by A. T Brennan
Galen pressed a line of kisses against my shoulder before pulling back, a sated smile on his lips.
“Good thing we’re still in the shower,” I quipped as I dropped my hand.
“Good thing,” he chuckled and turned me so my front was under the spray. I watched the evidence of our releases wash off my body and disappear down the drain and felt another wave of emotion hit me.
I tried to cover it up as I shifted our bodies so Galen could wash up, and when he turned off the water I pushed open the glass door and grabbed two towels from the towel bar.
We dried off and went back into the main part of my apartment with the towels wrapped around our waists. I expected him to go for his clothes, but he paused and turned to look at me.
“Can I see you again?” he asked, his eyes travelling up my body.
“Yeah.” I grinned and almost sighed in relief. “I’d like that.”
“Good. Great.” He looked at me and then my door. “I have an early meeting tomorrow.”
“I understand. It’s getting late.”
“Text me your schedule for the next few weeks and I’ll send you my calendar.”
“Sounds good.”
I walked him across the small space so he could pull on his discarded clothes, and when he was dressed he leaned in to give me one last kiss.
“I’ll talk to you soon?” I asked, unable to let go of the lingering fear I had.
“Definitely.”
I watched as Galen left the apartment, and when the door closed behind him I scooped up my pajama pants and pulled them on. After locking the door I flopped down on the futon and turned on the TV. I could still smell sex and Galen’s unique scent, and I grinned like an idiot as I settled in to watch a few episodes of Dexter before going to bed.
I had no idea what the fuck was going on or what Galen and I were doing, but I was extremely glad he’d stopped by.
I just hoped things didn’t get weird again.
Chapter Nine
Blaze
“So, who was he?”
“What?” I glanced up and saw that Layla had sat down on the stool in front of me, grinning knowingly.
“Who was he?”
“Who was who?” I shrugged nonchalantly and put the glass I’d been drying back on the rack.
“The dude who put that dopey smile on your face.”
“Maybe I’m just happy to be working with you,” I teased.
“Well, that’s a given.” She rolled her eyes playfully. “But that doesn’t explain why you spent the last five minutes drying the same glass.”
“You caught me.” I grinned and leaned against the bar.
There weren’t many patrons seeing as it was two in the afternoon, and considering what kind of bar it was, I had no qualms talking about my hooks ups at work.
“And? Details please.”
“It was the guy who saved me the night of the bashing.”
“The lawyer who got you out of those bullshit charges?”
“The very same.”
“Wow...but I thought you said he was straight?”
“He was, until he fucked my brains out after I was arrested, and then let me fuck the shit out of him last night.”
“You got a questioning guy to bottom his second time?” She looked impressed and I laughed.
“No, I let him top. But it was my show, and he loved it.”
“Is there something there? I’ve known you for two years and you’ve never been this affected after getting some.”
“I don’t know. He said he wants to see me again. He even sent me his calendar so I’d know when he was free.”
“That says something, but you don’t look convinced.”
I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. Layla could read me like a book.
“I’m still waiting for him to realize that he prefers pussy and a bartender with a record isn’t someone he wants to spend time with.”
“Blaze, you listen to me and you listen carefully. You are an incredible person and anyone would be lucky to have you in their life. Your job, your past, can never take away from how amazing you are.”
I swallowed the lump that rose up in my throat at Layla’s words. She and Evan were the only two other people who knew the whole truth about my past. I’d told Evan because he’d offered me a job and had helped me get my life back. He was also an incredible mentor and I’d wanted to be completely honest with him.
Layla had been a different story. She’d sensed something was wrong last year on the anniversary of my family’s rejection and she’d come to my apartment to see if I was okay. I’d had a sealed bottle of whiskey sitting in front of me and had been contemplating opening it and flushing a year of sobriety down the drain.
The story had come out when she’d made me lay down in my bed and she’d held me, rubbing my back and telling me it was okay and nothing I could say would ever change how she saw me. I’d told her everything, including a few details about my later years on the street that I’d glossed over with Evan and hadn’t told Galen, and she’d just kept kissing my temple, hugging me and then told me to get my ass up because I was going to spend the night at her house.
We’d watched movies and eaten popcorn on her couch until I’d fallen asleep, and the next morning she’d made me breakfast and then driven me home before taking me to work for my shift. She’d never mentioned it again, and she’d never told anyone about my near breakdown.
“Honey, I know you have scars that run deeper than I could ever imagine, and your fears are justified. I just don’t want you to ever think that you’re less than anyone else because of what happened to you. Okay?”
“Okay, thanks Layla.”
“Of course, hon.” She grinned and patted my hand. “Do you want to keep seeing him?”
“Yeah. It’s weird, but there’s something there.”
“Just something?”
“A lot of somethings,” I conceded.
“When are you seeing him next?”
“Not sure. Our schedules don’t really match up for a while. He’s booked solid every day and I work a lot of nights.”
“If he wants to see you then he’ll make it work.”
“Yeah. We’ll see.”
She gave me a pointed look and then nodded to the end of the bar. “I think Eddy needs a refill.”
I laughed as I glanced down at one of my regulars. Eddy was a character. He was ninety-two years old and he came to the bar every Wednesday afternoon between one and three, and he always had two pints.
Eddy had been married to a woman for almost sixty years, but it had all been for show. He was gay and she’d been a lesbian. They lived next door to their true lovers who’d also been married. He told me stories about how he and his lover had to hide their relationship and the lengths they went to to make sure no one ever found out the truth. Eddy’s wife had died ten years ago, her lover had died a few months later, and on his eighty-seventh birthday he and his true love had moved into a shared apartment at a retirement community and lived as partners for the first time. His partner had died last year and that’s when he’d started coming to the bar.
“Eddy.” I grinned as I made my way down to the other end of the bar. “Ready for round two?”
“Blaze, my boy. You know me too well.” Eddy pushed his empty glass toward me and I filled a new one for him. “Did I ever tell you about the time Ronald and I almost got caught by the priest at his wedding?”
“No.” I leaned against the bar and grinned at him. “Don’t spare a single detail.”
“I never do.” He chuckled. “I was his best man, and we were in the priest’s quarters before the wedding started. We’d told everyone he was going to help me with my speech. He was going on his honeymoon right after the reception so we wouldn’t see each other for a week. He’d been on his knees, servicing me as I enjoyed him.”
I bit back a laugh at the term. I loved how Eddy described his sexual encounters.
“Father O’Malley had knock
ed, told us we had ten minutes, then he’d opened the door.”
“What happened?” I asked when he paused.
“Ronald stood up, put himself in front of me so Father O’Malley wouldn’t see how my pants were open and my parts were out, but he’d kept his hand behind his back.”
“Tell me he didn’t continue with his ‘servicing’.”
“He did. Right there while he was talking with a priest he kept his hand on me and it was all I could do to keep my composure.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Ronald sounds like he was a great man.”
“He was. The best man.” Eddy took a drink of his beer and I could see his eyes cloud over with grief. “I wished we could have truly lived our lives together, but I wouldn’t trade even one minute that I had with him.”
Eddy looked up at me and reached out to put his hand over mine. “If you ever find what I had, grab onto it and hold on for dear life. I had sixty-six years with my true love, but we were only able be completely together for two years. Don’t waste love, Blaze. It’s too precious.”
I swallowed at Eddy’s words and nodded as he pulled his hand back and smiled.
Something about Eddy’s words had cut deep. He always made little remarks about how hard it had been to hide and how he was glad men were able to be out and open now, but his impassioned plea to hold on to love had hit me harder than his previous ones.
I’d never been in love, and frankly I didn’t think it was in the cards for me. I believed other people could feel it, Eddy was the perfect example, but I was sure I was wired differently.
It didn’t matter how many times Layla reassured me that my past didn’t define me, I still thought of myself as that kid who’d used his body to get both drugs and money. Maybe it had been a necessity to survive, but it had still marked me. Other people deserved love. I was tainted.
* * * * *
I’d just gotten home from my shift when my phone beeped, telling me I had a new text. I pulled it out of my pocket and glanced at the screen. It was Galen.
I couldn’t stop as a stupid grin lit up my face, and I quickly opened the text.
I’m between meetings. Are you home?
Instead of typing ‘hell yes’ like I wanted, I decided to play it at least a bit cool.
I’m home. Why?
I’d like to see you.
He certainly didn’t play games.
I’d like that too. Come on over.
Knock knock.
I stared at my phone for a second, then looked up at my door. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something as I went to the door and opened it.
There was Galen, looking incredible in his dark suit with an ice blue dress shirt. It looked like the garment had been designed specifically for his body as it hugged and pulled across his tight muscles.
“I see someone’s a bit presumptuous?” I said as casually as I could manage, hoping he hadn’t noticed just how long I’d checked him out for. “I could have had plans, you know.”
“What can I say, I’m an optimist.”
I stepped aside so he could come into my apartment.
The first time he’d come over I’d been in so much pain and in the process of shutting down that I hadn’t cared about what he’d thought of the place. When he’d come over last night I’d been embarrassed. My entire apartment was the size of his master bedroom, and his bathroom looked like something out of a luxury hotel while mine was literally a hole in the wall.
It wasn’t much, but it was mine. I’d bought everything in it with money I’d earned at the bar, and I’d done what I could to make the small space work. I usually didn’t care about people’s opinions of me, but Galen was different. I cared what he thought.
Shaking off the lingering doubt I closed the door and turned towards him. He was here so my apartment obviously didn’t turn him off.
Galen didn’t say a word. His hands lashed out and caught my shirt, yanking me toward him. His lips crashed down on mine as he slid his hands down my chest before stopping at my sides. His grip was hard, almost painful, and his kisses were desperate and hot.
Liquid lava flowed through my veins as every nerve in my body tingled and lit up. I could feel his cock pressing against mine, and then he moaned my name.
If I’d ever heard a sexier sound, I couldn’t remember it. That one moan sent my arousal into overdrive as my desire for this man doubled, then doubled again.
I allowed Galen to drag me over to the bed and fell back when he pushed me. He was trying to take control, and while I wasn’t opposed to letting him have it, I wouldn’t be handing it over tonight.
He stripped off his suit jacket before leaning over me, but the moment his lips touched mine and he climbed on top of me, I grabbed him by the hips and used his momentum to roll us over.
I ended up on top of him, my body between his legs, and Galen gasped in surprise as he pulled his lips from mine.
“My show tonight, baby.” I nipped at his bottom lip, biting it gently before licking it with the flat part of my tongue. “You have a problem with that?” I ground my cock against his, rocking my hips as I licked up his neck and punctuated the move by nibbling on the sensitive skin beneath his ear.
“Fuck,” he panted, his hands shaking as he held my hips.
“I’ll take that as a no.” I grinned down at him, loving how his eyes were bright with lust and there was a slight look of wonder on his face.
This time, when I lowered my mouth, it was to catch his lips under mine. I may have been in control of his body at the moment, and have the upper hand, but Galen met me kiss for kiss, matching my every move with fervor as the kiss turned into something desperate and frantic.
“How attached to this shirt are you?” I asked huskily, my lips still pressed against his.
“I have a spare in the car.”
I grinned against his mouth and gripped the shirt by the front seam. He gasped as I ripped it open, his back arching as his eyes rolled back slightly.
I didn’t waste a single second as I began kissing his chest, licking wet paths over to his nipples so I could toy with them. Galen was moaning and gasping under me, and my cock hardened to a point where I was worried I’d come before we even started.
“You’re so fucking hot,” I almost growled. “So fucking sexy.”
I pulled back from him before he could answer and grabbed him by the hips. He was a little too high up on the pillows, and I wanted him flat on his back as I fucked him.
He grunted in pleasure as I yanked him down the mattress, then groaned as I took a moment to grind my dick against his while running my hand down one of his legs so I could hook it around my lower body.
Then, I returned my lips to his so I could kiss him.
The hurried, desperate pace from before was gone and our kisses were soft and languid. We sipped at each other’s mouths, just tasting and teasing. It wasn’t until Galen parted his lips and moved his tongue out to meet mine that I deepened the kiss.
Every stroke of his tongue on mine sent a shockwave of pleasure through me, and I could almost feel each lick on my cock. Galen moved his hands from my hips and threaded them through my hair, keeping it back from our faces as he gripped the strands, and I loved how that move caused a shiver to run through my entire body.
I’d never been a big makeout kind of guy. I liked kissing, but it was usually as an interlude or precursor to more. With Galen it felt like every kiss flamed a desire deep inside me, and it was so addictive and intoxicating I needed more. As much as I wanted to fuck him, to feel him around my cock and hear him moan my name, I was content to keep kissing him and explore this new facet of foreplay.
After a long while Galen began humping his pelvis up to meet mine, using his body to beg me for more.
I pulled away and sat back on my knees. He looked so hot, laying on my bed with his shirt ripped open and his skin flushed, but I needed to see more of him.
I reached back and pulled off my shirt, tossing it asi
de before I quickly stripped off my pants and socks. Thankfully I’d already taken my shoes off, and when I was left in only my boxer briefs I turned my attention to the gorgeous man lying in front of me.
Between the two of us we managed to strip Galen down in record time, and as soon as his briefs were on the floor I leaned over him.
“I’m already close,” he warned, gasping as I gripped his throbbing cock in my hand.
“What do you want, baby?” I asked softly, giving him a few hard tugs.
“You.”
“You want me to fuck you?”
“Yes. God yes.”
“Do you want me to let you come first?”
“No, I need you. Now. Please.”
I could hear the desperation in his voice and let go of his cock. I knew it was his first time bottoming so as much as I wanted to do a quick prep and slide into his body, I was determined to take my time.
“I’ll take care of you, babe.” I bent down to give him a quick kiss. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” He nodded and I could tell by his eyes that he was telling the truth.
“Just take a few breaths and try to relax for me, okay?” I pressed my forehead against his and tried to keep my own need and desperation out of my eyes so he’d calm down.
“Okay.”
As he took in a few deep breaths I sat up and reached into my nightstand to get the lube and a condom.
I poured a generous amount of lube on my fingers and dropped the bottle beside me.
“Just relax, and when you feel pressure try to bear down,” I instructed as I pushed his legs up and further apart so he was opened up to me.
I could only imagine how foreign this position was to him, so I tried to keep him distracted.
“It’ll hurt a bit. You’ll feel some burning, but oh my god, baby, it’s the most incredible feeling.” I gently massaged my fingers over his fluttering hole as I stared down at him, keeping eye contact. “I can’t wait to slide inside you. To feel your ass around my cock. Do you want that? Do you want to feel me inside you?”
“Yes.”
I gently pushed in and breached his body with one finger. He pulled in a hissing breath, but didn’t try to move away or clench down. I gripped his cock, which had started to flag a bit, and gave him a few long, slow drags.
