Dating Rules And Pretty Fools Ch. 07
Dive into the tantalizing world of “Dating Rules And Pretty Fools Ch. 07,” where passion ignites and boundaries blur. Join our characters as they navigate love, desire, and the complexities of modern relationships. This captivating chapter promises steamy encounters and emotional depth—perfect for fans of LGBTQ+ romance. Don’t miss out on the excitement!
Author’s note: Thank you for reading!
MarcLuciFer, you are right about Jackie… but I’ll keep the surprises for later. It is on purpose that I let him present himself as ambiguous enough to raise suspicions.
cannd – I’m happy that people noticed that Otis is such a great endearing person… because that’s how I feel about him. And, despite the dark tones of the story, one thing I can promise – the bad guys will be punished.
Anonymous – I have a soft spot for the name Otis, too 🙂
Exluke1 – The love story and the detective story will run in parallel for a while, but they will intersect. Thank you for the comment, it is much appreciated, as I am happy for all the others I get on this story.
And here is the next part 🙂
Chapter Seven — What Boyfriends Do
Big fat raindrops began pelting the windows while Hudson kissed him slowly. The only two things he was aware of at the moment were the increasingly rapid noises made by the rain against the car roof and the way Hudson moved his tongue inside his mouth so unhurriedly as if they had a whole life in front of them to do only that.
That was a lesson his teacher wanted him to learn, without a doubt. Clumsily at first, Otis began to mimic the way Hudson kissed him, going left when he went right, and then the opposite. It made for a peculiar dance of tongues, and one that melded with the beating of his heart and the thumping in his ears, some of which he could only blame on the two Cosmos he had had at Twinlight only earlier.
So this was how people kissed and he had to pay attention. After all, his teacher had been quite clear that not shying away from kissing was essential for him to start dating. But it was difficult to focus on one move or the other as overwhelming sensations threatened to take him over. Hudson made things all the more tortuous as he pinched his chin just a smidge, making him open his mouth wider.
Then, it suddenly stopped. Otis met the dark gaze unflinchingly. The fact that he didn’t blink as often as other humans helped under the circumstances because he didn’t want to miss one beat, one clue that would make him understand what was truly going on.
“How is it?” Rough voice, gentle tone. Because the man holding him so close was a mix of contrary impressions, impressions he could elicit in those around him.
“The kiss?” Otis asked slowly. His lips were tingling. He felt a terrible need for more of it. Could kissing become so addictive to some that you wouldn’t be able to live without it anymore? That was a worrying thought.
“You’re frowning. Don’t tell me I’m a bad kisser. I might not survive the disappointment.”
“Are you addicted to kissing?” Otis inquired, incrementally worrying that as outlandish as that idea was, it had to have an ounce of truth in it.
“You could turn me into an addict,” Hudson replied and smiled.
Relief flooded through Otis’s system. His neighbor liked to joke a lot, it seemed, when he wasn’t all a frown and giving orders and expecting them to be followed to the letter.
“Well? Are you going to tell me or are you going to keep me on my toes?” Hudson insisted.
“About the kissing?” Otis watched closely until the nod of confirmation followed. “I do not have a lot of basis for comparison. Based on what I know so far, you are an excellent kisser.”
“Thank you. That wasn’t so hard, right?”
Otis shifted in his place. There was something hard, but he couldn’t bring it up. It would either make him sound like someone who couldn’t keep it in his pants — he had heard that expression enough times to understand what it meant — or as if he was asking for something. Seeing how Hudson asked for nothing in return for these lessons, that would be very rude of him. He opted for a little white lie. “No, not at all. It was very easy. I could follow the steps because you did it slowly.”
Hudson had returned fully to his seat, and Otis could take in his manly profile. There was still a smile there. Maybe, after all, he was at least a little bit funny.
“So, it was a lesson?” Hudson asked and looked at him. He reached for the keys, but Otis put one hand on his.
“It’s raining quite hard.” Out the window, the lights of passing vehicles left luminous trails that faded rapidly into the night. “It’s not safe to drive in such weather conditions.”
“Especially since I’m such a bad driver,” Hudson added and leaned slightly toward him.
He had managed to insult his neighbor. Grandma would shake her head and purse her lips; she had never scolded him but those were pointers that she believed that he could do better than that.
“I am terribly sorry about that,” Otis said. “I’m not good with speeding vehicles.”
Hudson wrapped one arm around his shoulder and squeezed. “You’re so well-behaved, Otis, that I wonder if you’re real. To prevent any questions on your part, that’s why I’m touching you right now, to make sure.”
That made sense. And Otis very much enjoyed Hudson’s touch, his large hand so reassuring even through the fabric of the shirt. For a moment, he wondered how it would feel against his naked skin and shuddered. Was it because of the alcohol that he was experiencing such heightened sensations at the mere thought of something like that?
“I have nothing against spending more time like this while we’re waiting for the rain to let up.”
Talking about the weather was always a safe option for striking up a conversation with a stranger. While his neighbor was no longer exactly a stranger, it couldn’t be said that they had known each other since forever, either.
“Summer rains can be unpredictable,” he offered politely.
“I believe there’s something else that can be called that. Or rather, someone.” Hudson looked pointedly at him.
Otis straightened up in his seat. A different type of lesson was about to be delivered, without a doubt. Hudson had said that he wasn’t scolding him, and he was counting on that to be the truth. Nonetheless, the part of him that just couldn’t let go of waiting for the other shoe to drop — another expression he had noted down for further understanding — demanded to be listened to.
“I thought you were shy, and then I find you in that place. Imagine my surprise,” Hudson continued and rubbed Otis’s shoulder to convince him that it wasn’t really a lecture he was getting right now.
“I intended to work on my shyness,” Otis explained. “Going out to a club where young people entertain themselves by drinking and dancing sounded like a way to do that. At the time. I now know that I’m not allowed to go to such places,” he added right away, to prove his determination to follow Hudson’s advice to the letter.
“Because…” Hudson said slowly. He was smiling again.
“Because I’m not ready to date or hook up,” Otis uttered the first thing that came to his mind.