All Man (4 page)

“What? So you were….” Jules glanced at Gareth who was facing forwards, watching a couple of dogs play-fighting over a stick rather than looking at Jules.

“Sexually assaulted. Yeah.”

Jules was silent as he absorbed Gareth's words. He didn’t like to admit that was what had happened to him. Giving that name to it made him feel like a victim and made him uncomfortable. But deep down he knew it had been a sexual assault. Yet again, his stomach lurched at the thought of how that scene could have played out if things had gone down differently.

But they hadn’t.

“I’m okay. Really. Nothing much happened. Well… you saw. I managed to stop him, so no harm done.”

Jules wasn’t sure that was completely true. The experience had knocked his confidence and made him realise how vulnerable he was against men who were bigger and stronger than him. But Gareth was big and strong and it had happened to him too.

“Do you want to tell me about what happened to you?” Jules asked hesitantly.

“I picked up the wrong guy, ended up in an alleyway at the back of a pub. The guy had a friend and I wasn’t up for being passed around. But there were two of them and they were both bigger than me.” Gareth must have seen the disbelief on Jules’s face because he added, “I’ve put in a lot of time at the gym since then.”

“Did anyone help you?”

“There was nobody else around. The first guy made me suck him off, and I was okay with that and with his mate watching. But then the other guy wanted to fuck me and I said no.” Gareth’s jaw tightened—with anger, or distress, it was hard to tell—and Jules put a tentative hand on his thigh. Gareth took his hand and held it. “Luckily for me, he couldn’t get hard enough to get it in without lube. He had a bloody good try, though, while his mate held me down.”

Anger and horror rolled through Jules, making his stomach turn. He squeezed Gareth’s hand tight. “Did you go to the police?”

Gareth let out a bitter huff of laughter and turned to meet Jules’s gaze; his eyes glittering with emotion. “No way. I’d gone willingly out into that alley for sex. Do you think they’d have taken me seriously if I’d reported it?”

Jules shook his head, knowing Gareth was right.

“Anyway.” Gareth sighed. “Bet you’re sorry you asked now. But it was a long time ago and I’m fine. I just wanted you to know, in case you needed to talk to someone who understood.”

“Thanks, Gareth.”

They were still holding hands, and as a smile spread across Jules’s face, Gareth smiled back. Jules’s heart pounded as he imagined leaning over and kissing him, but he wasn’t brave enough to try. Instead he turned away and went back to picking at his half-eaten sandwich, but he kept hold of Gareth’s hand.

When they’d finished eating and it was nearly time to go back, Jules finally plucked up the courage to ask the question that was burning a hole in his brain. Gareth would be finished with the job at the salon today and would be out of Jules’s life. Jules was afraid of being rejected again, but figured he had nothing to lose. If he didn’t ask, this tentative new friendship would be over, because despite all the hand holding, meaningful eye meets, and sharing of difficult secrets, Gareth hadn’t given any real indication that he wanted to see Jules again.

“So….” Jules angled his body towards Gareth so he could meet his gaze, holding Gareth’s hand in both of his now. “On Saturday when I asked you to sleep with me and you said no… but that you
were
interested in me. Did you mean it?”

Gareth shifted uncomfortably, and Jules’s heart sank as he waited for the inevitable rejection. But it didn’t come.

“Yeah,” Gareth finally admitted. “You’re gorgeous, Jules. Seriously, but I’m not just out for a quick fuck, and I’m way too old for you—”

“I know I look like jailbait but I’m actually twenty-two and I like older men. How old are you anyway?”

“Thirty-two.”

“That’s hardly a deal-breaker then, surely. And if you want more than a quick fuck… well, I’m up for that too.”

Gareth smiled and his voice turned teasing. “Are you asking me out?”

“Do you want me to be asking you out?”

“Yeah. I guess I do, ’cause it saves me the trouble.”

Jules grinned. “That’s a yes then?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you free tonight?”

“Yes,” Gareth replied. “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t care.” Jules shrugged. “I just wanna spend some time with you.”

“How about we go out for some food and take it from there?”

“You do realise I’m a sure thing, right? You don’t need to woo me.” Jules grinned and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

But Gareth’s face was serious as he replied. “Maybe I want to woo you.” He squeezed Jules’s hands. “So, will you let me take you out for dinner?”

Jules’s grin spread wider and he let it turn dirty as he said, “Oh, go on then. I love eating out.”

Gareth raised his eyebrows and Jules couldn’t keep in his laughter. “I’m kidding… although I like that kind of eating out too… but yes, dinner sounds perfect.” Although Jules enjoyed bars and clubbing at the weekend, during the week a quiet meal was much more his speed. He still couldn’t believe his luck—Gareth actually wanted to go on a date with him.

They stared at each other, serious again now, and Jules’s heart pounded erratically. He wondered if Gareth felt as nervous and excited as he did. Gareth licked his lips and Jules’s gaze dropped to track the movement.

“Can I kiss you?” Gareth asked quietly.

“Oh god. Yes, please.”

Jules’s fervent response made Gareth laugh, so their first kiss was a messy smash of smiles. But the electricity at the touch of their lips soon had them both turning serious again. Gareth brought a hand up to cup Jules’s cheek and then slide into his hair. His callouses dragged over Jules’s smooth skin, leaving a delicious sensation behind.

Jules parted his lips, allowing Gareth to use his tongue. Jules made an eager little sound of pleasure, shifting nearer so he was almost in Gareth’s lap. He wanted to straddle him and press his body in close so he could find out if this was making Gareth hard too.

The sound of a dog barking reminded Jules they were in a park in broad daylight. So he dialled it down a little, easing back to a gentle brush of lips before pulling away reluctantly.

“Wow,” Gareth said, looking dazed.

“I know, right?” Jules took a deep calming breath. It had been a while since he’d been this riled up in a public place other than on a club dance floor where it was par for the course. He forced his brain out of his trousers and onto matters of organisation. “Okay, so what time tonight? And where shall we meet?”

“Have you still got my number in your phone?”

Jules nodded. He’d been so tempted to use it on Sunday, just to say hi and thanks for the night before. But after Gareth had turned him down, he hadn’t wanted to seem too desperate.

“Text me,” Gareth said. “Then I’ll have your number and we can text later about where and when.”

Jules pulled his phone out of his pocket and tried to hide his smile as he typed.

That was some kiss. Can’t wait till later
.

Gareth’s phone buzzed and he grinned when he read the message on his screen. “Me neither,” he said.

Jules was practically bouncing with nervous excitement as he stood waiting for Gareth to show. They’d arranged to meet in the city centre on a side street that had plenty of restaurants and bars. Jules had walked because it was a nice evening but had allowed too much time and ended up being early, so he texted Gareth to tell him where he was waiting.

He caught sight of Gareth as he turned the corner of the cobbled street. Jules waved and Gareth’s welcoming smile lit Jules up from the inside. He looked almost shy as he greeted Jules with an affectionate hug and kiss on the cheek. Jules was glad Gareth wasn’t shy about PDAs, but it only left Jules impatient for more.

“Are you hungry? Or do you want to get a drink first?” Gareth asked.

“I could eat,” Jules replied. He was a little too jittery to be hungry, but he didn’t want to drink on an empty stomach. He wanted to keep his wits about him tonight, and no way was he going to drink enough that Gareth could use it as an excuse to turn him down again.

“Where do you fancy eating?”

Jules grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “I’m easy.”

Gareth chuckled. “So I gathered.”

“Oi!” Jules said indignantly, punching him on the arm. “You don’t have to agree with me!”

“Come on. I need food, even if you don’t. That burger place over there is good if you like that sort of thing?”

“Sounds good to me.”

The restaurant Gareth had suggested was a quality fast food type of place. You ordered at the bar, but servers brought your food to the table. Once they’d ordered, they managed to get a seat in the window where they could watch the world go by. It was a warm summer evening and there were lots of people out and about.

“Oh, I love that girl’s hair,” Jules said as a woman with long pale purple hair walked past. “But her boyfriend needs some serious restyling.” The guy holding her hand had thick, dark hair that had outgrown a short cut and badly needed reshaping.

“You’re not at work now,” Gareth said, sounding amused. “If I’d known you were such a hair snob, I’d have made more of an effort with mine.”

Jules laughed as Gareth ran his hand over the millimetre or so of dark fuzz that covered his scalp. “Yours is perfect—it is since I fixed it for you anyway. You looked a bit moth-eaten before.”

They grinned at each other, and Jules felt a flush of heat as he remembered the feeling of Gareth under his hands, the scent of his body as he’d leaned in close to trim around his ears. Maybe Gareth was remembering it too, because he pressed his leg against Jules’s under the table.

“Yeah.” Gareth’s voice was a little gruff and he cleared his throat. “I guess I need someone like you to keep me looking respectable.”

“Any time you need help, you know where I am.” Jules lost himself for a moment in a little domestic daydream where he was Gareth’s boyfriend and got to shave his head for him every week. He wondered whether Gareth manscaped. Maybe Jules could help with trimming other things too.

He was pulled from those thoughts by the arrival of their food.

“Oh, this looks good, thanks,” Gareth said to the girl who’d brought it over.

Jules had ordered a lamb burger with halloumi and grilled tomato. Gareth had a beef burger with more traditional trimmings. Jules hadn’t ordered any sides, but Gareth had chunky cut chips with sweet chilli sauce.

As they started to eat, Jules realised there was no way to eat a burger sexily, especially when the grilled tomato started to disintegrate and he ended up with juice and tomato pips sliding down his chin.

“Here.” Gareth handed him a napkin, seeing his plight.

Jules hummed his thanks around a delicious mouthful, glaring at Gareth who was grinning.

“I don’t know what you’re laughing at,” he said when he finally swallowed. “You have chilli sauce on your face.”

“Where?”

“Here.” Jules reached across the table and caught the smear of red at the corner of Gareth’s mouth. He brought it to his own lips and sucked his finger clean.

Gareth tracked the movement, his tongue coming out to swipe where Jules had touched him. “You’re killing me,” he muttered.

“Hurry up and eat then.” Jules took another huge bite, amused when Gareth did the same.

Gareth insisted on sharing his chips, dipping them in the sauce and feeding them to Jules. Jules couldn’t resist teasing him some more, licking the sauce off the chips before taking them from Gareth’s fingers, holding on to his wrist to steady his hand.

“God,” he groaned as Jules licked his lips.

“Huh?” Jules put on his best innocent face.

“Your
mouth
,” Gareth hissed.

“You want it?”

“I want all of you. So fucking badly.”

The food was almost all gone now, and suddenly Jules realised that his appetite for food had totally gone. He was filled with a rather more pressing hunger for Gareth instead.

“Sounds good to me. Can I come back to your place?” Jules asked. “We could go to mine if you want, but my flatmate’s probably in.”

“I live alone.”

“Perfect. How far is it?”

“Ten minutes walk.”

“Ready to leave when you are.”

Thank goodness for pay-when-you-order restaurants. There was no waiting around for the bill. They left, Gareth’s hand on the small of Jules’s back as he ushered him through the door. Even that tiny bit of contact made Jules shiver with anticipation.

They hurried back, neither of them saying much as they walked side-by-side, elbows brushing occasionally. Jules had a perma-grin on his face that only widened every time he glanced sideways at Gareth.

One time Gareth caught him looking.

“What?” he asked.

“Just can’t believe we’re doing this,” Jules said. “I had such a crush on you right from the moment you walked through the door of the salon on Friday. I never in a million years thought you’d be interested in me.”

“Snap,” Gareth said.

“No way.” Jules flushed. “I’m not crush material. I might be pretty but I’m not in your league. You must have guys falling over themselves to get on your dick.”

“You’re my type. I like pretty. And yeah… I do okay I guess, but I’ve never seen the appeal of a big hairy bloke like me so it’s always a bit of a mystery why I get hit on.”

Jules huffed out a laugh. “I want to look like you when I grow up. You’re what a real man should look like.”

“Bullshit. You’re as much of a man as I am. You’re the sleek little sports car to my Land Rover.”

“If you say so.” Jules grinned but he was flattered. He’d never thought of himself like that before. "I guess it's true what they say—opposites attract."

Gareth let them into the front door of a terraced town house that was obviously split into flats, judging by the four doorbells.

“I’m right at the top,” he said. “Sorry about all the stairs.”

“Not a problem. If you lead the way, I get to watch your arse.”