Page 30 of Gin & Sin (Last Call #2)

THIRTY

KIT

Could this night go any fucking slower? I swear every time I look up more people are filing in. From a business point of view, this is awesome, but from a guy who just wants to go home and climb all over a hot professor, it blows.

We had a nice dinner amid the chaos, talking about nothing in particular and everything all at the same time. I don’t know when the right time will be to tell him I’m ready to see where this goes, but I hope he knows that I am.

I bring a tray of beers over to a table of college guys. I know this since they’re all wearing Willow Bay jackets. In a way, they remind me of us back in the day, doing shots and talking shit until we stumbled out into the darkness and miraculously found our way home.

“Hey, guys.” I greet them as I set the pitcher down.

“Dude, have you guys noticed Professor Hanley lately?”

My ears prick up. One of the guys, a young twink with messy brown hair and big blue eyes, holds his hand over his chest like he’s having palpitations.

“Don’t know what happened, but he’s had a major glow up,” the guy continues.

“We’ve all noticed,” another guy says.

“I heard he’s been here a few times,” another one adds. “Rumor has it, he might be down.”

I should walk away, but my feet won’t budge.

“He’s such a bear,” the first guy purrs. “Gah, I would love to get under him.”

My jaw twitches as I slowly set the glasses on the table, taking way too long to do it, but these guys are too drunk to notice.

“Do you think he has a big dick?” a blond guy asks. “It’s always the sleepers who are packing.”

One of them laughs. “He is a sleeper, isn’t he? Normal on the outside, but there’s something about him, right?”

“He’s not normal,” the first guy says defensively. “He’s so hot. I’d do anything he told me to do. Yes, Professor Hanley. Anything you say, Professor Hanley.”

The guys cackle, and I set the final glass down hard enough that they all actually look at me.

“Can I get you guys anything else?”

The four guys exchange looks and then the one with the crush shakes his head. “Nah, man, we’re good.”

I spin on my heel and stomp to the bar. How dare they be so disrespectful of Stewart. I tug on my beard, filled with frustration. I want to set them straight, but they don’t deserve to know how amazing Stewart is. If they knew he was locked down would they still talk like that about him? I’m ready to flip a table to defend my man.

My man.

My breath catches in my throat. Fuck. The guys are right. I’m absolutely fucking gone over Stewart.

“Kit.”

I flinch, turning to see Indy. “Yeah?”

“What’s going on? You’ve been standing here like a statue for a solid minute with one pissed off look on your face. You okay?”

I shake my head. “No. Yes.” I rub my forehead. “Wow.”

“You’re not making any sense, dude.”

“I’m in love with him. I’m actually completely in love with Stewart.”

He pats my arm. “Welcome to the club.”

“What do I do now?”

“Tell him? Worked out pretty good for me.”

“Tell him.” I swallow down the tightness in my throat. “Just… say the words?”

Indy nods, smiling. “Yeah.” He squeezes my shoulder. “Go. We got it under control.”

“Are you sure? It’s so busy.”

“I’m sure, man. You’re pretty worthless right now anyway.”

I laugh, pulling him into a hug. “Thanks.”

“Another one bites the dust,” Salem sings from behind me. “Love it.”

I shake my head, but I’m already halfway down the hall to grab my coat. This is it. I’m gonna tell Stewart that I’m in love with him and I have no plans to let him go.

I make it home in record time, darting around people crowding the sidewalks. When I enter the house, I inhale, picking up on his subtle scent still lingering in the foyer. I kick off my shoes and coat and take the stairs two at a time, swinging my bedroom door open when I reach it.

Stewart is splayed out on my bed, naked as requested, with the blankets only covering part of him. He’s holding a book and wearing reading glasses. He looks up at me and smiles.

“You’re early.”

A thousand words cloud my brain all at once. There are so many things I want to say to him, but all that comes out is one simple phrase.

“I’m in love with you.”

His face goes blank for a second. “Wh-what?”

Stepping forward slowly, I exhale, feeling more sure of myself this time. “I’m in love with you, Stewart. I’m absolutely gone over you. I needed you to know.”

“You’re…” His bottom lip quivers as he drops the book. “You’re in love with me?”

“I am.” I sit on the edge of the bed, grabbing his hands in mine. “I’m sorry it took me a minute to figure it out, but I’ve never felt like this before. I didn’t know what to call it, and I was worried about so many things.”

“Like what?”

“Like being selfish and not letting you spread your wings. I thought maybe you might want to see who else is out there, but I couldn’t let you do that without you at least knowing that I don’t want to let you go.”

He just stares at me with his mouth gaping open.

“I see you, Stewart, for all that you are. You’re smart and funny and thoughtful. You’re incredibly sexy and addictively sweet. I think I was a goner the night we met, it just took me a second to realize it.”

His cheeks burn red, and as his chest heaves, I’m worried he’s going to tell me that’s not at all what he wants. Did I get it wrong?

“I can be good for you, Stewart. We’re gonna hire more people so I can spend more evenings at home with you, and anything you want?—”

“Stop, Kit.” He huffs a laugh, removing his glasses. “You don’t have to sell yourself to me. You convinced me a long time ago.”

I squeeze his hand. “What does that mean?”

“I’ve spent the day working up the courage to tell you that I’ve fallen for you too. I don’t want to spread my wings or see who else is out there because I can’t see anyone but you. I didn’t think…” He clears his throat. “God, Kit. I didn’t anticipate anything like this happening for me. I didn’t even spend time imagining it. I’ve been trying to convince myself the whole time that you’re just a nice guy who weirdly enjoys spending time with me.”

“Stewart…”

He holds up his hand to stop me. “But I see it now. All the sweet things you did and said weren’t just you being nice. You liked me.”

“A lot.”

He nods, lacing our fingers together. “I realized today that the only chance I had at keeping this was telling you how much I wanted to. It’s not casual for me. I’m not sure it ever was.”

“It never could’ve been, gorgeous. I was immediately sucked into your orbit and I love it here. I was blind to it because it was unfamiliar, but what I’ve always known is that I crave being around you. I think about kissing you and holding you close, and the way your body feels tucked up against mine. I left work because the realization was like a tidal wave. My friends told me it was love, and I was coming around, but tonight…” I pause, shaking my head. “There was no denying it.”

“Did something happen?”

A puff of laughter bubbles up. “I got jealous and protective. These college dudes were drinking and talking about you.”

“About me?”

I nod. “Yeah. They noticed how good you’ve been looking lately. One of them is really into you. They started talking about what your dick is like and how he wanted to find out.”

“Oh god,” Stewart groans. “Please don’t tell me who they are.”

“I don’t know their names. I do know I wanted to punch them out and tell them not to talk about you like that. I wanted to beat my chest and claim you, tell them I was your man, and even though I would never tell anyone, I wanted to tell them your body is a paradise and I’m the lucky one who gets to visit it.”

Stewart’s eyes turn glossy as he scoots forward. “You wanted to defend me?”

“The only thing that stopped me was not wanting to embarrass you and tell your business. Indy saw me losing my shit and told me to leave.”

“I’m sorry I messed up your work night.”

“Babe, please. You didn’t mess it up. There’s nowhere I’d rather be. I can be the man you need. I can be the partner you need. I might screw up sometimes because I’ve never done this before, but I’ll try so hard to make you happy. I’ll do what it takes.”

“Kit, you beautiful man. You’re already doing it. Why do you think it was so easy to fall?”

Grinning, I reach out and gently tug his beard. “You’re in love with me?”

“I’m so in love with you. And now I know what it feels like when it’s whole. It’s not just friendly affection and shared goals. It’s… intense attraction and affection and intimacy. It’s shared values and envisioning a future beyond what I ever could have before. It’s knowing who I am and what I have to offer and being accepted completely. It’s truth.” He smiles as a tear slides down his cheek. “It’s incredible.”

“It is.” I brush away his tears with my thumb. “I was supposed to be all your firsts, but you turned out to be my first too.”

“Not bad. As Theo would say, I snagged a baddie my first time.”

I chuckle. “I owe that man a drink. He cares a lot about you.”

“I know. I’m a lucky man.”

“Nope. You deserve it.” I lean in and press a kiss to his lips. “You also deserve all the pleasure you can stand and it’s my honor to give it to you.”

He smiles sweetly, rubbing his hand down my chest. “Tell me again how you feel about me.”

“I love you, Stewart Hanley.”

“I love you too, Kit—” He gasps. “Oh my god. I don’t think I know your last name.”

I laugh. “Adler.”

“Kit Adler. That’s a sexy name.” He rises on his knees, letting the blanket fall away, revealing his gorgeous nudity. “Now, sexy man, will you put your cock in me?”

My stomach flutters as my cock twitches and swells. “You bet your sweet ass I will.”