Better Than Good (12 page)

I had enjoyed the gallery much more than I imagined I would have, and I told him so. Aaron grinned up at me happily. He began weaving another story as we walked, complete, of course, with hand gestures. This time it was about Richie and what his photography class had been like when he taught Aaron at university. I was ultra-aware of Aaron’s arm brushing against my own. The streets were busy, and we were jostled together more often than not. I was actually grateful to have the excuse to touch him. He’d have been surprised to know I loved being in the gay-friendly part of town, where touching another man in public wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. If anything, I wished he’d let me hold his hand. I decided, “What the hell?” and grasped hold of his fingers when his arm swung down again. He smiled at me in surprise, but he didn’t pull away.

The restaurant was small, and if I hadn’t been with Aaron, I would have passed right by the entrance. He let go of my hand, pointing to the door.

“This is it. It doesn’t look like much on the outside, but don’t judge yet.” And with his customary flourish, Aaron held the door open for me.

The restaurant’s interior was dark, but there were brightly colored lanterns hung throughout the space and beautiful printed pillows at each booth. The table we were shown to had a single lantern and a red rose on it, giving it a cozy, romantic vibe. I wondered how this all fit with our “friend” status, but wasn’t stupid enough to ask.

“This is nice,” I commented after we’d placed our drink order.

“I know. I love this place. Can’t eat Indian all the time, but this is absolutely my fave. You want to share some curry chicken, or do you not do sharesies?”

I laughed out loud. “Sharesies? You are funny. Yeah, I’ll sharesies with you, but order a lot of whatever. I am starving. Those canapés weren’t much.”

“Ha-ha… very funny. Make sport, if you wish. I’ll do the ordering Paul Bunyan style for my manly friend here. I just can’t….” Aaron stopped midsentence as someone vaguely familiar approached our table.

“Aaron! Hey, honey, how are you?”

No way. It was the bald guy I’d seen him running with last month. The one who kissed him on the street. I could feel my blood begin a slow boil. Who was this guy, anyway? I knew I was giving our unexpected visitor a less-than-welcoming stare and was surprised by the depth of my jealousy. I could feel it like a physical thing. Aaron seemed to take it all in stride. I noticed he seemed a little cool to our unwanted guest but then again, maybe it was wishful thinking on my part.

“Hi, Chris. I’m good. You?” Yes, definitely cool. I was hoping to get the full story as soon as Mr. Clean left. Geez, man, take the hint. Go!

“Good, good. Um, hey… I don’t want to interrupt. Enjoy your dinner. I’ll call you?” His expression was a little hangdog and pathetic, but I didn’t feel the least bit sorry for the guy. Now I was just curious. How did they go from the sexy smooch on the street to Aaron basically giving him the “I’d rather never see you ever again” brush-off?

Chris gave Aaron one last supposedly meaningful look and finally turned to leave. I couldn’t see who was with him, but it didn’t seem the kind of restaurant you came to alone. Curiosity was eating me, warring with the haze of jealousy the unwanted visitor had inspired. I was sincerely hoping my chatty companion wouldn’t disappoint.

Silence. Total silence.

Oh fuck. That meant he meant something to Aaron, right? Maybe he was nursing a broken heart and messing around as “friends” with me was supposed to help cure it? This could be a nightmare.

I was startled from my reverie by Aaron’s giggle.

“You should see your face!” More giggling. What the hell?

“What exactly is so funny? And who was that?”

“Lower your voice, Tarzan.” His eyes were still sparkling in amusement, but I was still in the dark. Plus I’d seen them together… I knew there was a story here!

“Well…,” I prompted.

“Chris is just someone I used to know. That’s it.”

You’ve got to be kidding me
. That fiery feeling was taking over again.
He cannot seriously leave it at that
.

Aaron laughed out loud this time. “What is with you? Oh… I think someone wants to dish. Am I correct?”

“If you mean I want you to tell me who the hell he is and why he was looking at you like that, then yes… please, dish.”

“Oh my, you’re jealous! Wow.” He held up his hand as I sputtered and tried to deny it. “That’s very, very flattering. Fine. I’ll tell you as one friend to another. Okay?”

In other words, he didn’t owe me an explanation but was choosing to give me one. Fine by me. For now.

“Chris is a nice guy I used to see once in a while. I broke it off with him at the beginning of the year. Remember me telling you that I made a New Year’s resolution or two? One of them was to stop getting involved with men who are bad for me. Like Chris.”

“Did he do something to you? Did he hurt you?” I sounded like a thug. Like I was going to go after him and kick the guy’s ass if Aaron confirmed anything abusive had gone down. But I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t control my reactions to Aaron. I felt insanely protective toward him.

He smiled warmly at me, telling me with that one sweet gesture he appreciated my overreaction. Then he continued dishing.

“Not physically, silly. Chris is like many men in this good old capital of ours. He’s a married-with-kids closet homosexual who likes to play when he goes away to work in the big bad city. My resolution to myself was that I won’t be the asshole he’s screwing around with, yes, bad pun intended, while his wife is changing diapers back home in Nebraska. I’m not going to get involved with anyone ever again who isn’t 100 percent out and gay and proud to be with me.”

I was reeling from the first part of his speech, and when I tuned back into the second part, I got the full picture of who he thought I was.

The worst thing was he wasn’t—or hadn’t been—half-wrong to assume I wasn’t an out-and-proud gay man. But what he didn’t realize, or maybe what I still needed to show him, was that I wanted to be out for him. I wanted a chance, and I was pissed now, knowing that jerk had set me back just by being the asshole he was. No wonder Aaron insisted on us just being friends. He was probably sure I was looking to get my bi-curious experience on with him and dive back into the hetero side of the pool. I didn’t know how to prove myself, but I was determined to do so.

“Whoa. Okay. I won’t ask any questions, but can I please ask that you don’t ever, ever—” I paused, trying to gather my whirlwind thoughts. “—don’t think I’m like him. I’m not, Aaron. I… look, this may be a crappy time, but….”

“Don’t. Please. You’ll ruin my curry chicken. I don’t want to think about Chris. I’m sorry we ran into him. But let’s leave the rest alone for now. Please?”

What could I say? I agreed. Dinner was a bit more subdued than I thought it would have been if we hadn’t run into Chris, but by the time the check came around, Aaron seemed like himself again. We argued over the bill and I won. I was rewarded with a huge smile and a kiss on the cheek as we headed back by foot to his place.

I was hoping he’d invite me upstairs, but I didn’t know how he was really feeling about running into his old “whatever he was.” Truthfully, I wanted more information. How did Aaron get involved with a married man, anyway? I tried not to dwell and instead focus on Aaron’s new round of chatter, which was all about food. Did I cook? No. Was my mom a good cook? I thought so. What was my favorite home-cooked meal? My mom’s lasagna. And on it went.

I learned that Aaron professed to be a rather good cook, if he did say so himself. Nowhere near as accomplished as his mother or his sister, Maria, but better than his sister Tess. And don’t make him laugh, but his father and brother couldn’t figure out how to boil water together. I was a little like his dad and brother, so I didn’t comment there. I loved how he talked and shared little pieces of himself. I was sure he didn’t think he was doing anything but filling the silence; however, he was actually telling me about himself and the things and people he cared about, like his family. He obviously adored them all, but seemed to be a little distant with his dad. Probably not totally surprising, since it sounded like his family was a traditional Latino one. Catholic and all, he told me.

By the time we were back in front of his building, we were both laughing over one of my failed cooking exploits dating back to grade school, when I had attempted to make my mom breakfast in bed for Mother’s Day. Runny eggs crunchy with shells and burnt toast. Yum. The condition of the kitchen probably would have earned me a sore bottom if my heart hadn’t been in the right place. Aaron was wiping tears away as he laughed at my poor younger self.

It made me smile. I could not figure out, for the life of me, why this eyeliner-and-lip-gloss-wearing raven-haired male beauty was turning me inside out, but I was smitten. Truly, utterly smitten. If I had to regale him with embarrassing stories of my youth to stay with him a few minutes longer, I would gladly do so. Lord knows there was no shortage of embarrassing moments to draw from.

Aaron regained his composure, and a comfortable quiet fell over us as we stood next to my car. I gave into temptation and reached out to run my fingers through his hair. He took another step toward me as our mouths met in the middle, fusing and twisting in a passionate kiss. He licked my lips, inviting me to taste him. I thrust my tongue in his mouth, tasting the curry mingled with a sweetness that was Aaron’s alone.

“Upstairs?”

I nodded in agreement, almost positive I couldn’t speak. He took my hand and led me up to the main door, then unlocked it with a steady hand before capturing my hand again and drawing me toward the elevator. We kissed gently while we waited for the elevator, and then inside the car to the fifth floor. Once we were outside his door, he fumbled with his keys, trying to work the lock. I nibbled at his neck and licked his ear while I waited.

“Want me to do that?”

“Mmm. Got it.” He unlocked the door and closed it quickly as we fell inside, tangled up in arms, tongues, and fingers.

I wanted to feel him, touch him. I’d never done more than kiss him, really. He’d sucked my dick, and I’d yet to feel him naked against me. The hunger to do so was overwhelming. I wanted him with a fervor I’d never felt for anyone before. Our lips pressed together as we worked off our jackets. I felt his fingers fumble with the buttons on my shirt, and I reached for him, struggling to do the same for him with trembling hands. I was nervous but sure. I got the first few undone and felt him smile against my mouth as he took over for me and undid the rest of his own buttons. I moaned as I finally felt his bare chest with a shaky hand. He worked on my buttons next, and we both groaned in pleasure as our naked chests met. He moved his hands over my back, caressing and then scratching as he fought to get closer to me. I felt them dip to my belt buckle, and I reached down to redirect him toward his own. I had to see him and touch him, and whatever else he would let me do tonight. He complied, gesturing for me to do the same.

“Wait. Bedroom,” he instructed. “Oh… shit, it’s a mess. Hang on.”

Aaron broke free of me and hopped toward the bedroom. I groaned at the loss of his touch but was equally happy to get horizontal with him. I certainly didn’t care if the room was a mess.

And it was. There were clothes everywhere. He’d obviously had a hard time deciding what to wear tonight. I laughed when I saw him swipe carelessly at whatever was on top of the bed to create a place for us to lie down. He scowled at me but went back to the task. I lay down on his dark-gray sheets when there was a space for me. Aaron moaned in appreciation.

“Get naked.”

“Not until you do. I need to see you.”

I know I made one of those gulp noises when he began his striptease. It was the sexiest thing ever. His shirt was long gone, probably back in the living room, but I watched in awe as he slowly unbuckled his belt and went straight for his zipper. His abs were beautifully toned, and he was slender without being too skinny. He swayed his hips and then turned away from me. I made a noise of protest until I saw the globe of one of his bare ass cheeks. He’d gone commando. Fuck. I had to get my jeans off while I still could. I was so hard, and precum was dripping from my cock at an alarming rate. I did not want to embarrass myself by coming just from watching him undress. I worked myself free of my jeans, but he stopped me with a noise and a shake of his head, telling me not to lose the briefs yet. I gulped again but did as instructed, folding my arms behind my head to watch him.

He shook his ass as he shimmied the leather over his beautiful bubble butt. He bent over from the waist down, giving me a full view of everything I hoped he was offering. I was probably panting by now and my heart was beating halfway out of my chest.

Aaron smiled seductively at me as he turned to face me, showing himself to me for the first time.

“Fuck. You are beautiful.” I didn’t realize I’d said that out loud until he responded.

“So are you. So are you,” he purred, and then came toward the bed and straddled my legs.

He was gorgeous. There was no other word. His skin was the most beautiful shade of olive everywhere. No tan lines visible. His cock was rock hard like my own. It looked a little smaller in size and girth, but it was perfect on him. I ached to feel him in my hands. I reached for him, but he pushed my hands up above my head and held them there.

“Please. I have to touch you.” I was begging.

“You will. Just let me get these off you.”

He let go of my hands and hooked his fingers under the waistband of my briefs. I shifted my ass off the bed so he could remove them. He pulled them down my legs and bent his head to lick the head of my cock at the same time. I pushed my hips up toward his mouth instinctively. Fuck. I would not last at this rate.

“Aaron… please.”

“What is it? What do you want?” He was hovering over my cock with his tongue, making catlike licks on the head. Then he swallowed me whole. My hips shot forward and a cry sounded in the room. I pushed him off me.