Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Second Edition

One

ONE

I Ain’t Ready

Coffee.

Mornings equal coffee.

The best morning I’d had in a very long time was the day I walked into Little Thing Called Coffee and saw they had their ordering app up and running.

I yawned as I walked down the street, tapping in my usual order and put it under my favorite superhero name.

The door jingled jauntily as I walked in. Amaury was behind the counter and waved as soon as he saw me.

“How are you so awake after a shift at the bar last night?” I asked.

“Coffee, Dylan. Coffee.”

Waving him off, I headed for my usual corner to wait for the order. The wait was pretty cool because the owner had installed a display board so you could watch your drink move up the line.

I putzed around on my phone a bit, checking out the social media sites. My favorite in the morning was Instagram because I didn’t have to interact or really think. It was all just pictures. Landscapes, friends, misadventures, cats, babies, and fashion and fabric.

A gorgeous blue gossamer fabric floated onto my screen, dotted with tiny crystals. They grew more frequent as the eye moved down the soft silhouette of the lines.

I looked at the name on the account, fraisfrenchfabriks, and took a screenshot. I needed that for the store. I knew Frais was a legit designer, too.

My assistant purchaser learned quite quickly that not everyone was legit. She’d managed to buy from an amateur, and the fabric bled like a stuck pig on the first wash. She felt bad and offered to pay for the bad batch, but I taught her a few tricks of how to use the fabric so it wasn’t a complete waste.

I scrolled a bit more before I heard the tell-tale sound of my whipped cream being added to the latte I always ordered. Looking up, I saw Amaury read the name and roll his eyes.

“Tony Stark.”

The little chuckle escaped me as I stood and headed for the counter.

Halfway there, someone bumped into me. Not hard, just enough to get my attention. He stared me dead in the eye—holy God, those blue eyes were stunning—and said one word.

“Peasant.”

What the…

Whatever. I walked to the counter and smiled at Amaury.

“Are you ever going to get tired of that name?”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

I paid for the coffee as Yolanda put another cup next to mine, and called out the order. “Loki!”

Blue Eyes appeared next to me and wrapped his hand around the cup. He caught my gaze again, and this time, he winked.

Before I could react, he was gone with his drink.

Peasant.

I burst out laughing.

* * *

Aerlin watched me as I walked into the store. I followed my usual routine so I didn’t understand her scrutiny.

“What?”

She tossed a tater tot in her mouth and grinned. “Who is he?”

I choked on the sip of my coffee. “What?”

“You’re wearing your I saw a hot guy smile.”

I stared at her. “Okay, well he was hot.”

She tossed another tater tot in her mouth. “But? I hear the but in there.”

“It was one of the funniest interactions I have had in a long time.”

“Okay, now you have to tell me.”

I didn’t have a chance to, though. The door chime sounded and two of our most important customers walked in, one of whom was also the most demanding dickhead you never wanted to meet.

There went my good morning.

At least it had been good until then.

Still, I did love my job. Other people might think that selling fabric to the fashion industry wasn’t really a goal as much as something one fell into. I didn’t care. I loved helping designers pick and match, and loved helping them bring their creations to life.

“You should see if he’s there tomorrow,” Aerlin said.

“What? Who?”

“The guy who put that smile on your face this morning.”

I stared at her. “Aeri, have you been thinking about him all morning?”

“No more than you.”

“Aerlin.”

“Seriously, Dylan. Even Gregoros couldn’t bring you down.”

“It was just a funny moment.”

She folded her arms. “Dylan, I haven’t seen you smile that broadly since Roger. It’s been what? A year since he left?”

“Fourteen months.”

“Not that you’re counting. How many dates have you been on?”

The pause before my answer was really all she needed. I answered her anyway. “One.”

“And that was…”

“Don’t make me say it.”

“Say it.”

“No.”

“Say it.”

“Ugh. Gus.”

“Augustus Meriweather Tomas Robert Gluwine Gotteberg, the fourth if you please.”

“Aeri, I’m just… not ready.”

“You’re afraid.”

“Of dating?” I wrinkled my forehead in confusion.

“Of having your heart broken again.”

I huffed. Was not. I just hadn’t found the right person yet.

I wasn’t ready.

Two

It Swings, It Jives

I checked the order board and smirked.

It wasn’t my usual Tony Stark up there today. I’d gotten creative and put a far less well-known name.

Peeking around the store, I didn’t see Loki from the day before. That didn’t mean he wasn’t here and it could have been a one-off.

Aerlin was right, though. It had been far too long since someone had made me smile like that. Who even knew if this mystery Loki was into men, but if he could make me laugh every morning, I didn’t need more.

That was a lie.

Roger had just broken me so badly, I was still finding pieces of myself all over the world. Literally. I couldn’t eat at my favorite Milanese cafe last time I was there because it just reminded me of what I didn’t have anymore.

Amaury was chipper this morning, whistling as he foamed the milk. He glanced at the board, then looked over at me and narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. I grinned and went back to my phone for a few more minutes.

“Everett Ross.”

I grinned. That was me. Amaury was rolling his eyes by this time, and I just smiled.

When I reached the counter, someone swept in front of me, and I bowed back out of the way.

“We don’t do that here.”

My eyes snapped up and I found Loki from the day before standing there with a huge grin.

Yolanda put the other drink down. “T’Challa!”

Loki picked it up, gave me that wonderful wink, and swept out the door.

Yolanda and Amaury laughed.

“Every day,” Amaury said. “He comes in and looks at the names and then orders. Without fail.”

“Do you know his real name?”

They both shook their heads. “Not a clue. He’s always got another new name.”

Was this guy really flirting with me?

I glanced around the coffee shop. No Loki. I could see my order up on the board near the top, and I sighed.

I picked a new name for today. I wanted to see what he was going to do with it. But, if he wasn’t here, I was going to have to spend less time looking up superhero names to screw around with.

Yolanda waved me over. A moment later she grinned when she saw the name on the side.

“Scott Lang!”

My steps were slow and slightly sad that my Loki wasn’t in the shop. Yolanda tapped in the order and I waved my phone over the reader at the register.

Amaury held up one of the secret drinks from the menu they’d pirated a bit from a more famous coffee chain. This was the Purple Fairy Dust. It was an excuse for purple, whipped cream, too much sugar, and a touch of black raspberry in a single shot of coffee with far more milk than I liked.

“Falcon!”

The familiar black hair of Loki appeared next to me and he grabbed the drink. He looked around embarrassed and said, “I’m going to need you to never tell Cap about this.”

He smirked, self-conscious, then winked and waltzed out the door.

It took everything I had to not scratch at my new ink. It was to the point of distraction.

I’d only been playing with the idea, but on Friday, after just one beer The A Squad—Alexei, Amaury, Aaron— along with Mel and David managed to convince me to do it.

So now I had an absolutely gorgeous new tattoo of my birth sign, Scorpio, with a subtle pride flair to it. I wasn’t a fey gay man, but I was definitely gay and didn’t bother hiding it.

I scratched the spot on my arm again.

“Stop that!” Amaury yelled.

Jerking my hand away, I looked sheepish.

I was just totally distracted by the itch, and I didn’t need this on top of the appointment with Irven Clothier at ten.

“Bucky Barnes!” Yolanda called.

The laugh escaped me. I’d forgotten I’d done that. I walked up to the counter, scratching the bandage again.

“I’m going to get that arm.”

Gasping, I turned.

It was my Loki again.

“Rocket!” Amaury called and held up a respectable drink for him.

This smile was broad and mischievous and gorgeous. He took the drink and winked.

He was gone again.

I scratched at my face.

The meeting with Irven Clothiers had gone on all day. I’d had to leave Aeri in charge of the store, then in charge of locking up. They dragged me to dinner—which wasn’t a bad deal, it was Peter Luger on their dime. By the time I got home from the bourbon and cigars, they insisted on sharing with me at some posh lounge, I was dead on my feet.

But. I had gotten the client. They were going to source their runway materials through Fabrics of Life. An exclusive one year contract, that would be extended by three if they were happy come time for renewal.

We had never disappointed a client.

Except Ri Lujan. Because he was a dick who just wanted me to blow him for the contract. I didn’t do sex for contracts. I told him to go fuck himself with a bolt of jute.

Irven Clothiers would be happy come this time next year.

“Steve Rogers?” Amaury seemed unsure of the name on the order. He paused and called again. “Steve Rogers?” He stared straight at me. “Hey! Steve!”

“Shit.” I jerked out of my seat. I was so tired I forgot I’d used that name today. My feet did not move as quickly as they usually did, and I scratched at the day’s worth of growth on my face.

“I see you’ve copied my beard.”

The words and voice caught me completely off guard. I spun and—

There was Loki again. Just as large as life and handsome as he had been every other morning.

“Thor!” Yolanda called.

The blue-eyed god leaned in close and reached for the cup that she was offering. “By the way,” he whispered almost in my ear, “this is my friend, Tree.” He held up the cup.

I burst out laughing, and he gave me that amazing wink before disappearing out the door again.

Nothing was more awful to me than the last Wednesday of the month. It meant I’d spend all day and into the night just trying to reconcile my books at the store.

Even with an accountant, there were things to be done before he came in.

I just hated this part of the business.

Then again, I guess anyone who pursued their passion got stuck in this kind of crap.

Since Aeri had agreed to open the store this morning, I’d gone to Crazy Little Thing earlier than normal and spread out some of the paperwork to help myself along. When the alarm on my phone went off, I grabbed it and ordered through the app.

With a quick check of my notes, I tapped in my name of the day and the usual order.

There was an error somewhere in my books. The numbers weren’t coming out correctly. I knew there was no way I was running a surplus of that much. Some order somewhere didn’t get accounted for.

Thank God for mobile Quickbooks. I pulled it up and started scrolling through, looking for orders, withdrawals, and deposits and tracking them through the month. I should have a small surplus, not this monster one that would allow me a first-class trip to Hawaii for two weeks.

“Peter Quill!”

Still staring at my app, I walked mindlessly across the cafe to where Yolanda had my drink. I tapped my card on the reader this time since I was still staring at my phone. She held out the drink.

“I’ve mastered the art of standing so incredibly still I become invisible.”

I actually screamed and nearly dropped my coffee. Yolanda was still holding on to it, so it didn’t hit the countertop and spill.

“Drax the Destroyer,” Amaury sighed, holding out the cup.

Loki waggled his eyebrows. He took his morning coffee and walked out the door.

“He’s flirting with you, my dude,” Amaury said.

I leveled my best sardonic look at him. “No! Really? I never would have guessed.”

Why had I picked these jeans?

I knew I had to spend most of the day in the stockroom. It was dusty and wearing jeans was smart. These were old and I kept them for knocking around the store like this… but how had I ever been able to breathe in these things?

Glancing down, I saw a small purple stain on the hem and I realized I had grabbed the wrong jeans. These were my clubbing jeans that I paired with a smart pair of chunky-heeled ankle boot to hide the stain.

They were basically painted on.

Crap. I didn’t have time to go home and change, either. Aeri was off today and I had to get there to open the store until my part-timer, Tim, got in at noon.

Tapping in today’s name and order, I leaned against the wall.

“No seat today, Dylan?” Amaury called.

I pointed to my pants.

“Well, that was dumb. Why did you pick those?”

“Wasn’t paying attention.”

He looked me up and down. “Well, everyone else pay you all the attention you need in those.”

I flipped him the bird and went back to my scrolling. I found a few more prints on Pinterest, and then one or two on Insta. I didn’t really need more right now. I had a great stock, and if anyone came in looking for anything I could, and would, order it.”

Amaury held up the cup “Captain America—oh come on. You already used that.”

“Correction.” I held up a finger as I walked over to the register. “I used Steve Rogers.”

Yolanda held up her cup. “Steve Rogers.”

I swallowed and looked to the right.

There he was, again. Blue eyes, black hair, simply gorgeous.

He held his hand out for the cup. Yolanda handed it to him, and after he had a grip on it, he leaned back and absolutely eyeballed the hell out of my ass in these jeans.

Raising an eyebrow, he cocked his head with a smirk.

“That is America’s ass.”

Our jaws dropped and he waltzed out with a spring in his step.

Yolanda smacked my arm. “The hell. Dylan! Ask the man out. If he flirts any harder, we’re all going to be hit with flying sexual innuendos!”

“Like we weren’t with that last one?” Amaury asked.

“I…” I stared at the door he had walked out.

Was I ready? This guy was so clearly interested in me, but I didn’t know anything about him. Not even his real name.

Then again, did he know mine?

Amaury took the drink out of my hand and motioned me to the table nearby. He had a coffee of his own and we sat down across from each other.

“Okay, Dylan. We’ve been friends for a while now. And I am going to be straight with you.”

“The last thing you are is straight.”

Amaury held up a finger, paused, and then nodded. “Okay, that one I’ll give you. But Dyl, it’s been over a year since Roger. You walked away from him, yes. But did you actually leave him? You’re scared to put yourself out there because of him. He fucked you over, but you’re still giving him power. He shouldn’t have that.”

“He stealthed me, gave me an STD and ghosted me, after emptying the bank account we shared,” I said. “I think he did a little more than just fuck me over.”

“And now your business is booming, your STD free and you can start dating again. Mister Loki there is interested. You’re a good judge of character, and if you go out with him, I’m confident that you’ll be able to tell right away if he’s worth the chance.”

I let out a long slow sigh.

“Ask him out. Bring him to the bar. You know we’ll all be there Saturday night. You’ll be surrounded by people you know. You could even tell him to bring a friend or two if you want him to feel safe as well.” Amaury laid a hand over mine. “Just ask. It won’t hurt.”

I took a sip of my coffee and finally nodded. “You’re right. Tomorrow morning.”

I spent too much time figuring out what name to put on the board that day. I had a list, but… I was nervous. Amaury was right, I was still giving Roger power over me. It had to stop.

Asking this mysterious blue-eyed god out was the first step in breaking that hold.

It took nearly an hour for me to pick the name that morning. I had to be ready to do this, and there were a thousand different ways to do it. But finally, I decided to try provoking him.

No matter what, I was going to ask him out.

I had to.

More, I wanted to.

After waking up entirely too early and getting to Crazy Little Thing long before normal, I plopped myself in the corner with my phone and tried to read a new book.

Didn’t work very well.

My alarm on my phone finally went off. I typed in the name. and my usual order.

I tried not to look around to see if I could spot Loki, but it was a lesson in restraint. He always just seemed to appear. It looked like this time wasn’t going to be any different.

Amaury looked at the name on the cup and sighed. “Really?”

“Just hush,” I grumbled under my breath.

He held the cup up and called, “Loki.”

I stood and headed for the register to pay.

This time, I felt him enter the store. Apparently, my mysterious god liked to wait outside. I tapped the card to the reader and picked up the cup.

“Tony Stark,” Yolanda laughed.

He was next to me. “Make your move, reindeer games.”

Before he could move away, I grabbed his wrist. “I’m making a move. Drinks. Tomorrow night, Bollock’s. You know it?

“I do,” he grinned. “And I’ll be there. Eight?”

“Perfect. And if you don’t care to trust me, bring some friends.”

He stuck his hand out properly. “Cooper.”

“Dylan.”

“It’s a pleasure, Dylan. Can’t wait.”

“Same.”

He took the cup of coffee from Yolanda and winked, disappearing out the door.

“YES!” Amaury held up a hand to high-five me.

I couldn’t leave him hanging.

Three

Knows How to Rock’n’Roll

I stared at the people at the table.

“Are you serious right now?” My words were directed to one of the ‘A’s— Aaron to be specific.

“Serious what?” Aaron asked.

“That.” I pointed to the man he was claiming as his boyfriend.

“Oh, this old thing?”

Maddox punched his shoulder. “A.”

“Come on, that was a double shot,” Aaron said. “How could I not take it?”

“Guys, I’m trying to meet this man for a date, and you bring along a world-famous rock singer? What the hell? Are you trying to kill my chances with this guy?”

“I think I rather improve your chances,” Maddox said.

“You’re a world-famous rock star, one look at you and he’s gone.”

“No, I’m not.”

I spun around and found myself face to face with Loki. Cooper.

“Hi,” I said sheepishly.

“Hi,” he answered. He looked around me to where Maddox had an arm around Aaron. “I will also correct you in that having the lead singer and new drummer from my most favorite band ever sitting with your friends is totally a bonus.”

“See?” Maddox said. “I’m a good luck charm.”

“Is that what you call running through Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and Israel?” Aaron asked.

“We’re here, aren’t we?”

Aaron ran a hand down his face and Maddox pressed a kissed to his temple.

“Well.” I pulled out the chair next to Maddox. “Have a seat. You can fawn a bit while we get the drinks.”

Cooper sat down but looked up at me. “I’m here to fawn, but not over him.”

Everyone at the table let out a sweet awww and made grossed-out faces. I promptly offered the middle finger.

Amaury walked over with the tray loaded with drinks and shots. “Here we go. This is a double special occasion. Alexei got to skate his first NHL game last night and Dylan has finally discovered who Loki is.”

“Oh, God,” I grumbled.

Cooper took one of the drinks. “Loki, eh?”

“Well, I didn’t know your name.”

“That’s fine.” He grabbed one of the shots. “I’ve been calling you Iron Man.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Alexei said and tossed back a shot.

I didn’t think I had ever gone so red so fast in my life. I grabbed a beer and took a hard draught on it.

Cooper leaned into my ear. “I would though.”

And then, I was choking on beer. Tapping me on the back with one hand and covering his laugh with the other, he tried to help me out. But I had to cough through it and finally settled into a hard gasp.

“You okay? I didn’t mean to startle you,” Cooper said.

“I’m fine, just didn’t expect that.”

“After all the witty banter of the past week?” The smile was somewhere between a giant grin and satisfied smirk.

“Can I admit I had to search some of the names?”

He blushed bright red, matching my own color earlier. “Why do you think I was waiting outside? I had to look up your name and see what I could use.”

“Gag,” Aaron said.

I flicked a peanut at him. “Can it, shrimp boat.”

“No shrimp here,” Maddox said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“Did I just have to bear witness to Maddox Jones making a sex joke about his boyfriend’s endowment?” Cooper stared at me, and Alexei snorted while I nodded. “This night is awesome.”

Maddox leaned over to stare at me. “You’re welcome, Dylan.”

The laughter rolled out of me.

Cooper fit right in with my friends. He was also a huge hockey fan, to Alexei’s chagrin. He split the night between Maddox and Alexei, but that was only half of his attention. The rest was for me, and he was so easy to talk to.

“You don’t drink?” I asked, pretty close to last call.

“Not a huge fan,” he shrugged. “But I also don’t like to get on my bike when I’ve had anything at all.”

I swiveled in the seat to look at him fully. “Bike?”

“Harley. Nothing special. But I like it, and I like riding. It’s also cheaper than keeping a car in the city. Most times, I just take the subway, but it was nice out tonight and I decided to ride in.” He canted his head and studied me. “I have an extra helmet and I’m not keen to end this date yet.”

“Oh, God, yes,” I said. “I haven’t been on a bike in years.”

Cooper stood and I followed him. I waved at Amaury on the way out and he knew to charge my card whatever it was I owed.

Out front, at the curb, was a beautiful, simple Harley Davidson, shining under the street lights. Cooper pulled up the top of the hard-sided saddlebag and retrieved one helmet and handed it to me. He pulled another one out of the other saddlebag.

“You’re brave leaving these in there.”

He shook his head. “Nah. If you’re going to steal it, at least don’t be stupid about it.”

“Consideration for the thieves, very nice.”

We both climbed on, and he kicked the starter. The bike rumbled to life and he twisted the throttle.

I hadn’t been on a bike since I was eighteen and dating a total poser. I didn’t love him—I loved the bike he drove me around on. Cooper settled on the seat and I threw my arms around his waist.

Oh, my God. The man was tightly muscled, compact but I would have put money on him being totally drool-worthy naked. I was also hoping for the opportunity.

The bike roared down the street, and I was sure we were pissing off some of the residents, but worse had happened. Cooper steered the bike to the FDR and went south.

Between the rumble of the engine, the bumps of the road, the warmth of his body, and the wind, I was in heaven. I adored the feel of being unencumbered by a car. I had a habit of always having my windows down if I had to drive.

The buildings of Midtown blew by on our right, sparkling in the night. Most of them would have their spotlights on until two a.m., allowing visitors to the top.

The road curved around and the Brooklyn Bridge appeared ahead of us. Cooper eased the bike to the right and took the exit that would allow us to cross to the other side. To my delight, once we were on the other side, he followed the signs for the waterfront. He pulled up onto the sidewalk near the East River with the bridge looming over us.

He killed the engine, and we climbed off.

“Should we be parking on the sidewalk?” I glanced around.

“At nearly two in the morning? We can be on the bike and gone by the time a cop came by.” He motioned me to the edge of the wide cement path that led out to the river.

“Night in Manhattan is my favorite,” he said, leaning against the crossbar that held the fence.

“It’s the reason I came and stayed,” I agreed. “Well. One of the reasons.”

“Where are you from?”

“Originally? Upstate. Just Highland Falls, but it’s not exactly a bustling hub of fashion and couture.”

Cooper laughed. “I’m shocked. So you’re in fashion?”

“Fabrics, yes. What about you?”

“ Acquisitions at a real estate firm. Not thrilling, but it pays the bills and lets me ride my bike on the weekends.”

“Where are you from? Here?”

“Oh, God, no. I wish,” Cooper laughed. “No, a little town in Minnesota called Olive Grove. I wasn’t welcome once it got out that I was gay.”

“Got out?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I got caught under the bleachers with Ernie McGovern. Ernie was our closeted star football player. So you know who got blamed for luring him over to the gay side. I turned eighteen three weeks after graduation and I was gone. Haven’t been back.”

His shrug said it was more painful than he let on, but I didn’t want to get too heavy on our first date.

“Thanks for bringing me out here,” I said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to see Downtown and that new building looks good.”

“It does, doesn’t it? Have you been through the Oculus?”

“The PATH station?”

“Oh, it’s so much more. Calatrava is my current favorite architect. You have to go on the September Eleventh memorial. The way of light just floats across the whole floor. It’s simply gorgeous.” I could see his eyes sparkle with delight.

“You like architecture.” It was not a question.

“Love it,” he said.

“So, why not be one?”

He shook his head. “Life got in the way.”

“I hear that.”

His hand made its way around my waist and pulled me closer as we stared at the skyline.

“This okay?” he asked on a whisper.

I turned and caught his gaze. “No.”

“No?”

“This is better.” I leaned in and brushed a soft kiss over his lips.

Cooper hummed. “You’re right. That is better. This is you making another move, Reindeer Games?”

“You bet your ass.”

“Hey, language.”

We both let out a little chuckle and then our lips met again. There was no more talking. His curious tongue found mine and I made a shameful noise of desire.

Both of Cooper’s arms found my waist and pulled me against him, never stopping the kiss. He had a five o’clock shadow that gave me a delicious little beard burn. His tongue never stopped dancing with mine, back and forth, give and take.

He tasted like warm pretzels with a sharp tang of mustard and the sweetness of the soda he’d been drinking. His lips were soft, and he scraped his teeth on my lip, not quite biting but more than a little nibble.

Cooper was a hell of a kisser.

It didn’t take long for other body parts to join the party. If what was I feeling against my thigh was any indication, it was a hell of a party. I hoped this was my invitation.

What the hell was wrong with me? The ridiculousness of my thoughts told me how far gone I was, lost in the kiss—oh, and the hand on my ass.

God, yes.

“You interested in continuing this date elsewhere?” He squeezed my ass just ever so lightly.

“Does elsewhere mean naked and horizontal?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“Your place or mine?”

“I live right over by Grand Army Plaza.”

“East Side, not quite upper. You’re closer.”

“Good deal,” he said and took my mouth again.

We spent another five minutes just kissing and teasing each other through our jeans. It was more than pleasant, but I wasn't going to last much longer.

“By the time we get to your place, I'm going to need your washing machine to get the stickiness out of these panties.”

He grunted. “Panties?”

Oh. Oops.

“Yes?”

“Get on my bike. I need to see this.”

Four

Crazy Little Thing

His place happened to be one of the most prestigious buildings on Grand Army.

I only had the ride up the elevator to appreciate the place. He slammed me against the closed door of his apartment and attacked my mouth again.

“You're really wearing panties?”

“Good luck panties.” I managed the words between his breath-stealing kisses.

Cooper grunted again. “Holy crap.” He hauled me off the door and started walking backward to his bedroom. He dragged me with me. “I need to see this.”

We made it through the door of his room before he was on me again, kissing me like it was his job.

Which, I decided, it totally was.

“Can I fuck you with them on?”

If I hadn't already been hard as steel, that would have done it.

“It's been a while since I've bottomed…”

“Is that a problem?”

I shook my head. “Totally vers.”

“Me too,” he said. “There's nothing like getting pounded into the sheets. But I'd like to do the pounding tonight.”

“Mm, be my guest.”

He stepped back just a bit and whipped his shirt off, over his head.

Oh, sweet Jesus and the camel.

Two pierced nipples and the most gorgeous, stylized tattoo on his pec and shoulder I had ever seen.

He chuckled. “You're drooling.”

I swiped my hand up and down. “Well. I mean… God.” My hand hovered over the tiny silver hoops in his nipples.

He leaned in close again, pulling my hand away. I whimpered. “I showed you mine, now you show me yours.”

My lips found the shell of his ear. “Get naked. I want you in me soon.”

In a flurry of limbs, we both pulled and tugged all of our clothes off, save the respective underwear we'd chosen that day.

He'd chosen well. A tight pair of boxer briefs hugged his hips and did—sadly—a good job of hiding his erection. It was a really good job, actually, judging by the size of that bulge.

Cooper's reaction to my choice was phenomenal. He moaned and pulled me close. “Satin.” His hand rubbed circles on my ass.

“Mm. Special order from Jaeri's Boutique. Ever been? Must go. Lingerie for every body type.”

He huffed and rubbed his cock against mine through the layers. “God, that feels good.”

It was my turn to kiss him, and I poured every bit of lust I felt at that moment into it. It was a wet, filthy, sloppy kiss and I adored how dirty it made me feel.

His hand snaked down my crack, to my hole, and teased it gently.

“Long time, huh?”

“Long enough to need some tender ministrations before you fuck me into the sheets.”

“Oh, I can do that.” He spun us around and directed me to the bed. “Face down. Ass up.”

Mmm, yes, please.

He pulled the drawer in the nightstand open and grabbed the lube, a condom… then added 3 more condoms.

“Feeling frisky?” I asked.

“They don't just have to be for me.”

He slowly crawled on to the bed and slipped the back of the panties down. His hand traced soft circles on my bottom, and I couldn't stop the moan.

“Your ass is wonderful,” he mumbled. I felt him part my cheeks, and his finger tapped on my hole. “I sure hope you don't mind being eaten out.”

I didn't have a chance to answer before his lips and tongue made a meal of me. I yelped at the first touch and fisted the sheets. This was not a first date activity, normally, but I was not going to complain.

His tongue was talented, and he had me panting in minutes. I wanted to thrust against the sheets, to find friction for my hard cock, but his hands held me in place. All that was before he pierced through the tight ring of muscle and fucked me with his tongue.

“Holy shit…” I managed to gasp. “Cooper… oh shit. If you want to fuck me, stop, stop…”

He pulled back slowly. “You liked that.”

I laid my head sideways on the pillow. “You're really good at that.”

“A favorite of mine,” he said. “I'd love to try and make you come from my tongue in your ass alone.”

I wasn't sure what I said because it sounded like blerfhargyespleez, but he must've understood. “Next time then.”

Oh, a next time. Yes.

I felt a cool lubed finger at my hole and he had clearly prepped me well because he slipped it and another in with no pain at all. I sighed. It really had been years. Roger never liked topping.

And he'd never, ever taken such an oral interest in my ass.

“Another?” Cooper asked, running his fingers over the satin still on my hip. I was squirming and moaning and trying to get friction on my dick, but the panties were confining me.

“Yes, please. God, hurry.”

He was still careful but moved more quickly to prep me. He had to be aching as much as I was at this point.

And as if to prove my point I heard the foil of the packet rip and cap of the lube click.

“Ready for me, Iron Man?”

“Yes, Christ. Yes.”

His blunt head nudged against me and with just a tiny pinch of pain—impressive because now I could feel how hung he was—he slipped through the tight ring.

“Ohhhh…”

The breath rushed out of me. It had been far too long since I'd been on the receiving end. He felt so good, pushing forward, deeper, just a little at a time.

“Damn…” He leaned over me as his balls bumped my ass, as deep as he could go. “Oh, Dylan. Shit, you're so tight around my cock.”

“You should try this side,” I mumbled.

“I plan to.” Cooper's hand found the hard ridge of my trapped erection and smoothed his hand over it.

“Move, Cooper. Move. Fuck me.”

He obliged with an indecent moan, pulling back and then slamming back in.

“Holy shit, yes.” I was sure the neighbors heard that, and I didn't care. “Yes, like that, like that!”

“Filthy man,” Cooper said and started pounding into me.

God, it had been too damn long.

Every move he made was better than the last. He was finding nerves that hadn't been touched in years, and some I didn't even know I had. When that blunt dick of his hit and glided over my prostate, I yelled something. I didn't know what.

“Like that?”

“Uh-huh,” I grunted.

“You like it hard.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You want to come?”

“Uh-huh.”

Apparently, having my ass pounded like this took my rational brain offline. Everything else was still working, though. I clawed desperately at the front of my panties where my cock was trapped.

Cooper pushed my hand away and wrapped his around me. “I want you to come in these. Make them filthy with your cum, Dylan.”

“Shit!”

I came after just four strokes of his hand over my satin-covered dick. And I came hard, with a shout and a thrust back on his cock. He let out a satisfied groan and lost his rhythm. He came immediately when my climax hit and I clenched around his delightful girth.

He tumbled to the side and pulled in close to me. I missed him inside me already, but if he came as hard as I did, there was no way he could manage to stay upright.

Judging by the grin on his face and the way he was desperately trying to catch his breath, I'd say he did.

“Shit…” The word was barely a whisper. “Those panties are so damn hot.” He lifted up a bit to take the condom off, knot it, and toss it in the trash. “Are they ruined?

“Nah, I can rinse them out. I'll go home commando.”

“Won't they be dry in the morning?”

Oh.

“You want me to stay?”

He kissed my nose. “If you want to, I'd really like that. I wasn't interested in a one-and-done with you.” He blushed furiously. “I would have thought that obvious.”

I gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Didn't want to presume.”

He grinned. “Don't stop me now.”

I laughed. “Are we switching up the game from superheroes to music lyrics?”

“Maybe. How good are you with Queen?”

“Well, I know a few.”

His laugh echoed in the room. What a great laugh it was.

Maybe I was ready for this.

I wiggled out of the filthy panties and flung them into the room somewhere. Hauling him close, I rolled us so that I was on top and my now reviving cock rubbed along his.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Ready, Freddie?”

Cooper’s grin was blinding. “It’s a crazy little thing, isn’t it?”

“Let’s find out.”

We sealed the challenge with a kiss.

The End

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