Chapter 5

Five

F eeling buzzed, embarrassed, and nervous as all hell, Alex followed Scout through the Paradox lobby toward the elevators. While having a great time at the Cock & Bull, he didn’t realize how much he had to drink until he started to sway on his feet, and Scout grabbed his arm to steady him.

Great, just great.

He’d done the one thing he swore he would never do—have too much to drink in the presence of his boss and a few coworkers who’d joined them during the evening. After the swaying, Scout demanded Alex’s car keys and, instead of calling an Uber or cab for him, quietly told him he could crash in the penthouse. Alex didn’t have to work in the morning, and since he’d parked in the private lot, there was a good chance he could sneak out after getting a few hours of sleep without doing a walk of shame. At least, he could save face in that respect. Not that it would be an actual walk of shame since he wouldn’t be sleeping with Scout. Instead, he would spend a few hours in one of the man’s spare bedrooms. Either way, it would be awkward leaving in the morning.

Scout hadn’t appeared mad or upset with him—in fact, he seemed quite amused at the turn of events. So, why was Alex nervous? Because he was afraid that he’d do something stupid in his inebriated state—like confessing his non-professional feelings for his boss.

They ended up alone in the elevator, and Scout flashed his fob over the sensor before hitting the button for the penthouse level. Alex’s stomach dropped as it always did when the car lifted, carrying them up to the forty-first floor. His gaze was on his feet, but through his eyelashes, he watched as Scout leaned against the wall and crossed his arms and ankles. Alex’s heart raced as he fought the urge to drag his gaze up the other man’s body in an obvious ogling.

He had no idea how many floors they passed or how many they still had to go before Scout cleared his throat. The soft sound caused Alex to lift his head. His gaze slammed into Scout’s, and he could swear he saw heat and interest in it. But then again, he was one drink shy of being totally drunk, so he could be mistaken.

Unless his mind had played tricks on him, like he thought it was doing now, Alex could swear his boss drank just as much as he had, but the man didn’t appear wasted. In fact, he looked dead sober .

“Can I ask you something?”

Alex shivered at the rumbling voice, which seemed to be an octave lower than usual. “Um, yeah, sure.”

A ding sounded, and the elevator stopped. As the doors slid open, Scout said, “Hold on ... let’s take this inside.”

Alex followed him to the door and then into the penthouse. But instead of continuing past the foyer, Scout spun around and stepped forward, forcing Alex to reverse his direction until his back hit the door. The other man closed the distance between them until it was mere inches. Alex swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. He felt the heat of Scout’s body and smelled the aroma of his woodsy cologne.

They just stood there for a minute or two, staring at each other. Alex’s heart rate spiked even higher than it was in the elevator. His breathing also increased. Scout’s gaze roamed Alex’s face, lingering for long moments on his mouth. They were in each other’s personal space, and neither backed down. Not that Alex had an escape route. A solid door was behind him, with a very enticing male in front of him. That knowledge made his blood heat up and rush south to his cock.

Oh, shit . He had a hard-on for his boss, in front of his boss!

“Don’t you want to know what my question was?”

Huh? Alex’s somewhat mushy brain scrambled to make sense of the murmured question about a question. “Um ...”

“In the elevator, I wanted to ask you something.” God, the man’s deep, raspy voice was sexier than ever tonight. When had it changed, and what had made the difference?

He thought back to the elevator ride. Right before they reached the top floor, Scout said something about a question. “Um, yeah, right. What—” He gulped, trying to force down the lump still in his throat. “What did you want to know?”

A sensual smile appeared on Scout’s face. “If I said I wanted to kiss you, would you let me?”

Oh.

My.

God.

Okay, this was not happening. He was drunk and passed out somewhere, dreaming it up. That had to be it. So, if it was a dream, he may as well play out the fantasy, right? Or was he imagining it was a dream? Did that even make sense?

Pain shot through his abdomen, and he looked down to see Scout had pinched him. Not hard enough to bruise, but it definitely got his attention. “Eyes up, Alex. You’re not dreaming or imagining things. I asked you a question and expect an answer.”

Scout knew he stepped over the line and could never undo his actions, but between his intense desire for this man and Rico’s pep talk, he was helpless to stop himself. He knew Alex wasn’t feeling much pain at the moment, but he wasn’t too drunk. As for Scout, he was pretty damn sober. Rico, Gino, Austin, and the other bartenders at the Cock & Bull and the Paradox knew to put less and less vodka in his drinks as the night wore on. By the fourth round, the only things in his glass were club soda and ice with a lime twist. It was how he still appeared to drink socially while staying in an alert frame of mind, which became handy during many of his after-hours business meetings over the years.

While he could’ve waited until they were both sober, he wanted to take advantage of Alex’s defenses being down. He wouldn’t have sex with the man tonight—as much as his cock wanted to—but he wanted to see if they could start taking a few steps in that direction. It wasn’t a fling he wanted—not with Alex.

For the first time in ... well, for the first time ever, he saw himself in a long-term relationship with one man. Rico was right—if Scout didn’t take a chance, he’d never know. Something extraordinary might come from this—he just had to take things slowly. The last thing he wanted Alex to think was that he did this often because he didn’t. Scout had never dated an employee or a business associate. But seeing Alex every day and being unable to touch and kiss him was torturous, to say the least.

The heat from Alex’s body penetrated two layers of clothing and radiated across Scout’s skin. The man’s mouth looked delectable, as it always did, and the only thing preventing him from kissing it was Alex still hadn’t given him an answer.

Desire filled Alex’s eyes, but also a bit of wariness.

Scout reached up and stroked the other man’s stubbled cheek. Whatever aftershave Alex put on that morning still lingered, just enough to tantalize Scout’s sense of smell. “It’s okay. If you say no, we’ll forget I ever asked.” As if he could. “If you say yes, it’ll just be a kiss—nothing more. I’ve never done this before, Alex—not with someone who worked for me. But there’s something about you ... I just can’t ... I can’t resist. I want you and for more than just one night. And that kind of scares me a little.” More like a lot. “But don’t worry, your job is safe either way. The decision is all yours.”

Alex licked his lips, drawing a groan from Scout’s throat. His cock grew harder, and he knew it would take all his strength not to go any further than just a kiss— if Alex said yes.

“You have three seconds to answer me. If you don’t, I’ll let you sleep in one of the spare bedrooms, and we’ll go back to being employer and employee. Three seconds. One ... two ...”

“Yes. ”

The one word had been spoken so softly that Scout almost didn’t hear it. To be sure, he slid his hand to Alex’s nape and squeezed gently. “Say it again. I want no misunderstandings between us.”

Alex cleared his throat. “I ... um ... I said yes.”

Scout searched the man’s eyes and face for any regret or fear. When he was confident they were both on the same page, he tugged on Alex’s neck until only an inch separated their mouths. He didn’t want to rush it. There was something amazing about sharing a first kiss. Call him old-fashioned, but he thought it was the sexiest thing in the world—a once-in-a-lifetime experience between two people that could never be duplicated.

His lips brushed against Alex’s. Once. Twice. The third time, he didn’t break contact. Slowly, he learned the texture and taste of Alex’s lips. They were pillowy soft with a firmness underneath, a strength he held back. Scout wanted desperately to unleash the beast within himself, the one dying to strip Alex naked and fuck him until neither of them could walk. But that wouldn’t happen tonight. Baby steps. He had to take baby steps because the pending romantic relationship with Alex was too special to screw up before they ever got started.

Scout moved forward, closing the last distance between their bodies, and pinned Alex against the wall, pressing their torsos and pelvises together. Alex was just as hard as Scout, and that knowledge had him wanting to drop to his knees to find out exactly how big and long the man’s cock was.

Their hands stroked and squeezed each other’s shoulders and upper arms. Scout didn’t know about Alex, but he forced himself not to let his hands roam anywhere else, knowing it would lead to stripping the other man naked.

He ran his tongue along Alex’s lips, silently asking for entry. When access was granted, he surged inside, licking and savoring. He could taste the Guinness the man enjoyed earlier.

A moan escaped Alex, evoking one in response from Scout. The room grew hotter, or at least it felt that way. Scout needed to stop but kept telling himself to revel in the kiss for a few more seconds.

The slamming of a door had the men jumping apart, breathing heavily. Alex’s eyes were wide as they darted around, searching for the source of the noise, but Scout chuckled. “Sorry about that. Sounds like Magnus just got home. If we were further into the apartment, we probably wouldn’t have heard it, but since we’re against the front door ...” He shrugged and then cupped Alex’s jaw. “Sleep in my bed tonight. No sex. I just want you beside me all night. Please?”

His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for an answer. When a smile spread across Alex’s face, Scout knew he had it.