Free The Arrangement by Felice Stevens

buzz.
    So this is what regular people do on dates .
    Casting a sly look at Reed, he whispered in his ear, feeling him shiver and loving how affected Reed was by his simplest touch.
    “Want to try?”
    Reed almost choked on his beer. “Me? I sound like a dying chicken when I sing.” He wiped his chin. “Do you sing?”
    Carter downed his second drink and stood. “Guess you’re about to find out.”
    What did it matter the problems he had waiting for him when he came home after this weekend? Tonight, with Reed unable to keep his eyes off him and alcohol and anticipation buzzing through his veins, Carter felt almost invincible when he took the stage. He hit the button on the machine, almost laughing at the song that popped up, “Trapped Again” by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.
    How appropriate.
    In the early days when Jacks had first come to live with him, Carter had spent many nights singing him lullabies to ease whatever fears he might have. He soon had the crowd clapping and singing, forgetting about their drinks when they realized he could not only sing but sing well. But Carter wasn’t interested in the crowd. He kept his gaze firmly trained on Reed who, when Carter began singing, set his bottle of beer on the table and stared at him, open-mouthed, his eyes round with wonder. Shocked surprise—exactly the reaction he’d hoped for.
    Carter grinned inwardly and finished the song with a loud flourish and fist pumps, then jumped off the stage to thunderous applause, striding over to a still-stunned Reed who stood along with the rest of the people in the room. To the delight of the whistling, clapping crowd, he grabbed Reed around the neck and kissed him full on the mouth, leisurely at first and then with increasing fervor. Curbing his desire to drag Reed off to a dark corner and do lewd things to him, Carter vowed to save it for the privacy of their hotel room.
    “I didn’t know you could sing,” said Reed, breathing hard into the curve of Carter’s neck. “That was amazing.”
    “I’m a man of many talents—some hidden, some not.”
    That brought a smile to Reed’s lips, which remained pressed against Carter’s throat. The mere touch of Reed’s wet lips against his burning skin fired Carter’s lust all over again.
    “Let’s go next door and dance. We can be amazing together.”
    Reed sat in his seat, and Carter took his own chair, hitching it close enough to keep nibbling kisses along Reed’s jawline. Carter could tell Reed wanted him by his rapidly heaving chest and how the bottle of beer shook in his trembling hands. He loved setting this man on edge. It made their short time together explosive and an unforgettable memory he could hold onto in the long weeks until they came together again.
    “I already told you I don’t dance.”
    Adrenaline continued to hum through Carter’s veins, and he laughed. “I’m offering to be your tutor. You can pay me later for the lessons.”
    Reed swallowed and breathed deeply several times. Carter, sensing this was more than mere nerves, massaged the back of his neck, attempting to soothe him. After a few moments, Reed let out a shaky laugh that sounded anything but happy.
    “I’ve never felt comfortable dancing; I’m clumsy, and don’t have rhythm, and step on people’s toes, and—”
    “Shh.” Carter placed his fingers across Reed’s mouth. “This is supposed to be fun, not a chore. Let’s try it, and if you don’t like it, we’ll leave, okay?”
    When a moment passed and Reed still didn’t answer, Carter sighed and cupped Reed’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes.
    “Come on, just one song, and then I promise we’ll go if you say the word.”
    At Reed’s hesitant nod, Carter kissed him again and put a few twenties on the table to cover the drinks and the tip. He then took Reed’s hand, and together they walked across the hall where the flashing lights and pounding music consumed him until his bones rattled under his skin. Carter