Page 77 of The Only Seconds that Matter
“Nah.Just makin’ sure all’s well here.”
“We’re just goofing around.You should probably head out with Taylor.Where are you staying anyway?”
“The Marriott across the street.”
Victor raised his eyebrows.“That’s where I’m at.”
“You heading back now?”
“I have to make sure Sebastian gets home.”
Johnny opened his mouth, reconsidered it, and nodded.Then he walked off, leaving Victor and Sebastian in the silence of his absence.
“Cute friend,” Sebastian said, which made Victor snort.
“He’s in a weird mood today.”Victor opened the stall door and waved Sebastian through.“Do you know how you’re getting home?”
“I took the bus here.Generally I’m a big fan of public transportation but the buses in this state suck ass.”
“Want me to drive you home?”
Sebastian pouted and gave him puppy eyes.“Would you?That’s so sweet.I’d love that.”
CHAPTER 22
The mood shifted once Sebastian was in his truck.Considering they were no longer in public, Victor had fewer reasons not to reach out and grab Sebastian.Instead he controlled himself, asked for Sebastian’s address, and entered it into his GPS.As he waited at the stoplight outside of the farm complex, Victor’s finger’s tapped along his steering wheel
“You okay?You look all broody,” Sebastian joked, smirking at him.
“I’m not brooding,” Victor protested.
“Not to pry into your business, but is there anything between you and your very tall redheaded friend?”
“No.”
“Really?Cuz he was acting like he didn’t like me.I don’t want to get in the middle of a whirlwind romance or anything…”
Victor reached out and took Sebastian’s hand, squeezing it.“You’re not getting in the middle of anything.Trust me.”
Sebastian wrapped their fingers more firmly together and smiled brightly with a nod.“If you say so, Mr.Cowboy.”
From then on, they chatted amicably about whatever, and to be honest, Victor couldn’t have remembered it twenty minutes later if you asked him to.He was more focused on the cadence of Sebastian’s voice and the way his hand felt in his, as well as what might happen at the end of the drive.So far neither of them had implied there would be sex at the end of their encounter, but it was all Victor could think about by the time he pulled into the parking lot of Sebastian’s apartment complex.Beyond that disastrous blowjob with Johnny, Victor hadn’t had sex with someone in over two years, and he was wondering if it was affecting him emotionally.Sebastian had seemed open to whatever Victor asked for all night.They’d been exchanging stealthy touches all night, and Victor couldn’t help but have certain expectations.
“Welp, this is me,” Sebastian said, reaching for the door handle.Once he got the door open, he looked over his shoulder at Victor.After a moment of consideration, he leaned back across the truck and planted a kiss on the side of Victor’s mouth.After a second, Victor turned into the contact, and soon their lips connected, followed moments later by their hands.Victor grabbed Sebastian’s face with both palms and deepened the kiss, hoping to communicate just how much he wanted this to escalate.Sebastian left the door ajar and climbed halfway over the median between them, his fingers fumbling with the top buttons of Victor’s shirt.Only when his hands lowered to Victor’s belt did Victor realize the door was still wide open.
“We should go inside,” he panted, adjusting his hat before it fell off his head.
“Oh yeah, probably.”With a playful smile, Sebastian backed out of his seat and dropped out of the truck.Victor scrambled to extricate himself from the seatbelt and tossed his door open, throwing it shut behind him as he followed Sebastian up the staircase to the second-floor apartment.
* * *
Victor woke in just his briefs in Sebastian’s bed with Sebastian sleeping soundly next to him.When he saw the time on his watch, he jolted.Was it really nine in the morning?When was the last time he’d woken up that late?
Victor threw the blanket off his legs, then paused and looked back at Sebastian.He was torn between needing to get to the barn to care for his horse and wanting to curl up to Sebastian and sleep until noon.He had nothing but fond memories from last night, and half the joy of connections like these was getting to draw them out as long as possible.What he wouldn’t give to curl his front against Sebastian’s back, whisper sweet nothings in his ear, and watch him wake up slowly and sweetly.Sebastian might make him some breakfast, and they’d spend a few hours on the couch with their legs entwined, flirting and enjoying each other’s company without a schedule.
The problem was that this was just a temporary connection.Victor lived in Oklahoma, and Sebastian wanted more than anything to get back to New York City.There was no point in doing all of the pre-couple things if there was no hope in being a couple in the first place.
Gritting his teeth, Victor pushed himself out of bed and started collecting his clothes.He shoved his tank top down and tucked it into his jeans.Over it went the button-up shirt, where he noticed a barbecue stain from that pulled pork sandwich last night—his one souvenir to take home after their date.After shoving his feet into his boots, he went to Sebastian’s side of the bed and sank onto the mattress next to him.When he rubbed his arm, Sebastian’s eyes blinked open.
