Christmas And Gingerbread Men (7 page)

“Yeah, a baker. A friend helped me to figure it out and encouraged me to be brave and take that step.” Pitney couldn’t help but smile at the memory of him and Rafael at the breakfast table. He’d sat on Rafael’s lap and allowed him to feed him fluffy scrambled eggs and the waffles Pitney had made from scratch.

Zoe nudged his shoulder and gave him a sly grin. “A friend? Tell us more. She must be quite a lady if she managed to push you out of your rut.”

Oh, shit. Pitney’s ears felt hot and his nape prickled as he let his gaze travel from Zoe to Nora and Virgil. While his uncle chuckled and shook his head, his aunt’s face wore an expression of gentle understanding Pitney couldn’t interpret. Did she suspect something? After all, Pitney had never talked about girls or brought one home. Nah, she probably thought he was a late bloomer.

“This friend of yours,” Zoe said and tapped her index finger against her lips. The mischievous twinkle in her eyes promised that she was up to something. Pitney swallowed hard. “Any chance she’s responsible for the gingerbread men dressed as Doms and subs you brought home?”

Crap.

Friday, 9th December

Pitney eyed his boyfriend over the edge of the menu he feigned reading. Rafael winked at him, letting him know he’d been busted.

Placing the menu on the table, Pitney cleared his throat. A date at a restaurant was much more difficult than the easy breakfast they’d shared a week before. Pitney found he was cool as long as they were at Rafael’s. Sitting in a restaurant, with candlelight and trying to make conversation was something different altogether.

Uninvited, like the shunned cousin turning up for Christmas, his baggage came knocking on the door. What if someone saw them? He still wasn’t out to his family and had no idea how they’d react. Also, Pitney felt like the ugly duckling compared with Rafael, except that he wouldn’t turn into a swan in the end.

Rubbing his clammy hands over his jeans-covered legs, he felt bad for not wearing slacks, thanks to a fellow waiter who’d doused his last clean pair with iced tea during lunch rush earlier that day. Instead, he’d donned the best jeans he owned.

This was a classy, romantic restaurant, not one of the family diners he usually visited with his friends. So, in default of another alternative, he’d dressed in the black jeans he’d found in the back of his wardrobe. Add the matching white button-down and black vest, and Pitney looked exactly like the waiter he was. He thought it a miracle that none of the other guests had stopped him and tried to place some orders while he’d made his way to the restroom earlier.

It was the first time since last Sunday that they’d seen each other again. With Pitney’s crazy work schedule, hurrying between the warehouse and the restaurant, and his search for an apprenticeship, Friday evening had been the earliest choice for their next date.

Maybe it was dumb, given the fact they’d known each other for such a short time, but Pitney had missed Rafael like crazy during the week. Sure, they’d talked on the phone multiple times a day. Still.

Given that he didn’t want his family to find out that he was seeing someone, a male someone, he’d had to be quiet or leave the house whenever he wanted to call Rafael. By now, Pitney hated fucking December with a passion.

He couldn’t count the times he’d hid in the bathroom under the guise of needing a shower and jerked off to memories of Rafe and him. Memories of them in bed and in the kitchen, where Rafe had introduced him to the fine art of ordering your lover to suck your cock. Just like that, he felt his face heating and his prick awakening behind his fly. A low chuckle finally pulled his mind out of the gutter, and he snapped his gaze up to his date.

“I would love to know what you’re thinking about.” Rafael gave him a teasing, lascivious wink.

“Me?” Damn, that had come out as a squeak. Embarrassing. He coughed and took a sip of his juice. “Nothing. Say, how was work? Any new clients?” Rafael’s raised brow told Pitney he could smell his weasel words. Damn man was way too attentive.

“Well, that’s a surprise. If I’d known talking about my jobs makes you horny, I’d have broached the subject sooner,” Rafael murmured while placing the cutlery beside his empty plate. His dark blue eyes gleamed mischievously. “Thanks for asking. There’s a musician who’s interested in our service. I can’t tell you his name just yet, though.”

When a sock-clad foot rubbed his calf, Pitney hissed. “Rafael! Stop it. I don’t want to embarrass myself in a restaurant.”

“Sorry! I’ll be good, promise.” Rafael held up his hands, giving him a fake innocent look. Pitney didn’t buy it.

However, he wanted to know more about his boyfriend’s job. Rafael had told him he owned an agency and had several employees. They worked mostly with artists such as musicians and writers, and represented them and their interests, handled finances, helped with stage performance, interviews, and aided with websites. Pitney thought it impressive as hell and so cool. In fact, it was way cooler than Pitney could ever hope to be.

Once again, he thought how different they were. Over the last week, a nasty kernel of doubt had taken possession of him. Rafael was smart, probably had a university degree. Pitney was... not. Also, Rafael had much more experience when it came to sex, whereas Pitney...

Was their connection strong enough to endure the many challenges every couple had to face eventually?

“Pitney?”

Looking up, he saw Rafael’s concerned gaze trained at him. Shit. He’d gotten lost in his own head again. He nervously shifted on the padded bench seat. “Yes?”

“You seemed lost there for a moment. Is something wrong? Don’t you feel well?” Rafael asked while gently stroking his hand. When had he started the petting motion? His insecurities threatened to get the better of him. Rafael’s concern and his questions spiked his nervousness until he felt like a cornered, wild animal.

“What do you want from me?” he snapped. Gasping, he immediately slapped his free hand over his mouth.

Rafael’s eyebrows creased before he asked in a serious and calm voice, “Excuse me?”

Pitney trembled inside and he could almost feel this relationship slip through his fingers. “Sorry. I’m so sorry,” he croaked and lowered his head so his curls would hide his face. What a mess. He liked Rafael so, so much and he didn’t want to lose him. But, honestly, he had no idea what to do.

The hand holding his vanished, then movement beside him on the bench startled him before two strong arms enfolded Pitney in a tight embrace. Oh.

Pitney smelled Rafael’s cologne and his natural, musky scent. Without thinking, he snuggled deeper into the hug, breathing in his man. A big hand soothingly stroked up and down his back. Up and down, up and down, until his breathing calmed down. The closeness was exactly what he needed right now.

“Pitney, love, talk to me. Tell me what just happened,” Rafael murmured, his lips pressed against Pitney’s curls. “Why are you so upset suddenly?”

Pitney barely registered anything else after Rafael called him
love
and scrambled his brain. He knew it was an endearment, not a declaration of love. He wasn’t that dumb. However, just hearing the word...

“Pitney, you’re starting to scare me.” Rafael gave him a tender nudge.

Oh, well, here goes nothing.
“I just thought... we’re so different, and you’re way out of my league. So I wondered why you’d want someone like me. I mean, you probably know so many famous and beautiful guys. Yet, you’re here with me and—Oh.” Damn. Seemed like he’d just answered his own question.

“Right, oh.” Rafael chuckled. “I know many hot people but have no wish to go out with them. I’m here with you,” he said, putting emphasis on the last word. “Do you know why?”

Pitney, too afraid he’d say something silly, shook his head but looked up to meet the man’s dark blue eyes.

“Because I admire you for the way you live your life. You’re not a lazy brat, sitting at home and nagging about the economy. No. You’re a hardworking young man, and you’re incredibly sweet. Just think about what you do for your uncle. Instead of applying for an apprenticeship after you’d finished school, you helped your family at the restaurant.” Rafe sighed and brushed a kiss against his lips. That was how his boyfriend saw him?

“Really?” Pitney asked and blinked astonished.

“Pitney, you’re fun to be around. I love spending time with you. If only you’d stop seeing yourself as not good enough. I’m with you because I care about you, very much. I think we could be good together. Maybe that’s hard to believe, but it doesn’t matter to me how you look. What’s in here,” he said, placing one hand above Pitney’s heart. “Is much more important. And you, tiger, have a beautiful heart. One I’d like to win.”

Holy cow! What a declaration. There was only one possible answer a man could give when faced with so much romance.

Pitney flung his arms around Rafael’s neck and smothered him with kisses before a chuckling Rafael caught his wandering lips with his own. He didn’t even care who could possibly see them. Nothing mattered but the man holding him like Pitney was his everything. After licking along the seam on Rafael’s lips, he didn’t wait for Rafael’s invitation before he delved into the wet heat of his mouth for a thorough claiming.

Someone clearing their throat repeatedly finally broke them apart. Pitney was happy, even more so when he noticed their kissing session had turned Rafael’s eyes to dark pools of arousal. The waiter, looking at them with an exasperated expression, didn’t bug him the slightest.

“Are the gentlemen interested in some desert?” he asked and then, probably noticing the innuendo, flushed immediately. Poor guy. “I mean, would you like to order something?”

“Pitney?” Rafael asked with a wide grin.

He grinned back. “Yes, please! I’d love to try the blueberry strudel. It sounds delicious.”

“With ice-cream?” Their waiter added a dramatic sigh to his question. Had he hoped to get rid of them? Bad luck.

“I like vanilla.” Pitney eagerly bounced in his seat. “Two balls, please.” When Rafael snorted beside him, he shot him a cheeky grin. “What?”

“The same for me, please,” Rafael ordered quickly. Their waiter strolled away with a dramatic eye roll, then Rafael leaned closer, nipping his earlobe. “Two balls and vanilla, huh? You’re going to be so much trouble.”

“Oh. The way you say it, it sounds like you look forward to me being trouble,” Pitney wondered out loud. Rafael’s deep chuckle caused goose bump to break out all over his body. Or maybe it was the sucking at his earlobe? The hand stroking his thigh, so wickedly close to his cock?

Anyway, Pitney’s head swam and he cuddled closer against his boyfriend as he felt a delicious pulling in his groin. Rafael wrapped one arm around him and tucked him into the crook of his shoulder. It was the typical couples-sitting-together position, and Pitney just loved it.

“Well, of course! I like it when you’re a teasing little brat. The more we get to know each other, the more you feel free to act this way.”

“And... that’s okay? To be a bratty tease, I mean?” Pitney asked curiously. Sure, Rafael had been delighted when he’d found out about Pitney’s urge to top. Or his kink for dirty talk. Whenever Rafael used his deep, husky voice to murmur naughty things into his ear, things he wanted Pitney to do with him, he came so hard his ears were ringing. However, this was his first try at a serious relationship. He couldn’t deny he was afraid of doing something wrong and scaring Rafael away.

When the waiter served their ice-cream and strudel, both men nodded their thanks. Rafael waited until the bristly man was gone before he answered.

“Yeah, I like you teasing me. It’s the mix between the sweet shyness cocooning you, and the cockiness I see peeking through that attracts me so much. I feel this need to tickle the cockiness out of you more often. I think we both would enjoy the result,” he said with a wink. Then he brushed a soft kiss to his lips.

Pitney laughed and returned the kiss. “Sounds good. Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything you like.”

“I meant to ask sooner, but then I thought it wasn’t something I wanted to discuss over the phone. So, how distinct is your urge to... submit? What I want to know is, how kinky are you exactly? I did some research and read some stuff about BDSM and, well...”

Rafael smiled tenderly. “That’s a considerate question, Pitney. It’s also good to know that you’re interested in learning about my kinks and, at the same time, about your own likes and dislikes. To answer your question, I like to submit sexually to men who are physically weaker than me. It turns me on when they tell me what to do or hold me down during sex. Apart from that, I’m pretty much vanilla though.”

Pitney blinked his eyes, needing a second to think. “So, how far are you ready to go when it comes to submitting?” Honestly, he was a bit dumbfounded that Rafael felt comfortable enough to discuss this topic while sitting in a restaurant. Oh, and it surprised him even more that he had the guts to ask those questions.

Rafael hummed and licked blueberry sauce off his spoon. “I’m okay with spanking, and I’d even allow you to tie me to the bed if you like. Toys are okay, too.” Rafael waggled his brows. “However, I’m not into visiting those clubs or signing a contract with anyone. I respect people who live that lifestyle, but it’s not my cup of tea. As I said, I’m more vanilla and prefer not to have sex while others watch and stuff like that.”

Pitney breathed a huge sigh of relief. He could freely admit that he was just starting to figure out what he liked and didn’t like when it came to sex. But he’d never once thought about parading someone around on a leash. Okay, so he understood there were as many facets to BDSM as there were colors in the world. But he thought he was a vanilla guy, too.

“So, you’re not expecting me to collar you?” he asked with a teasing wink.

Rafael snorted. “Not really. I’m just a guy who prefers to bottom and follow orders during sex. What about you? Ever thought about collaring anyone?”

“Oh, god, no. It’s okay if other’s do it, and some of the videos I’ve watched online were hot, but I have no desire to do that stuff with you. I’d say we’re on the same vanilla page.” Pitney snickered and pecked Rafael’s lips.