That was fine.
I turned for the front door before remembering my less-than-clothed state. “Shit, no. Pants, Rusty!” I whipped them from the hook in the bathroom and stepped into them. “Pants. Are. Important!” I raced toward the door again, carefully zipping up on my way.
Then I dusted my hands off on my thighs and did my best to look cool and casual despite the flush in my cheeks as I opened the door.
“Oh, hello there.” Tom stood there in a big beaming smile and a gray suit with a thin navy turtleneck underneath, a bouquet of flowers clutched close to his chest.
Fuck, I want to eat him up with a spoon, I thought as I looked him over, head to toe. “Hi,” I said breathlessly. “You look gorgeous. I promise I have a better shirt than this.”
“I’m enjoying the view,” Tom told me with a grin. He stepped in and handed me the bouquet, and while I was distracted, tweaked one of my nipples.
I squealed and gasped in protest, dancing backward and out of his reach. “You trickster!” But despite my scolding, heat flashed through me, and I wanted to beg for more. I leaned in to peck his lips over the flowers. “Thank you, though. These are beautiful.”
Tom cupped the back of my neck, not letting me pull away until he’d pressed a series of increasingly breathless, warm, open-mouthed kisses on my lips. Then he grinned and finally let go, stroking the back of his hand along my cheek. “Maybe you’d better put your shirt on after all. I don’t know if I can help myself otherwise.”
I couldn’t resist saying, “You should have seen me right before I answered the door, then,” as I took the flowers to the kitchen to find a vase. It was deeply fortunate that I had to bend over to get one from the cupboard.
I glanced over my shoulder and caught Tom staring at my ass, his jaw hanging open. Then he cleared his throat sheepishly and scrubbed his forehead as if trying to look away. “No? I mean, yes? Really?”
I giggled and straightened up slowly, placing the vase on the counter and running my fingers down the long, thin shape of it. My fingers glided along the glass smoothly, all the way to the base.
Tom made a strangled noise and then turned his back, folding his arms and staring around the living room like a real estate agent. “Very nice,” he announced.
“It’s a little tight,” I said, trying with all my might not to laugh. “But I’ve never had a guy complain.”
“No, I should hope—” Tom started and then broke off, wheeling around to roll his eyes at me. “Very good. I missed that.” I couldn’t miss his fidgeting, though. I was definitely getting to him.
I grinned and fluffed up the foliage of the flowers, adding water and setting them on a nice spot on the counter. “You left that wide open. Unlike me. Yet.” I winked.
Tom went a funny shade of red. “Oh, have mercy,” he said with a plaintive shake of his head. “I’m not sure I can keep up with you.”
“Don’t worry. You sure kept it up the other day,” I giggled as I grabbed my shirt and shrugged it on. Then I approached him as I buttoned up, leaning in to present my lips for a kiss.
Tom kissed me, a soft laugh escaping as he played with my hair.
“Don’t forget, you want me to teach you my gay wiles,” I reminded him. “The more you blush, the naughtier I get.”
Tom winked. “Good. I like being surprised.” He took my hand once I’d tucked my shirt in, looking me up and down. “Handsome,” he approved. “And ready for our date.”
“Let’s get out of here,” I agreed with a self-conscious chuckle. From where he was standing, he could see the whole apartment without even turning a full 360 degrees.
My bed was tucked in one corner, and I used a windowsill as a bedside table. In the opposite corner, my couch butted up against my TV, and my two-person, round dining table lived next to the kitchen entrance.
The center of the floor was clear, just the way I liked it. But it didn’t bear thinking about what was under my bed, after this afternoon’s hasty cleaning session.
“I do like it,” Tom told me with a reassuring smile. “It suits you.”
“Overpriced and precarious?” I joked. I hopped from one foot to the other, pulling on shoes.
Tom shook his head. “Open, bright, and happy.” His voice was soft and sincere.
Nobody had ever said something like that to me before. I’d never been romanced with words like this. Tom didn’t try to sweep me away with a flood of sweet words, but the words he did say were always so unvarnished.
It was like he wasn’t ashamed to admit his feelings out loud—and a piece of me that I’d never known needed that suddenly felt at ease. I stopped dead, staring at my other shoe as I tried not to explode with glee.
Tom chuckled gently and came to stand next to me, holding my shoulder to help me balance as I put on the other shoe.
“Thanks,” I whispered, tugging it on and standing up. My eyes prickled with heat. “That’s really kind of you to say.”
Tom looked startled. “It’s just the truth, Rusty. I really like you.”
My heart soared with recognition and joy—he felt the same way I did! “I-I like you a lot, too,” I whispered. Then, before I could talk myself out of it, I asked, “Do you think it could be love? Is it too soon?”
My cheeks drained of blood in the long minute (okay, second) that I waited for Tom’s answer. Crap. I hadn’t really meant to bring that up yet. The way I dreamed about him, missed him every minute of the day, texted him nonstop… sure, early love always felt like that.
But there was something more, too. A bond that ran deeper, that words alone didn’t suffice to explain. Potential? No, that wasn’t it. Purpose? That came closer.
I wanted to love him, but at the same time, it wasn’t a chore. Not something I had to force myself into. The emotion came all on its own. My commitment, though… that was new.
I wanted it to work out, and I wanted him to see that I was serious, too. The last thing I could stand would be him thinking this was just some young crush of mine.
I’d had enough of those. This was new, and it was healing every crack in my heart while shaking apart everything I’d thought about myself at the same time.
That could only be one thing.
Tom chuckled and rested his hand on my chest. He wasn’t running screaming out the door, which was a good start. “What does this say?”
We both knew the answer. I couldn’t hide my smile as I covered his hand with mine. “This says… I should tell you how I feel.” My pulse fluttered fast, my throat all tight.
“And that’s exactly what mine says,” Tom agreed. “That’s why I asked you if we could go out. I know what I’m looking for, and I’ve found it in you.”
I gulped, ridiculously happy at those simple words. He put it so much better than me, goddamnit.
Then Tom laced our fingers. “I like that you’ve kept the floor clear. Is that to dance?”
I nodded, a smile growing on my lips. Of course he’d figured that out on his own.
Tom tugged me gently into a two-step. Fascinated, I let him lead. I didn’t even mind if he was a little clumsy. He so clearly wanted to connect with me in a way that I’d understand, and I loved him for it.