Chapter Six | Daniel

I strolled into the bowling alley, humming, feeling pretty good about life. It was mid-week, and my bowling team had a practice. And I'd kissed Ethan. And he had nearly melted in my arms.

I exhaled a long breath, clearing the memory as I approached the guys.

Carl, Lance, and Avery. I'd known them all for five years. Carl and Lance were my age. In their 50s. Avery was younger by at least ten years. They were all great guys.

"Someone is looking more cheerful than usual," Carl said as he spotted me.

I hadn't been able to wipe the grin off my face since Friday night. It didn't help that Ethan and I had continued to text back and forth since then. Every day he said something that made me feel hopeful. That we were on the right track. That we were nurturing a real connection.

I sat down and dug my bowling shoes out of my bag.

"Had a first date on Friday night that went well."

Carl let loose a construction site whistle that made me blush.

"Do we know her?" asked Lance.

"No." I slipped on my shoes. "Plus, I don't kiss and tell."

"I love first date kisses," Avery said, looking wistful.

I laughed. "The kiss just about did me in."

"You going out with her again?" Carl asked.

"We haven't set anything up yet, but that's the plan. "

"Are you going to be able to bowl straight with that goofy look on your face?" Lance teased.

"The plan is to beat you like I do every week."

"I think I might have an advantage this week."

I lifted my bowling ball from my bag and set it on the ball return. "Try me."

Carl snorted, laughing, and pounded me on the back. "I'll get the beer."

In the end, I came in second with an average score of 210. I was feeling a bit achy by the time we finished playing three games. I sat on the bench and tugged off my shoes, then retrieved my phone. The guys were all chatting and not paying attention to me.

Me: Hey.

Ethan: Well, hello handsome.

Me: How is your Thursday evening looking?

Ethan: For you? Clear and sunny.

Me: Can I pick you up around 6 pm to go for a walk along the beach?

Ethan: Can you grab me from the coffee shop?

Me: I'll grab you from anywhere.

Ethan: Cheeky.

Me: When it comes to you, I can't help myself.

Ethan: I'll be ready for you.

Me: You have no idea how much I love hearing those words from you .

Ethan: You are devilish today. Love it! heart emoji

Me: Can't wait to see you. To hold you again. kiss emoji

Okay, Daniel. Take it down a notch.

Me: I'll see you on Thursday.

Ethan: My lips will be waiting for yours.

I smiled. We were like a couple of teenagers. It made me feel good, the flirting. We went through spurts of it in our regular text messages. But mostly, we just shared snippets of our lives. Last night, Ethan had phoned me. Used the excuse that he didn't feel like typing. It was incredible to hear his voice. To fully experience the heartiness of his laughter outside of a typed lol .

"There he is … grinning again," Carl said, laughing. "She's snagged you."

"In the best possible way," I replied.

"I'm happy for you," said Avery.

"Yeah," Lance said. "I suppose it was time for you to get back in the game."

"Doesn't feel like a game," I retorted. It didn't. Ethan and I were playful with each other, but we were both taking what we were building seriously. If I hadn't had family commitments the past weekend, I would have been down at the coffee shop to see him—even if he couldn't get away. I would've been happy to simply sit and watch him work.

I left the bowling alley with a lot on my mind. Ethan's appearance in my life had been the last thing I'd expected when I walked into that coffee shop for the first time. All because the coffee pot in our office had gone on the fritz. I had bad electronics to thank for bringing me to Ethan .

He'd been clearing tables around me, stopped what he was doing, and smiled at me. I thought he was being a friendly employee. Then he'd asked if he could sit with me for a minute.

My heart had nearly dissolved, shaken apart by all sorts of crazy rhythms. I wasn't sure what his intentions were. He'd introduced himself as the owner of the shop. I'd told him about the malfunction of our coffee pot. Then we'd chatted like we'd known each other for years.

Over the next few weeks, every time I went there by myself, Ethan sat with me. I began to look forward to the smile that reached his beautiful brown eyes. I went from simple attraction to aching for his attention. To be the one person he chose to sit with. That I was special in his eyes.

Then my boss told me we were shutting down the office and moving to an office building in Langford where the rent was cheaper. I'd been too crushed to tell Ethan.

I probably owed him an explanation before my absence, but I had wanted a clean break from him to protect my heart. Never seeing him again somehow seemed better than rarely seeing him.

I hadn't believed he was interested in me romantically. Thought he was being friendly. Even if he was attracted to me, a possibility I couldn't wrap my mind around, our age difference meant there could be no future for us. An age gap like ours wasn't unusual in the queer community, but I had my family to consider. It would be enough of a shock to them that I was attracted to a man.

As soon as I'd received the news from my boss, I stopped my trips to see Ethan.

I had been so wrong to walk away.

I'd convinced myself Ethan could have anyone he wanted. Why on earth would he want me? Ethan was young and gorgeous. He was fun with a side of cheek and incredibly intelligent, running that coffee shop with skill and professionalism. He was the kind of guy I dreamed about.

And so sexy. That kiss had nearly dropped me to my knees to worship him. I would have gladly sucked him off right there. Taken his cock in my mouth and felt its weight on my tongue.

Seductive and beautiful.

And he had chosen me.

I released a shuddering breath as I pulled into my driveway.

While I was preparing my nighttime snack, I contemplated asking Ethan something during our walk tomorrow. I had told him I wanted us to take our time. I wasn't sure I could stick to that. I felt like I knew him so well already. We'd essentially been dating for weeks before I vanished.

Now that we'd reconnected, my feelings for him were increasing fast. Especially after that kiss. There was something special happening between us. With him, I wanted to fall off the precipice of desire and affection we'd built and see if we would soar together.

I suspected; we'd take flight.

On Thursday evening, the parking lot at Esquimalt Lagoon was mostly vacant. At least we'd had sun all day, so the air was warm enough to linger outside down by the sea.

I'd picked up Ethan and we'd held hands for much of the drive out. He'd initiated the contact and I suspected he craved that kind of tenderness from whoever he was with.

We parked at the south end near the driftwood sculptures.

"Oh, perfect," he said. "I love seeing these."

"Thought you might." I lifted our joined hands and kissed his knuckles .

"I know I've said this before … but you're dangerous." He grinned at me and squeezed my hand. "You've got all the moves."

"I may have been accused of being a charmer in the past."

"Your ex-wife?"

I grunted. "Let's not talk about her. Today is about us."

"I like the sound of us ."

God, he was peeling away every layer of protection I had assembled around my heart when Delores and I divorced. I had promised myself I wouldn't jump into any new relationship too fast.

Ethan made it impossible to even consider slowing down.

We took our time looking at the animals created out of driftwood. Ethan snapped a few pictures with his phone. A few with both of us, smiling, like we were a couple.

After climbing over the barrier of logs rough tides had brought in, we arrived on the sand along the shoreline. We had to walk single file; the strip of dry land was so thin. Ethan went first, his arm stretched out behind him so we could stay touching, our fingers entwined.

"Have you eaten yet?" I asked.

"No. I'm eyeing that food truck over there."

"You like Greek food?"

"You'll find I love most foods."

I laughed. "Noted."

Ethan led the way in picking our way back up the beach. There was a short line to order food, and we had to wait for our food to be prepared. Once we had our Greek chicken wraps, we found a log the right height to sit on and look out at the sea as gentle waves rolled in.

The setting was perfect. The man I was with—incredible.

We ate in silence; the food was so good. I liked that we didn't need to fill our time together with a bunch of chatter. We were comfortable just being together—at each other's side .

Ethan was getting into his wrap. When I turned to watch him, he inadvertently left a dollop of Tzatziki sauce at the corner of his mouth.

I kept waiting for his tongue to dart out to collect it. After a few moments, when it didn't, I reached over and used my thumb to wipe the sauce away. Ethan's gaze smoldered as he watched me put my thumb in my mouth and suck on it.

He shifted closer to me.

"That's so hot," he whispered.

Not sure what came over me, but I responded with, "I wish it was you."

Ethan grinned at me. "My thumb?"

"So cheeky." I placed my still-damp thumb on his lips and eased it into his mouth. His warmth enveloped me … then the suction started. My cock throbbed. "You know exactly what I mean."

"Mm …." Ethan sucked my thumb to the very tip then released it. "I do. What are we going to do about it? I thought we were taking our time."

I shook my head. "I want you to come camping with me."

"That sounds very primal … out in the woods." He winked at me. "I'll cum so hard."

"Jeezus, Ethan." My dick strained against my jeans. "I want you so bad."

"Then when are we going camping?"

"I have a spot reserved for this Friday and Saturday night."

I could see Ethan hesitate. "I'll have to rearrange what we're selling at the shop if I'm not there to make most of the baked goods. I can send Claire to a local bakery for some items."

"Will that be a problem? You could drive back in. I booked at Goldstream. "

Ethan ran his hand up my chest. "No. Once I get you in bed, I won't be going anywhere."

A shiver catapulted up my spine. Part excitement over partaking of Ethan's body. Part fear that I wouldn't be able to keep up with him in bed.

Ethan undid my top two buttons and slid his hand behind the material, playing with the hair on my chest. I nearly hauled him back to the car to fuck him senseless when he whimpered.

Something about the tone relayed more than desire.

"You make me so wet," Ethan whispered in my ear.

Oh, Christ.

He was going to make me cum. Every bit of moisture in my mouth evaporated. I grasped his thigh. People spoke near us. I remembered where we were. "We need to stop."

We were both still clutching the remnants of our wraps; pulverized from gripping them so tightly. "I think you need to take me home," Ethan said. "Drop me off—alone."

After discarding the wrecked remainders of our food, I did just that. I drove Ethan home. He lived on one of the streets that spilled onto Store Street in an eccentric old brick building.

"Nice place."

"Rent is cheap. I've been here for twelve years. I love it here so close to downtown." Ethan licked his lips as he looked at me. "So … what time are you picking me up tomorrow?"

"Can you leave work around 4 pm? I like to have enough time to set up before dinner."

"I'll work by your schedule. You know what needs to be done. What should I bring?"

"I wouldn't say no to some baked goods."

Ethan grinned. "That I can do. What else?"

I drew my fingers down his jawline. He hummed and tipped his head to increase his contact with them. "Don't bring a lot of clothes … you won't need them. "

Ethan's chest rose and fell dramatically. "You're going to make me jump you if you keep this up."

"I like making you feel good."

"You do that in spades." He reached for the door handle. "I'm getting out now."

"A kiss? You said you were keeping some warm for me."

Ethan placed his finger on my lips. "I'm going to leave them on simmer until tomorrow."

I snorted and laughed, grinning. "Tease."

He tapped my lips. "You love it."

I stared at Ethan's firm ass as he approached his building. I didn't take my eyes off him until he disappeared behind the door. I wouldn't be sleeping much tonight.