Falling Faster (The Falling series Book 1) Read online

  "Deal."

  Surprise surged across Ty’s features once again and a laugh sputtered from his lips. "That was quick. I thought I’d have a fight on my hands."

  The temptation to touch, to reassure, was too strong to ignore. Craig strode forward and in a few steps, closed the distance between them. He laid his hand over Ty’s heart. "I don’t think you’d ever have to work hard to convince me to spend time with you."

  The laugh and smile faded as Ty’s eyes widened. He seemed genuinely stunned. "Oh."

  Would Ty wear the same expression after they’d kissed? He was sure Ty’s kiss would stagger him. "Let’s go. Fair warning, my regular car isn’t anywhere as cool."

  "As long as it runs, that’s all that matters."

  Ty stayed close as Craig led the way outside. The black Corvette had over one hundred thousand miles, and had seen better days. He opened the door for Ty, then hurried to climb in the other side. "There’s an art supply store across the street from my favorite guitar shop."

  As they drove, Ty told him about the comic book series he and Slater were working on. The way he lit up from within was beautiful. Passionate, strong, enthralling, addicting, so many words described the man by his side.

  While they were in the store, strolling the aisles, Craig listened, enrapt as Ty taught him about paper types and the uses of the different pencils, and pointed out the pros and cons of various mediums. The fascination had nothing to do with the items—although he’d been curious—and everything to do with the man himself. Ty was sparkling, like sunlight on water or a star shooting across the sky.

  He selected a sketchbook nearly identical to the ruined one in his bag, then pulled Craig to a small cafe two shops down.

  After a brief debate over who would pay for the coffee, with Craig trying to slip money to the barista only to be stopped by a raised brow and the silent slide of a credit card by Ty, they settled at an outside table protected from the sun by a rainbow-striped umbrella.

  Craig wrapped his hands around his cup of iced coffee. "What do you think you’ll draw first in the new book?"

  "Probably the scene I sketched this morning. It’s one for the series with Slater."

  "I’d love to see some of your art."

  "I can make that happen. Hold on." Ty pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, then set it in front of Craig. "Here. My portfolio."

  Picture after picture revealed the talent that flowed from Ty’s fingers. There were dozens of drawings of superheroes, fiery dragons, calm seascapes, mythological creatures, and portraits of several people. Craig recognized Slater and Noah among the group. "These are unreal. You’re really talented."

  "I’ve been drawing since I was a kid. I never gave serious thought into making it into a career until a few years ago. My twenty-fifth birthday was an eye-opening, mini life crisis. Some family and friends were going through stuff that led me to questioning what I was doing with my life and what would it take to be happy. Art as a career was the answer."

  "You should definitely be drawing." He handed Ty the phone.

  Ty set it on the table, then withdrew a pencil from his bag along with the fresh sketchbook. The bag from the art supply store crinkled as he stuffed it back into his crossbody bag. Gaze on Craig’s face, he tapped the pencil against a blank page a few times then began making fast, faint lines, returning his scrutiny to Craig every few strokes. "I’m still working at a regular office job, handling home and auto insurance claims, but I shifted from full to part time last year. I wanted more time to spend on my art."

  "That’s amazing."

  "Not yet, but someday, it will be." His hand moved quickly over the page. Craig glimpsed wavy hair similar to his own.

  Metal scraped over concrete as he moved his chair beside Ty’s to better view the artist in action. "You sound like someone who has plans."

  "I do. Big dreams." Determination poured out of his posture and for a moment, his eyes glinted with defiance aimed at the paper, or more likely, ghosts of the past or someone who hadn’t supported his dreams. "And I’ll do whatever it takes to chase them."

  "Sounds like the change you mentioned earlier."

  With a sigh, Ty stopped sketching. He lifted his coffee to his mouth. The condensation on the outside of the cup dripped over his fingers. "A lot has changed for me, compared to how things were a few years ago. In addition to switching to part time, I had to downsize a lot and cut back on things. Make sacrifices, some easy, some not. This is the first vacation I’ve taken in three years. Instead of having my own place, I’m sharing a house with two friends."

  "Slater and Noah?"

  Ty shook his head, smiled, and resumed sketching. "With how often I’m over there, it seems like I’m living with them, but no. Guys I grew up with. It’s not bad. I’m much happier than I used to be."

  "Being happy is the most important thing." Craig leaned back in his chair as he watched his own likeness form on the page. Memories surfaced of the early days in the city with his friends. "I moved out here at eighteen with my three friends, and money was so tight, we were scrounging for change, working whatever jobs we could around band practices and gigs. Bartender, bike messenger, you name it, I did it. All of the sacrifices were worth it."

  "Are your friends still here?"

  "Only one out of the three. Cody’s dad got sick early on and he went back home to help out. Devon followed two years later. Patrick, the last member of our group, is still here. He’s a studio musician. I see him as often as our schedules allow. The last time we were all together was back in Buffalo at Christmas. We had a jam session and it was like no time had passed at all."

  "You sound a little wistful."

  "I miss them, and how we all were together, but I think we ended up where we were supposed to be." Lately, he’d been missing them more and more. Maybe it was time for another trip back home.

  Ty’s pencil stilled and then he signed his name with a flourish and tore the page from the book. "Here."

  "Wow." Floored by Ty’s talent, Craig studied the sketch. He looked like himself, but kinder maybe. And definitely happier. Was that how Ty saw him? "Can I keep it?"

  The corners of Ty’s lip lifted into a smile. He looked up from sliding the supplies into his bag and nodded. "Of course."

  Craig tucked the paper under his sunglasses and keys. A thrill skipped through him when Ty’s fingers brushed along his hand. Not an accidental brush, but a deliberate, slow caress. Little strikes of lightning flared along his skin as the fingers flexed and shifted, exploring the back of Craig’s hand. When they slipped under to play against his palm and fingers, Craig tensed, but Ty didn’t seem the least bit fazed or repulsed by the callouses on Craig’s fingertips, earned from years of playing guitar. The light touches raised more nerve endings in their wake. Aroused beyond anything he’d dreamed from such light touches, Craig sucked in a breath, rotated his hand and returned the gentle grazes over Ty’s talented fingers.

  Lips parted, eyes heavy-lidded, expression full of yearning, Ty shifted closer. "Craig."

  Pulse pounding with a steady beat of desire, Craig bent his head. As he closed the distance, he watched Ty’s eyes darken. He breathed in the scent of coffee and the hint of mocha Ty had added to his order. Heart beating faster, he stilled the scantest of spaces from Ty’s mouth, savoring the anticipation. Every single thing about the man by his side was wonderful and surprising in the best possible way.

  "Please." Ty’s soft word puffed across Craig’s skin and spurred him into action.

  He touched his lips to Ty’s mouth. Something shifted inside of him, like his heart was waking up. Maybe waking up for the first time. He couldn’t remember ever having such a huge reaction to something as simple as the beginning of a kiss.

  Their lips brushed, then lingered. Ty was soft and warm and sweet. Craig linked their fingers together and deepened the kiss. Slowly, he tasted and teased as his body hummed for more. Ty took control, sliding a hand into Craig’s hair and angling his
head. The slight bite of pain when Ty fisted his hand stoked the flames of want and need. Slipping his tongue into Ty’s mouth caused them both to groan. The licks and strokes of tentative exploration grew bolder.

  Fighting for control, he forced himself to gentle the kiss, to remember that they were in broad daylight, in public, and that climbing onto the table with Ty to take things further wasn’t a smart idea. For that, he wanted privacy and zero distractions.

  Ty released the hold he’d had on Craig’s hair and dragged his lips away with a sigh. Eyes closed, he kept his head bent close to Craig’s, like he needed a minute for his system to settle. Craig could relate. Too soon, Ty leaned back. "That was nice."

  He drew in a breath, more shaken than he’d expected. Hurricane Ty, as Slater had said. He wasn’t ready for their day to end. "Can I take you to dinner?"

  "How about I take you to dinner?" Ty’s thumb traced a circle over Craig’s palm, and unleashed a fresh storm of desire.

  "We can wrestle for the check later." Joking, of course. He had no intention of letting Ty pay. But the idea of wrestling led to thoughts of the two of them tangled together in a much more sensuous way.

  As physically attracted as he was to Ty, the person beneath the handsome features and soulful eyes was just as intriguing and interesting and Craig wanted to know everything about him.

  Dinner at a steakhouse was followed by drinks at a bar in West Hollywood frequented by musicians. At Ty’s prompting, Craig shared a list of the songs he’d written for other artists. Ty’s promise to put together a playlist made him smile.

  The hour grew later and one drink turned to two, then three. Kisses grew deeper and longer and touches grew bolder as they sat tucked away at a tiny table under a neon sign in a dimly lit room with sultry sounds playing from the speakers.

  Glass in hand, Ty gestured toward the empty stage at the back of the room. The movement sloshed the liquid close to the rim. "I can picture you on a stage, a guitar strapped across your chest, rocking out. I’m definitely looking up videos of you and your old bands when I get back to the hotel tonight."

  "If you want a live version, I’m filling in for a friend at a show tomorrow night." Attempting to keep his voice casual, Craig trailed his fingers over Ty’s back. The soft material of his shirt moved as Ty leaned into the touch. When his hand met the belt loop on the side of Ty’s jeans, he hooked his finger through it and drew Ty more securely against his chest. No way did he want their time together to end, but how did Ty feel? He hadn’t missed Ty’s comment about checking out the bands after he’d returned to the hotel that night. Not back to Craig’s place. And he hadn’t invited Craig to join him. "If you want to come."

  Ty’s hand traced a path up and down Craig’s side. His pupils were blown, leaving a thin ring of brown. Licking his lips, he dropped his gaze to Craig’s mouth. lingering for a long moment before it returned to Craig’s eyes "Yeah? I’d get to see you in action?"

  That questing hand journeyed higher and a fingertip brushed over his nipple. Goosebumps dotted Craig’s skin. He swallowed the rest of his drink and set the glass on the table with a clink. His last sentence to Ty had come out more like a question, filled with all of the hope swirling in his system. Hopefully, the next words would carry more confidence. "You can bring Slater and Noah. I’ll put your names on the list."

  "I wouldn’t miss it." Ty moved his hand to frame Craig’s cheek. The statement hung in the air, an exhilarating promise of continued time together.

  The stumbling nerves over issuing the invitation settled. "Can I kiss you again?"

  A smile worthy of a supervillain crossed Ty’s face. He took a sip of amber liquid. Wet, tempting lips glistened under the lights. Watching Craig, he slowly ran his tongue over his lips. "What do you think?"

  Unable to hold back, Craig leaned in and licked the same path, tasting alcohol and Ty, heady and rich. Ty wound his arm around Craig’s neck and pulled him in close. The kiss deepened, dragging them both along the tidal wave of desire.

  The fingers tugging in Craig’s hair sent frissons of pleasure straight to his dick. He pushed away from his seat, shifting until he stood between Ty’s thighs, and gave into need, alternating between grabbing fistfuls of that soft shirt and sliding his fingers along exposed stretches of skin. The kiss changed tempo from soft and slow to hard and fast. On a moan, Ty opened for him, letting him take control.

  Craig had another flash of how they’d be together, in a darkened room, with Ty open and giving under his hands. Letting his thoughts wander too far in that direction wasn’t smart, not with the way their body were brushing together, not with how very much he wanted the man in his arms, and not with how close he already was to the edge.

  Swamped in sensations, Craig slowed the pace to savor once more. Ty’s nearness was far more intoxicating than any drink they’d consumed. After only half a day, the man had become a craving.

  When a loud group entered the bar, laughing and celebrating, the mood broke. Craig pulled back and smoothed Ty’s shirt. "It’s pretty late. I should get you back to the hotel. We both need some sleep so you’re ready for a full day of comic collecting and I can be functional and alert when manning the foundation’s booth in the morning."

  "Will you be dressed in a costume again?"

  "Not tomorrow. I’ll just be me, a non-costumed volunteer, handing out pamphlets and telling people about what we do. As for which superheroes will be there, well, I’ll let that be a surprise. Maybe you’ll come and find me."

  Ty stood and tugged him close once again. "Count on it."

  Smiling, Craig fell into another kiss.

  He wanted to count on it—badly. But he’d been burned before. Just because someone said one thing didn’t mean they wouldn’t end up doing another.

  Only time would tell if Ty would seek him out the next day, and join him the next night, or if the magical day they’d just spent together turned out to be a one-hit wonder.

  Chapter Three

  The clatter of cutlery on plates and snippets of conversations filled the air of the hotel’s dining room. Ty worked his way through a plateful of eggs and toast and a cup of coffee, conscious of the hotel staff clearing the remnants of the breakfast buffet. A night of fitful sleep led to a slow-moving morning. At ten AM, he was already close to two hours behind schedule.

  After returning to his room to clean up, he texted Slater and Noah, and made plans to meet them in the lobby. The buzzed, floaty feeling that had nagged him since he’d rolled out of bed still lingered. Maybe it was the alcohol he’d consumed the night before. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Maybe it was Craig’s kisses. Heat rolled through him as he replayed each kiss in his mind.

  More coffee was in order. He brewed a second cup while he showered and brushed his teeth. The scent filled the room, reminding him of the coffee shop he and Craig had visited the previous day. Nursing the small cup, he made his way to the lobby and settled into a plush chair. Hopefully, the extra shot of caffeine would clear the cobwebs from his mind.

  Slater claimed the seat across from him, clutching a to-go cup of coffee from the shop in the lobby. "You look happy. How did it go with Craig?"

  "Pretty amazing. Where’s Noah?"

  "Getting a refill on his tea. Now, back to Craig..." Wagging his brows, he gestured for more info. "Go on."

  "We had coffee and dinner. I drew him a sketch. We did a little drinking, a little kissing..." Ears growing hot, he drained the remainder of his brew. "He’s invited me, the three of us actually, to watch him perform tonight at a private concert in a club."

  "I watched the link you sent me of the clips from his old band this morning. Tonight sounds great. We’re in. I’ll tell Noah."

  "Is it stupid for me to go? For me to want to spend time with him?" Worry and uncertainty rose, weaving a twisted vine up Ty’s spine. He pushed his hand through his hair. "I mean, we’re only here for the weekend."

  Head tilted, Slater regarded him for a long moment, a wise sage in a superhero T
-shirt. "For as long as I’ve know you, you’ve been busting your ass working two jobs. You’re on vacation. You deserve to have fun, especially with someone who makes you happy."

  "I’ve never had a fling before." Admitting that wasn’t hard, not to Slater. The hulking hockey player might be a tough guy on the ice, but he was a gentle giant and a supportive friend.

  His blue eyes were as kind as his smile. "Sometimes, it’s good to just take the leap. Don’t worry so much or overthink. Do what makes you happy. Yes or no, if you don’t see him, will you regret it?"

  Spinning the empty coffee cup, he contemplated the advice. He’d taken the leap in regards to his work, in trying to take his art career to the next level. He knew firsthand how regrets could fester over missed opportunities. "You’re right. And I would regret it if I missed out on time with him. I really like him."

  "Then, you have your answer."

  Noah arrived holding two to-go cups. He handed one to Ty. "That one has coffee. I saw you when I was in line. You look like you need it. Ready to scour the halls for treasure?"

  Ty gratefully exchanged the empty cup for the full one and sipped the strong brew. "You’re the best, Noah. I hope Slater appreciates you."

  "I appreciate him, and he knows it." Slater pulled Noah against him for a fast kiss. "Let’s get going."

  The convention center was a fifteen-minute walk from the hotel. Ty didn’t mind walking instead of grabbing a ride. The bit of exercise got his blood flowing and helped clear his head.

  The crowds were bigger than the previous day. Ty held tight to his list, anxious to find what he needed. For the next hour, he worked his way down one row and up the next, following Slater and Noah. "How’d you make out yesterday afternoon?"

  "I found a few things, but we cut out early to get dinner and relax by the hotel pool." With the heated way Slater looked at Noah, Ty had zero doubt that they’d both thoroughly enjoyed their time alone, and that it had been filled with more activities than simply relaxing poolside. Even now, his friends could barely keep their hands off each other.