Chapter Two | Brody

Maybe I'd made a mistake propositioning Noah for sex. I thought it would be a done deal. I'm an attractive guy. My conversation skills are shit but that's not what I'd been looking for. Unlike a hookup app, I'd had the opportunity to see the guy I was interested in fucking interacting with other people. I'd gotten to study his character a little. Not that I had anything against random hookups. I had them frequently enough. But I'd been looking for something different.

Somewhere in my subconscious brain, I was looking for a deeper connection with someone. It had crept up on me recently. The need for more. I'd committed to trying something new.

"Not stalking," I muttered again. Yes, I was unusual in the way I went about things. I chalked it up to being on the autism spectrum. I was high-functioning, but I had quirks. What might be normal operating mode for neurotypical people didn't apply to me. I know it made me awkward and I came across as cold and unfeeling—and awkward … did I mention awkward? In my eyes, I saw something I wanted, and I placed myself in a position to get it—him. As simple as that.

Noah just chuckled as I followed him, and we walked two blocks up away from the Inner Harbour to a restaurant on the second floor of a newer building. Jimmy's . And there was the sign to validate Noah's claim. Best Pie in the City it proclaimed .

Outside sat an older homeless man. He was tucked under an overhang, his legs in a sleeping bag, and he had two large furry dogs curled up next to him.

"Evening, Hank," Noah said and approached him. "Staying warm and dry?"

"Doing my best," Hank replied. "Dogs help."

"How are they?"

"Thankfully, they love being outside."

Noah removed his wallet from his back pocket and started fishing around inside.

He's not seriously going to give this guy money. Hank here would likely pack up his belongings and head for the Pandora area and buy drugs with it. Noah was wasting his money.

"Only have a few 5s for you tonight."

"You know it's always appreciated. It'll buy me a nice breakfast tomorrow." Hank took the money from Noah and tucked it in his woolen coat pocket.

Noah stepped away. "Have a good night, Hank."

"God bless. You, too."

All his cash gone; Noah led the way up the stairs to the restaurant. The rush of warm air was sickly sweet as he pulled open the door to reveal an impressive image of an old Chevy cruiser and a black and white checkered floor. We were shown to a 50s-style diner, red pleather booth. I removed my coat and toque and folded them, placing them against the end of the booth seating.

After settling, I let my gaze wander to Noah's face. My stomach did a bit of a flip. His appearance thrilled me, but what kinds of questions was he going to ask me? Would he expect an answer to everything he asked? There was a reason I didn't usually do much talking with guys.

It made me nervous .

My ability to determine if someone was being insincere sucked. Usually, it didn't show on their face. I'd have to look for other clues like body posture. Were they relaxed? Were they stiff? I had made an extensive study of both types of tells when it came to everyday life, but sussing someone out when I was distracted by their swoon-worthy looks made things difficult.

Noah smiled at me with those gorgeous lips of his that were so plump, I wanted to take a bite out of them. Would that be something he'd be into? Me biting and sucking on those lips.

"Where are you from?" he started.

Safe enough question.

"Grew up in Victoria."

His expression brightened. "Me too. Whereabouts?"

Too personal.

My brow furrowed of its own accord. "We moved around."

"My parents still live in our childhood home in Oak Bay."

That explained a lot, his owning one of the most popular pubs in Victoria. He probably grew up loaded. His parents most likely funded the acquisition of his pub.

"Do your parents live in Victoria?" he pressed on.

Way too personal.

I lifted the menu. "What pie do you recommend?"

His pretty lips turned into a frown. I hadn't answered his question. Why did he want to know about my parents? They had nothing to do with what I was trying to accomplish tonight.

"I like their pecan pie the best," he answered.

I was going to have lemon meringue. I liked the whipped and toasted egg whites.

The female server approached wearing an outfit straight out of the 1950s; a short, pastel pink skirt and button-up blouse, and a white frilly apron tied at the waist, hanging down the front of the pleated material that barely covered her thighs. Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun.

We placed our pie orders along with a couple of coffees. A deviation from the image the restaurant was trying to create, the server entered our order on an electronic tablet.

It irritated me more than it should.

"What do you do for work?" Noah pressed on; his gaze focused on my eyes. I didn't like people knowing what I did. What if they found some way to use it against me?

"Legal work." I'd give him that much.

He leaned forward against the table, placing his elbows on it. "Doing what?"

I sighed. I didn't want to continue this line of questioning. Luckily, I was saved from answering when the server brought our coffee. I busied myself adding cream and sugar.

What's an appropriate thing to ask him?

"How long have you owned the pub?" I knew Noah owned it because I'd heard him talking about the business with the incredibly gorgeous bartender, Liam, he worked with.

I'd barely spoken to Liam. He made me feel intimidated. I knew when someone was out of my league. And the guy Noah liked to joke around with was just that—way out of my league. Like a whole other stratosphere. I found Noah with his gentle and attractive face much more approachable. He was rugged with his auburn hair and piercing blue eyes. It made for a stunning combination. Even though I suspected Noah was experienced, catching him flirting with men, he appeared wholesome. A natural, boy next door look that always got my motor running.

"Four years now," Noah replied. "Took me a while, working double shifts, to get enough money together to buy the business. Had to take out a frightening loan but I'm making it work. There's still a lot of improvements to do to make things the way I want them, but we were voted #1 British pub in Victoria the last two years. Pretty proud of that. Everyone has worked so hard to make it happen." Noah laughed. "Guess my business degree paid off after all."

I felt a little guilty for assuming Noah's parents had funded the purchase of the pub business. Noah had done it on his own. It was commendable and upped my respect factor for him.

I searched my mind for another question you asked when getting to know someone. I had a list in my head. What's the right one?

"What do your parents do?" I asked. If I kept questioning him, maybe he'd refrain from trying to find out more about me. Our pie orders arrived, and Noah dug in.

Around a mouthful of pie. "My parents and both my siblings are corporate lawyers."

I raised my eyebrows. That was a curious piece of information. "Why not you?"

Noah smeared around the dollop of whipped cream on the top of his pie slice. "They have their own law firm. I was told I had to finish law school and join the firm." He smiled. "Didn't obviously. Parents aren't pleased. Even now with the pub winning awards. I decided to forge my own path. There are days I'm not sure I did the right thing. My parents reinforce that often."

"They don't support you?" Now I was getting too personal. Better him than me. He didn't seem to mind talking about himself. It almost seemed like he was seeking some kind of approval.

His brow dipped and his beautiful blue eyes turned sad. "Nah, but I try not to let it bother me."

Subject change.

I wracked my brain.

"So, you and that bartender, Liam, you're friends?" I asked .

Noah chuckled. "Since the start of junior high school. We were in most of the same classes during our first semester. He became my best friend pretty quick. One of our classes, physical education, Liam sucked at it. I used to help him out, practicing after school. In exchange, he would help me with Biology and Chemistry. Supporting each other that way really cemented our friendship. At the start of senior year, we came out to each other. The rest is history."

"I have a friend at work. We're not close but I can share with her."

Not sure why I told Noah about my assistant, Alesia. Noah was so open with me that I felt I needed to contribute something , but doing so was very unlike me. Noah was putting me at ease.

"It's amazing to have friends you can trust," Noah replied.

Trusting Alesia was maybe taking it a bit far. I respected her opinion, and she hadn't broadcast any of the concerns and stories I had dropped on her. I know it shouldn't, but it still made me uncomfortable to tell Alesia about my life. There was so much she didn't know.

Keep the conversation going on your terms.

"Do you have many friends?" I asked.

Noah scraped his plate, getting every crumb, and licked his delectable pink lips. I'd barely made a dent in my pie. I set about it with a bit more purpose.

"I have quite a few. Some are just acquaintances. I have two more good friends. Ethan and Owen. We all went to high school together. Both are queer too. We're pretty inseparable."

I poked at the edge of the pie crust. I'd eaten all the filling. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. We'd pay for our desserts and then what?

"Are we going to your place next?" I asked. We certainly wouldn't be going to my place. It was my sanctuary. I didn't let anyone into my home. Even Alesia .

Noah inhaled deeply as his gaze tracked all over my face. "You're absolutely gorgeous, do you know that? I'd love to see that face looking down at me. But no."

"No?" I rattled my fork onto my plate and shoved everything to the edge of the table. Was it because I hadn't been forthcoming with much information about myself? I had good reason for not trusting people. My parents had made sure of that. "Why not?"

"Look … you seem like a nice guy, and I'm definitely attracted to you, but it's way too late and I'm not feeling it tonight. Maybe some other time."

I wasn't sure if Noah turning me down was a failure of my new approach or not. I'd had a pleasant time hearing about his life. If we did eventually hook up maybe knowing more about him would enhance things. I pulled out my wallet, lay some cash on the table, and stood.

After grabbing my coat and toque, I held out my hand to Noah for a handshake. "Thanks for suggesting the pie. And thank you for the company. It was nice."

Did that sound too much like something you'd say after a date? This hadn't been a date. Just two guys hanging out. Noah rose to his feet and shook my hand.

"Maybe next time, you can share a little about yourself," he said and smiled at me.

Next time?

That thought carried me to my car and home to my townhouse in Langford. After closing my front door, I set my keys in a bowl on the antique credenza in the foyer. I fussed with the fresh-cut flowers I'd picked up from the market after work, rearranging them.

My dog, Bentley, needed a minute outside for his last watering of my small lawn. He was quick, thankfully. It had started to rain. Once I stored my outerwear, I crossed my living room through an obstacle course of meowing cats to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water.

The night had turned out differently than I'd expected but I wasn't upset. I'd never endeavoured to get to know someone before I slept with them before. Even my last boyfriend had been a fuck first ask questions later type of start to a relationship. That hadn't worked so well.

Noah had been so open with me—trusting. It was refreshing. I was jealous. How did someone reach that level of trust in the world around them? It must be incredibly freeing.

I drank my water as I made my way to the bedroom, set the glass on the bedside table, and went into the bathroom. I needed a shower. The heat of the buffalo wings had precipitated a sheen of sweat to gather on my skin. Some men found that attractive, including myself. The scent of perspiration on a man drove my senses crazy. Made me want to lick every part of him.

I adjusted the temperature of the shower and stepped in. I always started with my hair but soon after, my hand wandered down my body, the sight of Noah's lips on my mind. My cock throbbed as I brought the delicious image of Noah licking those lips to the forefront.

So sexy.

I gripped my shaft and stroked it slowly. It swelled in my hand until it was tight. I groaned as I placed my other hand on the shower wall. Those perfect lips. Those incredible blue eyes. I could imagine them looking up at me, blinking, as I plundered his hole.

My dick jerked in my hand, demanding more. I increased my pace, jacking harder until I couldn't stop myself from fucking my hand, my hips pumping back and forth. His tongue darted out, licking the pie crumbs from his lips. The sounds I imagined he'd make as I pummeled him into the bedding. His cock throbbing and leaking precum onto his stomach. The taste of it. I'd want a taste of it on my tongue. I'd hit his prostate just right, making him swear and call my name.

And then he'd cum unassisted, his hole contracting tight around my cock.

I thrust hard into my hand and blew my load, coating my fingers until the water of the shower washed it away. There was still enough to taste, and I savoured it. Noah had done that to me.

I did a decent job of washing myself. I'd shower again in the morning. Maybe revisit the scenario starring Noah I had created in my mind. It would be a couple of days until I saw him again. I didn't go out to eat on weekends. I liked to cook for myself for those two nights. It's one of the things my mom had instilled in me, a love of good homemade food.

Staying home also allowed me to catch up on some trial preparations. I loved my job. Being a prosecuting criminal lawyer brought me incredible satisfaction. I took it home nightly with me because it was a necessity but also because I enjoyed sitting in bed with my case files spread all over the bedding, my laptop on my lap, glasses on, tea on the bedside table, pouring over details of a case. It had always been my dream and now I was living it.

The only thing that could make it better would be if I had someone to share my life with.