Defining Us: The Calvin & Eric Story (69 Bottles) (24 page)

I reach his door, raise my hand and drop it back down. “Why the hell am I so nervous?” I whisper to myself. “It’s just Eric.” My heart flutters. I raise my hand again only to drop it back down. On my third attempt, I knock, but a church mouse would hardly respond to it. I take a deep breath and knock again, harder this time and I wait.
 

And wait…

There isn’t an answer. About the time that should be acceptable to knock again, I start to freak out that he’s not here. Yes, his car is here, but that doesn’t mean anything. He could be out with Jess or Casey.
 

I can’t believe I’d nearly forgotten the pallet. What I call my array of colors for my hair. I did a touch up on it earlier today so the colors are bright and ready for Denver. But I never packed it back up. It’s just a long plastic tub that fits fourteen jars of Manic Panic hair dye, plus three coloring brushes and two mixing bowls. Sometimes I get creative and decide I want more vibrant colors, or I run out of something stupid like blue or purple. It also holds anything else I might need to color my hair. Yeah I know, I do my own hair, it’s fucking easier than finding someone else to do it, especially considering I have to keep it up regularly, at least while we’re on the road.
 

Before leaving the bathroom, I double check to make sure that I have everything I need. Looks okay.
 

When I come to back to the living room, I add the pallet to my duffle bag and there is a knock at my door. I look at my watch, it’s barely three. “Who the hell?” I grumble as I turn toward the door and reach for the handle. I whip the door open and my heart explodes the moment he charges at me, two guitars strapped to his back, his arms wrapping around my neck and his lips landing awkwardly against mine, our teeth clash.
 

He’s clumsy and desperate as he’s all but climbing my body. Lust and desire ignite my veins and I cup his face in my hands, holding him to me, settling him down, calming him as I’ve learned I can do in some magical way. He starts to settle, his body humming with electricity, enough to ignite my apartment, his body hot with need, my own body responding, my cock stretching and hardening against my jeans. I pull back, desperate for air. “I couldn’t wait ‘til tomorrow,” he breathes before claiming my lips once more. Desire is exploding everywhere in my body, my control slipping, my desperation to be with him outweighing rational thought. That’s when things shift, his hands come off of my neck, but his lips don’t stop, his teeth grab at my bottom lip, begging me to open for him and I do, letting him slide his tongue along mine.
 

My breathing is ragged, my head is swimming, my heart is pounding, lust and need are a river of necessity in my veins and I can’t stop this, I won’t stop this. Suddenly Calvin’s hands are grabbing my shirt, pulling it upward toward my head, so I let go of his face and raise my hands and smile as he tries to rid me of my t-shirt. The smile breaks our kiss long enough for him to pull off my shirt and toss it aside.
 

He sucks in a breath as his eyes rake over my naked torso, his hands gliding gently upward, his fingers sliding along my nipples, tugging against the rings dangling from them. I moan and he presses his lips to mine once more. My head is lost in a lusty haze, fighting the urge to move this along, to make this go faster, but I manage to win that battle for control, letting Calvin take the lead, desperate not to soil this reunion. I need it, I want it, and most importantly he wants it.
 

Fuck, we’ve teased each other so much over the last couple of days that I’m not surprised it’s come to this.

His hands continue roaming all over my chest, then around and down my back as he takes control of my mouth. My cock throbs and strains against my jeans, desperate to be released. Control yourself, Eric, I scold myself. I pull back from the kiss, needing to desperately catch my breath and bring air back into my burning lungs. My lips are raw and swollen from his kisses and my eyes land on his, swollen and moist. I lick my lips, desperate to feel his on me again.
 

He releases me, grabbing the top strap of one guitar from his chest and pulling it over his head. He sets it down in one of my empty stands before pulling off the other one. “I want to stay the night,” I hear him whisper as he sets the second guitar in another stand. Then he takes a look at my pile of stuff in the middle of the floor and his eyes meet mine.
 

I chuckle, “You beat me to it.”
 

His eyes dance back and forth between me and the pile. “You were coming to my house?” His eyebrows knit together in confusion, but then he realizes that we both had the same plan.
 

“Ten more minutes and you might have missed me,” I tell him with a smirk.
 

“Well then, I’m glad I’m faster.” He smiles at me again before pulling his t-shirt over his head. “I cannot promise how far this will go.” His tone is sad. “But I’m tired of not trying.”
 

My eyes well with tears, though they don’t spill over and I nod with enthusiasm as he claims my mouth once more.

KISSING Eric, that was what I needed. My mind has quieted and my desire for him is taking over. Pushing aside my demons. He is my talisman and he is the one I know that will get me through this. I pull back from our kiss and he rests his forehead against mine as we both find our center again, bringing our breathing back to normal, at least attempting to. “I missed you so much,” I tell him in a hushed whisper.
 

“Ditto,” he tells me and I smile.
 

I’d hesitated only briefly when he opened the door, it only took me seeing a pile that was similar to my own sitting in his living room to realize that we may both have had the same intention today. It was seeing all of that laid out that sent me slamming into him. Knowing we both wanted the same thing.
 

“Stay the night?” he breathes softly as both of our ragged breaths start to slow.
 

“Please?” I counter.
 

He stands up a little straighter, his hand rubbing along my arms in a comforting, spine tingling way that makes me shiver. He stops instantly and I smile. “I’m good,” I tell him and his answering smile lights up the room. I grab his hand off of my shoulder, gently taking it between my fingers and backing away, bringing him with me, leading him down the hallway.
 

“Are you sure?” he asks me with concern in his voice.
 

“I told you, I don’t know how far I can take this, but I am determined to try.”
 

I push open his bedroom door and lead him inside. There is a little bit of awkwardness between us, unsure of where either one of us should go at this point and for me, the only thing I can think of is to kiss him again, so I close the door behind us and press him up against it. Releasing his hand, I trail my fingers up his arms, to his shoulders, across his collar and down his chest. He shivers and I can see the deep brown disks of his nipples pucker at my touch and his breathing turns strained with the excitement I’m eliciting in him. I tremble again, knowing that I’m doing this to him, that he’s letting me have control over the situation.
 

I lean in and kiss the center of his chest and he moans softly. His reaction spurs me on, igniting within me a need stronger than anything I’ve been able to allow myself to feel before. I continue kissing him upward, toward his neck until I find that sweet spot just below his Adam’s apple and he moans. His hands twitch. Deciding that he needs some encouragement, I grab his wrists and pull his hands up to my hips, hoping that’s all the encouragement he needs.
 

He hesitates only briefly before his hands start trailing up my sides, sending goosebumps racing across my skin. I feel my nipples harden around the rings through them and that familiar ache fires up in my cock and it starts to harden. I groan as I reach up and claim his mouth with mine, not wasting a moment to slide my tongue along his, holding him to me, my hands roam over his body. His shivers of delight match mine and we’re both swept away in each other.
 

Lust, desire, desperation overrule everything else I’m capable of feeling. A need I haven’t felt in over a decade hardens my erection further, pressing and stretching against my jeans, desperate to be free. Without conscious thought, I let my hands slide south, over his stomach and down to the button of his jeans. I pull back from our kiss, through heavy eyelids I silently ask permission and he nods in understanding.
 

I slowly unbutton his jeans and slide the zipper down. Desperate to see the package that awaits me. I slide my hand inside, taking hold of his cock. His breathing stops and his eyes roll up as he presses his head back against the door. Opening his neck to me was what I needed and I lick, kiss and nibble along his jaw, down his neck toward his shoulder. He’s shuddering and breathing heavy as I push his jeans down enough to free his cock from its confinement. When it pops free, I pull back, looking down. “Fuck me,” I breathe as I take in the gorgeousness that is Eric. His cock is thick, thicker than my own, tapered to the head and I grip it in my hand. There is a momentary flash of darkness that I manage to quickly bury. Doing this, touching him, goes against everything they tried to teach me, but for the first time in my life, I decide to embrace my demon. Show him that he’s no longer in charge. I stroke Eric from base to tip, until I feel the cool metal of a barbell on the underside.
 

My breathing hitches and my eyes meet his. There is a smug little smile playing on his lips. “Well, aren’t you full of surprises?” I tease him as I rub my thumb over the frenum piercing.
 

“Ahh,” he moans out. I know all too well what this sensation feels like, and I know all too well what makes this piecing highly erotic in so many ways.
 

I release his cock and bring my hand to my mouth, running a fat, wet tongue over my thumb. He watches with rapt attention before letting his eyes roll up again as I take his cock back in my hand, rubbing my thumb along the underside of his shaft. “Fuck,” he cries out.
 

With my free hand, I pull his head back down to me, bringing his lips to mine and this time, I let him be the one to slide his tongue in, and he doesn’t hesitate. I let him take the kiss from me and he devours me, his hand sliding along the back of my neck, holding me to him as my hand slides up and down his shaft.
 

Having his tongue in my mouth spurs me on to do what it is that I really want to do and I release his mouth and slide down onto my knees. Looking up into his eyes, I do my best to convey that this is what I want. I see he’s concerned, but I see his own lust taking over. I stroke up and a bead of clear pre-cum forms on the tip. Desperate to taste him, I stick my tongue out, sliding his tip along it and he shudders, groans and throws his head back. “Jesus Cal, please?” he begs and I tense, the darkness threatens again, but I fight it, harder, with more fervor than ever as I desperately need this, want this, crave this.