Page 20 of Gift of You
“Yeah.” I bent forward and pressed my lips to his once more, lingering for just a moment before pulling back and licking my lips. “Now that I’ve had a taste, I’m definitely wanting more.”
“Jesus,”he breathed, eyes a little hazy.
“You see those steps right there?” He flicked a glance in the direction I nodded. “Those take you up to my apartment. Give me thirty minutes to close up, then we can continue what we started.”
“Don’t you, um, have a couple more hours before you close?”
“The beauty of owning your own business, is that you can close early.”
“Oh. I’ll just, uh... head up, then.” He laughed, but it came out more like a giggle, then he turned and made his way to the stairs, muttering under his breath as he went. “Jesus, what is wrong with me. I’m fucking forty-two. It’s not like this is my first gay rodeo. Get it together, Louis.”
I couldn’t help but smile. He was clearly flustered, and I very much liked the fact that I was the reason for it.
15
LOUIS
I pacedthe floor of Matthew’s apartment, unsure what to do with myself while I waited.
I’d never been very good at waiting. It wasn’t so much that I was impatient. It was that my anxiety was usually tied to anticipation of what was to come, like what present I was getting for my birthday, or worry over something unknown, like a blind date. In this case, it was both.
That kiss had been unexpected. One moment he’d said he was still processing, and the next he had me pressed up against a bookshelf, his lips locked on mine. For a kiss that hadn’t even involved tongues, it had been hot as hell. And the feel of his body flush against mine had done things to me.
Matthew was so fucking masculine. Broad, muscular shoulders. Thick beard. Flannel. The men I’d gone out with in the city had been manscaped, pedicured, and impeccably dressed. They’d been season ticket holders of the symphony and patrons of the art museum. On the rare occasion I’d dated an outdoorsy type, they’d been of the weekend-warrior variety, more interested in easy day hikes and drinking beer around the campfire than any sort of actual rugged mountain-man activities. Not that I would have known how to execute any of those types of activities myself. I was also manscaped, pedicured, and impeccably dressed. And not one bit ashamed of it.
But there was something about Matthew’s rugged looks and sturdy build that had my libido cranked up to eleven. And that damn growl of his.Fuck. The shit-stirring side of me wanted to poke at him just to see if I could make him growl like that again.
Of course, that was assuming he hadn’t changed his mind. It had been twenty minutes since I’d made my way up to his apartment, which was plenty of time for him to cool off and decide maybe he wasn’t ready for a gay roll in the hay just yet. And that was fine, honestly. I’d be disappointed for sure, but it was more important that this thing developed at whatever pace he set. I just hoped he wouldn’t changed his mind for good.
The tread of heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs on the other side of the door, and I whirled around, nervously wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. Ernie darted across the room just a moment before the door opened and Matthew stepped into the room.
“You’re early,” I said as he took the last step, then started walking toward me.
His brows shot up. “Were you timing me?”
“No. You said thirty minutes and it’s only been.. .” I looked for a clock, my eyes darting around the space and coming up empty. Impulsively, I grabbed his wrist and looked at his watch. “Twenty-two minutes.”
He raised an eyebrow, eyes lit with humor. “Do you want me to go back downstairs for eight more minutes?”
“No, of course not. I was just...” I trailed off as he turned his hand in mine then tugged me forward until I was fully in his space, standing chest to chest. He bent his head toward me, moving so slowly I thought I might die from the anticipation ofit. His lips stopped just a breath away from mine, and his eyes flicked back and forth as if he was searching for something.
“What?” I whispered.
“Your eyes are beautiful.”
“They’re just a boring brown.”
A puff of air escaped his lips, brushing mine like a caress. “There’s not a single thing about you that’s boring.”
And then finally, he closed the distance between us.
His lips slid against mine, but he surprised me when his tongue flicked out to trace the seam of my mouth. My lips parted and he didn’t hesitate to accept my invitation, slipping his tongue inside and brushing against mine in a move that was at first tentative and then quickly transformed into something dominant.
I shivered as his hands slid up my arms, took position at my jawline, and tilted my head to the angle he wanted. He dove in, the kiss becoming more aggressive as he plundered my mouth, while his beard abraded my skin in the most delicious way. For a man who’d only just begun to explore a sexuality that was something other than straight, he didn’t appear to be having any difficulty commanding my mouth.
I couldn’t say I minded one damn bit.
My hands found their way to his waist, settling on his hips and holding there while he continued taking me apart with his mouth alone. We were already standing chest to chest, but I took a step forward, bringing the rest of my body flush with his, my hip coming into contact with his erection.
