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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

ELLIOT

In the hallway, making out and stumbling our way toward the bedroom, Hank’s hands are all over me. The condo smells like him and plants and clean, fresh air, and every little detail I notice thrills me, from the names of the books on the shelves to the soft music on the stereo.

But now that he’s finally touching me again, I can barely think of anything but this.

His hands. And our bodies.

“Fuck, I like kissing you,” I say as Hank holds my face, his fingers in my beard. “This is my first time kissing you inside a building. Isn’t that funny?”

He walks me back to the bed. “Even better,” he says and gives me a gentle push. When I fall back on the mattress, he smiles. “Clean sheets.”

I cross my feet at the ankle and rub them into the covers as I look up to him. “Pure luxury.”

Hank joins me on the bed, and we kiss again. I lose myself in it, making out and rubbing close, dragging each moment out to make the pleasure last. It’s been such a whirlwind, but now that we’re back together, everything feels possible again.

We’re good together. And he cooked a gorgeous dinner for me. His intentional care moves me, and I kiss him harder, feeling affirmed and confident.

I pull Hank’s suspenders off his shoulders, and he removes my shirt. We keep undressing and kissing, murmuring sexy compliments. Once I’m otherwise naked, I leave my socks on and roll on top. He surprises me by reaching down and grabbing my foot with a firm grip.

“Do you like that?” I ask.

Hank growls, and his thick dick pulses, trapped between our bodies. “You know I do,” he says as he releases me, dragging his hand back up my body.

I tease his toes with my toes. “The fabric is so soft. It feels nice.”

Hank’s hand gropes down the side of my thigh. I can see in his eyes how turned on he is, and I roll us to the side, letting him get a good look at me.

“You’re so hot, I don’t know what to do with you.”

I press my body to his, letting our hard erections bump and grind as we kiss. “You don’t have to do anything,” I tell him, “except let me suck your big cock.”

Hank groans as I make my way down his torso, kissing his hairy chest and his belly, appreciating how clean and fresh he smells.

When I’m at his cock, I take him in my hand and roll my tongue across his crown.

My legs are back behind me, so I kick my feet up, dangling them above my ass so he can get a good look while he watches me suck him off.

Hank paws at my head, moaning his appreciation. “Elliot. Oh, oh.”

I pull my tongue up the underside of his shaft. “Special treat. For Branzino.”

I suck him and play with his heavy balls.

In the comfort of his clean bed, Hank and I luxuriate.

When he starts shaking with pleasure, I make my way to his ass.

Back to his hygiene routine, he gives himself to me with even more enthusiasm than on the island.

Hank spreads his cheeks and opens his hole, and I lick him and play with him and drive him wild.

Finally, he wrestles me back into his arms. Hank holds me to his big body, clutching me tight as we jerk each other off and play with our feet. It sends a full-body zing through me, a sensation that steals my breath and leaves me quivering, spasming on the edge of climax.

When we orgasm, Hank grabs my ankle, holding me close to his body while I spray.

I lie against his chest, sweaty and catching my breath.

“Damn,” Hank says as he sits up. “I forgot how fantastic it is to have sex when I’m not in misery.”

I laugh. “And we can even clean up properly now. I know you’re going to love that.”

“I am.” Hank takes my hand. “Shower?”

In his tile shower, the scent of coconut body wash in the air, Hank and I wash each other off. He takes the faucet down and sprays me, gently cleaning me everywhere, and I do the same to him. It’s erotic and slow, quiet and nice, and I have another orgasm when he strokes me off at the end.

Wrapped up in white robes, Hank leans back against the sink. “You’re welcome to sleep over,” he tells me.

I step through the steam to kiss him again. “Thank you. I will.”

I’m floating on a cloud when I return to bed. I couldn’t have asked for anything more from this date, and in the comfort of Hank’s home and his embrace, I sleep a deep, dreamless sleep.

My alarm wakes me the next morning at seven, and I turn to see Hank already out of bed. I pull on my underwear and wander into the condo, finding him in the middle of the kitchen in his pajama pants, eating a small bowl of yogurt as he looks at the house plants.

“I woke up and noticed you weren’t there.” He turns, smiles, and takes me in a morning kiss, casually intimate in a way that feels natural. “Nice that I can walk down the hall to find you instead of wandering a cold island and yelling your name into the wind.”

Hank chuckles. “It’s the little pleasures in life. You’re up earlier than I expected.”

“I’m planning to get an early start today. I’m headed straight home.”

“Right. Would you like some coffee, tea? Breakfast?”

I step forward and kiss him again, grateful for everything to feel normal for five minutes. Easy.

“Maybe just a little toast?”

“Coming right up,” he says happily.

I lean back against the wall. “I want you to see my place, too. We’re going to be busy getting ready for the rally up until Monday, but the day after, we’re celebrating with a tea party game night. You should come!”

“What’s a tea party game night?”

“Everyone brings a tea, and then we play games while we try each other’s teas out of small purple tea cups that Taylor found in a free box two years ago. At the end, whoever brought the best tea is declared winner of all the games we played.”

Hank nods as he pops some bread in the toaster. “That does sound fun. My family has always played games.”

“Invite Angie, too,” I suggest. “It will just be me and the roomies otherwise, low-key.”

“Sure. I will.” Hank crosses his arms over his chest. “What are you expecting from this rally? Is it going to get out of hand?”

“Drag queens, out of hand? Never. Seriously, though. I’m just excited to be there to support my friend and a good cause. I’ll hang back and wear a proper disguise.”

The toast pops. “Let me know how it goes,” he says. “I’ll be thinking of you.”

“And I’ll be thinking of you at your first day back to work. Hope my dad behaves.”

“There will be plenty of audits to keep me occupied, luckily.”

Five minutes later, Hank calls me a car, and I’m out the door with a to-go cup of coffee.

Back home, I hear Taylor’s favorite Frank Ocean album playing as I step onto the porch, and when I walk in, both she and Marko are busy at work.

Glittery fabrics and craft supplies spill off the coffee table, and Marko is in his boxers and heels, practicing his footwork.

Taylor looks up from her laptop. “Wow. I think I’ve only seen you up this early when you’re actually up this late.”

I kick off my shoes. “I’ve got a full day.”

“And sex hair,” Marko says as he twirls.

I rub my hand through my hair. “Sex in the shower hair, even. It’s from last night.”

“Review?” Taylor asks.

“A perfect first date. And exactly what I needed. Now I’ll crank out a couple new editions of ogres blowing bubbles, and then I’ll be free to hit the thrift stores and assemble needed accessories for the rally before a long stretch of drawing tonight. Everything on track.”

“I’ve got an update,” Marko tells me. “The Britney Spears drag queens got together. They’re trying to bring out a thousand Britneys for a green future.”

“I’m editing the transition music to reflect that,” Taylor says as she clicks something. “The lineup is packed.” She looks up to me and blinks. “Hold on. You need to rest after you finish your work this morning.”

“Yeah,” Marko agrees. “I’ve got two friends from the late shift at the Rowdy Unicorn who would be more than happy to spend the afternoon treasure-hunting gaudy accessories.”

I sit on the couch and immediately pick up my drawing tablet. “It’s totally fine,” I insist through a yawn. “I can come up with new horny ogres all day and not break a sweat.”

When Hank asked how I was going with work, I told him the truth, but I spared the most embarrassing details. Being broke and behind is just a temporary situation, and what matters is that I stick the landing.

“I’ve got that two thousand dollars from my family to cover my overdue dental bill, the reason I went to the boat in the first place, but the office has already put me on a payment plan.

Instead of paying it all off now, I can use some of that money to bridge me through.

I also have a bunch of stuff I can sell. ”

Marko frowns. “You’re going to sell your stuff?”

“I’ve got designer clothes, some first-edition books. Antiques! Like, what do I really need an antique vase for? Except for my mother was going to throw it away and I always thought it was beautiful.”

Marko and Taylor exchange a look, and I open up my ogre template.

“I know it sounds bleak. But trust me. I found a new resolve when I was on the island. Even if it takes sacrifices, I’m going to succeed. And I’m done relying on my family. I’m going to make this work on my own terms.”

“I still think you should take it easy,” Marko says. “I can even help cover your rent for a month, if it came down to it.”

“Ultimately, we’re as invested in you making rent as you are,” Taylor adds.

“It’s level-up summer,” I remind them. “Marko, you’ve been talking about using drag to make protest fun ever since I met you at the vampire pool party four years ago.

And it’s time for me to become a famous artist, and for you, Taylor, to launch the hit event of queer Seattle’s summer.

” I shake my head. “Literally nothing can stop me. Not even a desert island and a media scandal.”

“On the plus side,” Marko adds, “it’s easy to appear in costume at a drag event.”

“And your media scandal has splashed some attention our way,” Taylor adds. “It will hopefully get more eyes on the protest, and then we’ll deliver the message we planned. Frida Dolphins is basking in the exposure, too, and the visibility isn’t bad for my DJ career.”

I scribble some scraggly hair on the ogre’s arms. “Great. Everything is working out perfectly.”

Now I just need to show Hank the kind of partner I can be.