Attachment Strings (2 page)

“No? Really? You don’t even know me.”

“I’m not here to get to know anyone.”

“Well, neither am I.”

I snorted. “Why did you sound so offended then?”

Alex answered with a shrug. “I’m not used to getting turned down, that’s all.”

Arrogant little prick
. I patted his shoulder in a there-there gesture. “You’ll get used to it.”

“No, I won’t. I observed you for an hour and I want you. There’s no one with you, so I don’t get what the problem is.”

My eyes narrowed again. He had observed me for an hour and I hadn’t sensed it? Either I was drunk, which was very unlikely, or I needed to pay better attention to my surroundings. I took great offense at having been spied on without my knowledge. “Kid, do yourself a favor and pick up someone else.
I’m
not interested, but I can point out at least two men who are.”

“I can point out at least four men who are interested in me, but I don’t care about them. I already made my decision.”

The kid was incredibly arrogant. It should have been annoying but instead I was amused. He had balls and I liked that. “You did? Tell you what, I made a decision myself and it didn’t include you.”

“That’s only because you didn’t see me before.”

I laughed. “I haven’t met someone
that
snotty in quite a while.”

He grinned at me. “At least it got your attention.”

The bartender placed our beers in front of us and we both reached for them. We clinked the glasses together before we both turned around to stare at the dance floor. From the corner of my eyes I inspected Alex more closely. The blondness of his hair bordered on white. He had it slicked back, though it was already starting to curl up on the nape of his neck. A loose strand repeatedly fell onto his forehead. Unsuccessfully, he tried to tame it.

He caught me glancing at him when he tried to tuck the stray hair behind his ear. A light flush crept up in his cheeks while he muttered, “It never stays where I put it.”

“That’s why you put a pound of gel into it?”

The light flush turned into a deep red. “It wasn’t a pound, only half of a bottle.”

I grinned at him and stretched out my hand. He took it immediately. “Hi, Alex, I’m Jeff.”

“Jeff,” he repeated.

His gaze wandered to our joined hands. His hand almost vanished in mine. There were no calluses on his and the skin was baby-soft. Usually, I would have turned and run away. Oddly enough, I found myself stroking my thumb over the knuckles of his hand.

After swallowing heavily several times, Alex looked at me. “You got big hands.”

“Yep.”

“I bet you know how to use them.”

“I do.”

“You need to show me.
Really
soon.”

I smirked. Even though he wasn’t my type, he was good for my ego. It had been a long time since anyone had looked at me with such open hunger. I said, “I might do that.”

“You
might
? Didn’t you listen when I told you that you’re it for me tonight?”

“Don’t push your luck. At the very least I’m reconsidering.”

“You like that I’m pushy.”

“No, I don’t. It’s amusing, though.”

“Oh.” He sounded vaguely embarrassed. Maybe now he’d shut up for a while.

He did, but never let go of my hand. Instead, he came to stand at my other side and looped his free arm loosely around my waist. I raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“So far you’re only
reconsidering
. I’m making the best of it.”

I shook my head in bemusement. We looked at the dance floor again. Alex’s hand on my waist traveled up and down, sometimes squeezing here and there. He was very unsubtly feeling me up. For a while I let him, then I’d had enough. Spinning around, I fastened my hands on his hipbones and pulled him between my thighs. Startled, he gazed at me. He didn’t recoil, though, for which I gave him credit. He simply looked at me with open curiosity, waiting for the next step.

I roamed my hands from his hips up his chest, proceeded over his shoulders along his back to finally settle on his ass. It was well shaped, firm, and fitted nicely in my hands. When I squeezed his flesh, he gasped and took a step closer to me. I had to look up at him and was greeted with a stare I could only describe as wanton. Another detail struck me. “Your eyes. They’re almost black.”

“Dark brown or chocolate brown if you want to get cheesy.”

“Being cheesy isn’t my métier.” I wasn’t comfortable in any métier, period.

“I figured.”

“I’ve never seen someone as blond as you with such dark eyes.” Did I
really
just say that? Had my drink been poisoned?

“I’m an anomaly, and before you ask, yes, it’s all natural.”

“I don’t care, it’s just unusual.”

“You like unusual?”

“Nope.”

He chuckled and took another step forward. Our groins pressed together and his hot breath tickled my throat before he placed a kiss there. “I want you. Please tell me you’re done considering.”

“I am.”

Alex nibbled at my throat and my hands squeezed the firm buttocks again. No, he usually wouldn’t be my type. Tonight was going to be an exception to the rule. It wouldn’t hurt.

“And? What did you decide?”

“You’re still not my type and this is just for once. No strings attached. Understood?”

He snorted. “What did you think? That I wanted a
relationship
?”

“Some people are
that
weird.”

“I’m not. Now, will you take me somewhere and fuck me senseless?”

“I can do that.”

I
LED
him along Snake Alley, which seemed to be lit more poorly than I remembered. At first he kept pace but the longer we walked the less enthusiastic he became. After a very short time he stopped. We stood under a flickering lamp at a street corner. Noises from a television floated to us from across the street, a couple hastened along the other side, and an old car roared as it drove away from the intersection. Alex swallowed. “Where are we going?”

“Now you’re asking?”

“What?”

“I said: Now you’re asking? Are you always so trustful?”

He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. With his arms wrapped around his upper body he looked to be in dire need of protection. Or maybe he simply appeared to be much younger and more vulnerable without the cocky attitude. I stared at him. He surprised me by straightening and uncurling his arms from his torso. “Are you a cop?”

I jerked to a stop while a knowing smirk settled on his face. That’s why I mostly kept to my hunting grounds in New York and Philadelphia. The illusion of anonymity appealed greatly to me. Offhandedly I replied, “That obvious, huh?”

“Yeah, that obvious. What’s that about? Dominance? You like to scare your sex partners? Practicing to be the new Hannibal Lecter?”

Snorting, I took a step toward him. “You really got some balls, kid. Another guy might have fled the scene.”

Alex shrugged. “So, what’s it going to be? Are you getting off on scaring me or will you fuck me?”

I grinned and laid my hands on his shoulders. I sensed a light tremor but no shaking or quaking. Good. Naïve and fearful didn’t do a thing for me. I needed to know he wouldn’t break down or have second thoughts later. “I’ll fuck you. Though you ought to be more careful around strangers.”

“Oh, I’m sure I can knock you out if necessary. But thanks for your concern anyway.”

I quirked an eyebrow, then moved again.

“Arrogant little prick,” I muttered quietly.

“I’m neither arrogant nor little. I do, however, have a prick. I hope you’ve got yours with you, what with all the macho conduct.”

“You really think you’re able to overpower me?”

He sighed dramatically. “I’ll kick your ass if I feel threatened by you, but I’d prefer to get fucked.”

We reached our destination. The hourly paid hotel was old but in good order. Or at least affordable and clean of bugs of any kind. “Two hours okay with you?”

Alex nodded. I strode over to the bored clerk and paid up. We got room 17, which was a nice, quiet room at the end of the hallway. It also provided a king-size, squeak-free bed with huge mirrors above it. I steered Alex ahead of me, and when we reached it, I opened the door. He walked into the room, eyes alert and taking in his surroundings. When he discovered the mirrors he said, “Voyeur, huh?”

“It’s atmospheric.”

He laughed out loud and I grinned. He had a nice laugh, clear and rich. I shrugged out of my jacket and heeled off my shoes. Alex followed my example before he approached me slowly. He moved confidently, fluidly, yet his eyes spoke of caution and alertness. Good. He wasn’t a total fool then.

A split second later I found myself flat on my back on the floor. My arms were pinned to my sides and Alex straddled my hips. Stunned, I looked up at a very pleased young man. A growl escaped my mouth. Alex’s eyes widened in alarm and he clamped his thighs tightly around me.

“You,” I snarled, “will not be in charge here.”

He grinned—a dazzling thousand-watt grin. “So far I am.”

“Not for much longer.”

“Whee! I’m
so
scared!”

He faked the worst scared look I’d ever seen and I burst out laughing. This didn’t go the way I had imagined it. He wasn’t seriously scared and my usual power plays didn’t work. Astonishingly, I didn’t mind.

Alex relaxed on top of me and chuckled. I took my chance and shoved, grabbed, and in the end flipped us around. Now it was him lying on his back on the floor with me on top of him. Dazed, he blinked at me. “Damn! You’re fast.”

I nipped sharply at the soft junction between his throat and shoulder and was rewarded with a loud gasp and his back arching. “Play time is over, kid.”

“I’m all for it, gramps.” Which stopped me effectively. Alex gazed at me, the picture of innocence, and asked, “What? You call me kid, I call you gramps. Just to make sure neither of us forgets the age difference.”

Gruffly, I replied, “All right. Got it. No calling you kid.”

“Thanks. But since you’re older than me and all that, how about we change to the bed.”

I stripped off my shirt as I got up, then sat down on the edge of the bed. Alex rose on all fours and crawled over to me. My cock jerked at the sight of him
crawling
. His eyes were fastened on my crotch, and it took all my patience to wait for him and
not to pull him close by his hair.

Without hesitation, he crawled right between my legs and nuzzled his face against the bulge in my pants. He sniffed before popping open the button and undoing my fly. I swore when he mouthed my cock through my boxers. My erection thickened and I moaned when he freed it. The cool air on my cock was quickly replaced by Alex’s warm, moist mouth.

Christ!
He didn’t mess around!

He worked my cock with his tongue, dipping it into the slit, and I swore again. Another swearword left me when he released my cock. Alex squatted between my thighs and looked at me from under long eyelashes. He was by far the prettiest guy I’d ever taken to bed. Come to think of it, he was the prettiest guy I’d ever known.

Softly, he asked, “You okay with kissing?”

Not usually, but since he was the exception to the rule anyway…. I nodded. He got up, stripped off his jeans and underwear, and helped me to get naked too. I waited for him, curious as to how he intended to approach me. Not my normal modus operandi either.

Alex sat down on my lap and our cocks brushed together. We both gasped at the sudden contact of flesh. Wasting no time, I aligned our cocks and wrapped my hand around them, setting a good rhythm. Alex dropped his head on my left shoulder, his hands tracing patterns on my back. He exposed his neck, inviting me in to lick, bite, and do as I pleased. He jerked and shuddered in my arms whenever I nipped sharply at the tender flesh. My arousal heightened and my cock filled with even more blood. I hadn’t felt like this in… a long time, that’s for sure.

I was surprised when his hands tangled in my hair and his mouth closed over mine. When he nudged his tongue against my lips, I opened willingly. He explored and I did the same. He tasted of beer but also something else I couldn’t pinpoint.

During this exploration, I kept up the strokes around our cocks. Alex thrust when I flicked my thumb over the head of our cocks, smearing precome all over them. My free hand squeezed his ass before I brushed my fingers along his cleft. A shudder ran through him. His sensitivity was oddly irritating. I wanted to take my time with him, not to rush it and just get off.

Alex had different plans. He pushed against my chest and told me, “Scoot up, I’ll get the supplies.”

I scooted upward on the bed, stuffed a pillow under my head, and watched him fumbling with his jeans. He gave me a good view of his backside as he bent over, and my hands flew to my cock. I told myself to slow down, but it was pure torture to stop myself from stroking faster and ending our encounter too soon.

“Fuck!”

I grinned at Alex, who stood at the end of the bed, wide-eyed and panting. I barely had time to admire the flatness of his stomach and the way his abdominal muscles rippled beneath the smooth skin.