A Kind of Romance (21 page)

I caught his gaze in the mirror when he caught me gaping at the miniature crystal chandelier in the corner positioned over a small desk. There was a sewing machine sitting on top of it and two dress forms and a huge bin filled with bolts of fabric next to it.

“Is this where you work?” I moved toward him, carefully stepping over some of the pillows he’d tossed on the plush shag rug.

“And sleep. Come lie down,” he commanded in a raspy voice, patting the empty space beside him.

I licked my lips and did my best to ignore my reflection in the mirror. Thank God I was in shape, I mused as I lay beside him on the crisp, white sheets. The moment I felt his warm, lithe body against me, everything else disappeared. It wouldn’t have mattered if we were in a seedy motel room or a five-star resort; I couldn’t process anything beyond Benny. He pressed himself against my side before climbing over me to straddle my thighs. I ran my hands up his smooth chest and pulled him toward me. He gave me a sweet, almost chaste kiss that made me laugh as I rolled him onto his back in a fluid motion.

He let out an oomph in surprise, but quickly recovered and wrapped his arms and legs around me. He tilted his hips, looking for friction as his mouth found mine again. We made out with a sort of passion I associated with my college days when the thrill of newfound discovery overshadowed any pretense of finesse. We ground against each other as our tongues dueled for dominance. It felt too good to hurry. I could have happily done this all night long. Holding him, kissing him, feeling him move under me was heaven. But I wanted more.

I shifted my weight to kneel between his spread thighs and pushed his legs farther apart. “I want to be inside you. Are you gonna let me fuck you, Benny?”

“Yes, fuck me. Do it now!”

He propped himself on one elbow and pointed to the condoms and lube on top of the dresser next to the bed. I gave him a pirate’s smile and then licked a swath of saliva across my left palm and stroked us with both hands. Slow and steady.

“Relax. We’ve got plenty of time, baby.”

I let go and scooted back to take him in my mouth. I sucked the head of his dick. Then I flattened my tongue to lick him down one side and up the other. I’d only planned to tease him, but he tasted too fucking good. And I loved the way he begged for more, making nonsensical mewling noises of pure pleasure as he tugged at my hair.

“Zeke, please….”

I released him with a popping sound and licked my way up his torso, stopping to drive my tongue between his lips. He met me halfway, thrusting his hips upward as he clawed at my back. I could tell he was on the edge when he slapped my ass and hooked his foot over my thigh, wordlessly asking me to move. I rolled onto my back and took him with me. Benny reached for the lube. He poured some onto his fingers before arching his back and placing his slick digit over his hole.

“Give me some,” I said in a raspy tone, holding out my hand.

He obeyed me and then set the lube aside and sat backward so the tip of my dick nudged his entrance while he pressed a finger inside. I squeezed my eyes shut in an effort to maintain control. Then I reached for his ass and gently pushed my finger alongside his.

“Oh my God,” he hissed.

I swallowed hard and licked my lips. His expression was full of desire and carnal need. I pushed his cheeks apart and tapped his entrance as I moved my finger, crooking it slightly to find his sweet spot. In and out, in and out. When his hips swayed in a furious rhythm, I knew it was time to up the tempo.

“Condom,” I demanded.

Benny looked at me in a sort of daze before springing into action. He grabbed a condom, tore open the package, and deftly rolled it over my cock in seconds flat before resuming his place on top of me. He lined my sheathed member at his hole and slowly lowered himself, stopping frequently to acclimate until I was completely inside him. The sudden heat was consuming, and the urge to move was intense.

I didn’t do or say anything for a long moment until Benny offered a small smile and experimentally rocked forward, then back. We both groaned. It felt too fucking amazing not to acknowledge somehow, and real speech simply wasn’t an option. Benny caressed my chest and raked his fingers along my sides as he rode me steadily. I let him set the pace, even though it was torturous not to drive upward and move with him. We’d get there.

When he leaned forward and braced his weight on my chest to change his rocking motion to a sliding one, I felt my control slip. I needed more. I pulled him into a tight embrace and rolled him over and plunged inside him.

“Yes! More, Zeke. Harder!”

His breath caught as my hips flew. Our sweat-slick bodies collided, noisily accompanied by the sound of primal grunts and moans. I pulled his hands above his head and held him captive with one of mine while I used the other to pinch his nipples. I glided my hands down his chest toward his cock. I dipped a finger in the precum pooling near his belly button and made a show of licking it clean.

“God, you taste good.”

“Give it to me,” he whispered.

I slowed my movement to study my lover. His eyes were half-mast, his lips were red and swollen, and sweat beaded his forehead and upper lip. He looked perfectly debauched, and his dirty request was proof. I fucking loved it. I gave him a devilish grin and slammed into him hard. He gasped.

“Is that what you wanted or was it something else? You’re a nasty boy, Benny. I think I could fall for your kind of dirty. I want to hear every filthy thing on your mind.” I licked his lips and held myself still for a moment.

“What if I’m too dirty?”

“Not possible.” I surged forward, loving the way he held on to me.

“Mmm. Good. I like it rough.”

“Holy fuck.”

I pummeled into him, snapping my hips forcefully while he clung to me from below. Sweat dripped from my brow onto his. He groaned and lifted his right leg higher. I adjusted myself over him and caught our reflection in the mirror next to me. I’d managed to ignore the distraction until now. I’d never been the type to record myself having sex. The idea embarrassed me. Sure, I’d watched my fair share of porn, but I’d rather do it than watch any day. Yet somehow, seeing us twisted in an erotic pretzel… naked, sweaty, and panting for air, took this to a whole new level.

“Damn, that’s hot,” I whispered.

Benny licked my ear and nodded. “Yeah. Fuck me on my knees. I want to watch you in the mirror. I want to see you—”

“Shh. Don’t talk.” I bit my bottom lip when my vision went hazy and then carefully pulled out.

I smacked his ass as he scrambled to all fours. He gave me a wicked grin and arched his back, setting both hands on the mirrored wall. I didn’t give him a chance to ask what the hell I was waiting for. I knelt behind him and slid inside. The new angle combined with the visual was close to sensory overload. I wrapped my arms around his lean torso and set my forehead on his shoulder. I moved slowly at first, letting my hands roam over his smooth chest and down his thighs before resting on his hips. He felt… perfect, as though he were made for me. Our height difference wasn’t a factor because we instinctively knew how to move in synchrony. How to come together and how to move apart. I could have watched us all night. We were intoxicating. But Benny had other ideas.

He pushed back hard enough to compromise my balance. Before I could steady myself, he did it again. I wasn’t sure what he was up to, but I was too far gone for polite inquiry. I set my hands on his shoulders and took over. I pistoned my hips mercilessly as he braced himself on the mirror with one hand and jacked his swollen cock with the other.

“God, you look so hot. So fucking pretty. You gonna come for me, baby?”

Benny let out a guttural cry and threw his head back when his orgasm hit him a moment later. I held him tighter as he shuddered with the strength of his release. I tried to take in every detail… his cum on the mirror, the soft, keening sigh he made, and the feel of his stubbled cheek against mine. I kissed the corner of his mouth gently before trapping his arms at his side and fucking him until the first wave hit me.

I expected something breathtaking. I’d done this too many times and knew how to ride the wave of pleasure like a surfer catching the perfect swell. However, it had never been like this before. I was blindsided by the intensity. I gasped for breath, shaking as I held on to Benny like he was my lifeline.

We didn’t move a muscle. We let the noise of the city seep into the room and drown out the rapid tattoo of our heartbeats. When I felt like I could move without falling over, I gently disengaged from him and collapsed onto the bed. Benny chuckled. He gestured toward the tissues next to his bed. I had just enough strength to hand over the box. No more. I didn’t lift a finger to help clean up the mess we’d made. I couldn’t move, and I wasn’t ready to talk. Not yet.

Benny moved off the bed. I closed my eyes and listened to him roam around the room. He nudged my side when he returned a couple minutes later with a glass of water.

“Move over. Want some?”

I sat up gingerly and took a sip and then handed him the glass. “Thanks.”

He ran his fingers through my hair affectionately before climbing into bed beside me. He rolled to his side with a silly grin and traced a circular pattern on my shoulder. “Yikes. I bit you kinda hard.”

I looked down at the wound and gave a half chuckle as I rubbed my shoulder dramatically. “Am I going to need a tetanus shot?”

“I think you’ll survive. Sorry about that.”

“Yeah right. I—” I propped myself on my elbow and got another glimpse of the taffeta curtains, crystal chandelier, and… was that a candelabra next to the sewing machine? “Where the fuck are we?”

Benny burst out laughing. He sat up and waved his arms in a wide, flourishing gesture.

“Welcome to
my
humble abode. Let me give you a tour. As you see, we’re in the bedroom, which also doubles as my living room. The desk with the sewing machine is my office. I occasionally eat there, so we’ll call it my dining room too. And that itty-bitty fridge-and-microwave setup along the wall next to the bathroom is my kitchen.”

“I suppose the rack of clothes by the door is your closet.”

“Correct. This is four hundred square feet of prime New York real estate. And just think… I don’t even own it. I pay big bucks to live here. Well, truthfully I got a good deal because the landlord let me take over William’s lease when he moved in with Rand. I was grateful, but I had to do some redecorating. My friend is more a fan of the Spartan look. As long as he had his instruments, he was happy. I need… a little more.”

I made a face, lifting my eyebrows comically. “A little?”

“Oh hush.” He smacked my arm and glowered at me.

“I feel like I’m in a princess suite. My niece would love this room. No joke. It’s very… fabulous. Like you.”

“Hmph. Thanks,” he grumbled, flopping back on his pillow.

I chuckled, gathered him in my arms, and kissed his nose. “I mean it. You’re awesome and amazing too.”

“Oh go on.” His eyes twinkled merrily as he burrowed into my side.

“Marvelous?”

“Sounds like a question.”

“It’s not. You’re incredible, and this was pretty fucking spectacular… mirrors and all.” I kept my tone flippant when the urge to gush became strong.

I’d just experienced one of the most intense orgasms of my life. I was physically and mentally drained. This felt bigger than casually falling into bed with a guy I was attracted to against all reason. It felt significant. In a very short time, Benny had become an unlikely friend and a lover. I didn’t want to put a label on this feeling. I could only say it felt extraordinary.

Benny grinned up at me and nodded in agreement. “It was. I have to admit… I like you much more than I thought would, Zeke Gulden. You’re a good egg.”

“This is where you tell me I’m a little scrambled, right?”

Benny chuckled as he traced an invisible line down my hip with the tips of his fingers. “Maybe. But I am too.”

“You are indeed. You know… I don’t see why we can’t do this all the time.”

“What? Have sex?”

“Yes, definitely.” I nodded exuberantly until he laughed. “But I meant… hang out. Or date. But casually. No major declarations or anything. No labels. I don’t want a real boyfriend, but on the other hand… there’s no point in pretending I’m not attracted to you. I like being with you. Crystal chandeliers and all.”

“So you’re proposing we see each other secretly and—”

“No. There’s no secret. I don’t care if everyone thinks we really are boyfriends.”

“As long as I know we really aren’t. Correct?”

I furrowed my brow and cocked my head as I peered down at him. “Do you want to be? I didn’t think I was your type any more than you’re mine and—”

“Don’t talk, Zeke. You’re doing that thing where you’re insulting without meaning to be.” He pushed me back slightly and sat up. “I think I know what you’re trying to say. You don’t want to make excuses to see each other anymore. If we feel like meeting for a drink or we need a date should an occasion arise”—his eyes lit with wicked humor as he reached for my dick—“we have each other.”

“Exactly! With sex.”

Benny rolled his eyes but grinned a second later. “Of course.”

I caressed his cheek and leaned in to kiss him softly, a mere brush of lips. “Good. I think we make a nice team, Ben. Let’s quit pretending we’re doing each other a favor and just enjoy the ride. What d’ya say?”

“Okay, but we should probably set some basic rules in place.”

“That’s a serious buzzkill. Why do we need rules?”

“To avoid silly misunderstandings. Rule number one… dating other people is—”

“Not gonna happen.”

I’m not sure who was more shocked by my vehemence. Benny stared at me with his eyebrows near his hairline. He seemed more amused than irritated, but of course he wouldn’t let it go.

“Well, this is awkward. I have a date with Eric next—”

“I don’t like that guy. He’s no good for you.”

“You don’t know him. And what do you know about what’s good for me?”

“I don’t know what I mean.” I swiped my hand over my jaw. “Where were you going with him? I’ll take you.”