Page 59 of For All It's Worth
“Well, I have no issue if he does stay here.” I glanced at him and he shrugged. “Pete had a boyfriend stay with him for a couple of weeks and it was no issue.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, it was fine. They kept to themselves most of the time. The guy didn’t like me though, so it didn’t last.” Another shrug. “I like Max from what little I’ve seen of him.”
“Max is cool, low drama. Always has been.” I said loyally.
“You have to say that.” Henry smiled. “I’ve gotta go get showered and ready for work. See you later maybe.”
Passing the rest of the morning grocery shopping and cleaning up the apartment, I started to get worried about my date with Max. We’d texted on and off throughout the day, and in the messages, everything had seemed fine. Tone was so hard to get from a text though, and I wished that I had someone else to talk to about this. Max was too important to me to fuck everything up as soon as we started.
I took another shower to wash away all the anxiety sweat after attempting some meditation the rehab center had recommended. I’d have liked to say it had helped, except I knew nothing but seeing Max was going to help me.
He called to say they’d been late getting out of work, so he would be a little late. His calm voice settled me a fraction.
When he finally arrived, I buzzed him up and waited with the door ajar.
“Hey you,” he called as he exited the elevator and came into view. He pushed up onto his tiptoes and kissed me quickly, squeezing my arm. “Oh my god, it smells amazing in here!” Max moved towards the kitchen. “What are you making? Is it Indian food?”
I smiled, so far so normal. “It’s a vegan curry. There’re poppadoms that are gluten-free and I managed to find gluten-free naan bread.”
“Seriously? I haven’t had curry since we were in the UK!” Max wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. “You’re the best.”
I had fond memories of our brief Europe trip just after college, and one was of a little Indian restaurant that we’d happened upon in London.
“I dunno how this recipe will stand up against that place, but it smells great. I promised to leave some for Henry.”
Max took a seat at the breakfast bar and chatted about his day while I finished up with the food. Setting out the plates and dishes in front of him, I took a seat. “Help yourself,” I told him.
I let him eat for a little while first. He was clearly ravenous as he dug into a little bit of everything, spooning ample amounts onto his plate. His noises as he ate were adorable and I couldn’t help but smile at him, pausing in my eating to watch him enjoy what I’d made for him.
As he started to slow I asked. “Are we okay after yesterday? Things were a bit weird when you left.”
He picked up a napkin and wiped at his mouth before replying. “Honestly, I think I got in my head about how quickly we jumped into the physical side of stuff. We haven’t talked about preferences or anything.”
“So you didn’t feel pushed into it?”
“What? No! Why’d you say that?”
“I just wondered. I honestly was just opening my pants, it wasn’t a hint.”
Max held his face in his hands and his shoulders shook with laughter. “I knew that Charlie, honest.”
I let out a little chuckle, relieved that things seemed to be on an even keel again. “So should we talk about those preferences?”
He started to say something, reconsidering before shaking his head. “Maybe later, okay? Let’s just finish up dinner first.”
I was just placing the last dish into the dishwasher when Max came up behind me and encircled me with his arms. He pressed his cheek to my shoulder blade and sighed.
“I can’t get used to this. Being able to touch you like this.” Max ran his hands over my chest. “Fuck, Charlie,” his hand roamed over my abs, “you were always hot to me, but this is just…”
He held me a little tighter as his hands continued to wander. I loved the feel of him plastered against me.
Just under the curve of my ass, I could feel Max’s reaction to his exploration, as his cock thickened in his jeans. Unable to stand it, needing to touch him, I turned around, pulling him close to me so I could brush my lips against his.
What was going to be a tender touch sparked to a flame between us. Our movements quickly became frantic. Max pushed me against the counter as his tongue plundered my mouth, his hands moving to the hem of my shirt and pulling it up.
He flung my shirt away and kissed down my throat, along my collarbone, and down to a nipple. He laved at it as his slim fingers tweaked at the other.
