Page 28 of Heat Transfer
“Clearly, I’ve had too much to drive home, then.” His blue eyes sparked with heat. Since I hadn’t even finished my scotch, I was good to get us to my apartment.
I walked up to the valet so he could get my car, and once he darted off, we waited. The whole night had been wild—the lit-up after-hours art museum, the fine scotch, and finer swords. But the wildest part had been Cor’s lips against mine. The out-of-control way my libido careened after we collided.
I checked my phone, the score popping up for the Flyers’ game. “Our boys are playing like shit tonight.”
“Are you going to a game this season?” Cor asked. The fall wind curled around us, and the slight chill permeated through the fabric of my suit.
“Hoping to. Why, want company?” I waggled my brows.
“If you’re offering.” Cor’s lips curled in a smirk.
“It’s a date.” I put a little weight behind the words. I wasn’t sure whether I was ready to leap full-fledged into dating again, let alone with a guy when I had just discovered this part of myself, but I couldn’t stop flirting with him.
“You’re trouble, Ruiz.” Cor shook his head, even though his eyes still gleamed.
The valet pulled up with my car and handed me the keys. I slid into the driver’s seat, and within seconds, we were off. The drive stretched out like forever while seeming instantaneous at the same time. Newfound awareness percolated in the air, and whenever our gazes met, a jolt of adrenaline shot through me. We’d been on the road for a minute, and already my veins were humming. The city lights and skyscrapers flashed by, and I opened the window a crack to cool the heat bursting between us.
“Was that your first kiss with a guy?” Cor asked, breaking the quiet.
I licked my lips as if I could taste him there again. “Yeah, it was.”
Even though my gaze remained on the road, I noticed the bob of his Adam’s apple in my peripheral.
“How the hell are you so chill?” Cor shook his head, a hint of incredulousness in his tone.
I shrugged. “My brother’s queer, same with most of my friends. Sure, I hadn’t kissed a guy before, but it’s not like I’m breaking ground on new territory with my circle.”
“You’re something else.” The affection in his words thrummed through me, a heat that pumped through my veins, pushing me farther along in this direction I hurtled.
I turned onto my street and skimmed for parking spots. Of course this time of night, most of the good ones were taken. We found a spot a few blocks down from my place, and I led the wayto my apartment. The temptation to grab Cor’s hand and drag him along built with every passing second.
Maybe I should be freaking out about kissing a guy for the first time, but I wasn’t, and that had everything to do with him. This comfort existed around Cor that I hadn’t experienced with another human being, and I wanted to linger in it for as long as I could.
“Okay, after seeing the exhibit, which swords were your favorite?” I needed to cut through the silence to keep from jumping on him. I wasn’t sure what the fuck I wanted to explore—his body, his cock, his hole—but I’d be happy with whatever he let me do. Even if it was just sleeping in bed next to each other.
“Definitely the Viking ones.” The hush to his tone held me spellbound, and when I glanced his way, the softness in his gaze struck me square in the chest. It wasn’t about the swords at all. I swallowed hard.
We entered my apartment building, where a set of steps directed to my second-floor place, the other down to my neighbor beneath. The stairs creaked beneath our tread, and when I slid the key into the lock at my door, anticipation prickled through my veins. A stirring of the inevitable swept through me as if something bigger than both of us was at play, maybe a little destiny, a little fate.
When I stepped into my apartment and flicked on the lights, I realized how small the space was. Especially with Cor standing in it and the tension between us taking up the rest of the room.
I searched for an escape, my gaze landing on the balcony on the opposite side. “Want to check out the view?”
Cor arched his brow and gave me a pointed look.
“As far as lines go, I think you could do better.”
“Depends.” I hooked my thumb into the pocket of my slacks. “Did it work?”
Cor let out a resigned grunt as he took the first steps toward the balcony. Butterflies burst in my chest, followed by a punch of adrenaline. Maybe the cool breeze would clear some of the thick tension swirling through the air.
Or maybe I wanted even less space between us.
He tugged the door open, and I followed him slowly, my gaze glued on his ass flexing in his slacks. I’d always been an ass man with women, and apparently, that also translated to guys. The idea of sinking into him had my cock perking up for about the thousandth time tonight, but I didn’t even know if he was into getting fucked, let alone wanting to go that far with me.
The second I stepped outside, the crisp air smacked me in the face. Yet even that wasn’t enough to tamp down the blaze roaring inside me. The view from my apartment was one of the few things I loved about it. Other than that, I wasn’t sure how long I’d remain in the city. Most of my coworkers commuted from the suburbs since we were hybrid, and my family begged me every other week to join them in Kennett Square.
Which had been my main reason for staying here. Just to get some space.