by
What do you do when your morning cup of coffee comes with much more than cream and sugar?
With a lot of hard work, Aspen Ferris’ dream of owning his own coffee shop has finally come true. Unfortunately, renovations are almost complete on a nearby mall that will house a chain coffee establishment. Not only that, Christmas is a few weeks away! When the electricity goes out at the mall, the construction company’s owner visits Asp’s store. Insulting the pushy brute gets Aspen thoroughly told off and… kissed! A kiss he can’t forget.
Dandridge St. Clare speeds to his worksite to handle an electric outage and misses his morning coffee. Locating a place to grab his caffeine fix, he’s offended by the barista at Your Coffee Cup. Anxious and upset, Dan pulls the man over the counter and can’t resist kissing the handsome jackass. On top of that, he enjoys the best cup of coffee ever. More unsettling still, he can’t erase the taste or feel of the man’s mouth. Dandridge returns for more of both.
The holidays are approaching and neither man expects much. Both get more than they bargained for.
Content/Warning: #agegap #christmas #gay #hurtcomfort #mm #romance #secondchance
Publisher: Changeling Press
Editors:
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 4
Romantic Content: 3
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 36-45
Protagonist 2 Age: 26-35
Tropes: Death of Parent, Hurt / Comfort, May/December, Meet Cute, Second Chances
Word Count: 17500
Setting: USA, Pennsylvania, Exton
Languages Available: English
Aspen had stayed late at Your Coffee Cup Thursday and Friday decorating for Thanksgiving. An early night was what he needed. After a leisurely bath, he climbed into bed and checked his phone for the hundredth time. Dandridge had not even bothered to respond yesterday. Nothing today either. Crawling under covers, he sighed. “What did I expect?”
Bing… Bing… Bing.
Who could possibly be ringing his doorbell? Aspen whacked his arm against the nightstand. “Ouch!” He peered at his phone. “Nine freaking thirty.” Knock. Knock. Knock. Had to be Eric. Something must be wrong. Snatching his robe, Asp rushed downstairs. Aspen tied the belt as he flipped on the floodlight and yanked the door open. “Eric, what the… Dandridge?”
“Invite me in.”
READ MORE“Are you a vampire or something? What if I don’t care to?” Aspen took in Dan’s clothing. A crisp white dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. Two undone buttons revealed a smattering of chest hair. Dan’s slacks were black and dress shoes shone beneath the light. “Why are you here?”
“We left things bad Thursday morning, but I was looking forward to tonight. What the fuck, Aspen?”
“You had no right to fix my car. What if I couldn’t afford it?” He tightened his robe. “You didn’t have to pay for… I’m not for sale, Dandridge.”
“Is that what you thought? I remember what it’s like to be absorbed in starting a business. Christ, I figured I was doing you a favor.” Asp watched Dandridge’s eyes dart to the hallway table. “We can fix that.” He burst through the doorway, grabbed a tablet Aspen kept there to jot down notes for himself. Scribbling, he tore off a sheet and handed it to Aspen. “Told you I’m too fucking old for games. I’ve never paid for a piece of ass in my life.” He stepped back outside.
Aspen looked at the paper. “Owed to R&SC for the cost of replacing one windshield: $215.00.” Now what? “I don’t need a sugar daddy and you never bothered to tell me how old you were. And you didn’t even call me.” Good God! This man constantly had Asp babbling nonsense.
“Christ. I’m forty-three. What the hell does that have to do with… Sugar daddy? Didn’t we have the daddy conversation? Fuck this.” Striding back inside, he tugged Aspen close. “All I expected was some of your time.”
“Dandridge…“
Dan cupped the back of Aspen’s in his hand preventing him from moving. I don’t want to move. He leaned into a big, hard body, kissed him back. Tongues, uncontrollable, explored and tasted. Dandridge’s delved into places untouched the last time. Demanding. Delicious. Aspen pressed the heels of his hands against a hard chest, fisting the rich material of his shirt, and held on as if for dear life. When Dan’s hands worked their way beneath Asp’s robe, a low, plaintive moan escaped his mouth.
Urging him backward, Dandridge gazed into his eyes. “What I expected and what I got were two different things. I wanted time but what you gave me -- I crave much, much more.”
As Eric predicted, Aspen tried to keep Dandridge at arm’s length. “I’m not used to this and I’m not sure I’m ready for what I’m feeling.”
“Too late for that, Aspen.
COLLAPSE
