"That's what you want?" Brian yelled through the door.
"Get out of here!" Avery yelled back, already unlocking the front door. Fuck the consequences; Brian needed an ass whoopin'. Brian didn't have to be told twice, though. He hightailed it out of there as Avery jerked open the front door.
"You dated him?" Avery said, heading to the top of the stairs. Brian was already three flights down. He'd zipped down those stairs faster than anything Avery had ever seen.
"Avery…" Kane said from behind him. He willed himself to calm. He'd won the battle and kept his man, but settling down was hard to do.
"Seriously, Kane, thank God I came along. You dated a weasel like him for four years?" Avery said, turning and looking at Kane incredulously. He had tried for funny, but fell short, and ended up being aggressive and insulting.
"He isn't that bad, Avery," Kane said. He reached back inside his apartment to grab his coat and locked the door before pulling it shut.
"He certainly is that bad," Avery said, openly staring at Kane as if he were the craziest man on the planet. Kane laughed and sidestepped Avery, heading down the stairs. Avery took them at a slower pace.
"Forget him. Let's get on with this date you keep talking about," Kane said, glancing back over his shoulder at Avery as he rounded the stairwell, taking the next flight of stairs down.
"I don't want him here anymore," Avery said, taking each step much slower. Kane was already close to the door.
"Neither do I," Kane replied, peeking up at Avery over the banister.
"I'm not kidding, Kane. I think you need to move in with me where he can't find you. He makes me uncomfortable," Avery said. By the one raised eyebrow on Kane's face, Avery had to mentally stop his rant and think about what he might have said that caused that look. He couldn't figure it out. The answer seemed so clear to him.
"What? I'm serious. Don't stay here anymore. At least move out for a while." Avery let out a sigh as he came to stand right in front of Kane. "I'm jealous," Avery admitted, taking the sides of Kane's jacket and pulling him against his body until they were standing chest to chest. Kane had to lift his head to look him in the eyes, and Avery loved that move. He took it as an invitation for a kiss, and he kissed Kane simply on the lips. Having Kane in his arms soothed his ruffled feathers, but he wanted Kane to agree with him before he let go of his anger.
"I get how you're a force to be reckoned with," Kane said.
"I'm sorry. I can't tell you who to be friends with, but I don't like him, I don't want him around, and I want you to move in with me," Avery said. The raised brow was back and he finally understood what he'd said that caused the look to begin with.
"I didn't know he was coming tonight. I'm supposed to be at work. I guess he'd planned for me to be gone," Kane said, stumbling over his words.
"Let's go, and just plan on staying at my house for a while. I'd feel better with you there," Avery said, wrapping an arm around Kane, trying to get him out the door.
"Avery, I was supposed to be at work." Kane tried again as if that answered some point Avery had made. It didn't. Avery let the argument go for now. By the end of the night, he'd have Kane in his house, exactly where he needed to be. Besides, it was just safer all the way around.
As they stepped outside, relief struck him hard. "Thank God my car's still here!"
* * * *
The music blared, the strobe lights flashed, and the disco ball spun, yet to Kane there was nothing more in the world than the man who slow danced in his arms. Something by Donna Summer screamed in the background, men in various states of dress crowded in beside them, but nothing could drag his attention from Avery. He lowered his head to Avery's shoulder and tucked his face in against the man's neck, breathing him in as they swayed to the beat of the sounds. Avery kissed him lightly wherever his lips could reach, and Kane closed his eyes, letting Avery's natural charm take him away.
"You're anything but boring. You know that right?" Avery said loud enough for Kane to hear.
"Maybe not boring, just intense and a workaholic." Kane didn't budge from his spot, but reached his lips forward to kiss Avery's neck. He never opened his eyes.
"Oh, you are those things," Avery yelled, and Kane chuckled.
"I know, but most people think that's a bad thing," Kane said. The song began to change, a faster beat, but they kept the slow steady pace. They were several hours in with more drinks downed than Kane had drunk in a long time. The hours ticked away, their first date coming to an end.
"I think it's sexy," Avery said. Kane's reward for such a crazy comment was to run his hands down Avery's now shirtless back to grip his ass, squeezing until he wrapped his arms back around Avery's waist, hugging him tightly.
"Have you ever done it in a public place?" Avery's lips brushed against his ear.
"Of course not," Kane responded. For the first time in several minutes, he looked up. The amount of alcohol he'd drunk caused the room to spin just slightly until his eyes settled on Avery's cocky grin. He was learning that smile usually meant Avery had an outrageous plan and Kane better buckle up, because he had no choice but to hang on and enjoy the ride.
"We aren't far from home," Kane suggested, putting a minuscule amount of space between them. Avery apparently took great offense to that, pulling Kane right back against him, locking him in his arms.
"We're closer to the bathroom, and it's your turn to top," Avery stated, clearly playing all the cards right now.