Flint
I stared at my computer, wondering if there was a way to make the male model’s muscles any bigger. Though my primary income was that of a barista at a coffee shop, I moonlighted as a book cover designer for gay romance novels. The pay wasn't great, but the view was amazing.
I worked out of the coffee shop, since being at my apartment didn't allow me to work free of distraction. If I sat too long at my apartment I began to feel guilty about not cleaning or organizing something. I wasn't a neat freak, per se. It’s not like I had to have everything in a certain place all the times… Yeah, maybe I was a neat freak.
I wiped sweat off my brow and grabbed the neck of my T-shirt to let in some cool air against my skin.
“Hey, Claire? Is the air working?”
She checked the thermostat from behind the counter. “Yeah, temperature’s normal.”
“Oh.” I turned back to my computer. I hoped I wasn't coming down with something. I touched the back of my hand to my forehead. Definitely hot to the touch.
A shadow fell across my screen and I swear the temperature kicked up another ten degrees. I turned to find Leo standing there. He wore a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt, but the shirt appeared to be inside out, and his hair stuck out in all directions, different than how he usually kept it.
I stood up. “Leo, is everything okay? I thought you weren't going to be around for a few weeks? Did your vacation get cut short?”
He stared at me and my heart thundered in my chest. I felt as if there was a fire inside my stomach, burning me from the inside out. Sweat dripped down my back and under the waistband of my pants.
“Yes,” he finally said. “I came home early.” He paused for a moment and licked his lips, drawing my eyes to his mouth. I wanted to lick his lips. I had an almost uncontrollable urge to step forward and kiss him, to put my hands on him, wrap my body around his.
I sat down as dizziness overcame me. “Oh,” I said. “I hope everything's okay.”
“Fine,” he said. “Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?”
Thank God I had already been sitting. “You want to go to dinner with me?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
“Sure. That sounds wonderful.” Before I could change my mind and think better of it I scribbled my address on a napkin and handed it to him. “Pick me up at eight.”
“Yes,” he said. “I can do that.”
I smiled. “Great. I'll see you then.”
He turned to leave, and my body wanted to protest. Each step he took away from me felt like agony. I shook my head. That was silly. Just a stupid infatuation I had with this gorgeous man. I needed to act normal if we were going to go on a date. I couldn't wait to spend time with him in a social setting. Get to know the man behind the gorgeous face and body.
The enormity of what just happened slammed into me. I’d agreed to a date with the man I’d been fantasizing about for six months. A man whose first name I only knew because I wrote it on his coffee cup every day.
I lifted my shirt to wipe the sweat off my face. I really didn’t want to be getting sick right now. What were you supposed to do for a fever? Feed a cold, starve a fever or vice versa? Keeping hydrated was important, I knew that for sure. If I was going to continue to sweat buckets, then water would be necessary.
I saved the image I was working on and shut down my laptop. I needed to get back to my apartment. There were several hours between now and my date with Leo, but I wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on making men on book covers look good. They’d all probably just end up looking like Leo.
***
I thought that picking out clothes would be easy. After all, I had a limited supply of clothing and what I did have looked good on me. But every time I put on something, I’d think about what Leo's reaction to it might be, and my body would be overcome with an insufferable heat. Sweat dripped from my forehead even now, as I stepped out of the shower for the third time.
I'd gone through four pairs of pants, and five shirts, all of them in the hamper, soaked in sweat. I checked the thermostat in my apartment. It was fine. But for some reason I couldn't keep cool. As long as I sat still and didn't think about Leo and my upcoming date, I'd be fine. But the minute I let my mind wander to what could happen tonight my temperature jumped up another ten degrees.
I was painfully hard, and I’d already jacked off twice. I rubbed my dick again through my boxers. The friction did nothing to alleviate the wanting I felt. All for Leo. Somehow I knew, no one but Leo would be able to sate this desire.
When I heard a knock at the door I knew I was in trouble. I checked my watch. Eight o'clock, right on time.
Fuck.
I grabbed the nearest clean pair of jeans and shirt and pulled them on. It wasn't my best outfit, but it would be fine. I hoped he wasn't taking me anywhere expensive. If he was, well, then I’d killed that impression already. Maybe I could explain to him about the wonky temperature issue in my apartment and we could just keep it casual tonight. He's a person. Surely, he's reasonable? If he's not reasonable, then fuck him.
Oh, damn. That is exactly what I wanted to do. My cock sprang to life for the hundredth time.
Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. I glared at my growing erection.
“We don’t have time for this. You need to calm down.”
Another knock at the door.
“Shit.”
As I rushed to the door, I stubbed my toe on the coffee table. Well, that fixed the erection, but didn't cool me off at all. Already I could feel the sweat on my back, soaking through my shirt.
Dammit.
I opened the door to find Leo standing there, looking as gorgeous as ever.
Oh, damn. What in the hell was happening to me?
“Sorry,” I said, out of breath. “There's something wrong with the air conditioning or something in here. It's like a thousand degrees.”
He frowned, and his eyes narrowed. “That's all right. Do you need to call your landlord or something?”
“No. I sent him a text message earlier. He'll get back to me.” I checked to make sure I had my wallet and my keys, and I stepped out the door, locking it behind me. “Sorry, I'm not really dressed for anything fancy.” I searched my mind for some reasonable explanation. A laundry fiasco? No. That seemed silly. Finally, I just decided to be truthful. Honesty was the best policy after all. “I kept sweating through my clothes, it’s hotter than hell in my bedroom. All I had left was jeans and a T-shirt.”
He chuckled. “That's perfectly fine. Do you have any preference on what you’d like to have for dinner?”
You. My mind screamed. I grabbed the collar of my shirt, billowing it out to get some air onto my skin.
“Not really. Maybe some place that has outdoor seating or there's that Italian restaurant that always keeps their air on super low.”
Leo grasped my hand, leading me to his car.
“All right,” he said. “We can do that.”
Oh, damn. Oh, damn. Oh, damn. Maybe it wasn't my apartment. Maybe it was just me. Maybe I couldn't handle a man as hot as Leo. Something must be wrong with me. I didn't feel like I was sick, but something had to be wrong.
He opened the door for me and I climbed inside.
Thankfully, he’d kept the car running, so the air was on. Hopefully, I would at least be able to get through this evening. Leo slid into the driver's seat, and the scent of him reached my nostrils, bringing my cock back to life.
Oh, fuck. He smelled of fire and mint, and I desperately wanted to lay my hands on him. I stared out the window, trying to concentrate on anything besides the hunk of a man next to me.
Small talk. That's what people did on dates who weren't trying to immediately hop in to bed with their date. Is that what I was trying to do? No. I mean, yes. I wanted to sleep with him, but Christ, I was a grown man, I could control myself. We could at least get to know each other first.
Focus, Flint, focus.
“So, what is it that you do, Leo? I mean, I've seen you every day for the past six months, but I don't know much about you.”
“I'm actually between jobs at the moment,” he said.
“Really? I assumed you owned something fancy and expensive. Like you were some sort of CEO or something.” I was rambling, the heat had melted my brain.
“I was,” he said. “I recently stepped down. I'm not sure what adventure I’ll go on next, but I'm sure I'll figure it out in time.”
“Damn. What company did you own?”
“Inferno Designs. We built custom fireplaces.”
“Wow, that's interesting.”
“What about you, Flint?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Well, obviously you know I'm a barista at the coffee shop. But in my spare time, I enjoy doing a little bit of graphic design work. I design book covers for romance novels.”
“Is that what you were working on at the shop earlier?”
“Yep,” I said. “I find it easier to work there than at my apartment. Sometimes there’s less distraction that way.”
We chit-chatted the rest of the drive to the restaurant. Once we arrived, he parked the car and ran around to the other side, opening the door for me. Looking into his eyes right then, something about him screamed soulmate, but that couldn’t be right. Those things only happened in books and movies, this was real life. I was just a lame barista and that was the extent of my life’s excitement. Leo could find someone way more exciting than me in a hot minute. But I could definitely enjoy the ride until then.