Free We Found Love by Kade Boehme, Allison Cassatta Page A

shoulder. This had gotten fucked up even without the tingling orgasms and sticky come and the touching of skin. All it took to fuck everything up was Hunter and his stupid brain. Yeah, a drink would’ve been really nice right about then. At least he’d just have shut up and gone with it.
    But, no. No way. He sat up, sitting ass to calves, and yanked Riley into a sitting position before planting a brief, chaste kiss on those amazing lips. “Don’t apologize for that. Never apologize for wanting to kiss me. I wanted to kiss you. I want to kiss you again. But I don’t want to… do that .” He waved his hand between their bodies, indicating their dicks. “Not today, not like this. It’s our first date. We were just walking by the river together.” He smirked at Riley. “What? We’re gonna fuck on a bench in public? Here that’ll get you arrested, even in Nola.”
    Riley scowled. “That’s the first time my game has been used against me.”
    “You did say I was an asshole.”
    “I didn’t say you had to prove it.”
    Hunter laughed and jumped up to standing. Okay, he could do this. He was getting into it. He was seriously imagining how awesome it’d have been walking on a lazy summer night with Riley, belly full of gumbo and beignets, holding hands and listening to the people milling about by the rushing water. He’d almost felt the wind, tasted the food.
    He held out his hand, which Riley eyed skeptically. “Come on. We can’t end a date like this.”
    Riley rolled his eyes but eventually grabbed Hunter’s hand and allowed him to help him to stand. “Date, huh?” Riley asked, expression teasing but voice sounding wistful.
    “Yes, now stop teasing me. This is your thing, so sorry if I get it wrong.”
    “Get what wrong?”
    Hunter stepped up to Riley, still holding his hand firmly, and wrapped an arm around his waist, resting his palm on the small of Riley’s back. He really thought he was gonna fuck this up, but hey, what was two fuckups in one night?
    He pulled Riley close, rubbing his cheek to Riley’s. “Close your eyes.” Riley’s body was tense, but Hunter wouldn’t stop, even if his pride was poised like a balloon on a sharp point. He exhaled slowly and asked, “Are they closed?”
    “Yes,” Riley said breathlessly. Breathless was good.
    “We were walking along, and you just finished telling me a silly story. I can’t even remember what it was because I was too busy thinking how damn lucky I am. I mean, damn. There I was, with you . And you were with me on this beautiful night in the city.
    “Then we heard it. A jazz band in a restaurant just down the way. I asked you to dance, and you acted like I was an idiot. But that’s why you like me.” Riley started to relax, chin resting on Hunter’s shoulder now. Please let this be a good idea. It was cheesy, overly romantic, but this was what they had. It was a first date, after all. He could be silly on a first date.
    “The music was pretty typical for New Orleans. The saxophone was the first thing you could pick out, but the blues guitar is there too. It was slow, though. Slow and peaceful, like the river floating by us and the lights twinkling on the bridges up from us. I can’t even tell you the name of the song, but I just have to dance with you.”
    Hunter almost sighed with relief when Riley held him tighter, then followed when he started moving them. And he was there. He could see it. There were streetlights and benches. He could feel the breeze whip Riley’s hair into his face. The city had that special glow he loved so much. He couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be.
    “The city is beautiful at night,” Riley said.
    “Yeah, yeah it is.” He kissed Riley’s cheek and kept swaying with him. The music was just close enough to hear, but they were far enough from everyone that only the occasional person could see them. This was their special place, a piece of sidewalk in their corner of the world where just the two