Don't Read in the Closet volume one (55 page)

“Alright. Thanks.” He
sank down gratefully onto a dark brown leather couch. The inside of the house
was cool after being outside in the heat of the sun.

“Hey, Whirlwind. You
want some water? Come on.” Shea made that clucking sound that all dogs respond
to and Whirlwind followed him out of the room, his nails clicking on the
hardwood as he padded down the hall.

Shea came back with a
bag of frozen peas wrapped in a kitchen towel. “Here. I’m going to have a quick
shower. I’ll be right back.”

Levi nodded and slipped
off his shoe and sock. He rested his foot on an oversized ottoman and looked
around.

Shea was a minimalist.
His living room was painted a soft white, with polished hardwood floors. There was
a bookcase full of paperbacks against one wall, but too far away for Levi to
read the books’ titles. A flat screen TV was mounted on the wall across from
the couch, with a complicated-looking stereo in a cabinet beneath the TV. The
room looked clean and uncluttered. He couldn’t tell for sure, but there were no
obvious signs that more than one person lived here.
 

Levi inspected his
ankle. There wasn’t a lot of swelling but the back of his leg, just above his
heel, felt hot and tender to his touch.
      

“How’s the foot?” Shea’s
hair was still damp and looked like he’d just finger combed it. He was barefoot
and wearing shorts and a cotton t-shirt. Levi had thought he’d looked good
sweaty, but fresh from the shower Shea looked great.

“It’s sore, but I didn’t
do much damage.”

Shea sat on the edge of
the ottoman. He bent over Levi’s leg and inspected it.

“Mind if I take a look?”

Levi shook his head,
temporarily tongue-tied. Shea was so close the fabric of his shorts brushed the
hair on Levi’s leg. The sensation was surprisingly erotic.
 

Shea moved as if to
touch Levi’s leg. “Can I?”
  

Levi unstuck his tongue
from the roof of his mouth. “Yeah.”

Shea picked up Levi’s
leg and rested it on his thigh. Levi felt heat blossom in his belly and his
dick started to pay attention.

Shea’s hands felt cool
as he ran them over his ankle. Levi swallowed. It had been a long time since
anyone had touched him so carefully.

“I think maybe I pulled
my Achilles tendon,” he offered.

“I think you’re right.”
 

Shea was giving him that
look again. Did he even know he was doing it? Levi wasn’t sure, but his dick
liked the possibility.

“You should ice it for a
while then I could wrap it for you. It would be more comfortable, at least for
the drive home.”

“Thanks, that’d be
great.” Reluctantly he removed his leg from Shea’s warm, firm thigh and rested
it on the bag of frozen peas.

“You want something to
drink? I have milk or juice.” Shea looked apologetic. “I’d offer you a beer,
but you probably shouldn’t have any alcohol if you’re planning on taking any
anti-inflammatories or pain killers.”
 

“Juice is fine. Thanks.”

“Okay.” Shea stood. “One
orange juice with a side of sports wrap coming right up.” He left the room and
Levi leaned against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. His ankle wasn’t
the only thing that was starting to swell.

****

Shea dug through his
first aid kit. He knew he’d met Levi before. He remembered those eyes and that
smile, though he hadn’t remembered they’d met at the animal hospital. He
couldn’t really be blamed for that. The day he’d lost Lacey had probably been
the worst day of his life. He couldn’t even remember the drive home.

At the park when he’d
stopped patting Whirlwind and looked up, Shea had been attracted immediately.
Levi was slender and tall, around Shea’s height, with soft-looking, brown hair
that curled attractively around his ears and the collar of his t-shirt. His
eyes were a dark blue, almost indigo.

Shea had wanted to ask
for his name and phone number, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it without
sounding like he was cruising. Then Levi had introduced himself and Shea had
half of the problem solved.

He’d thought Levi had
been interested too, but he wasn’t sure. When Levi had pretty much told him to
leave, Shea had taken the hint and gone on his way. Halfway down the next hill
he’d decided to turn around and try again.

Shea found the sports
wrap and grabbed a bottle of Advil. Thanks to Whirlwind’s dog tag he had Levi’s
phone number. He wasn’t normally this aggressive, but he really didn’t want
Levi to get away.

When he came back to the
living room Levi sat up. He’d obviously been lying back. The ankle was probably
hurting more than he showed. Especially after walking on it all the way back to
the parking lot.

Shea offered the glass
of orange juice, getting a cheap thrill as he deliberately brushed Levi’s
fingers when he handed it over.

Levi’s dark-blue eyes
flicked up to his face and though it took effort, Shea met and held his gaze.

“Thanks,” Levi said.

“Can you take
ibuprofen?”

“Yeah.”

“Great.” Shea handed him
the bottle. He watched as Levi shook two pills out and swallowed them with the
orange juice. His own juice sat forgotten on the end table.

The movement of the
other man’s throat as he drank was
sensual
.
Shea wanted to kiss and lick all the way up that column of tanned flesh to
taste Levi’s mouth.
  

“Did you bring the
sports wrap?”

Shea started guiltily.
He flushed and Levi’s lips twitched.

“Yeah. I can tape your
ankle now, if you want.”

“Sure.”

Levi was looking at him
with amusement, but there was hunger too.

Shea took a quick drink
of his juice to cover his embarrassment. He put the glass down and tugged the
sports tape from the pocket of his shorts.

He knelt beside Levi’s
leg and used the kitchen towel to dry off his foot. Shea had played a lot of
sports in high school: tennis, basketball, soccer, even hockey. He had plenty
of practice taping up sports injuries.

He smoothed the end of
the tape in place and sat back to check his work. He’d done a pretty competent
job.

Levi had large feet,
brown with tan lines from sandals, though he’d been wearing socks and runners
today. They were nice looking feet, at least this one was. Shea thought it was
safe to assume the other foot would look pretty similar.

“Shea?” Levi’s voice was
soft.

“Hmm?” He realized he’d
been stroking the instep of Levi’s foot. He pulled his hand away hastily.
“Sorry.”

Levi put his foot on the
floor. He put some weight on it, testing. “Feels good. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Shea was still kneeling
in front of the couch. He shifted to get to his feet, but Levi put a hand on
his shoulder. Shea looked up questioningly and Levi leaned forward and kissed
him.

****

Levi covered Shea’s
mouth with his own. Shea made a surprised sound but he didn’t pull away. Levi
went on kissing Shea, enjoying the feel of warm, soft lips. He hadn’t been sure
this was the right move, but Shea put a hand on Levi’s thigh and kissed him
back, small open-mouthed kisses on his upper lip, the corner of his mouth. Levi
put his hands under Shea’s arms and hauled him up onto the couch.

“Oh.” Shea blinked at him,
his eyes wide and dark, the pupils dilated. Levi could feel Shea’s heartbeat
under his hand, thumping away against his ribs. Shea licked his lips, a quick
unconscious action.

“This okay?” Levi asked.

Shea’s gazed dropped to
Levi’s mouth and he flushed. “Yeah.”

Levi leaned in. Shea
tilted his chin and closed his eyes, his eyelashes dark crescents against his
cheeks. Somehow it seemed such a trusting gesture. It reminded Levi that he
wasn’t in some dark, smoky club making out with a nameless stranger. Even as he
touched his tongue to the seam of Shea’s lips he wondered if he was going too
fast for the other man, but Shea opened to him immediately.

Levi kissed him gently.
Shea tasted of oranges; tart and sweet and a very nice change from booze and
cigarettes. In the air-conditioned room his skin felt warm through the thin
cotton of his shirt and he smelled clean, like soap or shampoo.

Levi slid his hands down
to Shea’s hips. He pulled him closer then eased him down and back. Shea went
with the movement, his hands stroking Levi’s biceps. He pushed up Shea’s shirt
and rubbed the pads of his thumbs over Shea’s nipples. Shea moaned into Levi’s
mouth and his nipples contracted to hard points under Levi’s teasing touch.

“Feels good, hmm?” Levi
trailed his mouth down Shea’s chest, the body under his hands and lips smooth
and firm.

He nipped at Shea’s
flesh and scraped his teeth over those small, sensitive nubs. Levi worked the
fly of Shea’s shorts and gently bit down on one diamond-hard nipple.

Shea gasped and arched
under him. Levi used Shea’s movement to tug his shorts and briefs down. He
looked down at Shea’s erection: beautiful.

Levi lowered his head
and swallowed him to the base of his cock as Shea made a dazed, helpless sound.
He grabbed for Levi, gripping his shoulders.

At one time Levi had
been pretty good at this. He sucked and tongued as he bobbed his head. He took
his time, drawing the pleasure of the act out for both of them. Shea gripped
his shoulders hard enough to hurt and underneath Levi his body was trembling.
Levi palmed then squeezed his balls gently and Shea bucked and cried out as he
spilled warm, salty-sweet fluid into Levi’s mouth. He smiled around that
pulsing cock. It was nice to know he still had it.
    

Levi licked Shea clean
then sat up, watching as Shea’s breathing slowed and his chest stopped heaving.

Shea opened his eyes.

“Oh my God. Thank you.
That was the most…I’ve never...” He flushed.

Levi grinned. “My
pleasure.”

Shea looked at Levi from
under his lashes. “I can do that for you, if you like.”

Levi’s grin widened. “I
like.”

Shea fastened his shorts
as Levi lay back, resting at an angle against the back of the couch. He held
the other man’s eyes as he unzipped and opened his own shorts, pulling his
t-shirt up out of the way.

Shea’s eyes dropped to
his crotch. He crawled between Levi’s legs and knelt. His hands touched Levi’s
stomach lightly and he looked up. “Is your ankle okay like this?”

“What ankle?”

Shea laughed and bent
his head. He kissed Levi’s stomach; feathery light kisses as he worked his way
down. He mouthed Levi’s dick, sucking the head through the damp cotton of his
underwear. Levi’s hips twitched and he gripped the edge of the couch. “That
feels good.”

Shea pulled his
underwear down and grasped his dick near the base. Levi thought maybe he wasn’t
sure what to do next. He was about to tell Shea not to worry, to use his hand
if he wasn’t comfortable with using his mouth, when Shea wrapped his lips
around the head and sucked hard.

Levi groaned from deep
in his chest as Shea slid his mouth up and down Levi’s cock, using his lips,
his tongue, even his teeth.

Levi fought off his
orgasm as Shea swallowed around him, his throat massaging Levi’s dick. Why the
hell had he thought Shea might not know what he was doing? The man put Levi’s
own pretty impressive skills to shame.

The hot slide of Shea’s
lips and tongue, the rasp of stubble against the sensitive skin of his groin.
It felt so good. Shea was so sexy, so hot. Levi’s thighs and belly tensed.

“Shea…” He reached out
to stroke the dark, damp hair and Shea lifted his head and held his gaze as he
flicked his tongue over and around the head of Levi’s cock.

Somewhere in the room a
phone started ringing. Levi cursed, but Shea ignored the phone, taking him in
deeper. The sight of his dick sliding in and out of that sweet, skilled mouth
was almost enough to push him over the edge, but it was Shea’s eyes watching
him as he sucked and licked that did.

Levi lay on the couch
panting and shuddering as Shea licked at him like a cat lapping at cream. The
phone had stopped ringing and the answering machine kicked in. Levi barely
heard Shea’s recorded message. He was still recovering from one of the most
intense orgasms he’d ever had.

“…so leave me a message
and I’ll get back to you.”

The machine beeped.

“Shea,
it’s
William.” Shea tensed and sat up. “I know you’ve been
busy, but I have tickets to the theatre next Friday and I’m hoping you’re
free.” The voice went on, its tone persuasive. “We could have dinner first.
Maybe that little Italian place we went to on our first date. Call me. Or I’ll
call you at work.”

The machine clicked off.
Shea got up and walked over to the answering machine. The line of his back and
shoulders radiated tension. He pushed a button and the machine announced it had
deleted all messages.