“That’s me,” Dylan said, clearing his throat. He looked adorably flustered by Ryker’s presence.
“It’s nice to meet you.” He stopped a foot away from where Dylan was standing. “I’m Ryker.”
He held out his gloved hand, amused at the slight hitch in Dylan’s breath at the sudden movement.
Had he thought he was going to grab him? If so, it was interesting that he hadn’t moved back.
“You too,” Dylan said, shaking Ryker’s hand. His palm disappeared inside Ryker’s big fingers, and Ryker held on just a fraction of a second longer than was appropriate.
He let go, and Dylan snatched his hand back like he’d been burnt.
“I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced,” Ryker said, hooking his thumb in the waistband of his shorts.
For some reason, the movement made Dylan blush.
“That’s okay,” Dylan said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you want to come in?”
Ryker was glad Dylan wasn’t looking at his face, otherwise he was pretty sure that his answering grin would have scared him.
“I would love to.”
Dylan walked into his apartment and Ryker followed him inside.
Looking around, Ryker was pleased to see that the inside of the apartment was much nicer than the rest of the building had led him to believe. It was small but tidy – consisting of just one room and a miniscule bathroom – with a kitchen nook in the corner and a bed tucked up against the wall. The kitchen nook and bed were separated by a small desk and a comfortable looking office chair.
There was a stain on the ceiling which looked like water damage, but the walls looked like they’d been painted fairly recently and the vinyl flooring looked almost new.
There was no TV or couch, and Ryker had never been so pleased by lack of accommodations in his life.
He took a seat on the bed, enjoying the way Dylan’s scent saturated the sheets and blankets beneath him.
“Can I get you a drink?” Dylan asked, leaning back against his kitchen sink. The kitchen nook was tiny, lacking both an oven and a counter, consisting of just the sink, a cabinet, a microwave and a small fridge. He glanced at his fridge. “I have Diet Coke and water.”
“I’ll take a water,” Ryker said, trying to resist the temptation to grab one of Dylan’s pillows and sniff it.
Without a couch, Dylan probably spent a lot of time sitting in his bed, and it smelled like it. The sheets weren’t dirty – the lingering scent of detergent told him they’d been washed less than a week ago – but they were nevertheless drenched in Dylan’s smell.
“Here you go.” Dylan handed him a water from the fridge.
Ryker twisted the cap off and took a long sip. He hadn’t been out running long enough to be truly thirsty, but the water still tasted good, and it was fun to watch Dylan’s eyes tracking the movement of his throat as he swallowed.
“Thank you. That hit the spot.”
Dylan hadn’t taken a drink for himself. He moved back to the sink, grabbing the back of the office chair and rolling it back and forth, using it as an unconscious shield.
He was obviously nervous, and Ryker wondered what he thought was going to happen.
Ryker knew whathewanted to happen. It was only fair, after all. August had sampled the boy in advance of their date, and it only stood to reason that Ryker should be allowed to do the same.
“Do you want me to leave?” Ryker asked, glancing at the chair that had now been rolled firmly between them.
Dylan let out a startled noise, rolling the chair back under his desk with a furious blush.
“No.” He crossed his arms, looking flustered. “I was just wondering if there was something you wanted to talk to me about?”
Ryker let some of his intention shine through in his grin. He spread his legs, widening the space between his thighs, and shrugged.
“Nothing specific. I just wanted to say hi.” He put the bottle of water between his legs, resting it against his bulge. “August had such a nice time with you last Friday, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”
