by Durango, M.
“Guy’s not usually that tense,” Sam commented.
Not knowing what to say to that, Matt changed the subject. “Where are we going, anyway?”
Sam shrugged. “Riley’s. I probably won’t make much money there, but you kind of suck anyway.” Sam grinned unrepentantly.
“Thanks, asshole.” Matt rolled his eyes and followed Sam to the bar.
***
As the weather suddenly turned into full-blown fall, windy and rainy and cold, Matt hoped Christian had switched to a more sensible form of transportation. Matt could appreciate Christian’s self-reliance, but bike riding in this kind of weather seemed extreme. Still, Matt wasn’t all that surprised to find Christian unlocking his bike under what felt like buckets of rain one particularly stormy night after work.
Christian laughed as soon as he saw Matt’s disheveled appearance.
“Don’t laugh, I’m soaked.” Matt tried to sound grumpy but Christian’s good mood proved infectious.
Christian placed his hands on his hips. “Do I look dry to you? And, damn it, there goes my bus.”
Matt took a good look and grinned. “You look like a drowned rat. C’mon.” He gestured toward where the truck was parked.
“You are a life saver,” Christian said as he settled in the passenger seat.
Matt pulled into traffic, the rain and glare combining for horrible visibility. “You’re lucky I got out when I did. I almost got stuck for another hour but managed to convince my boss I can handle it from home.”
Christian made a face. “At least when I leave work, I get to actually stop working.”
“I don’t know, it’s kind of like school, right? Homework.”
“Yeah, but you expect it with school, not so much with work.”
“True, but it’s not like I’ve got anything else going on tonight.”
“Does it get lonely living by yourself? Or am I prying?” He added when Matt didn’t answer right away.
“A little,” Matt admitted.
Christian tilted his head. “A little I’m prying, or a little it gets lonely?”
Matt smiled. “A little it gets lonely. It doesn’t usually bug me, but it does get boring sometimes. Mostly I like it because there’s no one to argue about TV or music or bitch if I don’t pick up my laundry.” He shrugged. “Besides, I spent enough time living with other guys in the service. The privacy is still a novelty sometimes.”
“I never thought of that. That must get awkward, never having any privacy.”
“It could get… yeah, it could get awkward. Mostly we pretended not to notice a lot of shit so there was some illusion of privacy.”
Christian shifted in his seat and abruptly changed the subject. “So, how was your pool game?”
“Not bad. We won a few bucks, nothing spectacular. You okay?” Matt thought Christian seemed uncomfortable.
“Huh? Yeah, I’m good.”
Matt couldn’t spare a glance from the road to confirm Christian’s words. They fell silent for the rest of the drive to Christian’s apartment.
“Come upstairs? I mean, do you want to come up for a drink or something?” Christian asked as Matt pulled into the lot.
“Sure.” Matt wasn’t sure which of them was more surprised by his answer, but he was becoming good at not thinking about certain things.
“Cool.” Christian sounded pleased.
The rain had let up a little during the drive so they didn’t get pummeled during the walk from the truck to the apartment.
Christian seemed a little nervous as he offered Matt a drink. “There’s beer in the fridge, and maybe some juice or something.”
“Beer’s fine.” Matt hung his jacket on the coat rack next to the front door.
“Okay. Go ahead and have a seat. Sorry there’s no TV.”
Matt found the couch surprisingly comfortable, given that it had clearly seen better days, its orange fabric showing wear. He picked up a copy of Wired from the assortment of magazines on the coffee table.
Christian came in a minute later and handed Matt a beer, then sat down. From the look on Christian’s face, Matt didn’t think his dress pants were doing a very good job of hiding his half-hard cock.
“Thanks.” Matt took a drink and searched for something to say. “So, what did you do after you left the other night?”
Christian chewed on his bottom lip. “Came home and thought about making out with you.”
“Yeah?” Heat pooled in Matt’s stomach at the unexpected response.
“Uh-huh.” Christian took a sip of beer. “I was hard the entire ride home.”
The thought made Matt harder. “Must have been a challenging ride.”
Christian bit his lip. “My roommate’s not home.”
Matt felt himself grin. “No? Is he going to show up during a really awkward moment again?”
“Fuck, I hope not.” Christian leaned in and kissed Matt, gently sucking on Matt’s lower lip. Christian reached out to touch and giggled when his beer bottle encountered Matt’s chest. Christian broke the kiss long enough to put both of their bottles on the table.
Matt slid one arm across the back of the couch and the other around Christian’s waist. He gave up playing hard to get and kissed Christian hungrily.
Christian ran his hands over Matt’s chest, fingers teasing over Matt’s nipples. Matt’s own hands wandered under Christian’s T-shirt, feeling the warm skin of Christian’s back and ribs.
Christian started unbuttoning Matt’s shirt, breaking off their kiss and watching as he bared Matt’s chest.
Matt watched Christian work open the buttons of his dress shirt. The intent look on Christian’s face almost made him groan. “Fuck, you look so turned on.”
“Do you have any idea how hot you are?” Christian’s hands moved lower and he leaned forward, placing wet kisses on Matt’s chest. Christian pulled one of Matt’s nipples into his mouth, circling the hard peak with his tongue and sucking gently. When Matt’s fingers threaded through Christian’s hair, he sucked harder and pinched Matt’s other nipple.
Matt thrust his hips up. “Oh, fuck. That’s…” He leaned back, giving Christian more access. Christian groaned and kept kissing Matt’s chest and abs.
Christian’s hand on Matt’s thigh drew more sounds and encouraged Matt to spread his thighs wider. Christian slid up Matt’s body, pushing him further down against the couch. Matt felt Christian’s fingers graze over his cock before Christian was on top of him, kissing him again.
Matt pulled Christian tight against him, one hand still on Christian’s head and the other on Christian’s ass. He tugged on Christian’s shirt. “Can I take this off?”
Christian sat up and pulled the T-shirt over his head, tossing it on to the floor.
“Eager?” Matt teased.
“I want you.” Christian leaned back down and kissed Matt again. Matt wrapped his arms around Christian’s back and ass, rocking his hips up rhythmically.
If Matt didn’t slow down, he would come just from this, and he definitely wanted more. He pushed them up into a sitting position and moved his mouth to Christian’s throat, working his way down to Christian’s chest and nipples, the hard muscle and flat planes so different from the women Matt was used to.
Christian moaned and arched, pushing against Matt’s mouth. Matt could see how hard Christian was as he pulled Christian into another kiss.
“I want to touch you,” Matt muttered, reaching to rub his hand over the front of Christian’s jeans. He didn’t know if it was the novelty of being with a guy, but Matt felt like a teenager, hot and horny and eager.
Christian rested his forehead against Matt’s shoulder as his hips moved rhythmically against Matt’s hand. “Oh, God. Please, please. I want you.” Christian whimpered as Matt undid the button of his jeans.
Just the idea of what he was doing had Matt panting; the reality was even better. He watched, almost mesmerized by his own actions as he touched Christian through the worn denim. He could see Christian�
�s cock throbbing and see the wet spot starting to form. He pulled Christian’s zipper down and moaned as he exposed Christian’s erection.
Matt wrapped his hand around Christian’s cock and started slowly jerking him. The desperate sounds that Christian was making and the feel of Christian’s incredibly hot shaft made Matt’s own dick swell.
“Oh, fuck, Matt. More. I’m so close.” Matt kissed Christian hard and sped up his strokes. He felt Christian tense and broke their kiss so he could watch Christian climax. He released his grip as Christian started to relax. Matt rubbed his hand across Christian’s stomach and leaned in for another kiss, trying to be gentle even though he felt a little desperate.
Christian kissed him back before asking, “What do you want?”
Matt knew exactly what he wanted, what he kept dreaming about. “Suck me.”
Christian let out a soft moan and slid to the floor between Matt’s legs. Matt knew he wouldn’t last and was thankful Christian made short work of getting Matt’s pants and boxers out of the way, swallowing Matt without hesitation. It didn’t take much for Matt to come, shooting into Christian’s throat with a strangled moan.
Christian backed off as soon as Matt started to soften and placed a kiss on Matt’s thigh before moving back to the couch.
“You look so fucking hot like this.” Christian was still touching Matt’s chest.
Matt kissed him again, tasting his own come in Christian’s mouth. Matt dropped his head back. “Hey.” His voice was rough.
Christian smiled, looking thoroughly sated. “Hey. Do you want to order pizza or do you need to get home?”
Matt wanted to stay and do more than eat pizza. But, “I can’t, I really do have to get some work done tonight.” Matt grinned. “Maybe next time I rescue you from drowning in a rain storm.”
Christian laughed. “Deal.”
Matt let Christian kiss him again, even though it was making it difficult for him to leave.
Christian seemed to sense Matt’s discomfort and pulled away, standing to retrieve the shirt he’d thrown haphazardly.
Matt started to adjust himself and realized that his hand was still covered in Christian’s come. “Um. Can I use your bathroom?”
Christian laughed again. “Sure, it’s right through there.”
It only took a moment for Matt to make himself presentable again. Christian was waiting for him, wearing a clean T-shirt, when Matt returned.
Matt was never good at this part. “So, um. Thanks for the beer.”
“No problem. Thanks for coming up. And for the ride.”
“Cool. I’ll see you.”
“See you.” Matt heard the door shut behind him as he jogged down the steps.
***
Matt was at Riley’s Saturday night with Sam and Alison, playing pool and unwinding from another crazy week. He froze momentarily when he saw Christian walk in with the guy he thought he recognized as Christian’s roommate. Shit. His pulse sped up — he wasn’t sure if it was nervousness, anticipation, or both — and his fingers clutched his beer glass as he watched the two men walk up to the bar, clearly having a good time and oblivious to Matt’s presence.
What was he supposed to do now?
He couldn’t remember if he’d told Christian he and Sam hung out here a lot or if Christian had no idea Matt would be here. Women Matt had casual relationships with always seemed to want him to acknowledge them, unless they were on a date with someone else.
Would Christian expect something? Or was Matt going to have to watch Christian on a date? Matt had the sudden sickening realization that the latter would be at least as bad as the first option.
Fuck. He was getting in way over his head.
It didn’t take long for Christian to notice him, probably because Matt was staring. When Christian waved in his direction, Matt responded with a slight acknowledgment but looked away quickly, trying to rein in his thoughts. Maybe Christian wouldn’t stay long and Matt could avoid any awkwardness.
Sam whapped him on the side of his head. “Dude. Are you listening to a word I say?”
“Ow.” Matt rubbed the spot Sam had hit. “Shit. I’m sorry, I spaced. What?”
Sam rolled his eyes. “I was talking about the Martinez trade.” Sam continued on and Matt made himself focus, arguing good naturedly with Sam and Alison about whether the trade would backfire on both teams. Twenty minutes later, it was Matt’s turn to pick up the next round. Christian stepped up next to him while he was at the bar waiting for his pitcher.
“Hi.” Christian sounded nonchalant.
Matt’s jaw clenched reflexively. “Hey. I didn’t know you came here.” Matt thought he might have sounded a little accusatory.
“I don’t usually. Trent discovered it last week and insisted I come out before my brain has a meltdown from studying too much.”
The bartender returned with Matt’s pitcher, collected his money, and took Christian’s order.
“Exams?” Matt asked, hoping Christian didn’t notice how uncomfortable Matt was, but not wanting to just walk away. Fuck, he could not figure things out with this guy.
“Soon. Mostly papers. It kind of sucks, but it’ll be over soon.” Christian folded and refolded the ten-dollar bill he was holding.
“Cool.” Matt picked up the pitcher. “I should get this back before Sam gets cranky.”
“’Kay. See you.”
Matt threaded his way through the crowd, carefully carrying the pitcher and avoiding any spills. He was filling their glasses when Alison pointed out Christian.
“Is that our barista?”
“Yeah, that’s Christian.” Matt placed the pitcher carefully on the table, the unease from earlier returning. Alison had teased him before about his friendliness toward Christian and he didn’t know what Sam thought about finding them hanging out together.
“You should invite him over.” She took a drink, holding his gaze over the rim of her glass.
“I think he’s with friends, Al.” Deflect, Matt.
“We don’t count as friends?” Sam asked. “Hey, we need a fourth for pool.”
Before Matt could even begin to formulate a response, Sam was on his way over to where Christian sat.
“So you and Christian have started hanging out a lot, huh?” Alison asked.
Fuck. “I guess.” Matt tried to shrug off the question. “I drove him home a couple of times.” This night was definitely not going the way Matt expected.
“Sam said you and Christian were hanging out last weekend when Sam was looking for someone to play pool shark with.” Alison had the uncanny ability to sound casual when she was grilling him.
Matt really hated being the subject of his friends’ gossip.
Sam returned, followed by Christian and his friend. “Come on, let’s go stake out a table.”
Matt had no option but to follow and try to ignore his racing pulse. He was tempted to make an excuse and leave, but that would make him seem like an asshole. He had no idea how he was supposed to act and he was still unsure of what to make of the physical part of his relationship with Christian, who definitely gave the best head Matt had ever had.
They didn’t have to wait long for a table to open up and Matt was relieved that everyone seemed to get along okay. He was able to relax a bit after a quick round of introductions proved that Sam knew both Christian and Christian’s roommate, Trent, through a mutual friend’s parties. He felt less like he was on the spot and was able to enjoy the rest of the night, even if his cock did stay half-hard.
They stayed through last call, later than Matt had planned on being out. Once the lights turned on, everyone scattered quickly. Alison was Sam’s designated driver, and Trent and Christian had plans to meet other friends at a diner. Matt parted ways and had started to walk the few blocks home when he heard Christian telling Trent he was going to pass on the diner.
Matt reached the corner and waited for the light to change, hoping Christian would catch up with him. Shit, he was getting hard just th
inking about it. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Christian walk up next to him.
“Hey, again,” Christian said.
Matt turned and smiled at him. “Hey. Change your mind about going to meet your friends?”
Christian looked at him. “I did. It didn’t sound like much fun.”
The light changed and they walked across the street. One more block and they would turn in separate directions.
“Are you heading home?” Matt asked.
“Unless I get a better offer.”
Matt hoped he wasn’t misreading things. “You could come back to the condo.” Matt looked over at Christian in time to see him bite his lip.
“Okay.”
Matt turned and led the way, trying not to rush but wanting to get home quickly. Christian was right there beside him, not saying a word, so he figured they were on the same page.
The cold kept Matt’s hard-on mostly at bay until they were inside Matt’s condo. They just stared at each other for a minute before one of them moved — or maybe it was both of them — and they were pressed together, mouths hot and hands searching. There was no attempt at seduction this time, no half-hearted attempt to give one another a chance to back away, just heat and need.
Matt turned and pushed Christian up against the wall. Christian used the leverage to wrap his legs around Matt’s waist, pressing their erections together.
“Oh, fuck.” Matt broke the kiss, gasping for air. Christian didn’t stop, just moved to suck on Matt’s neck and earlobe. The heat was almost unbearable.
Christian was struggling to get Matt’s shirt out of his pants but they were pressed so tightly together that there wasn’t much room to maneuver. Once it was finally untucked, Matt helped yank it over his head.
“Oh, God, you’re so fucking hot. Look at you.” Christian’s hands were all over Matt’s chest and arms. Matt leaned his hands on either side of Christian’s head, holding the smaller man up with just his thighs.
“You think so?” Matt was surprised at the husky sound of his own voice.
Christian rested his head on Matt’s forearm, hands travelling over Matt’s belly. “You have no idea. I thought sucking you off would get it out of my system, but I can’t stop thinking about you. You looked so hot on my couch the other night.” He paused before adding, “I thought I was going to embarrass myself watching you play pool earlier.”
