by Lynn Stark
Hank had to read the amount several times just to assure himself that he was reading it correctly. Although he would never discuss the amount he received with anyone else, he was sure there were a lot of happy employees at Connolly’s if they had also received such a substantial bonus. Good news like this was something he could share with his parents.
Grinning, he grabbed a pair of boxers out of the drawer and pulled them on. Modesty counted when speaking with his parents. It would just be weird to be naked while talking to them. Propping himself up in bed, he pulled out his phone and made the call.
As Hank waited for one of his parents to answer, he wondered if he would have more good news for them in the near future. They never failed to ask if he had met a nice young man yet. Thank God for his family. He loved them for being the good people they were.
Chapter Six
Tapping the pen on his desk, Fallon wondered why he had asked Hank out on Thursday and not Wednesday. The waiting was going to kill him. His anxiety grew with each passing hour. He hadn’t been this nervous since his teens. He couldn’t remember ever being this nervous with Edward. Was it because Hank was younger and might come to his senses before Thursday night? The possibility was there. Sure, there was a hell of a lot of sexual chemistry between them. It had come bursting forth the night before, after the meeting. It had taken all of Fallon’s willpower to not grab Hank and pull him into his arms. It was too soon for that. He doubted Hank would have protested, but it hadn’t been the time or the place to go all caveman on the man. He would save that for later, Fallon thought with a smile as anticipation buzzed through his veins.
For the time being, Fallon had to find a way to distract himself. With the help of his father and grandfather, the store had run smoothly during his recovery. They were still hanging around, but he didn’t mind in the least. Because both men were widowers, they tended to depend on each other for companionship. Fallon often wondered if either man would marry again. Personally, he would like to see it, but didn’t know if either man was actively looking for love. Frowning, Fallon thought of women he knew. Of course it was likely his father and grandfather would also know them. Silver wasn’t that large of a place. But it was all about context. Maybe neither man had ever met the right woman in the right circumstances.
Grinning broadly, Fallon took his pen and grabbed a notepad. Creating two columns, he began to list women he believed were still single. It wasn’t long before he had compiled nearly a dozen names for each man. He would have to do some investigative work, but hoped that he could at least get the two older men to become a little more adventurous. Watching TV, playing cards with their friends, and hanging out in a department store were not really life-altering activities.
But Fallon knew he would have to be sneaky. Neither of the elder Connolly men were idiots. Now, how would he learn if any of these women would be interested in his plans? There were three whom had been friends with his mother. Two had been married at the time, the third, divorced. The third woman was still single. One of the other two had also divorced. The final one was a widow. The other women on the list he knew less about. However, he did know no major scandals, or even small ones, were attached to any of them. Stuff like that kind of made its way around Silver. It was a small town, and it had its share of gossips.
Taking his list upstairs with him at the end of the day, Fallon continued to tweak it throughout the evening. But even as occupied as he was by his own plan, he couldn’t get thoughts of Hank completely out of his mind. He had almost twenty hours to go before their date. The idea of dating again was scary enough. With new hopes and dreams riding on what took place between the two of them, it was enough to terrify Fallon. Hank was the sweetest guy. He cared about people. He put others and their needs first. Fallon knew that Hank had worked twice as hard in the store those days after he finished helping Fallon during his recovery. Fallon suspected Hank didn’t like believing that someone else might have to take up the slack because Hank wasn’t there to do his usual job. Hank’s coworkers sang his praises regularly. He was a valuable member of the Connolly team. They didn’t quite feel about Hank the way Fallon did, but they still knew he was special.
The evening was beautiful as Fallon reclined on a newly-purchased chaise on the balcony. It was twice the width of a normal chaise and he had bought it with cuddling with Hank in mind. The balcony was a great place to hang out in the milder-weather months. There weren’t that many. The area often got snow as late as May and June and as early as September. On the flip side of that, the summers were sometimes blazing hot. Fortunately for Fallon, the front of the building enjoyed the milder, morning temperatures and was in the shade during the afternoon and evening.
Suddenly needing to hear Hank’s voice, Fallon picked up his phone and made the call. Pleasure rippled through him when it was answered on the first ring. “Hello?” Hank’s voice increased the pleasure Fallon was experiencing. He was in no way surprised when his cock began to fill with blood. To Fallon, Hank was the epitome of sexy.
“Hello, Hank.” Fallon wanted to use more intimate terms, but decided not to. If things progressed between them, then he would do so. “How are you this evening?”
“I’m good. You? How’s your leg?”
The genuine concern in Hank’s voice made Fallon feel warm all over. Yeah, the man couldn’t seem to do anything wrong. At least not as far as Fallon was concerned. He smiled, despite the topic. “It aches a little, but it’s not too bad.”
“I’m sorry.”
Chuckling, Fallon said, “Why are you sorry? You didn’t bite me.”
Hank didn’t miss a beat, responding in a soft, husky voice, “Well, if I had, I would have kissed it better afterward.”
Fuck, if that wasn’t the hottest thing any man had ever said to him. Fallon groaned and pulled at the front of his shorts, hoping to give his cock some room. It was as hard as steel and throbbing. It was a simple matter to imagine Hank nibbling on his body. Fallon enjoyed a playful seriousness about all things, including about what took place in their bed. Now that Fallon was comparing the two men, which he knew he shouldn’t, he could now clearly see how unsuited Edward and he had been for each another. Although it had hurt like hell at the time, their breakup had been a good thing. If they had remained together, he doubted they would be together now. There was the emotional factor, too. Fallon hadn’t felt about Edward what he felt for Hank.
Fallon cleared his throat. “Are you alone?”
“Yes.”
“In your room?”
Hank laughed. “It’s the only place to get any privacy in a house filled with people. I escaped between supper and a reality TV marathon.”
“Wow, you gave up all that excitement for sitting by yourself in your room?”
“Well, I was hoping you would call.”
Fallon swallowed hard. Hank’s voice definitely held a sensual note. Fallon’s balls tightened, and his cock jumped. He pushed the shorts down to his knees, uncaring that he was on the balcony. There was no way anyone could see him from any point in town. Well, there was the church steeple, but he doubted anyone was up there at this time in the evening.
“I’m naked,” Hank added while Fallon’s mind spun. It went into a nosedive with those words. “I have my dick in my hand. I want to think about you touching it.”
“You touch mine, and I’ll touch yours,” Fallon returned. “And we’ll kiss. I want to kiss you so much.”
“How much?” Hank whispered.
Fallon’s fingers tightened on his shaft. “Almost as much as I want to make love to you.”
“I want that, too.”
There was a whimper. It wasn’t one of fear. That would have caused Fallon a great deal of concern. The whimper was one of helplessness or of frustration. Now that was something Fallon could help Hank out with.
“Once I have finished making love to you,” Fallon said, adding to Hank’s torment as Fallon began to stroke his cock, “I am going to fuck you into next week.”
“Will I get paid for those days I miss at the store?” Hank asked curiously.
Fallon could almost imagine the straight-faced expression on Hank’s face as he asked Fallon this. Laughing, Fallon wished he was with Hank at that moment. The man was about to become Fallon’s every dream.
“Well, of course you will. I’m sure that’s in the employee handbook.”
The choking sound Hank made had Fallon grinning broadly. “Oh, okay. As long as it’s covered, I won’t worry about it.”
“Baby, I don’t want you to worry about anything, ever,” Fallon told him softly, sincerely.
There was silence for several seconds. Then Hank returned just as softly, “That’s how I feel about you. I want to take care of you. I want to make you happy.”
Exhaling, Fallon closed his eyes and wondered what he had done right to find a man like Hank. They had gotten to know each other during these past few weeks. There was nothing about the man Fallon didn’t like, and he anticipated learning more.
“Make me happy now. Stroke your cock, baby. I have my eyes closed, and I have a very good imagination. Talk dirty to me,” he added encouragingly.
“That will be twenty-four dollars a minute, sir.”
Fallon’s eyes flew open at the brisk, businesslike tone. There was dead silence for a moment, followed by laughter, first Hank’s and then Fallon’s. When he could finally stop laughing, Fallon told Hank, “You are wonderful. I’m going to go to bed now. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Hank’s snicker tickled Fallon. “Okay. When you get to bed… Hey, where are you jacking off at if you’re not in bed?”
“I’m out on the balcony.”
“What? You’re out in the open?”
“Why not? The only things able to see me out here are fireflies.”
“Do you have clothes on?”
It seemed the conversation wasn’t coming to an end after all. Fallon didn’t mind. He had been okay with ending it. He was okay with continuing it. Tucking the phone between his shoulder and ear, Fallon lifted his hips and pushed the shorts down his legs. He kicked them off—and over the balustrade. Horrified, Fallon stared. He couldn’t even blink.
“Fuck!”
“What?” Hank asked anxiously. “Is it your leg? Did you hurt yourself? I’ll come over, if you need help.”
Fallon didn’t know if he should confess to what he had just done. It was funny and embarrassing at the same time. He really needed to go down and get his shorts. God knew that if they were found by the local law enforcement, Sheriff Grayson Evans would make it his life mission to hunt down the owner, whether they were some horny guy on a balcony, or someone’s lost piece of laundry. Any way around it, Grayson would find out they were Fallon’s shorts and would never allow him to live it down.
With that unpleasant thought in mind, Fallon got to his feet and headed into his apartment.
“If I don’t hear you say something, I’m coming into town to check on you.”
Blinking, Fallon realized that he hadn’t told Hank what had happened. A smile curved his mouth as he reached his bedroom and headed for the dresser. “I kicked my shorts off, and they went flying off the balcony. Now I have to go get them.”
“Do you want to call me back after you have them?”
“I will. I have to get down there before someone finds them and turns them over to the sheriff.”
Hank snorted. “Have fun. Call me back and let me know if you got them before the cops did.”
“I will.”
After pulling on a T-shirt and sweats, Fallon shoved his feet into his running shoes and headed quickly for the front elevator. It would take him down to the ground floor and to a private entrance beside the storefront. He normally only used it to get to his office and when he had guests. Now Fallon moved as swiftly as possible when the door slid opened, walking quickly to the front door. Pulling it open, he stepped outside and looked around. There they were, in a pool of light being cast from one of the streetlamps along the sidewalk.
As he leaned down to pick up his shorts, a spotlight hit him. Groaning, Fallon straightened and looked toward the cruiser, lifting his hand to block the light. It was shut off before the SUV’s door opened and Grayson stepped out.
The expression on the man’s face was enough to tell Fallon that Grayson was bored and Fallon would suffer because of it. There had been rumors for the past couple of years that Grayson was considering retirement so he could spend more time with his family. Fallon believed Gray was being sadistic by teasing everyone with the rumors, that there was no truth behind them.
“Hey, Gray, how’s it going?”
“Well, you tell me. Are those your shorts?”
Fallon nodded. There was no point in lying to Grayson. He wouldn’t believe him. It was like the man had a built-in lie detector. Fallon would just have to suffer. “They are.”
“And they were down here on the balcony because?”
Feeling his face heat up, Fallon said, “I dropped them.”
Piercing, blue eyes were fixed on Fallon. “Why?”
“Gray, do we really need to go there?”
Grayson shook his head as he laughed. Then he nodded. “Yeah, we have to. It wouldn’t have something to do with that cute Hank Wells, would it?”
Having someone else describe Hank as cute caused a sharp shaft of jealousy to shoot through Fallon. He hadn’t been expecting that. Fallon had never been jealous a day in his life. “Watch it, buddy.”
The threat was a playful one. Grayson laughed and turned, heading back to the SUV idling at the curb. “I feel the same way about Roarke and Marley,” Grayson said, referring to his husband and wife. “Hank’s a nice guy. I hope the two of you get together.”
“Me, too.”
Grayson opened the door to the SUV. He paused and looked up at the balcony. “Just keep the noise down while you’re entertaining up there,” he advised with a laugh. “And keep track of your clothes.”
“Jerk.”
They waved to each other. Grayson drove off, and Fallon began retracing his steps to the building. The sound of tires squeaking on the brick-lined street made Fallon paused. He wasn’t in the least surprised to see Zippy. A moment later, Hank was parking at the curb and jumping out. He hurried to stand in front of Fallon.
“What are you doing here?” Fallon asked. Hank must have left his house before he had hung up and then driven like a madman.
“Uh, I just wanted to see you.”
Fallon watched as Hank shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, suddenly appearing uncertain. “Where are your shoes?”
Hank looked down at his feet. He wiggled his toes. “They’re in the backseat. I threw them back there when I got in. I was in a hurry.” He glanced across the square where Grayson was continuing his patrol. “Was that the sheriff?”
“It was. Now, why don’t you take Zippy around to the garage before Grayson comes back to give you a ticket? I have something to give you that is more fun than paying a fine.”
“Really? What? More fun than a fine can cover a lot of things.”
“Well, it’s hard and aching and wants to be buried in your ass.”
Hank took off at a run toward Zippy. He jumped into his little blue car while Fallon stood there and laughed. He watched as Hank drove down to the next street, groaning when he and Grayson obviously saw the same thing at the same moment. Hank hadn’t used the car’s turn signal.
Shaking his head, Fallon headed down the sidewalk to try to talk the sheriff out of giving Hank a ticket. The man’s boredom was putting a dent in Fallon’s love life, and he couldn’t have that.
Chapter Seven
Swearing, Hank put his hands on the steering wheel and waited. He had met the sheriff several times. Most of those times, Grayson had come into the store with his wife, husband, and a small herd of adorable children of varying ages. They seemed to come into the store at regular intervals to replace worn or outgrown shoes and clothing. Although the sheriff s
cared the crap out of him, Hank enjoyed helping the kids pick out shoes. They were bright, lively, and amusing. The smallest one, a girl of around two, was particularly fun to help. She would take Hank by the hand and lead him over to the shoe display. She would then consider all her options, jabbering about how she liked the flowers on one and the puppy on another, but finally choosing a pair that most would consider a boy’s style, dark blue with a neon green and black truck on them.
The moment he had heard the blast of the siren, Hank had realized he hadn’t used his blinker. Glancing to the right, he saw Fallon heading in his direction. They could have both been on their way upstairs if he had only been paying attention. Clothes could be in the process of being stripped off right now, he thought miserably as he heard a throat being cleared.
“License, please.”
Rolling his eyes, Hank moved slowly and took his wallet from his rear pocket. He opened it and removed his driver’s license.
“Do you know why I stopped you?”
“Because you’re not Cupid?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’ve been known to play Cupid on occasion. Now, is there a reason why you didn’t use your turn signal?” the sheriff asked.
“I was in a hurry, and I forgot.” That was the truth. All he had had on his mind was getting laid.
“What’s so important you would break a law?”
Quickly realizing that Sheriff Evans was fucking with him, Hank didn’t know whether to laugh or pull his hair out in frustration. Even being stopped by a cop hadn’t eased the intensity of his erection. He needed relief, and only the kind Fallon could bring to him. Jerking off had lost a lot of its luster a while back. It dealt with the immediate need, but didn’t give him what he truly wanted, which was the satisfaction of being made love to by one very handsome man named Fallon Connolly.
“I really can’t say, but I was momentarily crazed,” Hank offered, certainly not wanting to reveal that he was hornier than hell.
