Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 199(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 199(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
“And you didn’t bring anything home?”
“A handful of personal journals. I hadn’t seen my uncle since I was a kid, but I have a lot of fond memories of him. I wanted to read some of his journals to learn more about his life.”
“Were they stolen?”
Ehren shook his head. “I saw them in the suitcase with the rest of my clothes.”
Stephen tossed his hands up in the air. “Then I got nothing. I’m hanging up my sleuthing hat and leaving this one to the professionals.”
One corner of Ehren’s mouth quirked up. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For hanging out. Sticking with me. For even sitting down at my table tonight,” he finished with a kind of exasperated, breathless laugh. Ehren rubbed his eyes, and Stephen wasn’t sure if he was still laughing or on the verge of crying. He wouldn’t blame him for doing both. It had been one of the weirdest nights of Stephen’s life, and he was largely a bystander to all of it.
But he was glad he could be there for Ehren. He was a fun, interesting guy. While he didn’t want Ehren to go through any of this, Stephen was grateful that he could be the one sitting here now, trying to put a smile on his face.
“You know, I was thinking for our second date we’d try for something more low-key. Maybe a movie?”
Ehren’s grin returned. “And finish the night with a car chase?”
“Nope. Movie and maybe a really good kiss.”
“How good of a kiss?”
Oh, he was a bad man. But that didn’t stop Stephen from sliding across the couch and cupping one side of Ehren’s face. “I was thinking something along the lines of this.”
He barely got the words out. Ehren was already meeting him halfway. Their lips came together in a deep, hungry kiss that had the blood flowing right to Stephen’s dick. There was something about kissing Ehren that made him want to throw all sense out the window.
Their tongues tangled, and Stephen moaned into Ehren’s mouth. He tasted of beer and something that was sweetly him. Everything about him was becoming so addictive so fast. He wanted to explore every inch of Ehren, to lick him, suck him, nuzzle all the bits until the man was panting and begging for release. He wanted more.
Ehren broke off the kiss first, tipping his head up to gasp for air. He was breathing heavy, as if he’d run a marathon, and Stephen wasn’t much better.
“We’re being bad,” he panted.
“Sorry. That was my fault.”
“Don’t. You’re amazing when you’re bad.”
Stephen grinned. Who didn’t love to hear they were amazing? But he quickly pushed backward, putting a cushion of space between them before he could kiss Ehren again. “We should probably call it a night. It’s been a long day. Tomorrow I can make us breakfast. Or if you have time, we can grab some on the way to your place.”
Ehren nodded. “I like that plan. I think I’ll grab a shower and go to bed. Night.”
“I’ll probably do the same. Save me some cold water if you don’t mind.”
Ehren winked at him as he rose and headed for the stairs. The second the man’s back was turned, Stephen adjusted himself so his hard dick was more comfortable in his pants.
He lingered downstairs, tossing away their empty beer bottles, checking that his doors were locked and the alarm set. When he passed by the guest bedroom, he could hear the shower running and smiled. Was Ehren actually taking a cold shower or was he indulging in some relief?
In the master bedroom, Stephen snagged a pair of clean briefs before stepping into the bathroom to strip. Under the hot spray, he breathed a sigh, glad to find himself at the end of a very long day. Work was good, but it could be physically and emotionally draining.
And then there was Ehren. He had not been expecting to meet someone when he’d stopped for dinner. Definitely hadn’t expected to get drawn in for a bit of drama, not that any of it was Ehren’s fault. Sometimes shit just happened to good people.
Soon enough, the dust would settle, and life would fall back into its various routines of work and relaxation time. He’d take Ehren out for a movie. Maybe one of the movie nights out at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre; it was gorgeous under the stars, the way the lights played along the red monoliths of stone. It also offered an amazing view of Denver at night.
After the movie—and when Ehren was feeling more emotionally stable—they could explore the more physical side of things. God, the man could kiss. Every slide of Ehren’s tongue, the dig of his fingers into muscle, as if he needed Stephen closer, heated his blood.
Pressing one hand into the tile for balance, he wrapped the other around his dick and stroked. Pleasure rippled through him and he softly moaned, tilting his face into the spray. How long had it been since he’d been with someone? Months at least.