Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 103819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
"You don't have to say things like that," Kane said, his arms full of their clothes. He took a step inside the living room, draping the items across the closest chair, marveling that he'd still only made it a few feet inside the condo.
"I'm not doing it for your benefit. I'm saying how I feel. I can stop if it makes you uncomfortable," Avery said, tracking every step Kane made. He still had a death grip on his cock.
"This whole thing has me a little uncomfortable," Kane finally said. Between the kind words, and the way it looked like Avery still tried to hold off his release, Kane was being drawn in deeper. He had tried to talk himself out of what he'd felt in the wine cellar with Avery. He'd justified his decision to come here tonight as the one-night stand rebound from Brian. Now, Avery's every word increased his battle to keep this night impersonal.
"I can see that. How do I stop it?" Avery asked, finally letting go of his cock. He was so beautiful, standing there naked, his gorgeous cock bobbing in front of him as he waited for a reply. Kane realized Avery kept his distance on purpose to make him feel more comfortable. Dang, he couldn't help his heart connecting a little more in this moment.
"You can't. I don't do this," Kane said, waving his hands between their bodies. "This whole one-night stand thing. It's against my beliefs."
"Good…but never?" Avery asked, his usual intensity clouded by confusion. Kane got it. He was the odd one, not Avery.
"No, never," Kane simply responded. His own nakedness finally sank in, and he could feel his cock slightly deflating as he became more uncomfortable with the conversation.
"Are you in a relationship?" Avery asked.
"Not anymore."
"Since when?" Avery wasn't taking the subtle two word hints that he didn't really want to talk about this. Kane weighed his options, trying to decide what was best to say. In his mind, nothing appeared appropriate and he decided to answer honestly.
"Today," Kane finally said in little more than a whisper.
"Why today?" Avery asked, and Kane swallowed the answer down. He absolutely couldn't tell Avery he was unable to hang on to his man. "Was it because of me?"
"No." Kane shook his head, still not admitting the truth.
"You could have lied. I'd like to believe it was me," Avery said and smiled. He still kept his distance from Kane, but his cock was deflating, hanging freely between his legs. Great. Not only could he not hang on to Brian, he couldn't keep Avery hard. This so wasn't going the way he'd expected, and he took a step behind the chair. He still had a partial arousal going. It wasn't cool to be the only one.
"I had no idea you were gay until you cornered me downstairs. How did you know I was?" Kane asked.
"I paid Markie for the information right after I got there tonight. I couldn't wait to know. You're all I've been thinking about since I met you," Avery said, taking a step or two toward Kane.
"I was convinced I'd completely insulted you somehow." Kane used the chair between them as a protective barrier.
"I know, I just don't know why you thought that," Avery said.
"You never spoke. You never acknowledged me when I greeted your table," Kane said.
"You stunned me," Avery said, stepping closer as he reached up to run his palm across Kane's cheek, his thumb lingering. Kane had no idea how to respond, so he stayed quiet.
"If you don't do one-night stands, how many men have you been with?" Avery asked. He seemed content to keep the chair between them. Avery had gone completely soft, but slid his palm down Kane's arm to take the hand lying on the chair. He entwined their fingers together. That was so not a question he wanted to answer, so he chose to stay silent.
"You don't lie very well, do you?" Avery asked, grinning now.
"No. It's in the way I was raised." Finally, something he was willing to answer.
"More than ten?" Avery asked. Dang, why were they back here? "More than five?"
Kane stayed silent.
"Just tell me how many," Avery said, pulling Kane from behind the chair, to stand before him. Avery loosely wrapped an arm around his waist, keeping their hands intertwined.
"Two," Kane whispered and looked away from Avery. He'd just confessed his ludicrously small number to the worldly grandson of the president of the United States.
"Two? How old are you?" Clearly Avery had a hard time believing him. He could lie. Just lie, Kane! You'll never see him again.
"Thirty-three, how old are you?" Kane shot back, feeling defensive now. He needed to leave. Hell, he shouldn't have even come here in the first place. Why weren't they having sex right now?
"Thirty-five. How long have you been out?" Avery asked and held on to Kane as he tried to pull away from the embrace. He was seriously starting to regret this decision. Humiliation never occurred to him as a possible outcome. He wanted out.
"I was eighteen when I told my family," Kane said, and this time, he tore free of the hold, looking through the clothes for his underwear.
"Two men in fifteen years?" Avery asked. Kane immediately began pulling all his clothing from the mix he'd picked up from the floor. He bent forward to slide his underwear back on, but Avery stopped him, actually taking the boxers from his hand. "Are you here to get back at your boyfriend?"
"No," Kane said and laughed. For the first time in several minutes, Kane looked deeply into Avery's eyes. The truth? Something he hadn't admitted before right this minute—he was here because he'd never been kissed like he'd been kissed by Avery in his wine cellar. Avery had somehow branded himself on Kane's heart in those few short minutes. Kane was compelled to see what more was there between them, even if it were just one night. Brian hadn't even been considered until Avery brought him up. How had he not thought of the man he had dated for the last four years?