“Oh, I absolutely told him all about your crush on the phantom. Your secret was totally not safe with me. Not sorry. Now mix me up a Cosmo and give your boyfriend here a glass of your best whiskey.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather have a gin and tonic.” The taste of that particular brand of whiskey would forever be associated with misery and the idea of drinking it made my stomach clench.
Reese mixed our drinks and handed them to us. We couldn’t linger by the bar all night like we normally did. Not with it being this packed. There were still a couple hours until closing when Reese would be off and I could take him home, but as much as I looked forward to what was coming next, I also wanted to relish the moment.
It wasn’t New York’s fault that I’d fallen into ruts and bad habits and neglected having a real life, but Reese was undeniably the one to credit for breathing new life into me. I downed half my drink, confident that it would sweat out of my pores long before it was time to go home and deal with my sweet puppy of a boyfriend.
Until then, I led Morgan to the dance floor, and we danced. Well, we danced for a little while until a girl dressed as Poison Ivy asked to cut in. I did the gentlemanly thing and bowed out, assuring Morgan that I’d be fine. There was a stool at the far end of the bar that was open and had my name on it.
CHAPTER 8
Reese
I triedto keep one eye on Morgan and the other on Cory for the rest of the night, but the bar was so unbelievably busy it was near impossible. Morgan kept popping into my peripheral vision, her dress obscenely short and bustle-y all at the same time. Cory spent most of his night at the end of the bar, nursing his way through a single drink, and I tried not to think about the reason for that. If I got too distracted by what I knew was coming, I’d mis-pour or misjudge. I needed to stay focused.
Morgan and Cory had taken an Uber to the bar, so at the end of my shift, I dropped her off at home, then drove Cory and me back up to his house. The ride was mostly silent, but far from uncomfortable. My nerves were seconds from getting the better of me, but when I walked into the house and saw a black cape slung across the back of the couch, I couldn’t stop myself from letting out a laugh.
“What’s funny?” he asked, rubbing his finger against the bottom edge of the mask.
“You didn’t wear the cape?”
He shook his head. “Too hot.”
“That’s disappointing.”
“Is it?” Cory brushed past me, snatching the cape off the back of the couch and making a show of dramatically fastening it around his throat. “Is this better?”
I growled, closing the space between us. “The cape was the hottest part.”
I grabbed Cory’s face and crashed our mouths together, licking past his lips with all the fervor my crush on the phantom required of me. He let the cape fall out of his hands so he could slide them around my waist, pressing our bodies together and swirling his tongue with mine.
“I’ll extend the rental” he murmured, pulling back and popping the mask off his face. A line of white latex looped up his face, and I traced my fingers over the shape. “You have a date with my fist, darling.”
I exhaled heavily, fear boiling in my veins.
“Go get comfortable on the bed. I’m going to wash this off my face,” he said, turning me toward the bedroom and giving me a push. It wasn’t anywhere near a shove, more an encouragement and a reminder that I was walking into something both of us wanted. I’d wanted Cory from the first night I saw him, and even when things between us had developed into something bigger than I’d imagined, I fought through the fear to get him. To keep him, and this was the same. Not that he would leave me if I didn’t let him fist me. He would never.
Just…
A different kind of trust.
In the bathroom, the water turned on, and I cast aside my dog ears then stripped out of my clothes before my fingers forgot how to work. I sat on the edge of the bed, more stressed than I’d ever been, but the view of the city outside the window helped settle my nerves while I waited for Cory to come back.
He showed up behind me, one knee sinking into the mattress, then another, and then his arms wrapped around myneck, and he kissed theverysensitive spot beneath my ear. I shivered, covering his hands with mine.
“This doesn’t have to be anything more than it is, Reese. I can still worship your body whether I put my whole hand into you or not. I can still make you come better than anyone ever has.
“Or will,” I murmured.
“Damn right.” Cory pulled me toward the headboard, laid my head against the pillows and climbed on top of me. He was already hard, and so was I, and when he slid down my front and settled himself between my legs, I only got harder.
He pushed my legs up until my knees bent, then he kissed the inside of my left thigh, down, down, down, until his breath ghosted over my hole.
“So tight,” he murmured, setting my feet down flat onto the bed. “Touch yourself, Reese.”
I cradled my cock and balls in my hand, lifting them up and out of his way. The touch was almost grounding, the only thing that stopped me from flying off the bed when Cory’s tongue swirled around my asshole.
“Fuck,” he muttered, spearing me open with a sharp thrust. “You taste so fucking good.”
