He did. It was a firm, kind grip with a lot of confidence. I liked it. It was comforting.
“It’s so good to finally meet you.” He smiled and motioned to the door of the restaurant. “I’m looking forward to dinner. Shall we?”
I nodded and he held the door for me.
* * *
“Come up for a coffee?”I managed to force the words from my lips.
I hadn’t been sure I was going to ask him up at all until that moment. Dinner had been amazing, and I’d really started to feel a connection with the guy. We weren’t off the charts hot, but there was chemistry there. I couldn’t keep putting off chances to find a good guy while waiting for the perfect man. Because on top of waiting for him, he’d also have to wait on me.
Kieran was hot. Smart, polite, kind. All of it. He was also patient and interested. If we took this to the bed, I was sure he wasn’t going to be a fuck and flee.
Smiling, he nodded. “I’d love to.”
We walked up to the building, and he stopped. “Wait. This is your place?”
I looked at the door and then back to him. “Yes?”
“You seriously live across the street from 177 Bleeker Street?”
“Oh…no…”
Kieran started laughing. “Please, please tell me a wizard doctor in a red cape lives there?”
I put a hand to my forehead. “The second floor is an adorable newlywed couple. The third is two NYU students, and the fourth is a single businessman.”
“You memorized it?”
“Everyone who makes the connection wants to know if Stephen Strange lives there. I mean, does itlooklike a wizard lives there? Would you live there if you were a wizard? There are much nicer brownstones and Gilded Age mansions uptown.”
Kieran tossed his head back and let out a resounding laugh. I pushed the door to my building open and led him inside. I chuckled along with him as we walked in.
We headed up the stairs to my apartment door. I glanced at the bulletin board and didn’t see another note. The light was on under the door and I sighed softly.
I really hoped the dog didn’t put the kaibosh on whatever was about to happen.
I had ideas.
Walking in, I flipped on the lights for the kitchen and headed in, pulling out a chair. “You like regular coffee or something different. I have hazelnut and macadamia, light roast and a Kona someone was nice enough to bring back from Hawaii.”
“Plain old coffee is fine with me,” he answered, sitting down on the chair I had offered. “You really know who lives across the street?”
“Yeah, there’s a bell directory. I looked.”
He chuckled and loosened his tie a bit, releasing the first button. I thought I should take a moment to appreciate what he as showing me, but my eyes slid to their task.
Damn it, libido! The good-looking guy we’ve been getting to know is here. Could you wake the fuck up?
Kieran cleared his throat. “So, now that we’re not in public anymore, can I ask you a few more personal questions? I didn’t want other people eavesdropping at the restaurant. Most people are fine, but I didn’t want to chance it.”
I nodded. “I get it.” As accepted as the LGBTQ+ community was in the city—hell, I even lived in Greenwich Village—you just never knew when one of the big mouths was listening. Also, no one needed to know our business.
Once again, it seemed like I should have a snide internal dialogue that sniped with things like,Mmm but I sure would like to get into Kieran’s business.
But, alas, the sleeping, lazy fuck of a libido did not stir. Also, I sucked at internal Shakespearean soliloquy. But ask me to draw Aladdin and Jasmine and you’d have them in minutes.
“You’re a gray-romantic…” he started. “I, being terribly curious, read everything on the internet about it because you’re a hot piece of man and I would like to tap it. I understand that’s not how it works with you.”
