All That You Do

Chapter 1-3

“I’d like that.” He bent closer and turned his head to skim his mouth along Gage’s jaw. His taste buds watered for more, but he had to settle for the slight contact he got, at least for now. “You’ll have to lead the way, though. Otherwise, I’ll forget we’re in public, and show you how crazy you make me right here.”

Gage’s smile was an endearing combination of shyness and pleasure. He turned his head and let his mouth brush against Christopher’s. When he felt Gage try to pull away, he cupped the back of his head to hold him in place and deepened the kiss. Gage followed his lead, parting his lips, allowing the tips of their tongues to touch. He could tell Gage was holding himself back—he was welcoming but reserved. Christopher didn’t mind. He had all night to push past Gage’s shields.

When Christopher lifted his head, Gage’s eyes were bright and his mouth needed to be kissed again.

“Come on,” Gage rasped. He took Christopher’s other hand and tugged him toward the door.

As they skirted the edge of the crowd, Christopher saw Rev gyrating against a bear who seemed more interested in trying to catch Rev’s hips than dancing. Rev glanced over in time to catch his eye, but when he saw Gage leading Christopher away, his brows shot up, and a broad grin split his features. Christopher rolled his eyes, but did it with a smile, especially when Rev threw a thumbs-up at him. He wasn’t worried about abandoning Rev. They’d long ago worked out their system. If Rev couldn’t find Christopher when he wanted to leave, he’d call.

The night was cooler when they stepped outside, the perfect excuse to edge closer to Gage. Darkness prevented him from seeing more than a profile and shadows, but the memory of that pretty mouth was more than enough to tide Christopher over until he got the real deal again.

“So do you have any recordings of your own music?” he asked. “I’d love to hear something.”

“A few mp3s. But they don’t really sound that good. They weren’t done in a studio or anything.”

Gage hadn’t been lying when he said he was just a block away. They were standing outside his building within a few minutes. The apartment was a third floor walk-up, but Christopher didn’t mind taking the stairs. It gave him the perfect opportunity to study Gage’s backside. Which was quite nice. He couldn’t wait to get those pants off.

“Okay, I just want to warn you that it’s not much, but it’s mostly clean,” Gage said, as he unlocked the door.

Christopher waited until he’d flicked a switch just inside before tugging Gage back into his arms and nudging the door shut with his heel. “I did warn you, you drive me crazy,” he murmured. He caught a glimpse of Gage’s eyes widening, but then all he saw was his soft mouth, and the way his lips parted the moment before Christopher sealed them with his own.

He had expected Gage to relax once they were out of the club and in his own home, but Christopher still sensed that he was holding back. Gage fisted Christopher’s shirt, holding him close as Christopher deepened the kiss. His enthusiasm was clear, which made Christopher wonder why the kiss almost seemed clumsy. Gage’s other hand wandered over Christopher’s body, lightly touching his shoulder and then his chest, finally settling on his hip. Gage’s erection pressed against his thigh, and his own c**k pressed against uncomfortably against his zipper.

Christopher dismissed his concerns. The important thing was they both wanted this. Gage had said himself he hadn’t been close to anybody in some time. He just needed to get warmed up.

Though it was the hardest thing he’d done all night, Christopher slowed the caress. The kiss remained deep and open, but instead of letting Gage try and discern their tempo, he teased the tip of his tongue with delicate, almost fleeting, glances, coaxing it forward until Christopher could suck it into his mouth. He groaned when Gage trembled, and loosened the embrace to slide his hand down the center of Gage’s chest.

He stopped when he reached the hard ridge of denim, molding his fingers over the bulge.

Gage jerked away from the touch, but didn’t pull away from Christopher’s hold. He broke the kiss and looked at Christopher with wide eyes, like he couldn’t quite believe Christopher had touched him there.

“Sorry,” he said before Christopher could speak. “I didn’t…I wasn’t expecting that.”

Christopher ran his tongue over his lower lip, already missing the way Gage tasted. “What were you expecting then?”

“I don’t know. This is all a first for me.”

The simple words startled Christopher into straightening. His hands fell away, and he stared at Gage like he was seeing him all over again.

A first. Of course. That would explain the timidity, the awkwardness. Hesitation he’d considered charming but in fact stemmed from inexperience. What was he doing, picking up a kid who had no idea what he was doing? It didn’t matter that Gage had offered to buy him a drink. Everything that had happened after that point was all Christopher.

“And you invited a stranger back to your place? Anything could have happened to you.”

“I can handle myself,” Gage said defensively. “Besides, I like you and you don’t seem like a psychopath.”

“I’m not.” His brain returned to the conclusion he’d drawn earlier, that Gage had picked him because he was a safe choice. He’d been all right with the assumption before, but now, it kind of annoyed him. “So what’s this all about? Did you know Power is a gay bar?”

“Yes. The fact that there were no women there was a big tip-off. As for what this is all about…what do you think it’s all about?”

“I thought it was about s*x, but that was before.”

Gage frowned, confusion pulling his brows together. “What do you think it’s about now?”

“I think it’s about me leaving.” He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it off his face. His body still wanted Gage in a bad way, but his head no longer believed it was anywhere close to a good idea to continue. Somehow, he had to find a way to get the two in agreement before his feet would agree to walk him out the door. “Look. You are…hot. Really hot. And I meant everything I said back at the bar about how crazy you make me. But I can’t take advantage of the fact that you’ve never done this before.”

“How are you taking advantage of anything? I want you, Christopher. I really, really want you. If you just want this to be a one-night thing, that’s fine with me. You never have to see me again.”

In the pale light of the living room, Gage’s eyes seemed far bluer than they’d been back at the bar. They were now dark with longing, sparkling from the adrenaline of their kisses even now with their bodies separated. He was still hard, too, and made no attempt to hide his arousal. He was everything Christopher could have asked for, for a night of pleasure and escape.

Except for the fact that Christopher would feel like s**t in the morning for doing the one thing Gage didn’t understand.

“You’re new to town.” He kept his voice smooth and low, hoping it would help relay his seriousness on the matter. “And you said it yourself, this is all new to you. You don’t even know what options you have out there. I would be an asshole if I got in your way of finding it out.”

Gage regarded him for another beat, and then his face hardened into a stony mask.

“f**k it.” He pushed past Christopher and yanked the door open. “Just go.”

With the order hanging between them, his feet could finally comply. He took two steps, then stopped. “Will you answer me one thing first?”

“What?”

“Was this just going to be a onetime thing to try, or is this who you are? Honestly.”

Gage snorted. “You sound like my family. I moved to a strange city with no friends because I was tired of acting like something I wasn’t. Does that answer your question?”

It did, actually. He was sorry Gage would likely lump him in with the rest of the people in his life to give him a hard time, but at least now he knew.

“I know you don’t get it now, but hopefully you will at some point.” Reaching inside his jacket, he pulled out his wallet, extracted one of his business cards, and held it out. “When you do, and if you feel like seeing a friendly face in this strange city, call me.” He smiled, soft and a little sad for the opportunity he’d almost had. “Because I liked you before I even considered coming home with you.”

Gage took the card but didn’t bother looking at it before sliding it in his back pocket. “Yeah, right. I get it.”

Christopher didn’t think he did, but standing around to try and explain it wouldn’t do either of them any good. With a nod, he stepped into the hall and turned away.

The door slammed shut behind him.

As he headed for the stairs, Christopher adjusted his erection, still present in spite of his better sense. He was doing the right thing. He knew that.

He just hoped Gage did, too, some day.