“And how long have you been hiding this sweetheart from us?”

Dustin’s cheeks flushed as Oscar leaned into him and topped up his glass of sangria. He glanced over at Leo, who was talking some kind of sports with Tyler.

“Hm?” Oscar prompted.

“Um. He—he is sweet, yeah.”

“Completely sweet on you.” Oscar grinned. “How long, then?”

Dustin cleared his throat. “Uh, not long. We don’t really know—it’s that awkward in-between stage.”

“Not one night, but no rings ding-a-linging in the future?” Oscar clicked his tongue sympathetically. “He seems worth it.”

“So everyone says,” Dustin chuckled. “But I think everyone in my life is conspiring to get me hitched. Like I can’t be perfectly happy like I am.”

Oscar clicked his tongue again, his arm still around Dustin’s shoulders. “I can see that. These guys mean well, but… well, we can all be a little pushy sometimes. When we see a couple guys who are clearly wonderful together…”

“You think?” Dustin grinned.

“The way you were teasing each other about your paintings? Come on.”

Dustin’s grin only widened. Leo’s painting was hardly sophisticated, but it was a clearly recognizable attempt to paint the very same landscape photo that Dustin had given him, and now sat on his desk.

For his part, Dustin had painted a bar that looked very much like the bar where they’d bumped into each other. The people sitting at it were creative interpretations of what humans looked like, but Leo had definitely recognized it, too.

And, most importantly, they’d had fun all night. Taking some time to be together in public without the inevitable ramping up of sexual tension that happened every time they were alone was surprisingly nice.

Surprisingly romantic, Dustin had to admit he really meant.

“Yeah,” he finally said, chuckling and patting Oscar’s back as he finished his glass of sangria and shook his head. “That’s it for me. I’ve got to make sure we get an Uber back to an address somewhat near one of ours.”

“Valentine’s night stretches ahead of us like my legs…”

“Wide-open?” Dustin guessed.

Oscar grinned. “And going on and on.” He pirouetted away and winked.

It was surprisingly sweet to walk up to Leo and have Leo’s hand automatically rest on his back as he kept on talking about some farm thing with Tyler and Josh.

“Don’t let us bore you,” Tyler said after a minute. “We’re just talking about machinery.”

“Boys and their toys,” Dustin chuckled.

“Speaking of your boy toys,” Tyler said to Leo. “We should let you guys all get going. Everyone else has a nice, wholesome night ahead, I’m sure.”

“And you two are joining the priesthood?” Leo raised a brow.

Josh snickered. “I doubt that,” he drawled. “Lots of pretty boys on the town tonight.”

For once, Dustin wasn’t going to be one of them. He’d tried pointedly avoiding the scene so he didn’t have to think about being alone the next morning. He’d also tried going out to make the most of the night. Neither had made him particularly happy.

This, though? Dinner and drinks and fun with his friends?

This was totally different. It made him glow inside with a kind of satisfaction he hadn’t even known existed.

“We should get going, though,” Leo agreed. “It being a work night and all.” He poked Dustin in the chest. “For some of us responsible kids.”

They shrugged on their jackets, their goodbyes taking longer than the greetings had. All the guys seemed to like Leo. Just as he’d said—and hoped fervently was true.

“Friday, right? Coming out for drinks?” Blane caught him before he left. “Both of you.”

Leo looked startled and glanced at Dustin for guidance.

“Well, if you’re not at work—” Dustin said. He wasn’t going to stop them if they wanted to make Leo feel welcome among them.

Leo shook his head. “On-call that afternoon. Not that night.”

“Perfect!” Blane grinned.

“See you then,” Leo smiled. He waved to everyone, then escorted Dustin outside on his arm.

It feels kind of like he’s my boyfriend already. Dustin tried not to look behind himself, knowing they would tease the hell out of him if they could. Instead he clung to Leo, his heart racing. “Share an Uber?”

“I should hope so,” Leo smiled. “Unless the date went that terribly.”

“No. Not at all,” Dustin murmured. He glanced around at the clear sidewalk, then stretched onto his toes to steal a quick kiss. “It was perfect.”

“I had a lot of fun,” Leo said, his voice as quiet as Dustin’s. It felt like they were magnetically drawn toward each other, a trance settling around them in the surprisingly quiet evening.

Dustin’s shoulder rested against Leo’s chest before he knew it, Leo’s arms around his waist.

Hell, in the middle of the Knoxville gay district, he still wasn’t used to this. And it had to be brand-new for Leo. But that newness gave Leo a kind of confidence—a certainty that he was entitled to cuddle in public—that Dustin drew on.

“Mmm,” Dustin hummed after a minute. “How much longer?”

“A minute away.”

Dustin pulled back reluctantly and took Leo’s hand. “Thank you for coming out with me tonight. Do you have the Uber going to my place or yours?”

“Yours… to drop you off, if you wanted,” Leo told him. “I didn’t want to assume.” The more of a chance he gave Leo to break his heart, the more careful Leo seemed to be with it.

Dustin pressed another quick kiss against his cheek. “In that case, come in.”

They barely made it through the cab ride without PDA. Just holding hands in the darkness made Dustin’s heart race with anticipation—especially the way Leo’s thumb gently rubbed along the side of his hand, his broad hand engulfing Dustin’s.

It was all too easy to imagine what was about to happen. By the time they actually got to his house, his body was crackling with desire.

However much he said he wanted romance, he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off Leo. Every goddamn time he had the chance, he threw himself at him. But hey, he figured. If that broke the spell between them, so be it. Life was short, and the sex was great.

“I love the way you smile,” Leo murmured as he unlocked the door.

Dustin blinked, taken aback by the sudden comment. He caught himself smiling in response, his cheeks round and warm. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Like that. When you were with your brothers, it was so… natural and relaxed. Not at all like you at work.”

They kicked their shoes off and unzipped each other’s jackets playfully.

“Oh, I know.” Dustin pushed the jacket off Leo’s shoulders. “I feel… safe around them, I guess.”

That was it. He stopped in his tracks, the jacket not quite over his hands.

Leo took over and shook it the rest of the way off, then slid his arms around Dustin’s waist. “What?”

I feel safe around him. Holding Leo, or being held by him, felt like… he could say anything and Leo would just smile and hold him tighter.

Dustin let his breath out and pressed his forehead to Leo’s shoulder. “I like the fairytale stuff. The… gushy stuff. You know? Like tonight. Dates.”

“Real dates. More of them are in our future,” Leo promised quietly. “I like seeing you happy. If that makes you happy, we’ll do it.”

Dustin swallowed back the emotion in his throat. “I’m not used to…”

“Getting what you ask for? What you deserve?”

Dustin managed a quick nod. No way was he going to cry now and ruin the mood, but Leo was rocking him anyway as they hugged, swaying gently back and forth. “I sensed that,” Leo murmured. “Never be afraid to ask, baby. If it’s in my power, I’ll do it.”

“Why?” Dustin pulled back slowly until he was sure he had himself under control, taking his hand. They walked slowly to the living room, bypassing the bedroom for now.

“Why do I want to spoil you?” Leo asked, as if to clarify. When Dustin nodded, he chuckled. “Because I can. Because… life is way too fucking short to be an asshole. Especially to people you love, but to anyone at all, really.”

“Is that a military thing?” Dustin settled in Leo’s lap when they sat, pressing his shoulder against Leo’s chest.

“Partly,” Leo murmured, his arms sliding around Dustin’s waist. “Part of it is the way I grew up. Respecting people, you know?”

Dustin nodded. Southern manners—even in a verbal disagreement—were real.

“Part of it is just wanting to grab what I have,” and Leo’s arms tightened playfully around Dustin’s waist, “and hold tight. Because I’ve never been this lucky before.”

“Never gotten lucky this much?” Dustin teased to lighten the mood, walking his fingers up Leo’s side.

Leo grimaced like he was admitting something personal, then nodded. “I hope it’s not bad…”

“What? No,” Dustin shook his head firmly. “You’re perfect. I mean—no human is perfect, but…” Leo was laughing. “What?”

Leo tried to straighten his face. “There’s your practicality again. Even though you want a fairy tale, you’re… grounded. I love that about you.”

Someone loves that about me? Dustin was almost speechless for a moment. “It’s… a contradiction, I know.”

“There’s no shame in wanting more. As long as you don’t screw yourself out of a good thing when you have it,” Leo murmured.

“I try not to,” Dustin chuckled. He drew a quick breath and then added, “But I’d like to screw myself into a good thing tonight.”

Leo’s hands slid under Dustin’s shirt, up his back. “Oh, really?”

The warm, firm touch sliding up his back to his shoulder blades was incredibly distracting, and Dustin struggled to find words for a second. “I—yes.” He wasn’t sure if he was agreeing, or begging for more of Leo’s skillful touches.

“That sounds like a perfect way to finish the night.” Leo’s hands were suddenly busy tugging his sweater off, leaving him in his shirt and tie. Then, Leo loosened Dustin’s tie and unbuttoned his shirt slowly.

Dustin leaned into the touch, closing his eyes and letting Leo take over. Just for a minute. Just for now.

Leo pushed his shirt open, then tickled his stomach with the end of his tie. When Dustin squirmed, his eyes flying open as he whimpered his protest, Leo laughed. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”

Dustin rolled his eyes and tugged his tie and shirt off, tossing it all aside. “There.”

“Oh. I like that much better.” Leo’s hands slid from his waist up to his back and down his arms, then up his front as he explored. Again, Dustin let him, just reveling in the touch for a minute. “Are you going to let me have you tonight?”

“You can have whatever you want,” Dustin whispered, and he meant it. Every goddamn thing they’d done together had left him breathless with ecstasy.

“What do you want?” Leo paused, his hands cupping Dustin’s cheeks. When Dustin opened his eyes, Leo pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

The attention flustered Dustin for a moment. He closed his eyes again, drawing a breath as he tried to think. “Other than your cock in me?”

Leo moaned his agreement and pulled Dustin’s hips against his until their hard cocks bumped and slid together. “And?”

“You… just…” Dustin trailed off, trying to think of a phrase other than making love. “Making me feel…” Leo wasn’t saying anything, giving him a chance to finish. Damn it. “Important.”

“You are,” Leo whispered, pressing kisses against Dustin’s neck now. “To a lot of people.”

Dustin squirmed again with embarrassment. The sudden outpouring of words was exactly what he wanted, but it was out of the blue. He couldn’t resist asking, “You really like me?”

“Have I not been obvious enough?” Leo grinned, tickling Dustin’s stomach again to get him to open his eyes. When Dustin did, he pecked his lips again and chucked his chin with two fingers to keep him looking at him. “I do,” he said firmly when Dustin wasn’t looking away.

Dustin swallowed at the honesty he saw on Leo’s face. He couldn’t help but believe him.

“I thought… I don’t know. That this was all so new for you,” Dustin murmured. “Or that you just wanted to try out the sex.”

“I love the sex,” Leo grinned. “But it’s you I want.”

The words sank in, leaving indelible marks in his mind. There was no way in hell he was ever going to forget them.

Dustin grabbed Leo’s cheeks and kissed him hard.

Leo sharply moaned in surprise, then again in arousal, grinding against him again. “Mixed messages,” Leo managed when Dustin let him get some breath.

“Stop talking.” Dustin laughed with Leo, then kissed him again. This time he nipped Leo’s lower lip, sucking gently on it before letting go and pressing open-mouthed kisses against his mouth.

They were panting into each other’s mouths by the time Dustin had Leo’s shirt unbuttoned and pushed at the arms to indicate that Leo could get it off.

“Let’s take this to my room,” Dustin directed.

Leo mimed zipped lips and winked.

“Are you complaining about the messages?” Dustin grinned. “Either of them?”

“If I’m reading them both correctly—no,” Leo smiled back. He rose to his feet, then hoisted Dustin into his arms and spun him around once as he kissed him again.

Dustin laughed, clinging to Leo. Being in his strong arms didn’t give him pause for even a moment. He trusted him to hold on tight.

I love this. I love him. I… fuck. I love him. I never meant to fall for him so fast. Dustin drew a quick breath, then batted Leo’s shoulder. “Bed. Now.” He needed to think about something else, fast.

Leo winked. “Oh, yes, sir.”

They stumbled into his bedroom together, still kissing with every step, hands running over each other’s torsos.

Leo’s hands slid into his jeans, cupping his ass and squeezing gently. “God,” Leo moaned against his mouth. “Speaking of a couple handfuls.”

Dustin had almost forgotten that moment from earlier that night. He laughed, and while he tipped his head back to do so, Leo leaned in and kissed his throat. The laugh turned into a moan of approval and pleasure. Those lips sought the sensitive spots on his throat and neck, beelining between them.

“Fucking…” Dustin trailed off, digging his nails into Leo’s shoulders. “Oh!” Leo was kissing behind his ear now, then nibbling his earlobe. “Fuck!”

“I take it you approve,” Leo murmured huskily into his ear. “You can always ask me to ravish you. It’s my pleasure.”

Dustin’s head spun with adrenaline when he was pushed backward and lost his balance. He hit the bed and gasped, already fighting his jeans off. He didn’t want those in the way any longer.

Leo laughed gently, leaning down to kiss him again.

Dustin stopped halfway through pushing his own jeans over his thighs to watch Leo’s hands at work, his jaw dropping.

The casual way he unbuttoned his trousers and pushed them down, hooked his underwear with a thumb and dragged that down, too…

And Leo’s cock sprang free, standing thick and proud and hard just inches away. What else was Dustin gonna do but suck it?

“You and me, we’re getting tested next week,” Dustin informed Leo, his eyes on that thick shaft. “I’ll make an appointment.”

Leo grinned and held his hands up in agreement. “Well, if you insist. Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Dustin winked, rolling onto his belly and propping himself up on an elbow as he kissed the shaft from base to tip. “If you don’t mind…”

“I don’t mind,” Leo said, sounding breathless. “Whatever you want to do, baby. I’m all yours.”

“Good. I want to taste you,” Dustin whispered, gazing up past the thick cock head to meet Leo’s eyes.

Leo’s mouth hung open, his eyes fixed on Dustin like he was the center of the world. “Yes. Suck me, babe.”

Dustin wrapped his hand around the shaft and slid it down to the base to hold Leo steady, and then he sucked the head into his mouth. With one smooth slide, his lips met his curled forefingers and he angled his head so he could take him into his throat.

“Your mouth feels fucking… Jesus. So good!” Leo moaned, his trousers dropping as he pushed them out of the way, then grabbed Dustin’s shoulders. “Oh, fuck.”

Dustin moaned around the mouthful, enjoying the velvety slide of bare skin across his tongue as he pulled his head up, lapping at the head. With each bob of his head, Leo grew harder and thicker in his mouth until he was fully erect and so ready for him.

Dustin let him have an extra minute of pleasure just to himself while he finished working his own pants off one-handed, wrapping his hand around Leo’s hip and pulling it close.

“Can I?” Leo whispered, gently pushing with his hips when he was directed.

Dustin closed his eyes and breathed the scent of him as his shaft slid over his lips. “Mmhmm.”

Leo was gentle as he moved his hips slowly, experimentally. “Oh. Fuck. Oh, my god. You have no idea how good your mouth is,” he whispered. “One of these days, I wanna come all over your tongue, straight down that talented throat of yours… but I’ll save that for another time, hm?”

Dustin shivered with arousal. It took all his self-control not to suck harder and tempt Leo to the edge. He did want Leo inside him tonight, after all.

He slowly pulled his head back when Leo slid out of him. “If you insist,” he teased.

Leo grinned wolfishly. “Oh, yes. I want your legs over my shoulders now, baby.”

“Oooh.” Dustin loved that idea. He fought the last of his clothing off, then flopped on his back.

Leo crawled over him, pushing his legs up to his ears just as he’d promised. “Let me know if I hurt you.”

“You’re fine,” Dustin assured him with a grin.

When Leo’s slick fingers pressed against him, he finally relaxed and closed his eyes, stretching his arms above his head and letting Leo take charge of him.

It was so damn good to just let go and let Leo pleasure him—and Leo did just that, his fingers finding Dustin’s prostate and rubbing in maddeningly gentle circles, then firmer.

He was throbbing with arousal and the need for something thicker than fingers within minutes. “Fuck. Hurry the fuck up and fuck me.”

“Who’s romantic now?” Leo teased.

Dustin burst out laughing, even though his legs were pressed against his chest, his heels by his hips. It should have been a vulnerable moment, but even now, Leo was making him laugh. One good reason I love him.

“I’ll fuck you romantically, though,” Leo added with a warm smile, leaning down to kiss him. “Nice and slow…” He eased his fingers out, and his cock pressed against Dustin a moment later. “And gentle, and then harder…”

Dustin moaned and pressed against Leo, but his range of motion was so damn limited. As Leo slid his knees over his shoulders, it was even more so, leaving him waiting for the mercy of that thick cock sliding into him.

“And then I’ll make the mattress squeak with how hard I fuck you, until you’re quivering on the edge. And I’ll kiss you and tell you how fucking beautiful you are.”

Dustin breathed out hard as the words hit him, and the thick shaft pressed inside, slowly.

“That’s it,” Leo whispered. “Oh, you’re beautiful. Are your legs okay?”

Dustin managed a quick nod, his breathing deep and deliberately even. The pain faded to sparks of pleasure, and then tingles that started quivering deep in his stomach.

There it was. He was ready.

“Come on,” he whispered.

Just as he promised, Leo went slowly at first, his palm on Dustin’s cheek. With Dustin’s legs there, he couldn’t quite kiss him through it all, except by bending Dustin in two for a few brief moments.

It was almost more intimate when Dustin couldn’t close his eyes and disappear into a kiss. Now he could only watch, unable to break eye contact as Leo watched every expression of pleasure flicker over his face.

“Yes,” Dustin whimpered, his hands curling into fists as he grabbed the sheets. “Oh, fuck.”

Their bodies moved together as one, breathing coming in harsh pants against each other’s cheeks as Leo pushed into him in quicker, harder thrusts.

Exactly as he’d promised, the mattress was squeaking within minutes and Dustin’s nails were digging into the fabric of his bedspread as he cried his pleasure with every thrust.

“You’re so gorgeous under me,” Leo murmured between moans. “I want to feel you squeezing that tight little ass around me forever. Your cock’s so hard, too… move your leg a little… there.”

His hand closed around Dustin’s cock, and Dustin almost saw stars. “Fuck!” Dustin cried.

“Sorry.” Leo’s grip softened a little as he laughed. “I just want to jerk you off hard and fast, all the time. When you’re on the edge of coming… I want to do filthy things to you all night long.”

Dustin clenched hard around Leo, then grabbed his back and hauled him close enough for a kiss. He felt the strain in his muscles, but he didn’t care. He was already tight with ecstatic tension, his body quivering on the edge of orgasm.

“Come on, baby,” Leo whispered, his strokes hard and fast as his cock pounded into him. “Come for me. I love watching you come. Let yourself go. I’ve got you.”

Dustin couldn’t stop himself. His back arched, his head rolling against the pillow as he gasped Leo’s name.

“I’ve got you, baby.” Leo’s whisper was for his ears only, his grip just perfectly firm around Dustin’s pulsing cock. “That’s it. You’re incredible…”

All Dustin could do was moan in response, his legs sliding off Leo’s shoulders as Leo pulled out of him.

Leo tossed the condom aside and stroked himself hard and fast.

“Come on,” Dustin echoed when he could manage words again. His eyes swept from the hard shaft to Leo’s face. “Come for me, baby. Come on me. Show me I’m yours.”

Leo’s back arched and then he came almost silently, his expression sheer bliss.

Wet, sticky, and utterly happy, Dustin wrapped his arms around Leo’s back and pulled him down against him.

They crashed together, both laughing, passion smeared between them.

“Was that what you wanted?” Leo whispered, his hand resting on Dustin’s side as he stroked his ribs with a thumb.

Dustin could only put so much emphasis into his, “Yes.”

Apparently, it was enough, though, because Leo laughed gently. “Good.”

Fuck. I do love him.

Maybe real love didn’t start with a fairytale; maybe it ended with one.

Hell, maybe this was lust and not love talking. Dustin didn’t care. Wherever this was going, he was overthinking things. He had to learn to trust Leo as much as he did in these instinct-led moments. And he couldn’t do that until he gave him a chance, as he had now.

So… if Leo wanted to date him, that seemed entirely reasonable.

He just had to ask for what he wanted.

Maybe on Friday night.