also read a lot. I, uh, even go to the cons whenever I can.”
“Oh my god, do you cosplay?” I ask, leaning forward myself, picturing him dressed in an outfit made mostly of body paint. His cheeks pink, and if I wasn’t already a little smitten with him, that right there would have done me in. This big, tough looking man covered in tattoos and body piercings is blushing, and it’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.
“Sometimes,” he confesses.
“You’re a nerd. I fucking love it.”
He smiles, reaching for the basket of breadsticks and snagging one. “I used to get the crap beaten out of me in school for being such a nerd. Then, I hit a growth spurt the summer before my junior year of high school, and I ended up being a head taller than all the bullies, which worked out in my favor.”
“Ugh, kids can be so shitty. I’m sorry.”
He shrugs. “I survived, so it could’ve been worse.”
“I was lucky I had Leo and Hudson watching my back when I was young. After I came out to both of them, I didn’t want to hide my sexuality at school, so I was all out and proud, and I know they both had their work cut out for them keeping anyone from giving me shit about it. Neither of them are huge, but they were both popular jocks, so they had pull.”
“I’m glad they looked out for you.”
“We were thick as thieves all through school. It sucked when they stopped talking.”
Riot’s eyebrows go up. “What happened?”
“Fuck if I know. Neither of them will tell me. I wish they would both get over themselves and make up already.”
“Maybe they will in their own time,” he suggests.
“Maybe,” I sigh, not willing to hold my breath for that miracle. It would be nice though.
“Tell me something about you now,” he prompts.
“Oh god, I’m boring,” I answer with a laugh. “My favorite food is sushi, but don’t tell the dolphins.”
“I think the dolphins would agree with you,” he jokes.
We go back and forth like that, trading facts about ourselves and getting to know each other.
By the time we get back to his apartment, the sun is setting. He leads me up the stairs, and my body is already buzzing with the memories of the last time I was here. I thought it wouldn’t be anything more than a casual hookup, but fuck am I glad I was wrong. This is so different than when I fell for Leo or Hudson. With them, it sort of hit me all at once like a ton of bricks. With Riot it’s like more of a slow, steady feeling wrapping itself around me, almost like falling asleep...or maybe it’s more like waking up on a lazy Sunday, no rush to get anywhere, just lying in a cocoon of happiness and warmth as you slowly work your way up to greeting the day. I’m not in love with Riot, not yet, but it feels like such a real possibility, like it would be so easy to wake up one day and realize I am.
“Do you want something to drink?” Riot offers as I kick off my shoes and follow him deeper into his apartment.
“I want to be naked in your bed,” I counter, feeling bold and a little impatient.
“That’s an offer I certainly won’t refuse,” he agrees, grabbing me around the waist and hauling me to him.
My breath hitches at the perfect feeling of his large body against mine, his hot mouth claiming me, his hands strong as they slide down to my ass and pull me closer. I moan against his lips, dragging my fingers through his hair and dragging my tongue along the cool metal of his lip piercing.
Like the last time I was here, he doesn’t even break the kiss as he lifts me off my feet, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist, my hard cock pressing against his stomach through the layers of clothes. There’s something hot as fuck about his display of strength. I wonder if he could hold me up long enough to fuck me against a wall. My cock throbs at the thought, imagining him pounding me hard as my legs dangle helplessly, unable to do anything but take what he gives me. I whimper, licking his lips hungrily, the jostle of every step he takes making my cock even harder.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you in my bed. Do you have any idea how much I’ve