The next few hours were chaotic, but the best time Addison had had in years. He bustled around to the tables, taking orders, grabbing plates, telling Frankie when he thought one of the customers needed an extra pick-me-up. That was his favorite part. He liked the idea of helping people without them even knowing about it. It felt good to see someone smile who’d been down when they first walked in the door. He could see why Frankie had started doing it. By the time the restaurant closed after dinner, he was exhausted and grinning and ready to pass out and take on the world at the same time.
“You still up for the bar? That was a long afternoon for you.”
Addison nodded. “My feet are killing me, but I could use a glass of wine. Plus, I like it when you’re tipsy.” He flashed a grin at Frankie.
“Yeah, I’m easy when I’ve had a few.” Frankie chuckled and gave Addison a long, lingering kiss that was both sleepy and totally hot at the same time.
“I might be too. You never know.” Addison couldn’t believe he’d just said that. He hadn’t thought about bottoming in years, but the thought of it made his skin heat up all of a sudden.
“Really?” Frankie’s face broke into a big grin.
“Yeah. I think so.”
Addison was surprised with another long, deep kiss. “Damn, you’re hot.” Frankie panted when they’d finally come up for air.
“C’mon, babe. Let’s go get some wine with Dom.”
Frankie smiled and held out his hand.
* * * *
Frankie smiled at Dom and his new date, Terry. Showered and dressed, they'd made it to the wine bar in time to be seated in one of the cozy corner booths. Addison had his arm around him, and they were cuddled close on the bench. He kept getting teasing looks from Dom (who even stuck his finger in his mouth and gagged once when Addison kissed him on the nose). He didn’t mind being corny. It was weird because usually he’d push someone away if they tried to be so touchy in public. Must just be love, he thought. He’d realized sometime in the past week that he’d never really been in love before. That “can’t stand not to be touching him” feeling was something completely new.
He was on his second glass of wine and feeling pretty good. He knew if he had another, he’d be well on his way to the point where he would tell people his family secrets and profess his love for Addison in sonnet form in front of the whole bar. Probably best to tell Addison in private first. No more wine for him.
“Hey, you want to go home?” Addison’s whisper was paired with a not so private nibble on his ear. Frankie shivered hard.
“Yeah. I want you inside of me. Right now.” Frankie didn’t realize how loud he said that until Dom and his date gawked at him.
Addison laughed and gathered Frankie close, grabbing his jacket at the same time. “I think I should get this one home.”
Dom snickered. “Yes, you should. Apparently he needs to go to bed.”
Frankie tried to glare at Dom as they slipped out of the booth. He wasn’t sure if he was successful. Probably not, because he ended up almost tripping. But Addison managed to get him into his jacket, and by the time Frankie had his hand in the back pocket of Addison’s jeans, walking down the street, he felt tons better. He had a pleasant burn in his belly, and he was walking home with his man. Things were pretty damn nice.
“Love you, Addie,” he murmured into the arm of Addison’s jacket.
Addison stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned to face him. “Say that again.”
Frankie’s already warm skin got even hotter. “I said I love you, didn't I?” He moaned and covered his face with his hands. “Oh, Jesus. This is so not how I planned this moment. Shit, I’m a jerk.”
“Hey.” Addison’s warm hands came up to cup his face. “Stop it. I love you too, and this moment is perfect.”
“Yeah?” Frankie swayed but soon righted himself.
“Of course. The last month and a half has changed my life. You’ve changed my life.”
“Was it so bad before?”
Addison shrugged. “Boring. I did what my mother said to do pretty much all the time. I was never what you’d call happy. Not like now.”
“When do I get to meet this mother of yours? You met mine.”
Addison groaned and hugged Frankie close. “Can we please not talk about her? It’s been such an amazing night.”
Frankie’s belly heated up. “It could get a lot more amazing for both of us if you take me the rest of the way home.”
By the time they got to the front door of Addison’s condo, the wine had worn off a little. Even though Frankie had barely any tolerance, the buzz usually died pretty quickly, which was good.
“I love your place,” Frankie murmured. He’d spent so many nights there lately. The warm cherry floors, the pale green walls, large comfortable furniture—it felt like home. His tiny apartment never had.
“I love you in my place,” Addison responded. It seemed like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t, just kissed Frankie and peeled his jacket off to drape it over the couch. “I just love you.”
“Mmm. Love you too. Take me to bed?”
“Of course. Come, love.”
Frankie’s heart constricted at that. He had to make a joke so he didn’t get teary eyed. “I will be. Multiple times.”
Addison chuckled and pinched him on the butt. “Go on up, smarty-pants. I’m going to get us some water. Be naked when I get there.”
Frankie grinned and scampered up the stairs, pulling at the buttons on his shirt and jeans. Clothes off, he dived onto the bed that was almost his as much as it was Addison’s by that point and went digging in the drawer for lube and condoms. He had them in his hand and was shutting the drawer when he felt the bed move. Addison had flopped down naked, his hair rumpled and lips wet from the water he'd just sat on the dresser.
Frankie held out his hand. “C’mere.”
Addison crawled over until he was looming on top of Frankie, his knee nudging Frankie’s legs apart. “Love you in my bed,” he murmured, dropping kisses down Frankie’s chest and sucking on a nipple. “Love you in my house.”
“I love it here too.” Frankie gasped when Addison got to his cock and sucked it in. Addison moaned delightfully. Frankie couldn’t remember it feeling so good with anyone else.
“So stay,” Addison said, coming up for air.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here in the morning.” Frankie pulled Addison up to kiss him. He needed to kiss him. He needed a whole lot of things that didn’t include talking. Addison pulled away from him. Frankie tried to focus on his face instead of the lust that was clawing through him.
“No, love. Stay. I know it’s only been… I just… I know we’re right.” He dropped his forehead onto Frankie’s chest. “Just stay.”
Wait, was he asking Frankie to move in? Really? “You mean it?” It was awfully soon, Frankie knew, but still everything he'd wanted since he’d touched Addison and saw his future. They were right for each other. He knew it too.
Addison nodded and kissed his chest.
“Then, yes, I’ll stay. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Addison hesitated. “Will you make love to me?”
Frankie had been lifting his hips, trying to get closer to Addison’s erection. He stalled. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Addison rolled them over so Frankie’s leg was sprawled across his thighs.
“Have you bottomed before?”
“In college, which was about a million years ago.”
“But you liked it?”
“Yeah, I liked it. I’m better at being on top—at least I was back then—but I want it with you.”
Frankie grinned and reached for the lube. “This is gonna be fun.”
He kissed Addison long and deep, reveling in a taste so perfect that no recipe could come close to replicating it. He dropped the lube next to him on the covers and concentrated on touching Addison. His skin was silky on the inside of his thighs. Frankie licked at the tender softness and moaned.
Addison let his legs fall apart even further, encouraging Frankie’s touch. “Please…” was all he said.
“What do you want, babe?”
Addison reached for one of Frankie’s hands and guided it to his entrance. “Touch me.”
“I’ll do even better than that.”
It wasn’t something that Frankie did often, only once or twice before, but with Addison things were different. He wanted to feel everything he could feel, taste everything he could taste. Frankie licked and kissed his way up Addison’s inner thighs, suckled the wrinkled skin of his balls, and licked into his crease to taste the skin of his entrance.
Addison choked out a garbled moan and grasped Frankie’s shoulder. Frankie smiled to himself and then reached one hand up to toy with a nubby nipple while he slowly worked Addison open with his tongue.
Addison gripped his own cock and squeezed hard. “Baby, oh God, oh damn…I’m gonna come. Stop. Stop.”
Frankie lifted his head and grinned. He slicked up his fingers. First one, then two delved into Addison’s tight heat. He ate Addison’s groans and kissed him with wet swipes of his tongue. Frankie could barely control his hand; Addison was bucking and moaning and losing control.
It was hot as hell.
Gone was the reserved newspaper writer who needed the help of wine to lose his inhibitions. In his place was a gorgeous, glowing creature lost in his own pleasure.
“You ready?” Frankie whispered.
“Yeah,” Addison answered with a gulp. “I want you.”
Frankie hastily rolled on a condom and slicked himself up with lube. He paused at Addison’s entrance, oddly shaky and unsure. “I love you,” he whispered.
It was one of those moments in life when everything changes. Before, they could have left each other, gone their separate ways, and it would have hurt, sure, but it wouldn’t have been impossible. Once Frankie sank inside of Addison, he’d be there forever, and Addison would be inside him too. For the rest of his life. He didn’t know why, or how he knew it was true, but it was. It was a sobering thought.
This guy is everything.
“I love you too.” Addison lifted his thighs to hug Frankie’s flanks. “Inside. I want to feel you.”
Frankie pushed and slowly entered the tight heat that was his future. It was dizzying and gorgeous, hot and perfect. He moaned. “You feel amazing.”
“So do you.” Addison hitched his hips closer to Frankie. “It’s so…so good.” He moaned then and rolled his hips hard. Frankie leaned forward and kissed him, slowly starting to move his own hips. Addison wrapped one arm around Frankie, and with the other, he reached back and grabbed hold of the bottom of his headboard.
“More,” Addison moaned. “Please.”
Frankie felt like he was going to come apart at the seams, ripped in two by pleasure. He stroked harder, aiming for the place that would make Addison lose his mind. “Ohh,” he moaned. “Like that?”
“Yes. Perfect.” Addison’s voice was hoarse and breathless, debauched and beautiful. “I love you so much.”
“Love you too.” Frankie slung Addison’s knees over his shoulders and bent forward. Addison gasped and grabbed his cock.
“I’m gonna come,” he moaned and stroked himself furiously.
Frankie was on the edge too, shivering and quaking, gritting his teeth so he didn’t lose control. Frankie joined hands with Addison, and they stroked together until Addison shuddered hard and covered his stomach with his warm release. The look on Addison’s face was enough to make Frankie lose the control he’d been barely hanging on to. He might have blacked out for a minute. It was hard to tell. When he opened his eyes, Addison was below him, dragging breath into his lungs and grinning.
“Holy Jesus,” Frankie said hoarsely. In those few amazing minutes, every missing piece of his universe, even ones he'd never known he missed, had slid quietly into place. And it all had to do with the one perfect man who was lying beneath him with a dreamy smile and sweat-glossed skin.
“You’re telling me,” he answered.
Yeah. Addison wasn’t going anywhere.
* * * *
“Did you hear something downstairs?” Frankie rolled over and propped his head sleepily on Addison’s chest.
Addison listened for noises coming from the first floor. “I don’t hear anything. Good morning, by the way.”
“Mmm, morning.” Addison was treated to a long kiss. “Do you still love me in the harsh light of day, or was that all the wine talking?”
Addison couldn’t help but chuckle. “I should ask you the same thing. I was pretty sober by the time we got here. You, on the other hand, were…” A deep blush crept up his chest onto his face. Last night had been so damn hot. He couldn’t wait to try it again and again. He’d have to wait a while, though, because he was a bit sore, but—
“Addison Albright, I know you’re here. Quit trying to pretend you’re asleep so you can avoid me.”
Oh, shit shit shit.
Frankie sat up. “Who’s that?”
“That,” Addison drawled sarcastically, “is my mother.” He jumped up and scrambled around the bed for his boxers.
Frankie chuckled. “She’s not going to come up here, is she?”
Addison found his boxers at the bottom of the bed and tried unsuccessfully to jam his legs into them for a few moments before he managed to drag them on. “I wouldn’t put it past her. She has before.”
He hopped up and jogged toward his bedroom door so he could intercept her before she—Aw, damn.
His bedroom door burst open. He tried to block it, but she barged right in. “It’s nearly ten. Addison, why aren’t you—”
She screamed. Addison jumped himself, forgetting for the moment that he was still nearly naked. She screamed again and backed toward the door. “What in the good Lord’s name are you doing with that…that…”
“He’s a man, mother. This is Frankie. He’s my boyfriend. And I’m reminded of why I didn’t tell you in the first place.”
“But you’re engaged! To Julia. You’re not gay.”
Addison turned in time to see Frankie’s mouth drop open and his eyes go wide. “You’re engaged? To a woman?”
“No, babe, it’s not like that.” Addison wished he had the perfect words.
“Yes, it is!” his mother countered. “Her name is Julia, and she would be crushed if she saw this display.”
“Julia knows all about me and Frankie, Mother.”
Oh, shit, that didn’t come out right.
“Julia? There really is a fiancée?” Frankie leaped out of bed and started yanking clothes on. “So, what, you and her are playing a game? She’s okay with this? You have an arrangement because she knows you like dick? What is it?” He paused, looking back and forth from a panicked Addison to his horrified mother. “You know what? I don’t want to know. I’m gone.”