Connor’s grin was lopsided, and Forest spotted a tiny chip in one of his front teeth. It made the large man human. More human. Because up until then, Connor only needed a giant S on his chest, and Forest wouldn’t have taken much convincing to believe Con was a superhero. Not that he needed any convincing at all.
“Have you seen you?” Forest whispered. If he’d thought the Amp’s walls falling on him nearly killed him, he hadn’t even contemplated the danger of Connor Morgan coming out to him in a Hummer while his family looked on. “You’re like… sex and muscles and hot. And Irish. God, the accent. Kills me. And you dug me out of a fucking building! I’m having a hard time believing you’d want me.”
“Have you seen you?” Connor parroted, laughing at Forest’s wrinkled nose and snorted disgust. “You’re funny and a little bit too quiet, but I like making you laugh. It’s like a small gift—honeycomb for my heart. I’m finding I’ve got a preference for rough-around-the-edges, handsome blonds. I like that it doesn’t feel like I’m going to break you. Hell, you’ve survived a wall, so I’m hoping you’d be willing to try surviving my bad attempts at sex. Because I won’t know what I’m doing. It’ll all be new for me.”
“You’re a virgin?” Forest eyed him. “Yeah, pull the one between my legs. Like you’ve never worked that dick into someone.”
“Heh, no.” Connor barked a laugh. “Okay, yeah. Not a virgin, and yeah, the mechanics of sex is the same. Guess I’d also know how to work a cock—yours if I need to—if you want me to. I’ve worked my own for years.”
“I cannot believe I’m having this conversation.” Forest finally pulled a hand free so he could rub at his temple. “I’m in a coma, right? My head hurts, and my brain’s just walking me through a life simulation so I don’t get bored while everyone decides to pull the plug or not.”
“No coma,” Connor promised. “But if you are asleep, maybe this will wake you up.”
It was stupid. Probably the worst pickup line Forest’d ever heard. And he’d heard plenty. Mostly involving his ass and money with promises of a cock inside the first to get the second. When he’d gotten older—and just a little bit wiser—his hookups were casual, sometimes little more than a couple of shots of tequila and a head nod toward a back room.
Most of his “dates” included talking. Most had some kind of kissing involved. None—until now—included the possibility of forever.
A forever he wanted to pull over himself the exact moment Connor Morgan’s mouth touched his and took Forest’s breath when Con inhaled.
So many things were happening at once—too many for Forest to slide into his memory, even if his cracked head was willing to gather it all up anyway. The hands that’d held his a few seconds ago were cupping his face, Con’s rough calluses strangely soothing on the tender skin of his neck and jaw. The man’s mouth was wicked enough to be illegal, because whomever taught him to kiss had fallen from the heavens to hell. It was a descent from angelic bliss to deliciously sinful, with a stop in between.
He relaxed into the seat, letting Connor push him back into the upholstery. Forest opened his mouth, silently begging Connor to slide in. The man took the invitation and stole more of Forest’s lips, nipping at the tip of Forest’s tongue before plundering deeper. Forest couldn’t breathe—didn’t really want to. Connor’s mouth was a smooth, powerful glide over his lips, and when their tongues met, it turned into a delicate, sweet dance—a ballet amid the battle.
Those glorious hands were everywhere. Down the sides of Forest’s body, then across his hips, holding him down for a moment. Then he shifted so Forest could get his arms around Connor’s shoulders. He felt safe and wanton, a curious blend of sweet innocence and hot desire. There was more to sex in Connor’s kiss. Odd from a man who up until that moment, hadn’t really owned up to wanting another man, yet Forest couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
The kiss ended as it began, an explosive pop of Connor sliding around him, and then Forest was left gasping, his body aching more for the man who’d kissed him than for the oxygen his lungs seemed to be demanding. His mouth felt swollen, and more than his head ached. His cock was climbing up his thigh, trapped by his underwear, and his tongue longed for more, missing the feel of Connor’s lips and teeth.
Forest was startlingly and suddenly empty, as if Connor’d pulled free of the clench of Forest’s body—even if it was only a kiss.
And outside, the world continued to spin, although the only sound Forest heard was the crumbling smack of a brick falling clear of the wall and hitting the sidewalk below. He didn’t want to look out the window. There was an eerie silence there, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to face it. Not yet. Not when he could pretend his entire life existed in the confines of a giant black square car and the man nearly lounging on top of him.