Playboy For Hire

21. Ryder

21

RYDER

W e walked back to Quinn’s apartment, hand in hand. It was closer than my house, and, rather conveniently, didn’t have any housemates kicking around. I was giddy with excitement, joy, relief—and love. I’d told Quinn the truth, and he’d said he loved me back.

I kept thinking about what he’d said. If you love someone, part of that is trusting that they mean it when they say they love you back . A tiny part of me was still afraid. I had a feeling it would take a while for that to go away completely. But what mattered was deciding to trust him. And that was something I could do.

“Did I ever tell you my housemates have crushes on you?” I asked as we turned onto Quinn’s block.

“What? No.” He scoffed.

I laughed. “I can tell you don’t believe me, but they do. In fact, maybe we should go to my place after all. That way if you change your mind about me, you’ll have other options.

Quinn squeezed my hand. “I’m not going to change my mind. I want you. I love you.”

“Still. Maybe I should find my own place soon. Just to reduce temptation.”

“You don’t need to worry, I promise. Though the guy who lives below me is moving out in July, I think.” Quinn paused. “But actually…” He stopped without finishing his sentence.

I looked at him, intrigued. “What actually?”

He flushed. “Nevermind. It was a stupid idea.”

“I’m the king of stupid ideas, remember? I sent a picture of my dick to nearly 300,000 people on company time.”

He laughed. “But that was an accident. This wouldn’t be.”

I leaned in and kissed his cheek—a little awkward to do while walking, but I couldn’t stop myself. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. But I don’t think anything you could say would be stupid.”

Quinn looked at me for a moment, then said in a rush, “I was going to say that even better than you moving below me would be if you wanted to move in. But like I said, it’s stupid. It’s way too soon to talk about that, and I’m not trying to pressure you. I don’t even know if you would want to, and—”

“Quinn.” I stopped walking and turned so I could take his other hand in mine. “It’s not stupid.” I leaned in and kissed his other cheek. “I think it’s a great idea. But we should wait until I get a new job to talk about that.”

He blinked. “A new job? What are you talking about?”

I dropped his other hand and resumed walking. “I’ve been thinking about it, and it might be time. Working for Heartbreakers was never supposed to be a permanent thing. And I know you’re not a huge fan of it. So starting after graduation, I’m going to begin applying to other places. I’m pretty sure my gym is hiring, and I could always—”

“Don’t do that!” Quinn interrupted. I looked at him in surprise, not expecting the urgency in his voice.

“Why?”

“Because you shouldn’t have to quit your job for me.” We’d reached his house, and he began walking up the steps to the front door. He looked over his shoulder as he went. “You shouldn’t quit your job for anyone.”

“But I don’t mind.” I followed him inside and kept talking as we walked up to the second floor. “I want you to be happy, and I was thinking about it, from your point of view. It probably does seem sort of weird, dating someone whose job involves occasionally kissing other people.”

“Actors do it all the time,” he said. “And they have successful relationships.”

“Yeah, but like you said, that’s a real job. This is different.”

We entered Quinn’s apartment. He closed the door behind us, then pulled me over to the couch.

“I was being stupid,” he said. “And I never should have said that. Your job is real. But my friend Jae—he was trying to be supportive, but he was a little skeptical. And between his words and my own fears—I was just letting my insecurities get to me, is what I’m saying.”

“What on earth would you be insecure for? You’re the one who’s a catch.”

“On paper, maybe. But Ryder, you’re so—I don’t even think you realize it, because you can’t see yourself from the outside. But it’s not just that you’re mouthwateringly hot. You’re kind, and genuine, and considerate, and funny, and the sweetest person I know. It’s honestly weird to me that more of your clients don’t fall in love with you like I did.”

“To be fair, I don’t usually try to ruin my clients’ chances with other potential dates and then hook up with them for months at a time.”

Quinn laughed, and I studied him.

“You know I’m serious, right? I’ve never done that with anyone else. You’re the first person who’s ever made me feel this way.”

It was true. Even Molly had been different. I’d fallen for her, but it had been infatuation, not love. I’d been devastated when she ended things, but I’d never had with her what I had with Quinn—a deep, solid love I knew I could count on.

“Do you believe me?” I asked, scanning his face.

“I’ll admit that it’s hard,” he said with a sheepish smile. “But yeah. I do. I trust you.”

“Good. Because I trust you too. And honestly, good luck getting rid of me.”

Quinn pressed his lips together for a moment. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that it didn’t take me months to fall in love with you. I think part of me fell in love with you the night we first met, when you were so sweet to me. And since it happened to me, I felt like it could happen to anyone. I just found it hard to believe that you would really want me, and it was so easy to paint these scenarios in my head where you moved on to someone else. So I lashed out. I blamed your job. But there’s nothing wrong with your job. It was just me being scared.”

“Well, I’m scared too,” I said with a small laugh. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing, but maybe if we’re both scared, it means we’re both—”

“Neurotic and insecure?” Quinn interjected.

“I was going to say ‘coming at this from the same place.’”

“Oh.” He laughed. “Yeah, that sounds better.”

“I don’t want to lose you, and you don’t want to lose me. You can’t believe I chose you, and I can’t believe you chose me. Maybe that’s good. Maybe it makes us both grateful. Maybe it helps us appreciate what we have.”

He shook his head. “Don’t say that. “You’re going to make me tear up all over again.”

“I think we’re both beyond the point of looking cool.” I kissed him, softly, sweetly. Not hesitant, but gentle, and when I broke the kiss, it was only because I wanted to look into his eyes again.

It was scary, letting Quinn know how I really felt. Letting him see me at my most vulnerable. But warmth filled my chest, and there was a beauty in this intimacy that I’d never felt before.

“Okay. I believe that you’re fine with my job,” I told him. “But I might still want to look for something else anyway, if that’s okay with you? It just might take me a while to get something lined up. And I wouldn’t want to move in until I could contribute my share of the rent and everything.”

“You’re sweet,” he said. “And I still think it’s unnecessary. But whatever you want to do, I’m behind you.” He grinned. “But if you wanted to move in sooner, I wouldn’t mind supporting you in the interim.”

“Quinn Carmichael, are you suggesting I become a kept man?”

He laughed. “Well, I do plan on keeping you.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“And I plan on keeping you inside me too.”

“Okay, I definitely like the sound of that.”

“Hold that thought.” He ghosted a kiss across my lips, then jumped off the couch, darting down the hall towards his bedroom.

“Do you want me to come?” I called out.

“Just stay there.” Thirty seconds later, Quinn was back with a bottle of lube and a condom. He set them on the coffee table and grinned. “I mean, I do want you to come. Just into me, not my bedroom.”

“And you want to have sex out in the living room?” I said in mock surprise. “You kinky exhibitionist, you.”

He snorted. “We’re not that close to the windows. If anyone’s gone to the trouble of getting binoculars so they can see us in here, I guess they deserve a reward for their efforts.”

“Really not beating the exhibitionist allegations here.”

“As long as I get to look at you naked, I really don’t care who else does too.”

Quinn leaned in and caught my lips in a kiss, then began undressing. He pulled his shirt off over his head, then moved his hands to my shirt. It took him thirty seconds to get the first button undone.

“You do it,” he said, laughing nervously. “I’m too excited. My fingers don’t work properly.”

“Good thing mine still do.”

“Well, hurry up and take your shirt off so we can give your fingers more interesting tasks.”

“Sir, yes, sir.”

I gave him a salute, and he rolled his eyes, tugging his pants and underwear off. I didn’t even bother to fold my clothes up neatly. I didn’t want to waste any time I could spend touching Quinn.

Once we were both naked, he lay down on top of me. I couldn’t get enough of his body. I loved the long, lean lines of him, loved the hardness and the warmth. His cock pressed against mine, and the smooth slide of skin against skin sent a frisson of anticipation through me.

Doing this on the couch brought back memories of high school and furtive hookups in friends’ basements. I wished I could have known Quinn back then. Not just because I would have had more years with him. I would have felt like less of a misfit, less rejected, if he’d been there to be my friend and my guide. I would have felt less alone.

I was jammed into the crook of the couch where the back met the seat cushions, holding Quinn tightly so he didn’t roll off the edge. His hand snaked between our bodies and stroked our cocks together, hot and hard and leaking precum. I still couldn’t get over how big he was.

One day, I told myself, I would feel his cock inside me. A flutter of fear and excitement stirred in my belly at the thought, but that was fine. There was plenty of time for that in the future. Quinn wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was I.

He slid down on the couch, kissing my stomach, then moving to my cock. He teased it with his lips and tongue, licking long stripes up and down and all around, making me tingle with sensation and leaving me desperate for more contact.

Finally, he slid his lips over the head and sucked me into his mouth. I groaned with pleasure. Quinn’s mouth was hot and tight, and so wet. He bobbed up and down on my cock, and the position he was in had his back arched and his ass up in the air.

I wished I could see him from both sides at once. Wished I could see him sink down on my cock while watching his ass from the back at the same time. I wanted to see his tight brown hole, to sink my fingers into him and feel that tight, hot channel. I wanted to watch him take whatever I could give.

I pulled him up and kissed him. “God, I need to be inside you. Should we move to the bed?”

Quinn laughed. “There’s plenty of room here.”

I shook my head. “Teach me your ways, then.”

“Oh, I have so much to teach you. You’ve got years of learning to make up for.” He kissed me again, and I fumbled for the bottle of lube.

“Turn around,” I whispered.

He arched an eyebrow. “Now who’s giving orders?”

“Not an order. A desperate plea because I’m going to die if I can’t see your ass right now.”

“Well, I would never compromise your health and safety.”

He turned around, his knees on either side of my legs. I slicked up the fingers of my right hand. Gripping the globe of his ass with my left hand, I brought my right one to his hole. I slipped a finger inside. Quinn made a soft moan of pleasure as he sank back towards me.

The view was just as good as I’d imagined. Even better, actually, because I didn’t have to imagine anything. I could see his hole suck my finger in hungrily, then easily take a second, and a third. He slammed back against them, working them in and out. I wanted to stroke my cock. I could have come just from watching this. But I wanted so much more.

Quinn looked over his shoulder, the pupils in his dark eyes dilated. “I need you to fuck me. Now.”

I was happy to oblige. I slid my fingers out of him and tore the condom packet open. By the time I’d rolled it onto my cock and coated it with lube, he had turned around again. He moved up, so his knees were on either side of my torso. My stomach turned a somersault when I realized he was going to be on top.

Quinn took my cock and guided it to his entrance. Then he slid down on it. My cock pushed into him so sweetly, so slowly, pressing through his outer ring. His asshole was so tight and warm. It felt amazing as he slid down.

He put one hand on my chest, steadying himself as he took more of me into him. He bit his lip and moaned when he bottomed out. My cock was buried to the hilt inside him.

“Fuck,” he whispered. “Fuck you feel so good.”

“You feel incredible,” I told him.

I meant it. I was almost helpless as he started moving, his ass pulling off my cock, then sinking back onto it with such sweetness that I was afraid I was going to come immediately. I worked on keeping myself still, breathing deeply, letting him do all the moving.

I didn’t want to hurt him, and I also didn’t want to come too soon. But he was making that extremely hard, as he stared down at me hungrily. Pleasure and tension built inside me, and I knew it wouldn’t be long.

“You’re beautiful,” I told him, and the smile that spread across his face melted me completely. I brought my hand to his cock and began to stroke him. “I want to make you come. I want to watch you come.”

“Fuck, yes,” Quinn breathed.

I hipped up off the couch, thrusting into him as well as I could, trying to get myself deeper and deeper inside him.

He whimpered in pleasure. “Yes, yes, yes.” The words came out as little gasps.

“Come for me,” I panted.

He closed his eyes, shooting into my hand and all over my chest. His ass clenched around my cock as he came, and that was enough to push me over the edge. Now I was coming too, deep in his ass, my free hand digging into his hip as I continued to stroke him with the other.

My eyes closed. I groaned. I was overcome with stimulation. I couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, could only feel the ecstasy of being inside Quinn and coming together.

When I opened my eyes, I looked up into his. He smiled, gorgeous and unselfconscious. He laughed, sounding as giddy as I felt, then leaned down to kiss my cheek.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” I said, pulling him closer so I could take his mouth with mine.

“Right back at you,” he said when he finally pulled away to breathe.

We lay like that for a moment, just enjoying the stillness of each other. Neither of us moved. Neither of us needed anything other than to just be together.

Eventually, Quinn slid off of me. “I’ll be right back,” he said, moving into the kitchen.

I disposed of the condom, then used the towel he brought over to me to clean up the mess we’d made. He wormed his way down into the crook of the couch, then pulled an afghan over us, covering us from chest to feet.

I just lay there, feeling my heartbeat gradually come back to normal, Quinn’s breathing slowing steadily. His face was against my neck, and I kissed his temple. I never wanted to move again, never wanted to leave this moment.

At some point, we fell asleep. I don’t think either of us meant to, but neither of us wanted to get up and do anything practical or productive. For now, it was enough just being here, knowing we were one.

A buzzing sound woke me up. I glanced around the room, noticing that the angle of the sun coming through the front windows had shifted. We’d slept for an hour, maybe more. The buzzing was insistent, and I realized it was coming from my phone, still shoved in the pocket of my pants, which lay in a heap on the floor.

“Do you want to check that?” Quinn said into my neck.

I laughed. “No. What I want to do is toss it down the disposal. But checking my messages or throwing my phone away would both involve moving, and I really don’t want to do that.”

“What if it’s a work emergency?” he asked, as the buzzing continued in syncopated bursts.

“My work doesn’t have emergencies.”

“There’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?”

I groaned—a decidedly unsexual one this time—and reached down to grope for my pants. I found my phone and brought it to my face, blinking sleepily. I’d missed multiple calls from Tessa, and she’d sent a string of texts too. A grin spread across my face as I read them.

“What are you smiling about over there?” Quinn asked.

I tossed the phone down, laughing, and turned to him. “So, speaking of work. Any chance you’d be interested in helping out a client of mine?”