Page 78 of All Roads Lead to You

My stomach tightened as it had the last time, but now we weren’t out to find another man for me, right?

“Let’s try this out again. I know you got nervous and weren’t ready, but I’m fucking dying to dance with you and touch you without worrying about others. We can do that in this place.”

A sudden guilt hit me because I was bringing Nick into this world. He wasn’t gay. Shouldn’t he be allowed to love openly and not stay hidden from others to protect each other? Sure, we could be open in a gay bar, but even as I debated going in, straight men walked down the sidewalk, heckling the gay men and women trying to get into the bar.

Nick must have noticed my hesitation. “We don’t have to go in, Logan. It’s fine.”

“It’s… not that.”

“What is it?”

Fuck it. I needed to lighten up. We weren’t an item. Not yet, anyway. We were having a great night, so why not continue to have fun and worry about the rest later?

I smiled at him and shrugged. “It’s nothing. Let’s go have some fun.”

Nick fucking beamed. “Now we’re talkin’!”

Throwing caution to the wind, I grabbed his hand, threaded our fingers together, and led him to the end of the line.

After several minutes, we made our way inside, hit with cold air and ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ by the Communards blaring over the speakers. The large club was packed with people and vibrant colors.

This was the first time I’d felt comfortable and at home around gay men, probably because I wasn’t searching for Nick’s replacement. I had all that I needed holding my hand.

Nick and I ordered shots before he grabbed my hand again and dragged me onto the dance floor when ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ by Kim Wilde came on.

I truly sucked at dancing and had no rhythm to speak of, but between the alcohol and Nick dancing so close that our bodies became one, I stopped caring. I wrapped my arm around his back, and his arm slung over my shoulder.

The dance floor was getting packed and hot, and the music flowed. Nick’s body pressed to mine. I swayed, falling into the rapid beat, following Nick’s lead, getting lost in his face, looking up at me, smiling. This was where we belonged, right at this moment.

I looked around at men taking off their shirts, grinding against each other, some of them making out. That was what I wanted, to make out with Nick right there at that moment. But before I bent down to claim his lips, someone pressed their body against mine, wrapping their arm around my stomach and gyrating against my ass.

What the hell?

Nick noticed instantly and scowled, pushing me aside and pointing at the man behind me. I would’ve found him attractive with his nearly black hair and sharp features, but Nick was the only one for me. “He’s mine, asshole. Go find your own guy.”

My stomach flipped at his sudden possessiveness. What did that mean? I didn’t want to overthink things, but I wanted to belong to Nick more than anything.

The other guy smirked, raised his hands, and sauntered off.

“Fucking asshole.”

Nick turned to face me, fisted my shirt, and pulled me down into a deep kiss full of sloppy tongue, claiming me in front of all the men on the dancefloor.

“You’re mine,” he said when we came up for air.

“Yes,” I breathed, my heart pounding from more than exertion from dancing.

“No one else gets to touch you like that.”

All I could do was nod in awe.

Nick kissed me again before taking my hand and tugging me off the dance floor and into another area that played quieter music with a lounge bar.

It wasn’t as crowded there, so we snagged a couple of stools at the bar. Nick and I both ordered beers on tap, then he leaned in and gave me a quick kiss. Fuck, I loved being able to kiss him openly like this. It was so freeing, even if temporary.

“Oh my god, aren’t they the cutest, Ramón baby?”

Nick growled, which went straight to my nuts. “Not fucking again.”

---