After wrapping Aaron up in his trench coat and double-knotting the belt, Jay led them outside. The sidewalk was empty, the sound of their steps echoing in the darkness. The warmth of the day lingered in the air, faint traces of a vaguely floral scent drifting around them. A profound sense of peace washed overAaron. He could feel it—the universe was making him a promise. Things would only get better.
He veered toward Jay and snaked his arm around his waist. It was a silly gesture, but Jay didn’t question it, mirroring the movement and pressing closer without missing a step.
There was no need for words as they traveled the short distance to a late-night parking lot. A sleepy attendant handed Jay his car keys and waved him off, paying no attention to the fact that they were wrapped around each other.
“Do you need the address?” Aaron asked as he settled into the passenger seat.
“I have it from last time.” Jay snapped his phone into the dash mount and brought up the route.
Aaron eyed the screen with interest. He couldn’t help but notice that Jay didn’t get his address from the Recent section.
It was saved under Aaron’s name.
That didn’t have to mean anything. Maybe Jay saved everyone’s addresses.
But maybe he didn’t.
“So about next time,” Aaron said, pausing in case Jay decided to interrupt. Jay sent him a sharp look but didn’t say anything, so Aaron continued. “When I wake up tomorrow and I’m fully alert and in possession of all of my faculties, I’m going to text you.”
“I’d like that,” Jay said softly. “But we need to have a conversation first, go over our boundaries, hard limits, everything.”
“Works for me. I got all that stuff ready to go in a neat little folder.”
“Seriously?”
“I like to be prepared.” Aaron shrugged, hiding a smile. Jay had no idea just how organized he could be. “Let’s say the text isjust a formality. How do you want to do this? I can email my list to you.”
“I’d rather hear it directly from you, if you don’t mind.”
“That’s fine. Do you want to come over? Or we can meet for dinner if you want to be on neutral territory,” Aaron teased, hoping Jay would choose to come over. He would look so good on Aaron’s couch.
“Let’s not get kicked out of any restaurants. How about we split the difference and I bring some takeout over to your place? You can show me what you did with the furniture.”
A satisfied grin stretched across Aaron’s face. Finally, Jay was acting like this was a done deal. No more of that nonsense about Aaron changing his mind.
“Sunday?”
Pushing for tomorrow would be too much. If it were up to Aaron, they’d hash everything out right there in the car, but it was clear that Jay needed some space. He might pretend it was for Aaron’s benefit, but Aaron saw through that excuse. Jay was a sensitive soul, and Aaron was happy to give him time to gather his thoughts.
Jay pulled up in front of Aaron’s building and parked before answering. “Sunday. But don’t think I forgot about our deal. You have to text me tomorrow, and you have to mean it. Changing your mind isn’t going to affect our friendship.”
“You’re too sweet,” Aaron murmured, leaning over the console to press a tender kiss against Jay’s cheek, his lips brushing against the dark stubble. It was short, coarse. Aaron was tempted to rub against it, to revel in the sting of sharpness, to bask in the afterburn. Shaking off the urge, he wished Jay a good night and jumped out of the car.
The night’s events caught up to him as soon as the elevator doors closed. He’d wait until tomorrow to parse everything out. For now, he let go of everything and focused on the emotionsswirling around him—the exhilaration of his first time, the pleasant aches in his body, the butterflies exploding in his stomach at the memory of his delicious scene partner.
Jay had been intoxicating. His masculinity—effortless and constant regardless of his clothing—was elevated by the polished elegance of the suit. His good looks were aggressive, impossible to ignore.
Aaron never stood a chance.
He fished his phone out of the coat pocket as soon as he was in his apartment, bursting at the seams with the need to tell someone about his night. With a few taps, he landed in theKink Talkchatroom. The members always discussed their milestones and cheered each other on, but Aaron had never had any good news to share. Until tonight.
He started typing up a message, trying to put into words the myriad of feelings floating through his mind. A few sentences in, Mark’s message popped up on the screen.
MARK: You awake? I see that green dot.
Aaron had kept him updated on the furniture situation, and with most of it delivered and arranged, he expected Mark and Rachel to show up any day.
AARON: I’m awake, but please don’t tell me you’re at the airport right now expecting a pickup.
