He dropped his hand. “Are you always this bold?”
“Why not? It’s not like I’m looking for a happily ever after.” I wasn’t sure if I believed in that. I would never let myself depend on a man for anything, would never let myself believe I could count on someone, that they would keep their promises. “I want a good time, and that’s it. I’m too focused on my future to let myself get distracted with a man.”
He cocked his head slightly as if he hadn’t expected that. “What do you want to do?”
My turn to be surprised. I hadn’t figured he’d care enough to ask. “I’m going to be a teacher. I know. People tell me I’m crazy all the time, especially my best friend, but teachers literally help mold young minds. A good one can change someone’s life and—oh.”
He pressed his finger to my lips. “You don’t have to defend yourself. I would never think you’re crazy for that. It’s admirable. You care about others. You want to help them learn. I have nothing but respect for that.”
“Oh,” I said a second time, as if it was suddenly the only word I knew. “Thank you. And I know. It’s just…the money isn’t great, and educators get the shit end of the stick. They can’t teach what they want and have to basically worry about nothing but test scores. They’re incredibly underappreciated. But I’ve never wanted to do anything more.”
He grinned, making me realize I’d gone off on a bit of a tangent…again.
“Sorry about that. So are we going to have sex or not because—”
Honey on a Biscuit turned in his chair, grabbed my hips, and tugged me forward until I stood between his legs. “Yes, I think we are. You’re irresistible.”
“And you’re a smart man.”
He chuckled, his large, warm hands sliding up my waist and under my shirt. Damned if I didn’t let out a whimper, heat pooling in my gut.
“I can’t wait to watch you come apart.” His voice was lower then, like a caress down my body.
“Should we be going?”
He leaned in, so close I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead, his mouth went to my ear. “Yes, we should.”
CHAPTER TWO
Harrison
I wasn’t in the habit of picking up strangers in a bar, men or women, and taking them back to my hotel room. I wouldn’t pretend I was anything close to virginal and that I didn’t enjoy spending time in bed with another person, because I did. But it wasn’t typically done this way—someone approaching me or me approaching them when I went out for a drink. Though the sex happened now a lot more than it used to.
I’d had my son when I was barely nineteen years old. I was just a kid myself when I became completely responsible for another person, and I’d done most of it on my own. Between raising him, working my ass off to put myself through college, and then continuing with even more energy to find a way to make it, when Ross had gone off to college, it had finally been time for me. I’d spent the last four years fucking like most people did in their early twenties.
I wasn’t done having fun yet, so why would I deny myself this beautiful man who intrigued me in ways I couldn’t ever remember feeling? Because he did. I couldn’t put my finger exactly on what it was about him. He was gorgeous, clearly—long, lean, with tight, sinewy muscles. His hair was a light chocolate color, with lighter honeyed streaks. He had gray-blue eyes, a rounded nose, and those lips… Fuck, those goddamned lips. All pouty and plump and so fucking kissable. He was beautiful in a way not many people were.
“Are you still not going to tell me your name?” I asked him when we got outside.
“Ooh, I have an idea. Let’s use code names. It’ll make things more exciting.”
Well, that was cute as hell. I bit back a grin. “Like what?” I put my hand at the small of his back to lead him toward my hotel.
“I don’t know…literary figures?”
“I’m not calling out Gandalf or Scrooge while I’m fucking you.”
He chuckled, the sound throaty. “Okay, fine. I can see your point, but who said you would be fucking me? We haven’t had that discussion.”
I shrugged. “I’m vers. I can go either way.”
“I am too.”
I nudged him. “So what do you want, Samwise?”
He rolled his pretty gray eyes. “Don’t make fun of me. I agree. It was a bad idea. I just… I don’t know. This is a little thrilling. My first time with an older, mysterious man. It’s hot, and real names feel like they’d ruin it.”
As we continued down the sidewalk, which was filled with college students, his words echoed through my head. Older man, older man, older man. Jesus, that sounded like I was ancient or something. The whole name game, while cute, also made me feel older. “Just call me H,” I told him.
“Nice to meet you, H. I’m…W.” William? Wesley? None of those seemed to fit him. They weren’t fierce enough, if that made sense. Not that I knew him enough to have that opinion.
“Nice to meet you too,” I finally replied.
“Oh, and, H?”
“Yeah?”
“I want you to fuck me.”
My cock definitely liked that idea, blood rushing toward my groin, a familiar throb starting there. I didn’t know what it was about him that I liked so much. I hadn’t even gone out looking to meet up with someone. I was…hell, I was slightly sad that my son was already graduating from college. I was happy for him, of course, and he’d be joining me at work, but my whole life had been completely devoted to him. He’d been my number-one priority for twenty-two years, and now he was a college graduate. That felt more grown than he’d been before and made me… Oh shit. Was I sleeping with this guy because I thought it would make me feel young again?
“H?”
“Hmm?”
“You stiffened up. Did you change your mind? I’d understand if you did.” He looked at me, his eyes wide and, hell, almost innocent, but with a slight twinkle of mischief. I grabbed him, tugged him close again, and ground my erection against his body. “Very stiff,” he added, making me grin.
“You’re gonna be so much fun,” I said, tilting his head up. He already was fun. W licked his full lips, bringing my attention to them. I wanted to nibble them, swipe at them with my tongue, devour him all night long.
“I feel like we’ve been walking forever. Where’s your hotel? California?”
I forced myself not to make an Eagles joke since he was young enough that he might not know who they were. “We’ve been walking for five minutes, and right there.” I nodded to the building about a hundred feet away.
“I can’t wait to get on my knees for you.”
“Not if I get there first.” I took his hand, a giddy excitement I hadn’t felt in…hell, I couldn’t even say, tumbling around in my stomach. I pulled him through the hotel, toward the elevator, guests watching, but I craved him too much to care.
“You must really want me,” he said as the elevator door slid open and I led him inside.
“Brat—oh hey, look. I found a new name for you.”