Page 26 of Patchwork
Onyx barks out a laugh. “So, we probably lived here at the same time for a few months before I left. I wonder if we ever saw each other and don’t remember it.” He rests his head on my shoulder and chuckles again. “Probably not though. I totally would have had a crush on the hot, older tattoo artist.” He tilts his head back and smirks at me.
“Thanks for that, I don’t feel like a dirty old man now or anything,” I deadpan.
“I’m almost thirty, dude. You’re only dirty in the good ways, and you’re far from old.”
I grunt in acknowledgment. He’s right about this spot being peaceful. With the night closing in around us, it feels like we’re the only people in the world right now. I absently run my fingers up and down his arm where it’s draped across my chest. One of his legs is thrown over mine, and his head is resting on my shoulder.
“Tell me more about your place in Seattle.” I need a small reminder that this is only a vacation for him. I’ve seen pictures of his apartment, but I’ve never been there. He’s invited me a few times, but we’ve never been able to make the timing line up right for me to fly out.
“What about it?”
“I don’t know.” I chuckle. “Tell me about your life when you’re not on tour. Tell me your favorite coffee shop and where you hang out with your friends.”
He’s quiet for several long moments, then he lets out a strangled sound that might be a laugh if it weren’t so tight.
“Honestly, I’m away so much that it feels like just another hotel room to me. When I bought it years ago, I had all these ideas about how it would feel to come home to it at the end of every tour, but I never had time to decorate it myself, so it’s just full of generic stuff that a decorator picked out. And when I am home, I’m too burned out to even think about going out and dealing with getting recognized, so I never do. I drink coffee that I brew at home, on my balcony all alone, enjoying a view that doesn’t make me feel much of anything anymore.”
I don’t know what to say. I guess it explains why he’s here though. This is exactly the kind of break he needs from his real life, and I’m the only person he trusts to give it to him. A surge of protective affection swells in my chest and I bury my nose in his hair for a minute.
“You like that no one in Fall Crosse is hip enough to recognize you?” I tease.
“God, I really do.” He laughs, burying his face in my chest.
“Sorry about Milo earlier.” I think I already apologized once, but it feels like a bigger deal now.
Onyx shakes his head. “It’s fine. I didn’t mind. It’s notoneperson, you know? It’s the whole vibe in the city that keeps me on edge all the time.”
I nod. Even though I can’t relate, I think I get it. I can’t imagine living under a microscope like that. I don’t have a whole hell of a lot to offer, but I can definitely give him a few weeks of the simple life, if that’s what he’s looking for.
ONYX
“That was so relaxing, but I’m so paranoid that I have ticks crawling all over me now. Why didn’t that ever bother me as a teenager?” I shudder at the thought, stripping my shirt over my head as soon as we step inside the house.
Just like last night, Diva comes trotting around the corner to greet Hero, stopping in her tracks to give me a suspicious look before he scoops her up to kiss and coo at her. Is there anything in the world cuter than a badass looking dude melting over a little furry animal?
“Are you hungry?” he asks. “I could whip up a late dinner while you take a shower if you want.”
I tilt my head back and forth, considering the offer while I slip my shoes off.
“But then who’s going to check all of my nooks and crannies for ticks?” I grin. “How about you come take a shower with me, then we make a frozen pizza? You can impress me with that chicken you have marinating in the refrigerator tomorrow night.”
Hero sets Diva down and she sneezes in my direction before prancing out of the room. I make a mental note to find a pet store tomorrow while Hero is working so I can buy some toys and treats to win her over. He wraps his arms around me, and I can already see the answer written on his face. He’s definitely all for the shower and frozen pizza idea.
His bathroom might not be as big as the one in my apartment back in Seattle, and the shower isn’t as fancy as the hotel showers we’ve shared countless times over the years, but Hero’s hands on me, playfully finding the ticklish spot on my ribs as he nudges me under the hot spray of water is better than a huge bathroom with marble floors or multiple shower heads any day.
His soft beard tickles my skin as he kisses my shoulder and runs his large, sure hands through my hair to help get it wet, then down my back, teasing briefly between my ass cheeks.
“I think you’re clear on the tick front,” he assures me.
“You didn’t check my armpits or between my toes.” I smirk at him over my shoulder.
“Alright, arms up.”
I laugh and hold my arms down tighter. “Never mind, I think I can check myself.”
“No, you want a proper check, let me see your armpits.” Hero tickles my ribs again, and when I flail to stop him, my laughter echoing off the tile walls, he grabs my arms and lifts them up over my head. He presses his nose into the dark thatch of hair in my armpit and a spark of heat blooms between my legs, thickening my cock instantly. “No ticks here.”
I moan softly and sway into him. His slick skin against mine is as familiar as his kiss or the sound of his voice, stirring a warm, needy feeling in my gut that’s about much more than just sex.
