Page 46 of Grounding the Baker
Liam looked down at his attire, which he may have spent two hours overthinking with a few frantic calls to Hassan, who was the best dressed of all of them. He’d optedfor dark blue chinos, brown loafers, and a brown button-up shirt, which showed off his muscles. Austin was wearing jeans, which hugged his thick thighs deliciously, and a plaid shirt he hadn’t seen before, which was a mix of olive green and a dull honey yellow. He also had black ankle boots on and a black belt to match. All he needed was a cowboy hat, and he’d be a wet dream fantasy, not that he wasn’t already. Liam didn’t want to think about how many times he’d wanked off to this man– that would be creepy. Maybe Austin had wanked off to him? Not a question he’d be asking... ever.
“You look pretty hot as well,” said Liam. “Oh my God.” He felt his face flame and went to walk back to his house.
Austin laughed and pulled him back. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ve been waiting for this night for weeks. Now, get in the truck. And thank you,” he added with a smile.
Liam breathed and did as he was told, which caused his brain to wonder if Austin was bossy in the bedroom. His dick thickened as he imagined many inappropriate things. He needed to get those thoughts out of his head, though. Nothing was going to happen tonight. Austin had made that clear. Liam was okay with taking things slow– well, his brain was. His body was imagining what it would be like to be held down by Austin and fucked until he blacked out. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but it had been a while, he was horny, and the hottest guy he’d ever met wanted to woo him. Liam wondered if a good dicking could be considered wooing? Perhaps he should have negotiated with Austin. He learnt recently that he was very good at negotiating what he wanted.
“Are you still not telling me where we’re going?”
“We’re going to Roseville, and that’s all I’m telling you.”
Roseville was a neighbouring town. Heartwood wasclassified as a village as the population was only a couple of thousand, and Roseville was a small town, but much bigger than Heartwood. They had more shops and restaurants, and the train station Liam used when he had to travel to London. They even had a gay bar, although Liam hadn’t been there in years, which was a bit crap of him given that one of his employees’ brothers owned it.
“Will we have time to pop into The Rainbow Tap?”
“I’d planned for us to go there for drinks after dinner, why?”
“Callum’s brother owns it, and I feel bad that I’ve never been. Plus, it’s a local queer business. I should really support it more.”
“Callum’s brother is Dominic? What a small world.”
“How do you know Dominic?”
“Same high school, but I haven’t seen him in years. I went to the pub with the guys when it first opened.”
“Even Gerard and Kevin?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t they go?”
“Aren’t they a competitor?”
“Not at all. The Stag and Lantern is mostly a restaurant and is queer-friendly. You wouldn’t really pick up in there, though.”
“Unless you’re Tony.”
Austin snorted, and Liam grinned. Tony had a bit of a reputation, even though he didn’t live in Heartwood full-time.
“It’s nice to get out of Heartwood for a night, but I wouldn’t have minded staying local so you could have a drink,” said Liam
“I thought it would be nice not to have an audience for our first date.”
Austin put his hand on Liam’s thigh, gave it asqueeze, and smiled. Liam felt a jolt of electricity through his body, and if they weren’t driving, he’d be tempted to jump the guy. Austin needed to stop touching him if he wanted to stick to his rule of no sex on the first date, or was it multiple dates? How long did wooing take? Was Austin going to edge him for months?
“What are you thinking about over there?”
“Erm . . . just . . . you know . . . never mind,” he mumbled, his face heating.
Austin chuckled. “Just relax, Liam. Enjoy yourself. All tonight is about is for us to get to know each other better, and away from the town gossips.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Giselle and Henrietta are following us.”
Austin laughed. “Me neither. That’s part of the reason I’m not saying where we’re going. I’m convinced they have bugs planted all over the village. And I want it to be a surprise for you as well.”
“Well, I eat anything, so I’m good with wherever.”
“Wow, such a flatterer.”
Liam flushed again when he realised what he’d said and how it might have come across. Austin gave him another reassuring squeeze on the thigh, which made his dick take interest. Was he going to spend the whole evening either embarrassed or hard? Probably both!
