Chapter Five

The doorbell rang, and Gable swiped his sweating palms on his jeans. He had lived in fear all day of being stood up. There was no reason for Cutler to keep their date. There was also no reason for Gable to think he wouldn’t show. He was just nervous. Cutler seemed great. Dating wasn’t his biggest strength. He wanted things to go well.

As Gable opened the door, the delicious scent of Cutler’s cologne hit first. He fought the urge to smile like an idiot. Cutler looked sexy as sin. “Hey. ”

Cutler stepped inside. “Hey.” That was it. Cutler overcame him before the word died on his lips. Their mouths met. All good sense fled. Then Gable made a fatal mistake. His hands collided with Cutler’s torso. He got his first feel of the incredible body Cutler kept hidden beneath his clothes. His soul wept for more. He had to have more.

“I swear I’ll take you to dinner.” There was no fake American accent. It was as if Gable had him too turned on to focus.

“I don’t give a shit.”

Cutler held the back of Gable’s head, controlling their kiss. Gable found his way beneath Cutler’s shirt. He had to touch bare skin. A stuttered breath escaped him when he felt the softness over hard muscle. They couldn’t go to dinner. Gable leaked pre-cum inside his underwear.

“I didn’t plan things this way. ”

Gable needed him to stop talking and fuck him. “I don’t care.”

It seemed the second reassurance was all Cutler needed. His hands found the button on Gable’s jeans. He popped it open and slid down his zipper. A sexy growl escaped him as his hand dove inside Gable’s underwear. Gable moaned as he squeezed. All good sense fled. Gable tore at Cutler’s jeans. He wanted to touch Cutler too. They kissed while tugging and pulled at each other’s clothes as they moved toward the couch. There was no way they would make it to the bedroom.

Everything looked hazy as Cutler ripped open his wallet and pulled half the shit out while finding a condom. No oxygen reached Gable’s brain. He half-ass noticed Cutler tearing into a small packet of lube. Gable was past the point of caring. He was desperate. Gable felt almost frantic with lust. Then Cutler thrust, impaling him. They froze.

Gable was on his back with no memory of how he ended up there. Cutler had one arm bracing himself on the arm of the couch. He stared down at Gable and thrust again. The steady way he held Gable’s gaze fucked with Gable’s head. He couldn’t look away. It was as if Cutler needed Gable to recognize who fucked him. There was no chance he could see anyone else. Cutler was in his head. Everything felt extreme and powerful. The moment seemed pivotal, as if Gable’s life had just changed in a way he didn’t understand yet. He felt the shift in his chest.

Cutler slowly lowered his head. Their lips met. This time, Gable’s breath shook. He recognized he had just been owned. Claimed. This wasn’t just sex. Cutler rocked inside him at the perfect angle to steal every thought. Gable dug his heel into the couch as leverage as he fought to get closer. Everything vanished except his need to come. Their kiss turned violent again as Cutler’s thrusts quickened. They were so focused, the only sound was their bodies slapping and ragged breaths. All the sensations grew to a crescendo. Gable’s muscles tensed so hard, he could snap a tendon. He held his breath and focused everything on the building tension. Then, bliss. Cries filled the air. Gable didn’t even recognize the sounds that came from him. Cutler buried his face against Gable’s chest and thrust hard, riding Gable’s orgasm. Desperate sounds vibrated against Gable’s skin. Pride filled him as Cutler blew. Every second and sound seared into memory, cementing itself as the sexiest encounter in Gable’s life. He had never made anyone lose control like that. It was empowering. His ego had never been as big .

He didn’t know which of them laughed first, but once one started, they both shook with laughter. Cutler kissed his cheek between chuckles. “Oh, God. I swear I didn’t plan this. I don’t know what happened.”

Gable couldn’t stop smiling. “We should probably order in for dinner.”

Cutler shook harder with laughter. His chin lifted. Gable’s heart sighed at the happiness in Cutler’s gorgeous eyes. This wasn’t a onetime thing. He wanted this. He wanted Cutler.

After grabbing a blanket and pillows from Gable’s bedroom, they made a pallet on the floor. They ordered food and lounged while spending the night talking. Cutler felt comfortable for the first time in his life. It wasn’t the peace he experienced by the silence of his life since leaving Russia. This was new. It was a shared calm. Until that moment, he hadn’t realized that was exactly what he sought. His life had been too hard and loud. Violent. This was different. He couldn’t put his finger on it quite yet but Cutler didn’t want whatever this was to stop.

“I see most of your things are still in boxes. Are you hoping not to stay?”

A sexy chuckle fell from Gable’s lips at Cutler’s question. “It’s not that. I’m just lazy. This place is smaller than where I lived back home. Obviously, it’s a hell of a lot more expensive to live here than Alabama. I have so much shit with nowhere to put it. Until I started packing and thinking about moving everything over a thousand miles away, I didn’t realize how much crap I own.” Gable laughed. “A million times I wondered why I owned half the things I do, but I still just packed it anyway. The task feels daunting.”

On his side, with his head propped up on his hand, Cutler stared at Gable. He truly looked defeated at the idea of unpacking. “I have the opposite problem at my place. When I left Russia, I left with the clothes on my back. Then, when I finally made it to the states, I drifted from safe house to safe house for years until I fully became Cutler Maine. I suppose I haven’t owned much for so long, I just don’t buy anything anymore. My house is practically empty.”

“Oh, good. I know where I can store my stuff.” Gable’s eyes swam with laughter as he made the claim.

Cutler shrugged. “Feel free. I have the room. ”

Gable scooted closer. He moved aside the basket of fries that sat between them so he could get even closer. His fingertips skimmed Cutler’s side, making goosebumps skirt Cutler’s skin, but his gaze never wavered from holding Cutler’s stare. “I was joking, but I love that you talk like this wasn’t a one-night stand for you.”

Cutler’s eyebrows shot up. That thought hadn’t even crossed his mind, but it had obviously crossed Gable’s. “Was that even a concern?”

Gable shrugged. He kissed the corner of Cutler’s mouth, as if trying to distract him. “I never want to assume anything.” He swiped another sweet kiss across Cutler’s lips. “I work an unappealing job. People don’t like that I can’t share what I’m doing. No one wants to be with someone who has to keep secrets. ”

Cutler rolled. He straddled Gable’s body as he toppled Gable onto his back. With his hands braced on either side of Gable’s head, he stole the kiss he wanted. He didn’t like being teased. Once satisfied, he pulled away enough to hold Gable’s stare. “My entire existence is a secret. I have a whole past I can’t share. I’ll never ask for more of you than you can give. But I want what I can have of you. This was by no means a one-night stand. I’m not built that way. I want this.”

The way Gable stared up at him—like he was filled with the same hope for the future Cutler felt—warmed Cutler’s chest. “I want this too. Your past doesn’t matter to me. I want your future.”

Goddamn. That was the hottest thing anyone had ever said to him. Cutler lowered his head and tasted Gable’s lips again. Their kiss felt like a promise. They were starting something. Cutler felt it in his soul. He couldn’t wait to see what happened next.