16. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

T odd climbed the steps and knocked on the door. He hoped he was in the right place. With a small house at the front of the property, he couldn't be sure. But Ulises had said it was the apartment above the garage. He must have gotten it right.

A red pickup truck was parked on the road. Two men sat in the driver's seat. Todd could see it from the landing at the top of the steps. The truck seemed more expensive than most trucks, although Todd didn’t know enough about makes and models of vehicles to know what made it seem expensive. It stood out in Wingspan. He had the impression the guys inside had chosen it because they wanted to blend in. They failed.

For some reason, memories of the vampire crime boss he used to know assaulted him. He shuddered and told himself not to delve too deeply into the past. He was supposed to be going on a date with a hot guy. Put your fun hat on, Todd.

The door opened and Ulises stood in front of him with a smile and a blush. "Hi."

"Hello." Todd held out the box. "I made your favorite cookies."

Ulises's gasped. "Really?"

Todd smiled. "I hope they're as good as the ones you like."

Ulises stepped aside to let him inside. "I'm sure they're as delicious as the orange rolls."

Todd had screwed up the recipe for the cookies three times before he’d created something he liked. "This may be hard to believe but I've been known to mess things up a lot."

Ulises set the box on the kitchen counter and put a hand to his chest, faking surprise.

Todd chuckled. "Brat."

Ulises’ apartment was one big room with a small kitchen off to the right. He was a reader. It seemed he liked romantic comedies if the book on the coffee table was any indication.

Ulises peeked into the box, saw the cookies, and then met Todd's gaze. His eyes widened. "This might ruin my dinner, but whatever. I'll have salad."

Todd chuckled. "Or we can take them with us. I found a drive-in movie theatre that's about forty minutes away."

"The one in Graysonville?"

"Yeah. That's the one." Todd had seen the listing for it online and thought he'd pitch the idea to Ulises. "I had no idea they still had theatres like that anymore. We don't have to go if you think you'd be uncomfortable, but I've never been to one before. I've only seen them on television."

Ulises shut the box and held it again. "I haven't either. But I've lived in Wingspan my whole life, so I've heard of it."

Why was Todd so nervous all of a sudden? Being alone in the car with Ulises was more appealing than a dark theater with the movie so loud they couldn't talk to each other.

"It starts at dusk I guess. Which makes sense." God, he needed to stop talking.

"So dinner. The river walk. And then the theatre if we're still feeling up to it." Ulises seemed a little unsteady on his feet. He swayed to the point of falling against the kitchen counter.

"Whoa." Todd grabbed him around the waist, trying to steady him. "Are you okay?"

Ulises put the box of cookies down again and braced himself on the counter. "I’m fine. I sometimes get dizzy. That’s all."

"Nothing serious, I hope."

"I'll be fine." Ulises must be very good at saying that, but Todd recognized a lie when he heard one.

"How about I stay close." Not that it was a hardship.

"That would be helpful." Ulises spoke to Todd's mouth as though he wanted a kiss.

Todd obliged, intending to keep the kiss light. They were just starting the date after all. Doing things a little backward wasn't a good start but a light peck wouldn't hurt anything. Right?

Yeah, it somehow turned into the steamiest first kiss Todd had ever experienced. Ulises’ lips were soft, and he was pliant in a way Todd wasn't used to. When Todd licked at the seam of his lips, Ulises opened for him, giving as good as he got, wanting to take it to the next level. He tasted sweet as if he'd drunk some sort of juice not too long ago.

Todd held his nape. The strands of his soft hair tickled Todd's hand. Something about that made Todd want to hold him all night. Forget dinner and the river and the outdoor theater.

Before he knew it, he’d boxed Ulises in using the counter. Ulises had his arms around Todd and seemed to want to climb him like a tree but Todd wasn't much bigger than Ulises, so it didn't quite work. He wasn't sure who made more demands, but he backed off, giving Ulises permission to take over. But at the exact same moment so had Ulises.

They panted as they stared at each other.

"That was hot." Todd hadn't intended to say that, but his mouth hadn't caught up to his brain. Through the haze of lust and confusion he said whatever was on his mind.

Ulises "Uh-huh. And weird."

"Yeah." But Todd couldn’t put his finger on why. "Can I hug you?"

"You already are." Ulises chuckled and leaned into him, so their cheeks were pressed together.

Todd tightened his hold on Ulises.

They might have been a similar height, but Ulises was thinner. Todd could feel how slight he was as they hugged.

"Just so you know, I really want to hump your leg like a dog, but I’ll refrain," Ulises whispered. The admission might have been said in jest but there was some truth behind it.

Todd snorted. "I understand and feel the exact same way. You're fire, Magic Man."

"So are you." There was an unspoken 'but' there. Todd felt in the pit of his stomach. Neither of them said it aloud. "This is nice, though."

"Yeah." They worked in some ways, but not in others. It was too early to tell which ways worked and which didn’t. They had attraction and chemistry, though. That much was clear.

"I'm not very dominant in relationships." And there it was. The problem.

"Neither am I. But I'd still like to go on the date. If you do." Todd wanted to get to know Ulises better.

"I'd like to spend time with you too." And Ulises meant it. The smile and the way he put himself out there said as much.

Todd could see what Seryn meant about Ulises being endearing. He was an open book. That much became clear the longer their date lasted.

He worried about them not being compatible. Todd couldn't afford to just see where the night took them. He couldn't afford to overlook how they wanted the same thing in a romantic partner, and it wasn't what the other could give. At least not entirely. So what did that mean for them? Todd didn’t know and he wasn't sure he wanted to risk finding out.