If Landen kept going, kept kissing him like this, kept touching him like this, kept whispering these filthy little things in his ear, he was going to combust.
"Come to my place," Landen said suddenly. "Tonight?"
Adriel froze. The words didn't compute at first. They hung in the air, separate from everything else, requiring translation.
My place.
Adriel was silent for a long moment, shocked into stillness. His mind raced backward, through every relationship, every almost-relationship, every moment of being with someone and never quite being allowedin.
Zach.
They'd been together for over a year, and Adriel had never once been to his apartment. Not once. He'd tried to bring it up, early on. Casual suggestions, gentle hints. Zach always had an excuse; the place was a mess, he had bad roommates, it wasn't a good time. And then, one time when he'd pushed just a little too hard, Zach had gotten angry. Really angry. So Adriel had given up entirely, like the coward he was.
A year. And he'd never seen where Zach lived.
And now, barely a week since their first kiss, Landen was inviting him into his home.
Landen's hand touched his cheek. Warm. Gentle. Bringing him back to the present.
"Adriel?" His voice was soft. Questioning. "You okay?"
Adriel looked at him.
At this man who had kissed him senseless. Who had held him after and asked how he was and meant it. Who had just admitted he couldn't control himself around Adriel's mouth. Who was now looking at him with something like concern, like hope, like he actually wanted Adriel to sayyes.
The word left his mouth before his nerves could catch up. "Yes."
Landen's eyes softened.
"Yeah?"
Adriel nodded. Swallowed. "Yeah. Yes. I'll come."
Landen smiled. Small and warm and real.
"Good," he said. Then he leaned in, pressed a kiss to Adriel's forehead, soft, tender, completely at odds with everything that had just happened, and stepped back.
"Seven o'clock," he said. "I'll text you the address."
Adriel nodded again. His legs felt unsteady. His heart was still racing. His lips still tingling.
He looked down at the manuscript in his hands, then back at Landen.
"The…" He held it up. "You wanted to…"
Landen laughed, quiet and warm. "Right. The manuscript." He took it from Adriel's hands, set it on his desk without looking at it. "We'll do that another time. Go. Before I change my mind about waiting until tonight."
Adriel went.
He grabbed for the door, opened it, stepped through. Paused in the doorway for just a second; looking back at Landen, who was watching him with that dark, intent gaze.
Then he fled. Back to his desk. Back to his cubicle. Back to the ordinary world where phones rang and manuscripts needed editing and no one knew that his entire body was still vibrating with the memory of Landen’s mouth on his.
∞∞∞
The subway was crowded.
Adriel stood in the middle of the carriage with one hand on the overhead bar and his bag against his hip and watched the tunnel wall slide past in the dark while trying to remember how to breathe normally.
