by Riley Knox
He lunged forward to make a grab for it, his chair dipping precariously to one side as he overcompensated. Ethan reached out at the same time, making an executive decision Avery was grateful for when he heard the glass shatter on the patio and didn't feel the pieces of it embedded in his forehead. The strong chest under his cheek vibrated as Ethan pulled Avery closer.
The man's slow chuckle should have embarrassed him, but instead it was like a balm to the soul. Such a nerd, and he still likes you!
"You need a damn keeper." Ethan's thumb scraped the stubble along Avery's jaw. He helped the smaller man up, but instead of settling Avery back on his own chair, Ethan tugged on his hand to invite him onto his lap, those big hands stroking down his back to his ass, lingering for a moment before moving back up with a slow, confident touch that sent little tongues of heat racing down Avery's spine.
"Is that your official application for the job?" Avery murmured, nuzzling along Ethan's jaw and nipping just under his ear lobe. Ethan's cock immediately stiffened against the curve of Avery's ass, but instead of pulling away like the gentleman he'd been with every step of the planning so far, those big hands rested on either side of Avery's hips and helped guide him back till they found the perfect fit, and left no doubt that Ethan's outward calm was being very carefully crafted.
Score one for the left!
"Baby, as of right now, you're not even going to get the chance to place the ad. Consider the position filled." Ethan's teeth nipped lightly down the length of Avery's neck, the wispy hairs of his goatee creating little tentacles of sensation along his skin.
The whimper that escaped Avery when he felt the brief, damp caress of the other man's tongue against the sensitive curve of his ear would have embarrassed him if he'd had any brain function left, but all the blood had rushed from head to dick, leaving him lightheaded and pliant beneath Ethan's hands.
It took a moment for him to catch up with the program long enough to realize that those strong hands had lifted him back onto his chair, one keeping him there by resting on his knee.
Avery stared down at the broad, square-tipped fingers heavily veined and decorated with an assortment of old scars. A working man's hands. Hands Avery wanted to feel wrapped around his dick, but which just patted his thigh as Ethan flashed a wicked, knowing smile, then picked up his silverware.
"We still have dessert coming in a bit. Eat your dinner."
"How about we have dessert first? If we get sent to our room for being naughty, I'm sure we'll find some way to keep ourselves busy. Maybe learn about water conservation by sharing a shower."
Ethan's husky baritone laughter slid along Avery's spine with almost tactile sensation. "Good things come to those who wait. Consider this foreplay, sweetheart."
The endearment touched him, but since that was the only thing touching him at the moment, Avery sighed, reaching down for a second adjustment. "Tease," he grumbled.
"It's only a tease if I don't plan to deliver," Ethan said with a grin. He leaned forward, speaking just low enough for Avery to hear him without their voices carrying. "And I assure you, I have every intention of satisfying my curiosity once and for all, and learning exactly what you look like when you come down my throat."
The hand that had been reaching for his fork twitched, and hit the utensil at the wrong angle, sending it flipping off of Avery's plate and into his lap, complete with the healthy serving of pasta and clam sauce he'd scooped onto it. As he jumped up, his hip knocked into the side of the table, sending his freshly refilled wine glass hurling liquid side first at Ethan.
A long moment of silence was broken by Avery's, "Jeez!" before Ethan started to laugh.
"They warned me about the water. I didn't figure on the wine." He waved away the smirking waiter after taking the extra napkins he held out, passing a few over to Avery before scooping up what had missed Avery's lap and hit the floor.
"This is just awesome," Avery snarled. "X marks the spot." He gestured downward and Ethan--the delicious asshole--made no attempt to hide the amused hunger in his eyes as he followed Avery's pointing finger to the oily spot highlighting the tented fabric of his slacks.
"I'm sorry, Avery. I was trying to be smooth."
"And you forgot who you were talking to?" Avery rolled his eyes with another sigh as he dabbed uselessly at his pants. "I have to pee. Do you know how difficult it is to pee with a hard-on?" He paused, then offered a hopeful look. "Unless you want to come with me and help out your fellow man?"
"Not a chance. Our first time is not going to be in a bathroom stall. Go clean up," Ethan said, taking his own advice as he dabbed at the spreading wine stain on the front of his shirt and crotch. "I'm going to tell Antonio that we need the rest of our meal to go. You don't come with enough warning labels to manage a meal without hiking up his insurance premiums."
Avery rubbed his forehead with his middle finger, and Ethan's softly chuckled "Later," hurried his steps to the bathroom.
Chapter 4
* * *
The man was a mess. There was no other way to dress up the facts any prettier than that, A nerd to the ninth degree, with a disturbing affinity for klutzy disaster, Ethan thought with a grin as he watched Avery walk away. When the younger man looked back over his shoulder and caught Ethan watching him, he offered a quick, lopsided smile and ducked his head before hurrying into the restaurant.
Normally preferring to date confident men who shared more of his own personality traits, Ethan was surprised at just how quickly that small, warm smile went straight to his cock. He didn't want to think about how that warmth spread upward, curling around his heart. It was too soon to get this attached to someone he barely knew, but he had been watching Avery for almost a year, learning him through the gentle, patient way he coached his girls' softball team, and the laid back attitude he had toward his hellion nephew's antics.
Every casual encounter had taught him that Avery was a good person. But hearing the man speak earlier, in that embarrassed, glossed-over way of his about how he had helped his sister and nephew when they'd needed him, confirmed it.
If getting doused with the occasional glass of wine was the price Ethan had to pay in order to spend time with a man he liked more every passing moment, he'd do it willingly. His career choice had helped him accumulate quite the collection of hard hats and premium health insurance, after all.
A smile curled Ethan's mouth as Alfonso came out with takeout containers for their food, including an extra helping of his famous chocolate torte and some explicit advice on what to lick it off of that would have melted Avery's ears if he'd been around to hear it.
Ethan, however, grinned at his friend and filed the suggestion away for the very near future. Alfonso's chocolate desserts were pure decadence on their own, but eating them off Avery's cock would bump the experience up to sinful.
The sudden full-color mental image of a deliciously nude Avery spread out on his king-sized bed, covered in warm chocolate ganache and fresh whipped cream caught him off guard, and his groan slipped out before he could stop it
Since, at forty, Ethan knew that his downtime was a little longer than his uptime--more than his grumbling pride liked to admit--he'd planned a night of foreplay to the ninth degree, starting with dinner, then dancing. A bit of movie type magic to make everything more appealing. But at the rate he was going, everything was going to be over before it started.
Holy Hell! Slow down Harrison, or you're going to make the man rethink dating an old guy.
Ethan forced a deep breath, trying to think of something else, anything else that would distract him from imagining how pretty Avery's mouth would look all red and swollen around his cock. He was suddenly grateful for the jacket he had worn despite the mild evening temperatures, since the long sleeves of his jacket hid the play of goose bumps that broke out over his skin at the mental image of that sweet submission.
The sudden explosion of "Holding Out For A Hero" startled Ethan away from the ongoing x-rated marathon happening in his
head. Amused, he looked down at Avery's cell phone propped against the vase of roses.
He didn't recognize the number that came up on the screen and thought nothing of allowing it to go to voicemail. But when his own phone began buzzing a moment later with the same number, his curiosity was piqued.
"Hello?"
"Hi. I'm so sorry to call your cell, Ethan, but Avery wasn't picking up his and he gave me your number just in case of an emergency. It's his sister, Sarah."
The anxiety in the woman's voice was palpable even through the phone, and Ethan immediately reached into his wallet to pull out more than enough to cover the bill and leave a generous tip.
"Hey, Sarah. It's fine. I'm glad that Avery thought of doing that. Are you all right?"
As Avery's sister rattled on with rising hysteria about a chair and cookie jar and Kyle falling, Ethan drew on his years of experience dealing with angsty teen girls to pull out enough details from the conversation to get the overall gist. After calming the woman down enough for her to hear him assure her that they'd meet her at the hospital soon, Ethan went to find Avery.
The creak of the door turned the younger man's head, his expression puzzled for a moment when he saw Ethan, before breaking into a smile that made both Ethan and his dick regret he had bad news.
"Decided to help me out after all?'
"I wish," Ethan said, moving over to steal a quick kiss meant to reassure Avery before he spoke. "Sarah called me." He curled his fingers around Avery's arm when that slim bicep went rock stiff beneath his touch.
"They're all right," Ethan assured him. "Kyle just managed to get up on a kitchen chair to get the cookie jar you keep on top of the counter, and he knocked it off. He cut his hand when he tried to pick up one of the cookies. Sarah doesn't think he needs stitches, but she wanted to be on the safe side so she took him to the ER. But he is going to be fine. She just wanted you to know in case you came home and saw the broken jar. I told her we'd meet them at the hospital."
From the look on Avery's face, Ethan wasn't sure he had gotten through to the man until he felt that slim hand curl into his and squeeze. "I knew I should have put that damn thing higher." He sighed. "I'm sorry about this, Ethan. When I was walking over here I imagined a possible hospital visit in our future thanks to my recent adventures of 'Avery goes Spastic.' Not quite like this, but at least in this scenario we both have clothes on."
His lopsided smile prompted a chuckle from Ethan, who tugged him toward the door and out to the parking lot. "Don't worry about it. Shit happens."
"I know, but it seems to happen to me in goddamn spades!"
"Only when you're around me, though," Ethan said as he deactivated the alarm on his truck so Avery could let himself in.
"And you're not running in the opposite direction yet?"
"I have two kids, Avery. I'm used to chaos." Ethan smiled as they pulled out.
Avery chuckled, but was quiet most of the way to the hospital, using one hand to text Sarah back and forth. His other one stayed firmly wrapped around the hand that Ethan wasn't using to drive. That small show of unconscious trust, seeking comfort from his touch, sent another dangerous jolt to Ethan's heart.
When they pulled up to the hospital, he dropped Avery off at the front door first, then went off to find parking. By the time Ethan navigated the sprawling hospital, located the cafeteria and picked up a package of Oreos and a pint container of milk, and found a nurse to direct him to the Emergency Room waiting area, Avery was sitting up in a hard, orange plastic chair with a content-looking Kyle on his lap.
For a moment, Ethan just admired the view. Despite the frenetic vibe of the hospital, people scurrying back and forth like ants on a recovery mission, Avery's posture was relaxed, missing the tension that had been clenching his jaw on the car ride over. He seemed taller, likely because of the size of the little boy's head resting against his left shoulder. Kyle's body was tucked firmly into the curve of Avery's, and braced in place by his uncle's protective hand.
Because Avery's head was dipped down low as he spoke quietly to his nephew, Ethan couldn't see the expression on his face. But he could clearly see Kyle's, looking up at his uncle as if he saw Superman instead of just plain old Clark Kent.
Which reminded Ethan all over again why he'd found the man so damned irresistible from the very first time that he'd tripped over his own feet and landed ass over teakettle at Ethan's feet. Everyone loved a hero, especially the ones who were content to stand in the shadows, quiet and unassuming, until they were needed. Then strong and dependable, they let you know they'd never allow you to fall on their watch.
This time the blooming warmth Ethan felt was located in his heart instead of his dick. Yea, kiddo, I see it too. Not ever going to give him up now.
He didn't recognize the pretty young blonde sitting next to Avery and his nephew, but she had Avery's eyes. If there was any doubt of it, Kyle's excited "Mommy, it's the COOKIE MAN!" confirmed her identity.
Sarah smiled, standing up as the little boy scampered off his uncle's lap and hurled himself at Ethan's knees. Thinking fast, he tossed the packages in his hands to Sarah instead of Avery--since he did plan to eventually leave the hospital and get the younger man into a bed--before he scooped up the little boy.
After Ethan spent the appropriate length of time oohing and ahhing with sympathy over the two Snoopy Band-Aids that bisected his little palm, Kyle was satisfied to hug him hard, and accept his reward from his mother for being a good patient.
Avery looked amused as Kyle dove into his treat. "No stitches, but he did end up acquiring himself a few admirers among the staff. I'll have to remember the name of the hospital the next time I need to come for a visit."
"Which is hopefully not tonight," Sarah said, after shooting a look in her son's direction to make sure he was still sitting on the chair, little legs poking straight out in front of him. "Y'all need some time to yourself. Ethan, it was nice to meet you. Thank you for coming over. I really appreciate it, and so does Kyle."
She paused, her smile taking on an impish look, similar to the expression Becca always got before she delivered a real zinger. Ethan waited for it.
"But next time I see you guys, if you're going to walk out in public with damp crotches, I hope to God it's not clam sauce."
"Jesus, Sarah!" Avery's blush crawled up his cheeks like wildfire, making him look even more adorably flustered than usual.
"What? I know you, Ave. If you ended up getting all nerve angsty and tripping yourself up, it was probably because you guys were getting to a good part." Sarah grinned straight to her molars, shooting Ethan an imploring look as Avery elbowed her. Avery turned an even deeper, more appealing shade of pink as Ethan snickered.
"Don't you have a kid to take care of or something?" Avery complained.
"You do know he's had a thing for you for ages right?
"Sarah!"
She continued on as if she didn't see her brother turning colors. "He started jogging an hour later than he used to, once he figured out your morning work schedule. Did you know that Avery could run a seven-minute mile? I'd guess not, since lately it's been like the intro to the Six Million Dollar Man every time he goes past your house. Daderdaderdader..."
Ethan knew that he should step in and be the mature one as the siblings nudged one another, but he was enjoying the playful bickering. "Really? A seven-minute mile?" He whistled, his gaze trailing over Avery's lean form. "I can barely finish in ten."
"The boy's got staaaaamina," Sarah teased. "File that away for future reference, Ethan. He's been holding out for you."
They all grinned, even Avery, when Kyle's little voice joined the party. "Uncle Avery's got staaaaaaaaaamina."
"Okay, we are officially blowing this popsicle stand, because the morgue is too far down for me to drag a body," Avery grumbled, scooping a gleeful Kyle onto his shoulders. "We're going to find a nurse and get the okay to leave."
Ethan smiled as Avery took off down the hall, the little boy's delighte
d shrieks leading the way, and earning more than a few amused looks from the nurses. He turned back with a questioning brow when he caught Sarah watching him with a strange expression on her face.
As soon as their eyes met, that devastating smile so much like Avery's broke over her face again. Her hand patted his shoulder once. "You'll do. But break my brother's heart and I'll cut your dick off."
Ethan's lips twitched. "Yes, ma'am. You may have to get in line behind my girls."
"You have good kids." She smiled, her expression softening. This time the hand that touched his arm squeezed gently. "Thank you for coming. I know that it's kind of silly for two Band-Aids and a really huge bill, but I knew that Avery would want to see with his own eyes that we were okay, and I didn't want to ruin your entire night."
"Don't worry about it. If it were one of my girls, I'd drop everything, too. Which reminds me, I have to call them to tell them I'll be home after I drop you and Avery off."
"What? Oh no, Ethan, don't do that. I know Avery was looking forward to tonight so much. He hasn't been out with anyone since that last dope he dated. Listen, why don't you call the girls and ask them if they want to come over and spend the night at Avery's with me and Kyle. He should pass out as soon as he gets in the car, and the girls and I can have a sleepover." She smiled. "And so can you and Avery."
"Sarah, I really appreciate the offer, but I can't ask you to do that."
"Ethan, I don't mind and, believe me, though standing here in the ER probably isn't the best way to prove that I am actually a responsible adult, I'd never let anything happen to the girls. I've co-hosted some of the team events with Avery, and the girls and I get along great. Ask them. I'll bring them over around ten A.M. or so after we get some breakfast at the diner."
He hesitated, but the sight of Avery moving toward them with a wide, relaxed smile and a laughing Kyle draped around his neck, tightened something in Ethan's chest and he nodded. "Okay. But we'll drop you off first."
