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“That sounds an awful lot like you want to see where this goes.”“I do.” Holden took one of his hands off Greg’s and skimmed his fingers along Greg’s jaw. “And I’d really, really like to kiss you again.”
“Here?”
Holden nodded. “Yeah.”
“Okay.”
With a sigh, Holden closed the distance between them. The feel of Greg’s lips was everything he remembered and more, so much more, because now he knew he wasn’t just some random hookup in a club. Kisses meant something to Greg.
It wasn’t the longest kiss Holden had ever had in his life, nor the most passionate, but Holden had a feeling it was one of the most significant. Something about Greg called to him—had called to him since he’d seen the man at Neon. He’d dreamed about Greg, fantasized about him, been disappointed when Greg didn’t get in touch—more disappointed than seemed reasonable given the brevity of their interaction—and then thrilled when he realized they were both on the plane to Denver, and he might have another chance.
As they broke contact and sank back in their seats, Holden’s lips tingled from the warmth of Greg’s, and he raised a finger to trace where they’d touched. He grinned at Greg. “I have a feeling I’m going to like where this is going.”
Even in the dimness of the restaurant, Holden saw the blush stain Greg’s cheeks as the heat rose in his own. Holden held his hand out, and his grin became a smile as Greg took hold of it. It had been a long time since Holden had had anything but a hookup, and the promise of the next few days with Greg in Aspen made him nearly giddy.
“Do you want to get out of here and find a club?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
AfteraquickYelpsearch, they settled on the place that was closest to the hotel even though it didn’t have much of a dance floor. To be honest, that was kind of a relief for Holden. Neon had been a bit much for him with the flashing lights and pulsing EDM.Though, Neon didn’t turn out to be a bad place to go at all,he thought as he and Greg sat in the back seat of a Lyft, their hands entwined.
Holden raised Greg’s hand to his lips for a soft kiss. Startled, Greg turned from looking out the window to stare at Holden. He raised an eyebrow in question, and Holden shrugged. He didn’t let go as he lowered their clasped hands to his thigh and continued to stare at Greg, hoping to convey how much Holden liked being with him and that none of what Greg had shared over dinner made a difference to him.
In truth, while Greg’s HIV status had given him pause, it wasn’t because the thought of being with someone who was positive bothered him. He knew the risks, and he knew what to do to protect himself. In addition, Greg’s willingness to disclose his status before they’d done more than kiss gave him hope that Greg saw the same potential in their connection that Holden did. But, as a gay man who’d been alive during the AIDS crisis, he’d be lying if he didn’t acknowledge a bit of discomfort at the thought of an HIV-positive partner.
Like most gay men his age, Holden had spent his teen years and early twenties aware of the deaths, the sometimes public battles waged over providing dying men with treatment, the lack of response from the government, the anger in the LGBTQ community. He might not have been out, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know what was happening or that AIDS and HIV were something to fear.
It was difficult to shake off that ingrained and deeply rooted response, but the memory of the shame and embarrassment on Greg’s face when he’d told Holden cut him to the heart. The idea that this sweet and caring man had been rejected and made to feel he was unworthy of a relationship because of his status and his sexuality made Holden’s blood boil, but then he looked at Greg and felt something entirely different.
Greg was watching him, his expression cautious, a bit guarded, but underneath that, Holden saw a willingness to try again. Despite the assholes who’d treated him as if he should be grateful for their attention, Greg’s openness and hope, not to mention his trust, filled Holden with a sense of compassion and a deep need to protect him from further hurt. It humbled and awed him that Greg would put that much faith in him even after Holden had shared that he wasn’t open about his orientation at work. There had been no judgment, just understanding from him. And that provoked a deeper level of emotion in Holden. They did understand each other, and a warmth flowed through Holden that had very little to do with sex or how attractive he found Greg, and everything to do with the connection he’d felt when they met at Neon.
The fierceness of his feelings surprised him, and it wasn’t until Greg flexed his fingers that Holden realized how tightly he was holding on to Greg’s hand. He relaxed his grip, then raised Greg’s hand to his mouth for another kiss. He turned toward Greg and reached for him with his free hand, stroking the side of Greg’s face, tracing his jaw, the dip beneath his lower lip. He was about to ask if he could kiss Greg again when they arrived at their destination.
They continued to hold hands as they paid the cover charge and entered the club. It was a weeknight, but the club was still fairly crowded. There was a small dance floor and a DJ, but the music wasn’t too loud for conversation, which was a plus in the club’s favor in Holden’s opinion. He led Greg toward the bar where he ordered a Manhattan for himself and a vodka tonic for Greg. After they got their drinks, they found an open two-top and sat down.
“To second chances,” Holden said and raised his glass to Greg.
Greg tapped his glass against Holden’s. “Except we’re doing it backward.”
Holden cocked an eyebrow in question as he took a sip of his drink.
“We had drinks at Neon first, and would have had dinner if you’d still been in LA. Here, we did dinner first.”
“Not to mention, we had our date before dinner.” Holden smirked. “I kind of like our way of doing things, though, no matter what order they’re in.” He was rewarded with a shy smile that Greg tried to cover up by taking a drink.
Holden reached out and took Greg’s hand in his own. He liked the way their hands fit together, the way Greg’s fingers curled around his and Greg rubbed his palm against Holden’s as he aligned their hands. Holden gently stroked his thumb across the pulse point on Greg’s wrist and smiled when the man shivered. After they finished their drinks, they headed for the dance floor, and Holden was reminded how good it felt to have Greg in his arms.
At Neon, Greg had been reluctant to close the distance between them. As Greg ground against him, Holden suspected it had to do with his lack of arousal. How many times had he gauged a man’s interest by the size of his erection, by how ready he was to have sex? With Greg, he had to pay attention to other cues to know Greg was interested in him. Eye contact, touch, the way Greg increased the amount of contact between their bodies, the way Greg relaxed against him, ran his hands up and down Holden’s back and arms, or turned so Holden could grind against his ass and didn’t move away when Holden’s mouth found the back of Greg’s neck.
There were a million things to learn about any new partner, and thanks to the snowstorm and the trip to Aspen, Holden was going to get the chance to learn them about Greg. He’d never been more grateful for a busted cell phone and a cancelled meeting in his life because they’d paved the way for him to get to know Greg.
Theydidn’tgetbackto the room until after one in the morning, both of them sweaty and flushed from dancing. Holden was slightly buzzed from the cocktails he’d consumed, and from the way Greg had leaned against him in the elevator, Holden figured the same was true for him as well.
As soon as they were in the room, Greg stripped off his shirt. “I need a shower,” he said, leaving Holden with his mouth hanging open as he stepped inside the bathroom. If he’d thought Greg was attractive while dressed, it was nothing compared to seeing that rich expanse of creamy skin and lightly furred chest; his tight, rosy nipples; not to mention those firm abs and tapered waist. He’d seen them when Greg came out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel, but he’d been panicked that his coworkers would catch a glimpse of a half-naked man in his room and hadn’t let himself enjoy the view.
Holden longed to know what the rest of Greg looked like, but he wasn’t going to push or do anything that would cross Greg’s boundaries. Moving things forward physically needed to be on Greg’s timeline.
Lost in thought, Holden hadn’t noticed Greg come out of the bathroom. The man had a towel tied around his waist again, and Holden blinked a couple of times to make sure he wasn’t imagining the vision standing in front of him.
