Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

James wasn’t as tired as he usually felt on Thursday mornings, buoyed by the knowledge that Mike would be stopping by for breakfast. James was committed to abstaining from sex, but he brushed his teeth twice, flossed and gargled mouthwash—anticipating his first kiss with Mike.

When he had awoken, James had searched for images of Mike online, finding the one where he was shirtless from many years earlier which had been made into the famous poster. James was impressed that Mike hadn’t changed much at all. His hair was a bit shorter and had sprinkles of silver near his sideburns, and the skin at the edges of his eyes had faint crows’ feet. The aging hadn’t detracted from Mike’s attractiveness in James’ opinion. As for his body, from what James could tell from the online chat, it was as fit and beautiful as ever.

James studied his own image in the mirror. He knew he had great hair and enviable dancer’s legs. As for the rest of him, he was never quite as sure how he felt about it. James always thought his chin was a bit too strong, his forearms weren’t thick enough and his butt might be too full and muscular. If fan messages were any indication, it seemed James might have been overly critical—and he never had an issue finding a willing bed partner. But Mike was a god in James’ eyes. Every feature was perfect. James wondered if Mike’s attraction was based on James being the first man he had noticed after planning to come out, and James worried the man’s infatuation would end once they had sex. James knew it was ironic that he was now the one worrying that moving too fast would cause the other to dump him.

The loud buzzer snapped James from his daydreaming. He ran a hand through his hair one last time to pat it in place, then scurried to the door so he could buzz Mike up. Within a couple of minutes, James heard the approaching footsteps and knock on his door.

“Hey.” James smiled upon opening it and seeing the handsome athlete grinning on the other side.

“Hey yourself,” Mike replied, leaning in for a quick peck on the lips. “Mm. Minty fresh.”

James blushed. “Come in.”

Once Mike walked into the apartment, he looked around and nodded his approval. “It’s nice. Charming.”

James rolled his eyes. “Is that code for the place is small and quirky?”

Mike laughed. “It’s code for the place is cozy and full of character.”

“Oh,” James responded with some surprise. He looked over to the bag of food that Mike had brought and gave Mike a side-eye glance. “McDonald’s? You’re going to woo me with a McDonald’s breakfast?”

Mike laughed. “It is an egg McMuffin, a hash brown potato, and a Starbucks Americana sugar-free iced coffee with non-fat milk. While I would consider this a diet breakfast, I sensed this was a guilty pleasure that you don’t allow yourself often.”

James stared at Mike with disbelief. “It is. Right down to how I like my coffee. How did you know that?”

Mike grinned. “You were worth doing a little research.”

James connected the dots, realizing Mike had used his possession of Billy’s cell phone number to make the inquiry of his brother. He appreciated the effort. “Well, I’ll thank Billy for being so observant. I’m starved.”

* * * *

After they had both devoured their meals and cleaned up, James took Mike’s hand and led him to the sofa. Once they were parked side-by-side, James leaned over to kiss his date.

“Mm. You taste like your breakfast now,” Mike whispered.

“Oh, sorry,” James murmured.

“I’m not sorry,” Mike assured, pulling him back for a deeper kiss. He thrilled at James offering his parted mouth and the soft darting of his tongue. James’ lips were full and sweet, and his breath was warm. Mike relished the vision sitting next to him.

Mike raked his hands through James’ luxurious mane, then began moving his mouth over James’ chiseled facial features, over to his right ear and down his graceful neck and throat. James’ soft moans egged him on enough to undo a few of the buttons on James’ shirt as he pushed him down on the cushion. Seeing James’ beautiful chest up close, heaving under his touch, was arousing Mike and it was killing him that they wouldn’t be able to take the action too far. Still, he couldn’t resist licking and sucking on one of James’ perky, soft pink nipples. The man tasted fresh and clean, and there was a slight fragrance of spice and vanilla. James began squirming under Mike, moaning loud enough that they didn’t hear the door to the apartment open.

“Hello?”

Mike popped his head up to look over the back of the couch faster than a jack-in-the-box. “Nadia?”

James squirmed out from under Mike and looked over at Nadia with surprise. “Nadia? What are you doing here?”

Nadia looked embarrassed, then amused. “Oh, sorry. James, I thought you would have left for the theater by now. I forgot my chemistry book here over the weekend when Billy and I were visiting. I need it for class today.” She looked over to the kitchen counter where the textbook was sitting. “Um, I’ll just get it and be on my way.”

Mike was still blushing. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

Nadia paused halfway to the counter, looking back with a quirked eyebrow. “It’s not? Because I was thinking you’re mauling my boyfriend’s brother. But please, set the record straight.”

Mike glanced at James, who still seemed discombobulated. Not wanting to concede, Mike opted for humor instead. “James was bitten by a rattlesnake. I was sucking out the venom.”

Nadia laughed, retrieved the book, then paused again to study the two. “Yes, I can see that James’ lips are swollen. Those apartment rattlesnakes have a pesky way of biting peoples’ most sensitive areas. Well, carry on.”

With that, Nadia exited the apartment, leaving James and Mike looking at each other with a mix of embarrassment, annoyance, and amusement.

“Your family members don’t have boundaries, do they?” Mike asked.

“No,” James acknowledged, buttoning his shirt. “I should get going anyway.”

Mike touched James’ chin and pulled it toward him. “Hey, I don’t care that she caught us. It was worth it. I loved kissing you and I can’t wait to do it again.”

James smirked. “Who knows how many will be in the audience watching us the next time?”

Mike chuckled. “Zero, I hope. It will be my first time trying to suck venom from a guy’s dick. I don’t need spectators.”

James gave the side-eye look that Mike was beginning to realize was James’ flirting. “Oh, you’re sure that will be necessary, are you?”

Mike nodded. “Mmhmm. You heard Nadia. It’s only a matter of time before those pesky apartment rattlesnakes find their way to a man’s most sensitive areas. I will save you, James.”

James shook his head. “Apartment rattlesnakes. I thought you said you were done with lies.”

Mike shrugged. “I’m done lying to you. Lying to everyone else is fair game.”

Just as James was rising from the sofa, Mike pulled him in for another kiss. Once Mike pulled away, he looked into James’ eyes and was happy they had clouded once again with lust. “Does my kissing make up for the lie?”

James pulled him back for a deeper kiss to give him his answer.