Ezra swallowed past the lump in his throat, lust slamming into him.
“Come on. Let Daddy take care of you.”
Without thought, Ezra’s feet moved of their own accord. After snatching his keys and phone, he locked his door. He trailed down the stairs, watching Lincoln’s firm ass move under gray sweatpants. Good thing he had on so many layers. It hid the thickening of his cock.
Once down, Lincoln opened his door and stepped aside to allow Ezra in. But he didn’t step too far away, forcing Ezra close. That familiar scent of cologne and sexy man filled his nose as he walked in. Lincoln’s apartment was warm and he sighed with relief. A fire was going and he moved close, letting the flames warm him.
“I knew the A side apartments were bigger but when you said you had a fire going, I assumed you guys had fireplaces, too. I was even more jealous.”
“Nah,” Lincoln replied, waving toward the electric fireplace. “My pop got me this when I told him I was moving north. He said I was going to freeze my nuts off and he had to protect his descendants.” Lincoln chuckled. “He knows I’m gay, but he hasn’t quite accepted the fact that there’s likely to be no blood relatives coming from me.”
“There’s always a surrogate. If that’s something you really wanted,” Ezra mentioned.
Lincoln eyed Ezra closely, a hint of a smile to his lips and hunger in his eyes. “Gotta find the right man first.”
If he was as melodramatic as Hugo, that would’ve been a swoon-worthy moment. Fortunately, he wasn’t, but that hungry gaze and obvious flirtation had an effect on him. He’d be lying to say it didn’t. From the look lingering in Lincoln’s eyes, that effect had been intentional. He doesn’t remember me… does he? Ezra dragged his gaze away, demanding his libido calm down. He stared at the fireplace and lifted his gloved hands to the flames.
Lincoln cleared his throat. “I believe I promised you cocoa.”
“Yep,” Ezra murmured, avoiding the man’s gaze. “You did.”
He watched Lincoln depart for the kitchen, taking in those broad shoulders and narrow waist. That perfect bubble of a butt. Perhaps staring caused his temperature to rise as much as the fire, because he was soon dragging off his excess layers. Down to his PJs, he took a seat on the floor before the fire to enjoy the warmth.
Lincoln reappeared soon after, two steaming mugs in hand. He handed one to Ezra before taking a seat beside him on the floor.
“Thanks,” Ezra offered before bringing the cup to his lips and blowing on the chocolate. He took a tentative sip, but it was too hot to drink.
“Soo…” Lincoln said, placing his cocoa on a coaster on the nearby coffee table. “You say A side apartments are bigger?”
Ezra chuckled, sensing Lincoln was searching for something to spark a conversation. After his earlier declaration that he was a daddy, the sudden change in bravado was unexpected. Yet nice, too. It allowed him to relax a bit. “All the As are two-bedrooms. The Bs are one-bedrooms. And the Cs are studios.” He was about to ask why Lincoln needed a two-bedroom when he realized that was none of his business. Depending on schedules, there could be anyone in and out of Lincoln’s place without Ezra knowing.
A roommate. Or a lover.
A hint of jealousy slammed into him at the latter. Jealousy he had no business feeling.
“Yours is a studio, then?” Lincoln asked.
“Yep,” Ezra replied. “I needed something economical.” He gazed around the nicely decorated apartment. “I’ve never been in an A before. I’ve been in a couple of Bs over the years, but no As. This seems nice.”
“You want the tour?”
Ezra eyed the man, his curiosity winning out. He suddenly craved seeing Lincoln’s private spaces. “Sure.”
They did the requisite kitchen, hallway, and bathroom before stopping before one of the two bedroom doors. “This is my office,” Lincoln said before pushing the door open and flicking on a light.
The room was a geek’s wet dream. Several massive computers and a gaming chair. Nope. No roommate. At least not one using the second bedroom.
Ezra hid a satisfied smile. “An office,” he said using air quotes. “Sure.”
“I swear it is,” Lincoln replied with a grin before backing out of the room. “One last room.” He turned and opened the door on the opposite side of the hallway and backed away to allow Ezra inside.
There was a huge bed in the middle of the bedroom to match the big man beside him. It looked larger than a king, but he wasn’t sure.
“All this for one man, hmm?”
Lincoln grinned, clearly seeing through Ezra’s question. “Yep, just me.”
Ezra ignored the heat in Lincoln’s eyes and slowly slid his gaze over the tousled sheets and bedding, knowing the man had just been snuggled warm—and alone—in his bed only moments ago. “My whole apartment would probably fit in your bedroom.”
“I need a big bedroom to fit that bed. It’s six inches longer than a normal one.”
Ezra spun to face Lincoln. “How tall are you?”
Lincoln chuckled. “Six-four.”
“I thought it was more. I feel like I’m tiny compared to you.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Lincoln murmured huskily, taking a step to close the gap between them.
Desire built within Ezra, aided by the masculine scent of the room and the imposing form of the gorgeous man closing in on him. He lifted his stare to Lincoln. “I guess not.”
Lincoln took another step. A dangerous need coursed through Ezra’s veins.
Ezra lifted his chin higher to hold Lincoln’s gaze. He watched as time slowed and Lincoln’s head descended. Sucking in a gasp, their mouths met for a brief second before Lincoln rose to his full height.
“Sorry…” Lincoln took a step back. “I promised you that you’d be safe here. I didn’t offer you a safe spot just to try to get you in bed.”
“That’s too bad.”
Ezra gasped, realizing he’d said those words aloud versus in his head, as intended. Lincoln’s stare met his and there was no doubting the heat Ezra observed in the man’s gaze.
Those words turned out to be all the kindling their fire had required.
Lincoln hauled him into an embrace, their mouths coming together again. Ezra moaned against Lincoln’s lips, hunger growing.
Lincoln dragged his head away for a moment and groaned. “Damn, Ezra…”
Ezra froze, realizing they’d yet to exchange names. He’d purposefully not said anything, scared it would trigger the guy’s memory. They’d barely spoken more than a dozen words to one another since Lincoln had moved in. “How do you know my name?”
Lincoln’s heavy-lidded stare widened. He sighed and looked away for a moment before eventually lifting his gaze to meet Ezra’s. “Come on… you know how I know.”
“I’ve never told you.”
“New Year’s Eve.”
Ezra bolted, but Lincoln grabbed his arm and drew him back.
“Let me go.”
Lincoln shook his head. “Not before you listen to me for one minute.”
Ezra frowned, upset. Yet he stilled, yanking his hand away before crossing his arms over his chest.