Chapter 2
Leonardo
LEONARDO THOUGHT he was holding himself together pretty well, although inside, he was a complete disaster. The difference between the two of them was Nathan hardly ever took initiative when given the opportunity. He, on the other hand, felt like there was no point in wasting time tiptoeing around things he really wanted. But the last thing he wanted to do was scare the man he was absolutely fond of by coming on too strong, as he had in the past.
The thing was he fell too quickly, in every sense of the term. In secondary school he’d fallen for a guy who clearly wasn’t interested in him, despite the fact that they used to hook up after school behind the building. In university it had been with a professor who definitely cared a lot about his job, and the last thing he’d wanted to do was cost someone their whole career because he desired things he couldn’t have.
It was something he was trying to work on, but the more he pushed away the want to act on his needs, the more he craved it, and it’d been two long years since he began wanting Nathan. Calls and messages did nothing to soothe the ache that settled after lonely nights in his bed, writhing under the covers as he attempted to get off to the sound of Nathan’s voice. Or the regrettable moment when he imagined another man was him in the middle of sex. Thankfully, he never screamed out Nathan’s name, but it was still worthy of being ashamed of. Though at the risk of sounding like a sex-crazed freak, he’d been here nearly fourteen hours and received one kiss from Nathan. Whether those statistics were good or bad, he didn’t know, but he was going to take it as a positive.
“Are you awake?”
“I am now,” Leo responded, though it wasn’t the complete truth. He’d been awake since before the sun came up, trying to think of ways to keep himself busy so he wouldn’t think about Nathan’s mouth, his lips that tasted like candy, pressed flush against his. He pushed up on his elbows and looked over at the other man with a raised eyebrow and accusatory expression. “No breakfast? How absolutely rude.”
“Hey, I just got up, okay? Don’t start so early in the morning.” Nathan chuckled and began shuffling over toward him, clearly not fully awake. He climbed on the couch-bed from the foot and stopped halfway up Leo’s legs before sitting back on his own, hands clasped in his lap. “Got something fun planned for today.”
“Mm, let me guess. Strippers in jockstraps and body shots off middle-aged men reliving their glory days?”
“Wow, and you claim you don’t worship the devil.” Nathan rolled his eyes, his face more amused than disgusted, and they shared a laugh as Leo lay back down, rubbing his hands over his tired face. “No, but it’s a surprise, so get up and get dressed, and let’s get moving.”
“Can I get a hint at least?”
“Hm, let me think….” Tapping his chin twice, Nathan shook his head before slapping Leo’s bare chest, then scampering off the bed into the kitchen. “Nope! I’ll make some coffee while you get dressed. Come on! Up you go!”
With a shake of his head, Leo rolled off the tiny couch mattress, quickly and sloppily folded up the sheets and put the bed away, then topped it off with the cushions before grabbing his bags to head off to the bathroom. He quickly showered and got dressed in some loose-fitting jeans, a black tank top with a checkered red-and-black button-down over it, and some black trainers. He put on the watch his grandfather had given him a couple Christmases ago and gathered all his stuff to bring back to the living room, where he was greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Though it smelled nothing like the espresso his next-door neighbor, Anita, had brought him and his dad every morning, he knew it would do the job of getting him through the next few hours.
Nathan handed him a Batman coffee mug filled nearly to the rim with black coffee and kept the Superman mug for himself, no doubt housing half cream, half coffee with three sugars. If asked, Leo would say that was not the definition of real coffee, but he wasn’t about to go down that trail so early in the morning.
“Did you sleep okay last night? I know that mattress isn’t five stars or anything. I’m sorry.”
“No, it was fine. Might have my back hurting after a few nights, but I’ll survive.”
Nathan winced as he went to take another sip of his coffee. Leo wasn’t sure if it was because of his brazen answer or if the drink was too warm, but he’d go with the latter to avoid any conflict. “Actually it’ll motivate me to do some of my exercises in the morning to work the kinks out. I’ve been putting it off lately.”
“Yeah, health freak. Do your morning exercises. What is it now? Still fifty of everything?”
“I upped my sit-ups to eighty and my push-ups to seventy. Chin-ups are still at fifty.”
“I could probably do two of each before calling it a day. Seriously I joke about you being a health freak, but if I wasn’t so lazy, I’d probably get back into shape like I was in my high school days.”
Leo smirked and set his coffee down on the counter as he leaned against it, then gave Nathan a quick once-over before shrugging. “You’re not so out of shape. It does do your body good to warm it up in the mornings, though. Gives you energy and makes you push yourself harder throughout the day. Hey, why don’t we do a run together? You told me something about a mountain trail around here.”
“Oh, I knew I was going to regret telling you that.” Nathan chuckled as a timer beeped, and he moved away to open the oven, filling the air with the scent of sizzling bacon. “But yeah, Table Rock. It’s a trail not too far from here. It’s supposed to rain later today, but maybe we can go tomorrow. I’ll have to dust off my old running shoes to keep up with you.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you.” Leo winked at him before stepping around Nathan to open his fridge. He took out a box of waffles and popped four into the toaster oven by the stove. Nathan grabbed two plates and served the bacon, then filled two cups with juice he’d set aside earlier. As he pulled the butter from the fridge and syrup from the pantry, Leo set the table, picking up some utensils on the way out of the kitchen, then returned to serve the waffles and take the plates back to the dining area with him.
THEY DIDN’T have much of a conversation during breakfast, mainly because Leo continued to ask where they were going and Nathan continued to refuse to tell him. A short car ride later, though, revealed they were going to Nathan’s place of work, a day spa that included a hair and nail salon.
“Eta, you’re looking as radiant as ever!”
The older woman laughed as she stood up from the receptionist’s chair to give Nathan a hug, then squeezed his shoulders as she looked him up and down like a grandmother surveying her grandbabies who were too skinny for her liking.
“You not on the schedule this week, boy. What you doing here?”
“I told you last week I was bringing my friend by today, Eta.”
“Boy, you know my brain ain’t no good without you writing something down on my calendar! Where’s this friend of yours, huh? Let me get a good look at him.” Leo chuckled as he stepped around Nathan. Eta gathered her worn glasses from behind the desk and slipped them on. Her gray eyebrows shot up, and she clasped her hands against her chest. “Well! Ain’t he a looker! You ain’t tell me he was this mighty handsome, Nate!”
“He’s nothing special, Eta.” Nathan smirked as Leo cut his eyes at him and playfully pushed his shoulder.
“How are you, ma’am?” Leo asked. He chuckled at Eta who also smacked Nathan’s shoulder, then reached his hand out toward her.
“Oh, and he got some manners too! I’m just fine, darling. I’m just fine.”
“You got a room open for us?” Nathan asked, giving Eta a one-armed hug.
“Yeah, yeah, of course. Room three is open for you, honey. You boys go on in there and enjoy. Nate here’s real good with his hands. I taught him everything he knows!”
“Liar,” Nathan scoffed before giving Eta a kiss on the cheek. He then grabbed Leo’s hand to drag him toward the back of the spa and into room three. He’d met Eta when he
first moved to Boise at seventeen and the spa owner gave him his first job as a janitor. Now he was a licensed massage therapist in the same establishment he’d started out in, and he swore he couldn’t see himself doing anything else.
The room they stepped into had dim lighting and soft music, which was piped throughout the entire spa. The massage table sat in the middle, and on either side were counters filled with different lotions and gadgets to make the experience more sensational. A cabinet sat at the far end of the room, stuffed with towels and robes that were, no doubt, as soft as the ones given to hotel customers.
“Clothes off, big boy, and hop on the table. I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”
“Hey, I’m not shy,” Leo stated before Nathan could exit the room. He unbuttoned his shirt and kicked off his trainers.
“It’s not very professional of me to watch a client undress.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not a client. I don’t remember making an appointment. In fact, I could say you’re holding me hostage here.”
“Is that right? So you’re saying you’re not already enjoying this surprise?”
Leo shrugged and puckered his lips, then slid out of his button-down and set it on the edge of the massage table before peeling off his tank top. “We’ve barely gotten started. Let’s see what you can do with those hands.”
Nathan followed Leo with his gaze as he rolled down his jeans and stepped out of them, then stood in nothing but hip-hugging gray boxers. Leo grabbed the rest of his clothes and placed them aside on a chair before climbing up on the massage table and lying facedown. Leo tucked his hands under his cheek as Nathan walked over to the counter to grab a bottle of lotion, then he stepped beside him, draped a towel across his ass, and dragged the pads of his fingers along the sides of his torso.
The slight touch was enough to discombobulate everything Leo worked hard to keep intact, following the trail of prickling skin up and down his torso twice before it stretched along his lower back, up his spine, then circled his neck and retraced its steps. His lids fluttered closed, and his throat was dry and scratchy with every hard gulp he took as Nathan massaged his skin with his soft hands. The sensation was embedded into his very soul, making every inch of him come alive and everything so raw and blissful. Nathan repeated the motions twice, stretched over to his arms, hugged his biceps with his warm fingers, and dragged his nails slightly along his forearm before moving on to his legs.
The massage table creaked slightly as Nathan joined Leo on it, sliding up between his legs before settling himself on his ass with his knees hugging either side of his hips. He began to rub Leo’s lower back with the heels of his hands, slowly made his way up along his spine, then dug into his shoulder blades, making him relax even further. He didn’t realize how much tension he had until Nathan began to work out the kinks between his shoulder blades with his soft hands and circled his fingers around the base of his neck. Leo now understood why a lot of people fell asleep when they got massages because, between the music and the stress literally being rubbed out of his body, he was on cloud nine and ready to take himself a good nap. But the throbbing in his groin kept him awake, and when he felt Nathan press his lips against the edge of his shoulder, sleeping was about the farthest thing from his mind.
“You make a habit of kissing all your clients?”
Nathan chuckled, sliding his nose along Leo’s skin as he shook his head and kissed the opposite shoulder. The whisper was enough to send a tremor rolling down his spine. “Just the Italians. I have a soft spot for those.”
“Is that right? How about the half-Italian, half–Puerto Rican ones?”
“Oh, those get a real special treatment.”
“Mm… do tell.”
“Well, first, you’ll have to lie on your back,” Nathan ordered before his warmth disappeared. Leo quickly shifted on the table to do as he was told. With Leo no longer hidden by the plush towel, Nathan stretched his frame above Leo’s and pressed a butterfly kiss along his left pec.
Leo reached up a hand to run his fingers through Nathan’s short locks, but the action was quickly halted when Nathan grabbed both wrists and pinned them above his head.
Nathan shook his head. “Second, no touching.”
“That’s hardly fair.”
“Who’s the masseur here?”
Leo smirked before he bit into his bottom lip, and he nodded to let Nathan know he’d play along. “Third?”
“Close your eyes.”
Seconds after his lids shielded his vision, Nathan’s lips occupied his, and Leo’s senses intensified a thousandfold, every nerve ending from his head to his toes feeling as if they were exposed, poked, and prodded. His chest rose to bump into Nathan’s as he lifted his head slightly to deepen the kiss. Their small noises of pleasure harmonized and merged with the sounds that filled the room. Nathan dragged his nails down Leo’s sides again then gripped his hips, restraining them against the table as he pulled back to suck his bottom lip into his mouth. It took all of Leo’s strength not to take control in this situation, especially when Nathan, unfairly, began to roll his hips against him. A desperate groan tumbled from Leo’s parted lips.
Every reaction Leo gave to Nathan seemed to fuel him into continuing his advances, giving him the confidence to do all the things he’d sworn he would on late-night/early-morning video chats. He traced a trail down Leo’s neck with his lips, leaving tiny reminders on his skin of words once spoken, while every thrust against his groin was a promise to be fulfilled in the near future. Their kisses held the heat and intensity they simply hadn’t been able to emulate through computer screens, and Leo had to wonder how much more he’d be able to handle before completely exploding.
Regrettably the escalating scene was halted as Nathan removed himself from atop Leo with a final kiss and a whisper of something that fell heavily on his ears. Then he left the room, and the door clicked softly behind him. Leo dragged his hands down his face as he sat up and tried to ignore the heat that settled below his stomach. He got dressed and left the room to meet up with Nathan, who was once again speaking with Eta. Somehow an hour had passed, though time seemed to have no meaning while under the influence of Nathan Wilder.
THOUGH NATHAN explained rain wasn’t that common in his hometown, Boise got the occasional thunderstorm or light rain to cast a gloomy glow over the city. It wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle, but the two of them decided on catching a movie at Edwards Boise 21 & IMAX, then grabbed some coffee and crepes from the Creperie Café before heading back to the apartment for the afternoon.
“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this,” Nathan said as he set his bag of sweets from the café on the dining table, then made his way into his bedroom. “But your taste in men is absolutely terrible.”
“My taste in men is terrible? What about yours? Your idea of sexy is guys old enough to be your father.”
“Hey, I resent that! It’s true what they say: the older the wine, the better the taste.”
Leo snorted with a shake of his head as he propped himself up on the edge of the doorframe while Nathan sat on his bed to remove his shoes. “I can’t believe you honestly think that. Sorry if I’d much rather not have to wait for that little blue pill to kick in for the night to get a little hotter.”
“Listen, they last a lot longer than ten minutes. I can tell you that.”
“’Cause you know so much from experience, right?”
“Fuck you.” Nathan rolled his eyes and nearly stripped himself of his shirt, but cut his eyes at Leo with a quirk of his eyebrow. “You mind?”
“Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
“Well, if you’re gonna watch, the least you can do is help.”
LEO SMILED and made his way over to Nathan, who turned his back as Leo got closer. He stretched his arms around to grab the hem of his shirt and stripped Nathan of the cotton, then let it drop carelessly to the floor beside them. Leo leaned forward to kiss where Nathan’s shoulder and neck met. Nathan shiver
ed at the simple touch of his lips, and Leo gripped his hips. Nathan reached up to hold the back of Leo’s head as he tilted his own, giving more access. Leo began to devour the sweet spot with his mouth. His tongue left a wet trail along his neck, across his jawline, and down again, sweet sounds radiating from his parted lips.
The shorter man turned and pressed their lips together in a passionate embrace while Nathan worked to unbutton the red-and-black checkered shirt as their bodies tumbled on top of the bed. Nathan hugged his legs around Leo’s waist and brought them closer together.
“W-want you.”
The two words lit a fire in his loins that desperately needed relief, but Leo found himself mumbling against Nathan’s mouth instead of honoring the wishes they both shared. “Maybe we should… talk about this.”
“I thought we’d done enough talking in the past two years.”
“We have, but….” Leo leaned back slightly to look into Nathan’s eyes, which were drowning in lust. His hair was matted against his face, and his blushed cheeks and puffy lips were enough to make Leo regret stopping their momentum for even one second. “I just want to do this right, Nathan.”
Nathan huffed but nodded in that same breath to let Leo know he wasn’t upset by his choice to slow things down. “You could’ve figured that out before all this, but I should’ve known you’d be dramatic.”
“I was just finding an excuse to get you half naked on a bed instead of it being the other way around.”
“You always find a way to succeed in getting me back, don’t you?”
“It’s a talent of mine.” Leo smirked before pressing another kiss on Nathan’s waiting lips. He gave a slight groan and then hummed softly against them. “What are you doing to me?”
“Same thing you’re doing to me,” Nathan responded. He caressed Leo’s cheek with a hand as he smiled gently, seeming to understand the situation they were both in. “Making sure this is what we both want.”
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