Chapter 7
Luke resented every customer that came in during the next hour. And there were a lot of them - the store became very busy from about six-thirty on. He only got a few minutes at a time, if that, to spend with Ronan, who was sitting patiently at the table. Made him want to scream. This was supposed to be his first real date with his adorable stalker! He certainly hadn't wanted it to be in a convenience store while he was working. Well, at least there was still tomorrow night. He'd make it up to Ronan then.
"I'm sorry," he panted as he plopped down onto his chair across from Ronan. "I know this is a sucky date, but..."
"No, it's fine," Ronan replied swiftly. "I just like to be with you, Luke. It doesn't matter where."
His face softened, and he smiled at Ronan. "You are awesome," he said fervently, making a faint color rise up in the other man's cheeks. "It's true," he added firmly. "But I still feel bad about you having to sit around here. Why don't you go home? I'll see you tomorrow, and we'll have a real date tomorrow night."
"Are you sure?"
He nodded. "I'm so busy here that I can't even talk to you. You must be utterly bored. Go on home, and I'll call you after I get off of work tonight. Okay?"
"All right," Ronan rose reluctantly to his feet.
He got to his own feet, and stepped forward to bend a little and kiss Ronan on the forehead. "I'd do it on the mouth, but I don't know when another customer is going to come in," he said softly. "But I can't wait to kiss you on the mouth again, Ronan."
Ronan gasped, and color rose up in his cheeks. His chest was heaving a little. The sight of him made lust race through Luke in a tidal wave. He wanted to groan aloud. "Get going," he said breathily, making a shooing motion with his hands. "I'll call you later."
Ronan nodded, and slipped out of the convenience store with a small wave of his hand. Luke stood there pulling himself together, taking deep breaths as he waited for the partial erection he was sporting to subside completely. He was utterly grateful that no customers came in during the time he was recovering his equilibrium, since he would have had to hobble behind the counter to hide if anyone had come in.
Luke was very tired by the time he closed the store that night. His boss owed him big time! He locked the store up with a feeling of relief, then called a cab company to get a ride home. Normally he wouldn't have wasted the money, but tonight he was so tired that he couldn't even think about walking home.
He yawned as he settled in the back of the cab, pulling out his cell phone so that he could call Ronan. The phone was picked up immediately on the other end. "Luke?" Ronan asked.
He smiled. "Yeah, it's me. I just got off of work. Listen, I'm going straight to bed once I get home - I have a class in the morning. But I'll call you at lunch time tomorrow so that we can make plans for our REAL date. Okay?"
"All right," Ronan replied. "And sleep well, Luke. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"You too, sweetheart. I'll talk to you then," he hung up the phone, feeling satisfaction flow through him. Finally, at long last, he was going to get to go on a real date with his stalker. Life was good!
Luke sat frozen in his seat, his disbelieving stare fixed on his Constitutional Law professor. No, no, no! The man just COULDN'T be serious! Out of nowhere, he'd assigned his class a 20-page paper that had to be turned in within two days! Only if he worked his ass off studying and researching tonight would he be able to write the paper tomorrow and then turn it in on the day it was due! Oh, God, the man was a sadist! And he was completely ruining Luke's love life!
He groaned miserably as the professor leveling a cool stare on his entire class. "I'm sure some of you want to be shirkers," he said in arctic tones, "But not this time. There will be NO extensions on this one. Either turn in your paper on time or take the hit to your grade. Your choice. I'll see you all next class, and I expect you to have papers in hand. Class dismissed."
The students began to file out, grumbling under their breaths about this onerous, unfair assignment. Luke rose to his feet as well, his shoulders slumped. He'd have to cancel his date with Ronan AGAIN! Life was SO unfair! And how would Ronan take the news? What if he was upset or angry? He trailed out of the classroom feeling low and wretched. Out in the hallway, he pulled out his cell phone and pulled up Ronan's number, pushing the button to call it.
The phone rang several times, and he sighed. It was just that kind of day. Figured that Ronan wouldn't be picking up his phone. But then he heard that by-now familiar voice on the other end, and he instantly felt a little better even though he had to deliver bad news. "Hey, Ronan," he said to the other man's greeting. "I just called to say...Oh, man, I'm sorry, but I can't go out with you tonight either!" he burst out, then tensed as he waited for the reply.
"Why not?" Ronan asked, and the hurt in his voice made Luke's stomach twist.
"It has nothing to do with you, Ronan! I really want to go out with you!" he said, letting his frustration show in his voice. "But my Constitutional Law professor, who is a person who hates all humanity, has assigned us a twenty-page paper that's due in two days! Only if I work like a dog for the next couple of days will I have any hope of turning it in on time. And I can't afford to do badly in this class, I really can't. I'm SO sorry."
"I see," Ronan sounded happier now that he knew that Luke wasn't making up excuses just to get out of dating him.
"This sucks," Luke said mournfully, rubbing at the side of his face. "I really wanted to go out with you. Instead I'll be spending the whole night practically in the law library, or at home with my nose buried in books."
A pause. Then Ronan said slowly: "Could I come and hang out with you while you study, Luke?"
Surprised, he blinked. "Uh, I guess. But you're pretty distracting, Ronan. I really need to concentrate."
"I won't distract you, I promise," Ronan replied. "I just want to be with you. I'll be as quiet as a mouse, I promise."
He felt a glow of warmth in his stomach. "I'd like that. But you'll understand if I finally have to kick you out because I’m having trouble doing anything but looking at you, right?" he teased.
A low laugh. "Yes, I'll understand."
"Okay. Come over to my place around eight o'clock, and we'll eat something and maybe talk a little before I hit the books again."
Luke opened his door when the knock sounded on it, revealing Ronan standing on his doorstep. A timid smile was directed at him, and he grinned himself as he reached out and set a hand at Ronan's waist, gently pulling the other man toward him. "Here's a kiss to welcome you to my home," he said, and Ronan's eyes widened even as his mouth opened a little.
Luke bent his head and closed his mouth over Ronan's savoring those sweet pink lips. A soft moan made him want to groan himself, then drag Ronan off to show him his bedroom all night long. But of course he couldn’t...so he sighed and lifted his head, stepping back to give himself some distance from that sweet temptation. Come on in," he said a little breathlessly.
Ronan stepped into his apartment, looking around curiously. His beautiful eyes took in the place, including the pile of books stacked on the sofa and coffee table. "Wow," he said, looking at them. "That's a lot of books."
"Yeah," Luke agreed. "And I need every single one of them. I couldn’t even borrow them from the law library - they don't let us check out these kinds of books - I had to borrow them from another one of my professors. I had to get down on my knees and beg to get them, and promise that I wouldn't damage any of them. My professor hates the world and everybody in it, I'm convinced of that!"
Ronan giggled a little, a sight which entranced Luke. He swallowed heavily. "Anyway, sit down and make yourself comfortable. You want something to drink? I'm going to order a pizza for dinner, if that’s okay."
"It's fine," Ronan replied as he settled gingerly on the couch.
"Cool. Pepperoni good for you?"
A nod. Luke went into his kitchen. "Water, pop, iced tea?" he called.
"Water would be good, thank you."
He carried a bottle of water out into the living room and handed it to Ronan. Then he called his favorite pizza joint and ordered a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, before he joined Ronan on the couch. "Now to get down to it," he remarked with a grimace. He knew what he'd rather 'get down to' with the sexy Ronan in his apartment, but he had no choice here. He picked up a heavy law book and opened it to the page he’d marked, trying hard to concentrate on what he was reading.
But he just couldn’t. He was far too aware of Ronan’s nearness, of the sound of his breathing and the little sounds he made as he drank from the bottle of water. And he could smell Ronan too - not B.O. or anything, but the cologne that he’d helped Ronan to pick out so that he could wear it to work. The scent was driving him nuts. he wanted to strip Ronan naked and find the points where he'd dabbed on that scent, he wanted to suck and lick at those spots, to nibble at them...
Jesus! He groaned a bit in the back of his throat. "Are you okay, Luke?" he heard Ronan ask in concern above his bent head.
Blindly he looked up. "No, I'm not," he said through gritted teeth. "It's not your fault, Ronan, but I can't concentrate. It's just...I think you're so sexy, so adorable. I want to push you down on this couch and eat you all up, starting with your toes. God, you’re driving me crazy!"
Ronan's eyes widened behind the lenses of his glasses. He swallowed heavily. "Oh," he said in a faint voice, color rising up in his cheeks. That color, that sound...Luke buried his face in his hands and struggled to compose himself even a little bit.
"Do you want me to go, Luke?" Ronan asked him softly. "So you can get your studying done?"
"Yes...no...please don't go," Luke said, lowering his hands. "I want you to stay, no matter how crazy you're making me. But how about you sit over there?" He nodded at a rather ratty armchair halfway across the room. "Maybe if you're not so close to me..."
Ronan got up obligingly and moved over to the chair. He settled in it. "How's that? Is it better?" he asked anxiously.
Luke smiled wanly. "It's better," he said, not adding that it was only a little bit better. The only way that he'd be a lot better was if Ronan left entirely, and he didn't want that. He'd live with his arousal if it meant that Ronan would stay. And somehow he’d force himself to concentrate and get his work done, because if he didn't he suspected that Ronan would leave anyway. He could do this! Somehow...
A/N: Many reviews for our sweet boys, pretty please? -DL
Luke resented every customer that came in during the next hour. And there were a lot of them - the store became very busy from about six-thirty on. He only got a few minutes at a time, if that, to spend with Ronan, who was sitting patiently at the table. Made him want to scream. This was supposed to be his first real date with his adorable stalker! He certainly hadn't wanted it to be in a convenience store while he was working. Well, at least there was still tomorrow night. He'd make it up to Ronan then.
"I'm sorry," he panted as he plopped down onto his chair across from Ronan. "I know this is a sucky date, but..."
"No, it's fine," Ronan replied swiftly. "I just like to be with you, Luke. It doesn't matter where."
His face softened, and he smiled at Ronan. "You are awesome," he said fervently, making a faint color rise up in the other man's cheeks. "It's true," he added firmly. "But I still feel bad about you having to sit around here. Why don't you go home? I'll see you tomorrow, and we'll have a real date tomorrow night."
"Are you sure?"
He nodded. "I'm so busy here that I can't even talk to you. You must be utterly bored. Go on home, and I'll call you after I get off of work tonight. Okay?"
"All right," Ronan rose reluctantly to his feet.
He got to his own feet, and stepped forward to bend a little and kiss Ronan on the forehead. "I'd do it on the mouth, but I don't know when another customer is going to come in," he said softly. "But I can't wait to kiss you on the mouth again, Ronan."
Ronan gasped, and color rose up in his cheeks. His chest was heaving a little. The sight of him made lust race through Luke in a tidal wave. He wanted to groan aloud. "Get going," he said breathily, making a shooing motion with his hands. "I'll call you later."
Ronan nodded, and slipped out of the convenience store with a small wave of his hand. Luke stood there pulling himself together, taking deep breaths as he waited for the partial erection he was sporting to subside completely. He was utterly grateful that no customers came in during the time he was recovering his equilibrium, since he would have had to hobble behind the counter to hide if anyone had come in.
Luke was very tired by the time he closed the store that night. His boss owed him big time! He locked the store up with a feeling of relief, then called a cab company to get a ride home. Normally he wouldn't have wasted the money, but tonight he was so tired that he couldn't even think about walking home.
He yawned as he settled in the back of the cab, pulling out his cell phone so that he could call Ronan. The phone was picked up immediately on the other end. "Luke?" Ronan asked.
He smiled. "Yeah, it's me. I just got off of work. Listen, I'm going straight to bed once I get home - I have a class in the morning. But I'll call you at lunch time tomorrow so that we can make plans for our REAL date. Okay?"
"All right," Ronan replied. "And sleep well, Luke. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"You too, sweetheart. I'll talk to you then," he hung up the phone, feeling satisfaction flow through him. Finally, at long last, he was going to get to go on a real date with his stalker. Life was good!
Luke sat frozen in his seat, his disbelieving stare fixed on his Constitutional Law professor. No, no, no! The man just COULDN'T be serious! Out of nowhere, he'd assigned his class a 20-page paper that had to be turned in within two days! Only if he worked his ass off studying and researching tonight would he be able to write the paper tomorrow and then turn it in on the day it was due! Oh, God, the man was a sadist! And he was completely ruining Luke's love life!
He groaned miserably as the professor leveling a cool stare on his entire class. "I'm sure some of you want to be shirkers," he said in arctic tones, "But not this time. There will be NO extensions on this one. Either turn in your paper on time or take the hit to your grade. Your choice. I'll see you all next class, and I expect you to have papers in hand. Class dismissed."
The students began to file out, grumbling under their breaths about this onerous, unfair assignment. Luke rose to his feet as well, his shoulders slumped. He'd have to cancel his date with Ronan AGAIN! Life was SO unfair! And how would Ronan take the news? What if he was upset or angry? He trailed out of the classroom feeling low and wretched. Out in the hallway, he pulled out his cell phone and pulled up Ronan's number, pushing the button to call it.
The phone rang several times, and he sighed. It was just that kind of day. Figured that Ronan wouldn't be picking up his phone. But then he heard that by-now familiar voice on the other end, and he instantly felt a little better even though he had to deliver bad news. "Hey, Ronan," he said to the other man's greeting. "I just called to say...Oh, man, I'm sorry, but I can't go out with you tonight either!" he burst out, then tensed as he waited for the reply.
"Why not?" Ronan asked, and the hurt in his voice made Luke's stomach twist.
"It has nothing to do with you, Ronan! I really want to go out with you!" he said, letting his frustration show in his voice. "But my Constitutional Law professor, who is a person who hates all humanity, has assigned us a twenty-page paper that's due in two days! Only if I work like a dog for the next couple of days will I have any hope of turning it in on time. And I can't afford to do badly in this class, I really can't. I'm SO sorry."
"I see," Ronan sounded happier now that he knew that Luke wasn't making up excuses just to get out of dating him.
"This sucks," Luke said mournfully, rubbing at the side of his face. "I really wanted to go out with you. Instead I'll be spending the whole night practically in the law library, or at home with my nose buried in books."
A pause. Then Ronan said slowly: "Could I come and hang out with you while you study, Luke?"
Surprised, he blinked. "Uh, I guess. But you're pretty distracting, Ronan. I really need to concentrate."
"I won't distract you, I promise," Ronan replied. "I just want to be with you. I'll be as quiet as a mouse, I promise."
He felt a glow of warmth in his stomach. "I'd like that. But you'll understand if I finally have to kick you out because I’m having trouble doing anything but looking at you, right?" he teased.
A low laugh. "Yes, I'll understand."
"Okay. Come over to my place around eight o'clock, and we'll eat something and maybe talk a little before I hit the books again."
Luke opened his door when the knock sounded on it, revealing Ronan standing on his doorstep. A timid smile was directed at him, and he grinned himself as he reached out and set a hand at Ronan's waist, gently pulling the other man toward him. "Here's a kiss to welcome you to my home," he said, and Ronan's eyes widened even as his mouth opened a little.
Luke bent his head and closed his mouth over Ronan's savoring those sweet pink lips. A soft moan made him want to groan himself, then drag Ronan off to show him his bedroom all night long. But of course he couldn’t...so he sighed and lifted his head, stepping back to give himself some distance from that sweet temptation. Come on in," he said a little breathlessly.
Ronan stepped into his apartment, looking around curiously. His beautiful eyes took in the place, including the pile of books stacked on the sofa and coffee table. "Wow," he said, looking at them. "That's a lot of books."
"Yeah," Luke agreed. "And I need every single one of them. I couldn’t even borrow them from the law library - they don't let us check out these kinds of books - I had to borrow them from another one of my professors. I had to get down on my knees and beg to get them, and promise that I wouldn't damage any of them. My professor hates the world and everybody in it, I'm convinced of that!"
Ronan giggled a little, a sight which entranced Luke. He swallowed heavily. "Anyway, sit down and make yourself comfortable. You want something to drink? I'm going to order a pizza for dinner, if that’s okay."
"It's fine," Ronan replied as he settled gingerly on the couch.
"Cool. Pepperoni good for you?"
A nod. Luke went into his kitchen. "Water, pop, iced tea?" he called.
"Water would be good, thank you."
He carried a bottle of water out into the living room and handed it to Ronan. Then he called his favorite pizza joint and ordered a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, before he joined Ronan on the couch. "Now to get down to it," he remarked with a grimace. He knew what he'd rather 'get down to' with the sexy Ronan in his apartment, but he had no choice here. He picked up a heavy law book and opened it to the page he’d marked, trying hard to concentrate on what he was reading.
But he just couldn’t. He was far too aware of Ronan’s nearness, of the sound of his breathing and the little sounds he made as he drank from the bottle of water. And he could smell Ronan too - not B.O. or anything, but the cologne that he’d helped Ronan to pick out so that he could wear it to work. The scent was driving him nuts. he wanted to strip Ronan naked and find the points where he'd dabbed on that scent, he wanted to suck and lick at those spots, to nibble at them...
Jesus! He groaned a bit in the back of his throat. "Are you okay, Luke?" he heard Ronan ask in concern above his bent head.
Blindly he looked up. "No, I'm not," he said through gritted teeth. "It's not your fault, Ronan, but I can't concentrate. It's just...I think you're so sexy, so adorable. I want to push you down on this couch and eat you all up, starting with your toes. God, you’re driving me crazy!"
Ronan's eyes widened behind the lenses of his glasses. He swallowed heavily. "Oh," he said in a faint voice, color rising up in his cheeks. That color, that sound...Luke buried his face in his hands and struggled to compose himself even a little bit.
"Do you want me to go, Luke?" Ronan asked him softly. "So you can get your studying done?"
"Yes...no...please don't go," Luke said, lowering his hands. "I want you to stay, no matter how crazy you're making me. But how about you sit over there?" He nodded at a rather ratty armchair halfway across the room. "Maybe if you're not so close to me..."
Ronan got up obligingly and moved over to the chair. He settled in it. "How's that? Is it better?" he asked anxiously.
Luke smiled wanly. "It's better," he said, not adding that it was only a little bit better. The only way that he'd be a lot better was if Ronan left entirely, and he didn't want that. He'd live with his arousal if it meant that Ronan would stay. And somehow he’d force himself to concentrate and get his work done, because if he didn't he suspected that Ronan would leave anyway. He could do this! Somehow...
A/N: Many reviews for our sweet boys, pretty please? -DL