“Well, you’re doing a great job here. I mean, the way you ran into the synagogue even though it was full of smoke? Shit. You must see some crazy-ass stuff.”
Adam cut his gaze away to the table for a second before returning to meet his eyes. “Yeah. I still get scared, though, whenever I go in; I’m sure the others do too. It’s not something we ever talk about. But I could never imagine doing anything else.”
The waitress appeared with their food, the meaty aroma of his roast beef and Adam’s burger triggering some major stomach rumbling on his part. He doused his fries with ketchup and took a big bite of the sandwich.
“Damn, I’m hungry. We’ve been so busy, I haven’t had any time to sit down and eat. We grab a bite here and there of whatever someone’s cooking in the kitchen at the moment. This tastes like heaven, but I don’t know if it’s because I’m so hungry or it’s really good.”
“My burger is good.” Adam’s voice came out garbled as he had a mouth full of food.
They sat and ate in companionable silence, and it didn’t take long for Rico to polish off his sandwich and fries; when Adam took a drink, Rico swiped a few fries from his plate.
“Hey.”
Adam caught his gaze, and the air stilled between them. Rico took another one and dipped it in ketchup, then slowly put it into his mouth. He had no fucking clue what he was doing, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Adam. Everything about the man was so damn attractive, from his red hair to his strong jaw dusted with red-gold scruff to those full pink lips.
“Mmm. Good.” He licked his lips, watching the heat of lust darken Adam’s blue eyes to an almost inky black. Rico’s body lit up; his blood burned and his dick throbbed.
Adam stood and threw three twenties and a ten on the table. “Let’s get out of here.”
Scrambling out of the booth, Rico followed him, and together they left the bar. The cool night air hit Rico’s overheated face, but it did nothing to calm the fire inside. Wordlessly, he stared at Adam, who zipped up his coat and jerked his head to the left.
“I live down the block.”
The determined authority in Adam’s voice turned him on even more. For years he’d been the strong one, holding everything inside: leaving home, starting the business, helping Gideon with his dyslexia. He didn’t mind; he loved Gideon like a brother—would do anything for him. But sometimes the solitude overwhelmed him, and Rico wanted someone to lean on. Then he remembered his parents’ words.
“Work hard. And when you want to give up, work harder. Depend on no one for your success but yourself.”
Which was all well and good during the daytime, but the nights got very long, cold, and lonely sometimes. But not tonight. Anticipation raced through him as he and Adam walked into a limestone apartment building. The only sound he heard above the rhythmic pounding of his heart was Adam’s breathing.
The elevator door opened, and they walked inside, studiously avoiding each other’s eyes. Adam’s foot tapped on the dirty linoleum floor, and Rico wondered if he was mistaken and Adam merely wanted to hang out in his apartment and watch a game on television. Whatever. If that’s what he wanted, he’d be fine with it. He had nothing and no one to go home to.
Still silent, he followed Adam out of the elevator, his nerves building with each step. Adam stopped short and pulled him close, brushing their lips together.
“I can’t believe you’re here.”
“Me either.”
They shared a smile, and Rico held his breath. Even the dim lighting couldn’t hide the blaze of desire in Adam’s eyes before he turned away and pointed to the end of the hallway. “I’m this way. Come on.”
Adam fished his keys out of his jacket pocket and opened the door, the apartment a dark space before him. About to make a joke about Adam not paying his electric bill, Rico was pulled inside, the door slamming shut with a bang. Excitement zinged through him as Adam shoved him up against it, and his dick throbbed from the press of Adam’s weight.
“I couldn’t take it anymore.” The combination of the sharp smell of beer and the heat of Adam’s breath raised goosebumps on his arms. Adam’s lips, tantalizingly close, brushed his cheek, their softness barely touching his skin. “You sitting across from me, teasing me. Driving me fucking crazy.”
As if he’d run a sprint, Rico panted, the expectation of Adam’s lips on his building until Adam crushed their mouths together, and Rico grabbed him around the neck, hanging on as the world tilted, spinning out of control.
The kiss was desperate, carnal, and fucking magnificent; they consumed each other, lips sliding and slanting, hungry, wet, and hot. Tongues licking, teeth clashing, their mouths remained fused together as they pulled off their jackets and unbuttoned their shirts, tossing them aside. Rico heard a button skitter on the floor; he didn’t know if it was his or Adam’s and didn’t care. The sight of Adam’s naked chest enthralled Rico, with its swirls of reddish hair, pink rosy nipples, and the peek of a tattoo creeping up from below his belly button. His admiration was short-lived as Adam grabbed him, yanking him close again, and Rico arched into the rough caress of Adam’s hands trailing over his heated flesh. He groaned, unable to stifle the sound, and Adam smiled against his lips, his late-night beard scraping deliciously against Rico’s cheek.
“I’m dying for you. Do you want me?”
Barely able to breathe, much less speak, Rico nodded, his cock so close to bursting, he didn’t know how he hadn’t gotten off in his jeans. He had no time to think as Adam grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the back of the dark apartment.
“Come on.”
He banged into several pieces of furniture and might’ve tipped over a chair, but it didn’t stop Adam’s forward progress. Following blindly, Rico kept his hand firmly in Adam’s, nerves fluttering in the pit of his stomach.
They entered the bedroom, a chink of light from the partially open blinds slanting across the unmade bed. Rico didn’t get a chance to see much else as Adam spun him around and backed him up until his knees hit the mattress and he fell.
“From the first time I saw you, I had fucking hot dreams of you in my bed.” As Adam spoke he popped the tab of his jeans and pulled the zipper down, then kicked off his shoes. “Wanna know what they were?”
