Finding Forever Read online

  The room was now filled and boisterous with tourists, groups of ladies and lads on a night out, and business travelers on expense accounts. As they threaded through the throng, Alec kept his hands on Peter’s waist so as not to be separated, and when they finally found a spot out of the main flow of traffic, they stood chest to chest, separated by mere inches as they sipped their vodka cocktails.

  “What do you think? Pretty cool, yeah?” Peter yelled above the noise and loud music that now filled the crowded room. The room was bathed in a surreal blue glow as the house lights were dimmed to near darkness and the glow illuminating the interiors of the blocks of ice that made up the bar became the only sources of light.

  “It’s brilliant, if a bit daft to come to an ice bar in January,” Alec yelled back with grin, and he inched forward until he was able to curl an arm around Peter’s waist.

  “I don’t think it’s daft at all. It offers many innovative opportunities to keep warm,” Peter murmured before he caught Alec’s lower lip in a tentative kiss. Alec groaned and melded into the warm body pressing in on him. He savored the lingering taste of vodka tonic on Peter’s lips as his tongue pushed in for a penetrating kiss. The eerie blue light surrounding him heightened the heady feel of Peter’s body enveloping his, and he felt as if he was weightless. He wanted to stay in this blue heaven forever, but all too soon, the music stopped and the lights came on.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes your ice bar experience. Please exit to the back of the room, where we will collect your thermal capes. Thank you all for coming. We hope you’ve enjoyed yourself!”

  Alec barely heard the announcement when he broke his lip-lock with Peter. “Feeling any warmer?” Peter asked with a twinkle in his eye. Alec could only smile weakly as they turned and followed the crowd out the exit. The blood was still singing in Alec’s head when they threw their capes into the collection bin by the door and proceeded upstairs. The lounge where they had started the evening was much livelier now as everyone from the ice bar downstairs filed in. Pulsating techno music played as the crowd danced on the small dance floor.

  Alec caught Peter by the elbow when they were just short of going back into the lounge. “Say, Peter. Y’know, it’s pretty loud in there. Why don’t we go back to my place for a nightcap?”

  The corners of Peter’s mouth curled in a slight smile. “I thought you’d never ask,” he replied.

  Alec placed a hand over his heart and added, “I promise I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”

  Peter laughed. “It isn’t you I’m worried about.” Gently turning Alec by the shoulder, he gestured toward the cloakroom and grandly said, “After you, my prince.”

  Earlier in the evening, it had been a typically cold January night for London, but now it was damp as well. Alec hopped from one foot to another in an effort keep warm while Peter clapped his hands to ward off the chill as they waited and waited for a cab to come down the street.

  “Feels like it’s going to snow,” Alec commented as he continued to hop.

  Peter crossed his arms against the chill. “Naw, it’s much too cold to snow,” he countered. “It would be nice, though. It snowed loads when I was a kid. I loved it.”

  “Really? I take it you aren’t from London. It hardly snows here.”

  “I’m from the north, a village near the Pennines by the Scottish border.”

  “From the north? You don’t have any northern accent at all.”

  “Well, I’ve worked bloody hard on losing it.”

  Alec wanted to ask Peter why, but something in the set of Peter’s jaw told him to leave it.

  Fortunately, the two men did not have to stand in the cold much longer, as a cab came cruising by on the opposite side of the street. Alec waved it down, and they sprinted across the deserted street to catch it.

  In the welcomed warmth of the cab, Peter’s dark mood left him as suddenly as it appeared, and he surprised Alec by taking his hand for the short ride to Earl’s Court. By the time they reached Alec’s front door, a cold drizzle was falling on the city, and by contrast it made the first impression of Alec’s flat even more cozy and inviting. When the front door swung open, the homey scents of candle wax, laundry soap, and floor polish drifted out of the darkened front hall. Alec reached around and flicked the dimmer switch on before inviting Peter in.

  “Wow, nice place,” Peter commented as his eyes tracked around the flat. “Conran’s or IKEA?” he asked, naming London’s two most popular furniture stores.

  Alec snorted. “Is it that obvious?”

  “No, no. It’s very nice,” Peter said quickly. “I recognize good design when I see it.”

  “Well, I’m glad you like it,” Alec said as he hung up their coats. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll get something to warm us up. I have single malt, brandy, or port. What can I get you?”

  “I’ll have a brandy, please,” Peter called from his perch on the sofa.

  “Now where were we?” Alec said a few minutes later when he reappeared with their nightcaps in hand.

  Peter patted the space next to him. “I think you were right here.” Alec smiled and cuddled up next to Peter as he handed him the brandy snifter. They sat in companionable silence until something outside the window caught Alec’s eye.

  “Look, it’s snowing! I told you it would snow!” Alec said excitedly as he bounded off the sofa and waved to Peter to join him at the window. He heard a soft laugh and felt a warm body pressing up against him.

  “Hmm, it’s beautiful,” Peter murmured, wrapping his arms around Alec’s waist.

  “It’s the first time I’ve seen it snow in London. I’m usually here in the summer,” Alec said, relaxing into Peter’s arms.

  “I’ve been living in London for eight years, and I’ve rarely seen it snow. Not at all like where I come from.”

  “Tell me about where you come from,” Alec asked quietly, not wanting to break the spell of watching the fat flakes quietly falling on the greenery in the square across the street.

  Peter sighed before answering. “Not much to tell, really,” he said while resting his chin on Alec’s shoulder. “I lived in a little village where we spent most of the time outdoors, a right proper country life. I left when I was seventeen and haven’t been back since. When my father found out I was gay, he tried to beat it out of me. I ran away to a friend’s house in the next village and lived with them until I could get away to university. I’ve been working to erase my past ever since.”

  Alec wrapped Peter’s arms tighter around himself and said nothing. Alec had heard this story told in a myriad of ways and knew that the best comfort he could give was to just listen.

  Peter gave Alec a little squeeze before continuing. “You’re lucky your Aunt Jo is cool with you being gay.”

  “She’s one amazing lady,” Alec said before leading Peter back to the sofa. Now it was Alec’s turn to sigh. “But I haven’t talked to my parents yet. I mean, I think they’d be cool about it too, but you know, it’s still a scary thing.”

  “Of course,” Peter agreed, picking up his brandy again, “but at least you won’t need to worry about running out of the house in the middle of the night with only the clothes on your back. Well, that was a long time ago, and I have a new life now. Here’s to not looking back.”

  Alec smiled and clinked his glass against Peter’s, hoping that he would have the same strength when he was ready to tell his parents.

  “What are you drinking?” Peter asked before taking another sip of his brandy.

  “Single malt from Islay. Want a taste?” Alec answered and held out the glass.

  Peter lifted the corner of his mouth in a small smile. “Sure, but I’d rather taste it like this,” he whispered and pressed a kiss on Alec’s lips. With a groan, Alec cradled the back of Peter’s head and held him fast. They inhaled deeply, taking in each other’s scent, and fought for dominance as their tongues explored each other’s mouths.

  When they broke apart, the familiar ache that Alec felt
every time he thought of the gorgeous art historian washed over him. “I’ve hardly stopped thinking about you since I met you last summer,” he confessed, nuzzling his face against Peter’s. The familiar scent of Peter’s soap and shampoo brought back the memory of their first meeting and made Alec want him even more.

  “And I’ve wanted to call you a million times since I saw you at the coffee shop,” Peter said in a breathy whisper.

  Peter wanted to say something more, but Alec interrupted him with a second kiss that was as sensuous as the first one was passionate. Alec gently nibbled on the bow of Peter’s upper lip, while Peter slowly traced the outline of Alec’s pout with his tongue. Then Peter raised Alec’s hand to his mouth and sucked on two of the fingers. Alec threw his head back in a stuttering intake of breath as the wet heat of Peter’s tongue and mouth wrapped tightly around the sensitive pads of his fingertips made Alec think of putting his fingers in a more intimate place. Alec threaded his hands through Peter’s hair and writhed as the crotch of his jeans got uncomfortably tight again.

  “Peter, I want you,” Alec groaned as he opened himself to Peter’s assault on his senses. He was greedy for all that Peter would give and took what was not forthcoming as urgent hands unfastened, unzipped, and untucked to reach the warm flesh beneath.

  A trail of clothing followed in their wake as Alec led Peter to the bedroom. Locked together at the lips, they groped, stroked, and twirled in a courtship dance of their own making until they fell in a naked heap across the bed.

  Alec scrambled to the head of the bed and, starting at Peter’s collarbone, nibbled his way down the smoothly shaved chest to his luscious peach-colored nipples. They hardened as Alec swirled his tongue first around the left and then around the more sensitive right one. Peter sighed, squeaked, and moaned as Alec lightly teethed on the hardened nibs. When he had abused the nipples to a nearly painful state, Alec kissed his way down the soft, smooth skin stretched over Peter’s taut abs until he reached the prize rising out of its soft, curly nest.

  Peter spread his knees and raised his legs in encouragement. Following the scent of soap and musk, Alec hummed in pleasure and continued to mouth his way down to the right side of Peter’s heavy sack. He smiled in delight when his kisses on each of the testicles caused Peter’s scrotum to tighten. When he blew on them with a soft stream of air, Peter’s cock jerked invitingly and dotted his belly with pre-cum. Grinning, Alec reached back into his nightstand and pulled out a condom. After deftly opening the package with his teeth, he unrolled one over the thick cock twitching impatiently between Peter’s legs.

  Then, moistening his lips with a swipe of his tongue, he opened his mouth wide to take its length. Alec groaned in pleasure as the hot member slid smoothly to the back of his throat. He bobbed his head rhythmically, but at intervals he rubbed the fronts of his teeth on the condom-sheathed glans like an expert judging a string of pearls. Alec enjoyed the way the condom slid easily over the pre-cum-coated purple head underneath the latex and the way Peter cried out in a keening voice each time he did it.

  Peter bucked his hips greedily, but to no avail; Alec backed off whenever the swell of the cock in his mouth signaled an impending climax. He could hardly bear it as Alec repeatedly brought him to the edge but denied him release. Peter fisted the sheets and arched his back in an attempt to wrest control of his body from the expert mouth and tongue torturing him.

  “Oh God, Alec! Please, no more, no more. My balls are killing me. I need you to finish me off! Now!”

  Even without a safe word, Alec sensed that Peter had reached his limit and did the merciful thing. With a few bobs of his head and a little extra pressure around the swollen member filling his mouth, he sent Peter over the edge. Alec pumped furiously on his own rock-hard cock to catch up. His balls contracted hard against his groin, and his vision went white as the orgasm washed through his body and shot out his penis. Collapsing into the wet, sticky puddle, he rested while gently holding Peter’s member in his mouth until it became soft. Afterward, when they had tidied up, Alec peeled back the duvet so they could crawl under and cuddle together in its fluffy warmth.

  Alec let out a contented sigh and gave Peter a soft kiss on the lips. “Mmm, I’ve been waiting ages to give you that blowjob.”

  Peter smacked his lips and looked puzzled. “You taste like bananas.”

  Alec laughed. “Do you like it? It was a banana-flavored condom.”

  Peter raised eyebrows but broke out in a low laugh that set the butterflies aflutter in Alec’s chest. “Banana flavored? And I thought it was my enormous cock that kept you down there.”

  Alec laughed again. “Well, in this case a banana was not just a banana. The weather is miserable out there. You can stay the night if you’d like,” Alec offered, his expression softening.

  “Thanks, but….”

  “Yeah, I know. Sorry, moving too fast,” Alec said, but he thought, You idiot, that was so needy.

  “No, no need to apologize. I just went through a pretty messy break-up and, you know…,” Peter said gently. “But tonight was fantastic, all of it, and I’d like to see you again.”

  “I’d like that too,” Alec said with a soft smile.

  Peter got out of bed and, after a little searching, found his boxers. Alec threw on a bathrobe, and together they followed the trail of clothing back out to the front hall, where they lingered at the door as Peter stood in his coat for a long good-night kiss. Finally, when it was nearly time for the last train, Alec watched Peter go down the hall and out the door into the snowy night.

  PETER’S feet barely touched the ground as he made his way through the snow-hushed streets of Kensington to the Earl’s Court underground station for his journey home, but at the same time, uncertainty scurried at the at the back of his mind. As the train pulled out, he remembered the bitterness of his break-up with Kyle a year ago and never wanted to be hurt like that again. When Kyle had moved out, Peter set himself a rule that he would never again date anyone who was not out to his family.

  When the train arrived at his station on the south bank of the Thames, Peter got up with a start from his self-pitying thoughts and quickly got out of the deserted underground station to walk the few minutes to his flat. When he arrived at the front steps of his building and saw a light in Mattie’s front window in the flat below his, he broke into an excited smile. He could hardly wait to tell her about his date with Alec.

  Peter had barely got out of his bulky winter clothing before he jumped on his computer and sent an instant message to his best friend: Mats are u up? Is it too late to call?

  Mattie answered right away: Still up. Call me and tell all.

  With a grin, Peter put his headset on and connected with Mattie’s number through his computer.

  “Hi, Peter,” Mattie said, her voice full of curiosity. “How was your evening with Prince Charming?”

  “It was wonderful! He’s wonderful!” Peter gushed, and he twirled around in his swivel chair. “We went to the ice bar at Antarctica. We snuck a kiss while we were there.”

  “Well, you didn’t waste any time, did you?” Mattie said jokingly to needle him.

  “You don’t know the half of it, sweetheart,” Peter said with a hearty laugh.

  “Peter, you didn’t!”

  “Well, duh!” Peter shot back. “We’ve only been mad for each other since last summer! There is such a thing as love at first sight.”

  Peter blew out a frustrated breath before adding, “The only thing is, he’s not out to his parents. I don’t want a repeat of Kyle.”

  Peter and Kyle had been in a three-year relationship that started to unravel when Kyle’s mother fell ill with cancer and he started going home regularly to see her. On every trip home, Kyle’s family pushed hard to get him back into the closet. In the end, they heaped enough guilt on Kyle to break him, and he just walked away from the relationship.

  “Well, he’s out to his Aunt Jo,” Mattie said hopefully. “That counts for something, doesn’t it? Bes
ides, you’ve only had one date with him. Just chill and have some fun. Make sure you’re not falling for him on the rebound, yeah?”

  “Oh, I’m so over Kyle, but you’re right. Hey, girl, it’s getting late. I’d better get to bed.”

  “Yeah, it’s about time I went to bed too. G’night, Peter.”

  Chapter Six

  TRAFFIC was light on this sparkling June morning as Peter rode his motorbike through central London to the Docklands at the eastern reach of the city, and within thirty minutes, he was at the construction site where he had been working for the past few months. It was a very complex renovation, and the Restoration Council had made Peter their consultant for the duration. After he checked in with the office, he donned his hard hat and went through to the old warehouse that they were converting into an indoor market with retail shops and restaurants. Over the next few hours, he spoke with the crew about their progress on some changes to the architectural plans. Then, around ten o’clock, a buzz at his hip alerted him to a call on his mobile.

  “Hello, Peter? This is Alec.”

  Peter’s face lit up at the sound of the American accent on the other end of the line.

  “Hey. Hi, Alec!” He glanced around to check for anyone who might overhear the call before saying any more. “I’m really looking forward to this evening. Our six-month anniversary. Hurrah.”

  “I’m looking forward to tonight too. Anyway, I called because I was wondering if you’d have lunch with me. I don’t need to be at the theater until late, and I’d like to see you before tonight.”

  Peter grinned. He really loved that Alec was a romantic and felt spoiled by the attention. Despite Mattie’s advice, Peter could not help but fall for Alec in a deeper way. Sex had always been red-hot between the two of them, but it both thrilled and frightened Peter that lately it had begun to feel like they were making love.

  “Lunch and dinner? Now you’re really spoiling me. I’m working in the Docklands today.” Peter offered.