Last Friday Night (ManxMan) ✔️

Chapter 27

After breakfast, Hunter raced to his condo to grab a change of clothes and his laptop, then returned to River's house for the day. Melodie was happy to see him when he got back, but the reaction was subdued. How happy could she be when he basically hadn't left in the first place?

The three of them went to the park and a kid-friendly restaurant, giving Melodie enough food and excitement to head off to bed half an hour early. When her door clicked shut behind her, River left for the kitchen and returned with a pack of beers.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Hunter asked, mouth quirked up teasingly.

"I would've taken you to the bar to do that."

River's eyes held a dark promise and Hunter believed him. It shouldn't be this attractive to imagine River having control over him. River set the beers down on the coffee table, sitting beside it instead of on the couch. Hunter breathed in deeply, trying to get his body under control.

"Beers are tacky and kind of gross but I didn't want you to be too hungover for work tomorrow," River explained while ripping the cardboard. "I hope you like them more than I do."

The "tacky beer" he purchased was a local craft beer with a serious reputation, but River still winced after swallowing the first sip. Hunter had watched the older man drink a million times, mostly when sampling the work of other bartenders, and he'd never winced. The harshest liquors and spirits couldn't faze him.

But with every swig of his beer can, River shuddered. Hunter couldn't stop laughing.

"It really is gross," River groaned, his voice hoarse after being subjected to the foul liquid.

Hunter rolled onto his back, laughter bouncing off cream-colored walls. River followed him to the ground with laughs of his own.

"Shhhh!"

He pressed a finger against Hunter's mouth, hands rough from years of labor.

"You're going to wake up Melodie!" he yelled through a whisper. Hunter clasped both hands over his mouth, trapping River's finger under the makeshift cage. His muffled laughs vibrated against River's hand. The sensation was so strange, River began laughing again.

They were already buzzed and the realization made them laugh harder.

Hunter loved the conversation they had that night. It was sporadic and a bit confusing since some of their faculties were missing. But Hunter spent most of it with his head on River's bicep, cradled in the older man's heat. Tangling their toes together made Hunter giggle every once in a while but it felt nice. Every spot where his skin met River's felt nice.

River craned his neck down, warm breath fanning against the side of Hunter's face. His body clenched tightly, growing more taut when the older man snagged the shell of his ear between his teeth.

He tugged once, then released. Hunter was left breathing deeply against his growing . . . urges while River smirked triumphantly. He was way too good at that. Toying with Hunter's body. Inciting reactions Hunter didn't know he could make. Hunter looked up at River through darker lashes, glaring curiously.

"Have you been with a man before?" he asked. "Before me?"

"Yes," was his quick response. "I was with a lot of guys in my twenties."

River's expression got funny and Hunter had a feeling there was more to that answer.

"Me and my girlfriend weren't exclusive," he continued in a low tone. Embarrassed or regretful, Hunter couldn't tell. "She wasn't really my girlfriend so yeah, I got around."