a breath, then peered down at himself. A derogative snort escaped. “I suppose the different coloured paints are original. Almost supportive of the rainbow.” While humour lit his voice, I heard the shake beneath it.

  Unable to hold back, I reached out and curled my arms around him. Seb wrapped himself around me immediately as I hugged him in silence, offering the occasional kiss to the top of his head. The softness of his breathing was controlled as I imagined he was pulling himself together and getting on top of his emotions.

  “I’m okay,” he whispered after the quiet moment, and I eased back just as the sirens registered. “You go and speak to the police. I’ll wait here.”

  “I’ve got him,” Tom said, appearing at our side. His face was ashen, his voice low as his eyes connected with mine. Sorrow filled his gaze, my gut clenching for the guy. I got it. I did. This was too similar to the paint incident involving his brother. And while his brother was still in remand, there was the rest of his family he had to contend with.

  “Thanks,” I said before pressing a gentle kiss to Seb’s lips. I angled a look over my shoulder, spotting the ambulance through the window. “Make sure you get looked over.”

  Seb nodded, and I stepped away, heading straight for Drake, relieved as hell he was one of the two cops who’d arrived.

  It took over an hour for Drake and Linda, the officer on duty with him, to take statements and run through everything. The positive thing was Marco had spotted the make and model of the car that had peeled away just as he’d stepped outside—and the first three digits of the car’s rego.

  “I’m going to chase up with the other man involved in the incident involving Val and Seb,” Drake said when we stood off to the side.