Whoa.Did he just agree to keep seeing him with no sex? He studied the slightly disheveled man with anxious eyes gazing up at him. He could change his mind and send him away. Or agree and never call him again. But that thought didn’t sit well with his hard dick, and unapologetically, he gave himself a squeeze, watching Blake’s gaze follow his action. Blake wanted him, and that was all Jeremy needed to see.
“Yeah. I’m willing to give it time. It’s not all about sex.” When did he get to be such a liar? It had always been about the sex for him; there’d never been anything else. But Blake was different than the other men and women he’d dated. Blake didn’t seem to want anything from him but his time.
The glow of Blake’s smile was worth it, and Jeremy set aside the whiskey, knowing it fueled his desire and loosened his libido.
“But you might have to teach me how to do this dating thing. I’ve never been one for taking it slow.” He traced the bow of Blake’s lips with the tip of his finger.
“We can teach ourselves, I guess. Uh, I don’t know.” His stammering and blush sent Jeremy’s heart into overdrive, but he kept quiet, giving Blake the opportunity to speak his mind. “You seemed different. Most of my dates come from online, and they never go anywhere ’cause they all think it’s only about sex. But I can’t sleep with a guy I don’t know and really like.”
“Hey.” He cupped Blake’s cheek. “Don’t make excuses for who you are. It’s okay to be you. That’s what makes you unique. And I get it. Let’s try this together. I had a lot of fun tonight, and yesterday too. Maybe the snowstorm wasn’t such a bad thing after all.” He dropped a kiss on Blake’s cheek and sat next to him again, cuddling him close. “Why don’t we finish watching the movie? I promise to be good.”
“Saint Jeremy, huh?” Blake rested his head on Jeremy’s shoulder.
“Oh, far from it.” He tightened his arm around Blake. “You’ll find out.”
****
The next eveningJeremy met his brother, Noah, at their favorite Italian restaurant in the Village. More than a place to eat, Nora’s was where they’d drink wine and forget about life for a while.
Except Jeremy didn’t want to forget life. It seemed to be going pretty damn well at the moment, and he wanted to talk to his little brother about it.
“Nora, love, how are you?” He kissed the owner and gave her his coat to hang on the coatrack. “The family good?”
“Everyone’s wonderful. You meeting your brother, or do you have a date?” She winked at him. “I can send over a nice bottle of Prosecco if you’d like.”
He chuckled. “Nope. Tonight it’s me and Noah. A bottle of Chianti will be fine. That and extra breadsticks.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Her pretend outrage had him laughing out loud. “Always you say that to me like you haven’t been coming here for ten years.” Her eyes crinkled with humor. “Go sit. I have your table.”
“You’re the best.” He kissed her lined cheek again and headed to the back of the restaurant, to the corner table he and Noah preferred. The busboy, Nora’s grandson Paul, set down a heaping basket of bread and breadsticks and then poured two glasses of water. Jeremy smiled his thanks, wondering what Blake was doing tonight for dinner. Was it bad that he didn’t ask him out again?Shit.He had no idea about this dating thing.
“What’s wrong? You look like you forgot something important.”
Noah stood across the round table from him, brow furrowed.
“Hey. I just got here.” He stood and hugged Noah, as always, grateful to have him back again, almost as good as new.
“Yeah, Nora said.” They sat down, and Paul came over with the bottle of red and poured them two glasses. No need to taste as Nora knew what they loved. “But you looked concerned. Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, reaching for a breadstick. “It’s all good. How’re you doing?”
“I’m okay.
“You mentioned you were thinking of going to an art gallery opening for one of your patients. Did you?”
“Yeah.” At Noah’s dejected tone, Jeremy’s gaze honed in on his brother’s face. “I saw Leon there. He was with one of the top runway guys now.”
Noah drank his water, and Jeremy noticed the dark circles under his brother’s eyes.
“Does it still bother you? Seeing him, I mean?” Jeremy hated to ask. “You don’t still love him, do you?”
Noah couldn’t meet his gaze and scratched at the tablecloth with his fingernail. “I don’t think so…I don’t know. We were together a while. It’s hard to forget someone that easily.”
Anger rose within Jeremy. “You got nothing from him. You never did. It was all take, take on his part. What did he give you? I’ve never been able to figure it out.”
“He loved me.” At Jeremy’s snort, Noah shot him a reproachful glance. “I have to believe that because if I don’t, my whole time with him was a lie.”
The pain etched on Noah’s face hurt Jeremy’s heart and if he ever saw Leon again, it would be a miracle if he didn’t physically hurt him.
