Don't Drink the Holy Water (7 page)

Well, now West’s entire face was hot and he couldn’t look at Terrence.

“Aw, you’re kinda adorable when you get all shy,” Terrence said.

West thought he was teasing, but wasn’t sure. “Cut it out.”

“Fine. You should learn to take a compliment,” Terrence told him. “Insecurity isn’t attractive.”

The barb landed right in West’s heart. He turned back around and fiddled with his shirt again.

Terrence sighed. His footsteps were barely audible as he approached West.

“Sorry, that wasn’t very cool of me,” Terrence murmured. He put one small hand to West’s lower back. “I’m an asshole. It’s just, you don’t see how hot you are, man. You could have anyone.”

“I can’t see myself at all,” West pointed out. “Not really. I’ll never see my face again.”

“Oh, is that freakin’ ya out?” Terrence scooted around him and West soon found himself with the small man plastered to his front.

“Um.” He gulped. “Terrence?”

“Terry.” Terrence grinned. He wiggled a little. “Totally adorable. But that’s not what I’m doing.”

“What, er, what
are
you doing?” West asked.

“Looking you over.” He looked at West critically, then reached up and did something with West’s hair. “There. You looked too schoolboyish with it all neatly combed back. I’m thinking you’re wanting to make another impression on Axel.”

West gawked at Terrence. “How did you know—?”

Terrence rolled his eyes. “It was a guess.”

“Oh.”

“Come on, I can give you some pointers about places to avoid, and if you do kinda want to see your face, I can help you there too.”

Hope shot through West. “You can?”

Terrence nodded. “Sure, to both. For one thing, avoid places with mirrors. You know, like when I was with Jukie last night, there was a big mirror on the bedroom wall. I had to keep his back to it so he didn’t end up seeing empty clothes…then nothing at all.” He laughed. “Man, that woulda maybe sobered him up though. But anyway, yeah, avoid mirrors and reflective surfaces, unless you want me to do your makeup. Makeup is how we can see ourselves. It shows in mirrors, but like, our eyes still don’t. Which can be fuckin’ weird, so sunglasses at night are a vamp thing in those instances. I think that dude who sang the sunglasses at night song musta been one of us…”

West tried to take in everything Terrence was saying, but he just talked
so much
! By the time West needed to leave, his ears were ringing from all the chatter. He’d hardly gotten in two words of his own.

At least he’d arranged to meet Axel again at their bench, which was a good thing. He hadn’t been comfortable enough to wear makeup—he’d end up accidentally wiping it off at the worst possible time or something.

Besides, all he and Axel were going to do was sit and talk for a while. West had started yammering last night, and when he’d finally stopped, he’d been surprised at himself. Then he’d felt like a jerk for monopolizing the whole conversation, if it could be called that.

When he’d apologized for it, Axel had said he’d enjoyed getting to know him, and if West was interested, they could meet up again the next night.

He assumed Axel would be doing most of the talking tonight. West hoped so. He wanted to find out more about the man.

“You look like a stud,” Terrence observed, looking him over. “Seriously, I wish I was as tall and handsome as you, but it’s okay. I can work cute and bubbly like no one else.” He winked then clapped his hands. “Okay, Fairy Godfather Terry is done here! Go out and fornicate!”

West surprised himself by laughing at that. Terrence was something else. “I’ll settle for talking tonight.”

Terrence groaned. “Aw, but you look so fuckable.”

West’s cheeks heated, but he remembered Terrence’s comment from earlier. “Thank you.”

Terrence beamed at him, then West left the room. He had his first date and didn’t want to be late for it.

Chapter Eleven

Axel smoothed down his shirt, not that it was poking up or wrinkled anywhere. He was nervous and excited. How West could tangle him up inside like this was incomprehensible. Axel wasn’t super-easy, but he’d been around enough to have moved past feeling like he was on his first date ever.

Yet his palms kept sweating, and he’d spent almost an hour just picking out the light gray button-up shirt he now wore. He’d been flying on adrenaline after winning today and he’d crashed hard after showering, becoming so jittery he’d had to shower again before getting dressed.

He could hear Jukie in the room next door, shouting at Yolanda. Axel considered going over there to see if he could help, but Jukie had been furious when Axel had won. There was no denying that it was time to permanently sever their ties. Unless Jukie cleaned up and stayed that way, he was no one’s friend. Not even Yolanda’s, despite them having grown up together.

A loud thud was followed by a shout. Axel tensed, then against his better judgment, he left his room and knocked on the door to Jukie and Yolanda’s.

After some cursing, the door was unlocked and opened. Yolanda hissed at him. “Go away. You won’t help anything here and will only make him madder.”

“But—”

“Go!” she snapped just before slamming the door shut.

Axel didn’t like it but he went back to his hotel room. He listened for any other signs and sounds of fighting, determined to call the police if that’s what he had to do. But a half hour passed and all he heard was the TV through the thin walls. He hoped Jukie had passed out or calmed down.

Axel left again but this time took the elevators down to the lobby. He’d have liked to take West out to eat somewhere nice, or to a movie or show, but the prize money wasn’t in his account yet. Plus, West had been the one to suggest meeting at the bench again to talk.

Talk. God, talking’s good, but there’s other things I’d like to be doing to West. He’s got the most kissable lips I’ve ever seen, and that shy, blushing manner just does it for me.
Axel had jacked off in the shower—both times—unable to keep from thinking of West as he did so. He’d envisioned those pink lips parting for his cock, the wet heat of West’s mouth, the rippling grip of his throat as he took Axel deep.

Axel had come so hard he’d almost blacked out. If he ever
did
get to have sex with West, it just might kill him.

And Axel had to stop thinking about that or he’d have another boner. West probably wouldn’t notice, but if he did, it might embarrass him. For all that Axel wanted to get his hands…and mouth…and other parts on West, he didn’t want to scare West off. Plus, he kind of thought he wanted more than that with West.

West had talked about his four brothers and sisters. He’d conveyed so much love for them, and not any regret or anger at having the responsibility of raising them. That smacked of a man who liked commitment, who understood it and perhaps needed it.

Which might explain why West didn’t have much, if any, experience with other men. Most guys Axel knew would run screaming from a potential relationship that involved raising four kids not their own.

Axel had never understood that. Kids were kids and they all needed love and dependable adults in their lives. Loving one more just because he or she had your DNA seemed cold-hearted to him.

The bench was unoccupied. Axel checked his phone. He had twelve minutes to wait. He sat on the bench and wondered which direction West would come from. Last night, he’d left walking east. Axel perched on the bench, facing that direction in the hopes of catching a glimpse of West before he saw Axel.

“I’m not the only one early.”

Axel squeaked and flopped on the bench as he spun around on his butt. West stood looking down at him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” West held out a hand.

“You left that way.” Axel thumbed over his shoulder before letting West assist him. “Last night, I mean. So I thought you’d come the same way.”

West shrugged then moved to sit by Axel. “I took a different way here tonight. So, congratulations—you won. I’m not surprised. The things you can do on your sandboard are amazing, like magic.”

Axel smiled at him. West hadn’t let go of his hand. It was nice to sit with him and talk. “Thanks. It was a tough competition.”

“When’s the next one?” West asked. “I— How long are you going to be in Portland?”

“A few more days. I’ve got some sponsorship duties to see to.” Axel twined his fingers through West’s. “I’d like to see you as much as possible.” He didn’t press more than that. West had been clear about spending his days with the children and helping out at their school. “How about dinner tomorrow night?”

West averted his gaze.

Axel’s gut clinched. He was about to get shot down.

“I, er. I eat with the kids,” West muttered. “But if you…we could meet later. I don’t want you to hold up on a meal for me.”

Axel couldn’t quite tell what was off about that, about West’s voice or the way he wouldn’t looked at Axel. But since he wasn’t being rejected, he decided to stop overanalyzing and just accept. “That’d be great. Really great. We can meet here and take a cab, maybe go see a movie?”

West bit his bottom lip, then licked it.

Axel only had so much self-control—which in regards to West, was apparently none, since his dick began to firm up.

“We could do that,” West murmured, finally looking at him again.

Axel’s body all but vibrated with need. He wanted… “Any kind of movie you hate? Or any you want to go see?”

West’s cheeks darkened. “Well, I saw a commercial for this new Keanu Reeves movie. I— He’s, er, a favorite.”

“He’s sex personified,” Axel clarified. “And, yeah, I’m in.”

West nodded. “He is hot. I had all the
Matrix
movie posters with him on them, and one from
Point Break
. God, he still looks good.”

Axel agreed, and shortly after admitting to their mutual Keanu admiration, West began asking Axel questions about his past and family.

Talking about himself was harder than Axel would have admitted. At least, talking in depth about himself. He had his interview answers down pat, but West deserved more.

“I was a happy enough kid. Only child, like I’d said. My parents split up when I was too young to notice, but they were both in my life.” Then there was the hard part. “I was in a lot of trouble in my teens, though. Angry that my dad was on his fifth wife and busy with her, pissed that Mom always bad-mouthed him while dating losers that sponged off her. I fell in with the wrong crowd and was arrested, did some time in juvie. More than once.”

West’s eyes were huge. “Can I ask what for? If you don’t want to say—”

Axel waved that off. “Nah, I’m not proud of it, and I don’t talk to anyone about it, but you…” He smiled crookedly at West. “You’re not like everyone else. You believe in zombies, and you listen to me.”

“Zombies are a thing,” West agreed. “They’re gross.”

“You have to tell me how you found out about them,” Axel said. “Tomorrow, after the movie.” It’d give him a reason to keep West with him longer. “But me, when I was a kid, I was angry, and I picked fights, I guess. I wasn’t a bully, exactly. At least I don’t think I was. If I saw someone being a bully, I’d intervene, and that’s kinda what I kept doing, because I saw it as a justified reason to get in a fight.” He sighed and shrugged. “Maybe I was a bully bullier. Between that and graffitiing up everything I could, I was gonna get in trouble. Then one night I beat up the mayor’s son when I saw him kicking a stray dog. I was in juvie for a while for that one. Mom and Dad actually talked and got me help. Took a while, but I came out all right.”

“I’d say you came out more than all right.” West shifted as if suddenly nervous. He glanced around then huffed. “I…I’d really like to kiss you.”

Axel’s dick be damned, a kiss was more than he’d hoped for tonight. “A kiss would be awesome.” He slowly leaned in and touched West’s shoulder. “It’d be…perfect.” Axel liked the way his palms tingled where he was touching West. He ran his hand around to cup West’s nape.

“P-perfect.” West gulped, then trembled.

Was that fear or excitement he saw in West? Axel hesitated, trying to decide.

West made the barest sound, a whimper just carried out on his breath. He lowered his gaze to Axel’s lips but didn’t make a move.

Axel caressed the silky skin on the back of West’s neck. “Kiss me.” He wasn’t usually so hesitant, but since he wasn’t sure what West was feeling, he needed the man to make the first move. “Please.”

West moaned softly and Axel was wrapped in a gentle embrace as West pulled him near. “Axel,” West whispered before closing his eyes. He slanted his mouth over Axel’s.

West’s lips were warm and full, a little wet from him biting and licking them. Axel wanted to press up against him, but restrained himself. He parted his lips and licked at West’s.

Tightening the embrace, West moaned again and opened for Axel.

There was no tentativeness to West then. He slid his tongue into Axel’s mouth and began to lay his claim.

Axel opened himself in more than just the physical sense as West delved into him.

He tasted coppery and sweet, and Axel wanted more. He clung to West, sucking on his tongue, his lips, giving West as much of him as West would take.

Had he been willing, Axel would have let West bend him over the bench and fuck him until they both screamed. He was losing himself so quickly, and in only a kiss, it was jarring.

Axel turned his head, panting, trailing wet kisses along West’s jaw and down his neck.

“Jesus,” West rasped, nipping at the upper curve of Axel’s ear. “God, I want…”

Axel did too. So very much. He had to swallow twice before he could speak. “Anything, West. Anything.”

West pulled him closer. Axel straddled his lap and rubbed his aching cock against West’s belly. It was late enough, and dark enough, that he wasn’t overly concerned with someone seeing them.

West ran his hands down Axel’s back, stopping just above the waistband of his jeans.

Axel nipped at West’s neck, intending to suck up a little mark there.

But West went rigid beneath him and shoved Axel off his lap. “Stop!”