Break my shell, p.8
Break My Shell, page 8
“Y-yes,” he said before slowly rising to his feet, only to face Max.
“You seemed right at home down there…” Max whispered, and his eyes were getting that dreamy bedroom look that was dangerous to Dayton’s resolve of ‘taking things slow’. The fingers brushing against his shoulder weren’t helping either.
“Did I?” asked Dayton softly, squeezing his hand on the paper that he hadn’t used yet. “Must be because I’m good at helping people.”
Max nodded, and Dayton wasn’t sure when he moved that inch closer. “Must be. Takes a lot of practice to be that good at helping.”
Dayton’s lungs filled with hot air, and he started folding the paper in an attempt at doing something with his hands. “You don’t know that much about my skills yet.”
Was this too forward? Would Max interpret it as an invitation for sex?
Dayton was not certain whether he wanted it to be or not. He couldn’t help himself though. He loved to see Max’s pupils widen, and his nostrils flare.
“I do know you don’t have a gag reflex when you help,” the whisper was so full of arousal Dayton couldn’t interpret the words in any way but as a compliment.
Dayton’s face burned so hard his cheeks would soon turn into well done steaks, but he only looked away for a second to gather his thoughts. Shame and excitement mingled inside his body, creating a concoction that made his cock twitch in his pants. “My mom told me I always felt the safest when I had something to suck on.”
Max trailed his fingers over Dayton’s jaw. “It would be a shame to not use such a gift.” Max leaned down and Dayton couldn’t deny himself the kiss that was coming. It all felt too good, and he was only human.
Max’s kiss was so deliciously indulgent. Slow, hot, soft. Max was taking his time, kissing Dayton’s lips first, licking along the top lip sending him falling against Max. Dayton opened his lips for Max’s tongue to explore all of him, and he couldn’t help feeling it was a bit like inviting Max to fuck him again. The way Max dominated the kiss, sliding his fingers into the hair at the back of Dayton’s head made him melt like a marshmallow over fire.
He whimpered into the kiss and pushed against Max’s chest, the room and the reason for them being here completely forgotten. It was all about lips now, and the tickle of Max’s beard against his cheek, the hard arm keeping him so close and secure he didn’t want to ever leave.
Suckling on Max’s lower lip, Dayton arched his whole body, standing on tiptoes to reach the handsome face with more ease. He flowed on the waves of thick, warm lust, and in this moment he didn’t even care whether they would toss him over the cliff.
The hand sliding down from his hip to his ass should have been a wakeup call, but it only made him press against Max harder. He could still barely comprehend what had happened the day Max arrived. It almost seemed like some distant wet dream. But it had been real. Despite all the uncertainty and anxiety at that time, he had managed to let go, allow arousal to take over, and Max had given him the best sex he’d ever had. The hand squeezing his ass was a reminder that something like it could happen again.
It could happen here and now, were they to find adequate lube.
Dayton gasped, finally twisting away from the kiss. “Oh... that is so...” Words were failing him, so he hugged Max tightly and closed his eyes, tuning in to his heartbeat and trying to slow it down.
“Hm?” Max nuzzled the side of his head. “Hot? I’m sorry if I pushed you too far. I promise we’ll go at your pace if you take me back.”
Dayton relaxed against him, and the relief was so visceral he barely kept himself upright and hung on to Max’s strong shoulders instead. Take Max back? He never even dreamed of breaking up with Max. He thought... he didn’t know what he’d been thinking for the past few days, but if Max could kiss him like this again, he would consent to almost anything. “Yes...?”
Max kissed his temple with a content groan. “Can I stop sleeping on the floor like a dog, then?”
Dayton laughed and looked up at him, more content than he’d been in a long time. “You could sleep at the feet of my bed, like Cin,” he said with a wink.
Max pulled away slightly and grinned at him. “In your dreams.”
Dayton bit his lip, glancing at Max with happiness slowly worming its way through his tired body. “Okay.”
“Let’s get this room done then, so you can actually have some time off today.” Max gave Dayton a quick kiss.
The giddiness of this moment and the safety of Max’s promise made Dayton finally let go of him. They would get there later. Later, he would get more kisses and cuddle with Max in his bed while Cinnamon curled up in his lap. It would be the most perfect afternoon off in years.
They got back to work, and with Max painting the large planes of the wall and Dayton carefully framing elements that should not be stained by paint, they soon emptied the paint buckets, but Dayton was too happy with himself to care much.
The thick, choking atmosphere of the last few days was gone with the breeze of Max’s renewed affection for Dayton.
“Let’s go tell Vanessa we need more paint. You up for a ride?” Max put away the roller and started pulling off the newspapers from his jeans.
Dayton grinned and walked up to Max, massaging his now exposed back. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed touching Max even though they hardly knew one another. It was as if that first physical encounter had wired him to need it more than the countless sexual conversations had. “As long as you lead the way.”
“Yeah? You lettin’ me drive your car?” Max grinned. “You have to know some people call me Mad Max for a reason.”
Dayton laughed. “Good luck. That piece of junk is so moody it might need a nudge from a madman.”
Max pulled on Dayton’s hand and led him outside. “I could have a look at it another time if you let me.”
Dayton squeezed Max’s hand harder than it was necessary, and only let it go when a couple of guests approached from the other end of the corridor. “Do you know your way around cars too? I wish I knew how to kick it into action,” Dayton complained.
“Oh yeah, my old man taught me a thing or two about the insides of a car. We never had much money when I was a kid, so DIY was the way to go.”
Dayton smiled and nudged Max with his side as soon as they were alone again. It felt good not to be on his own. To have someone who had his back and... well, was as hot as Max. Dayton couldn’t believe his luck. A reasonable man would have fled already, but Max stayed, as if it really was Dayton he craved, not just the companionship of any other guy who was his type.
Vanessa’s office was in the first floor and took up more space than the reception area itself. Entering it was almost like getting on the set of Hoarders. Vanessa’s private things were piled in towers of boxes that reached all the way to the ceiling, and each possible surface was covered with piles of her clothes and trinkets she refused to dispose of. All soaked in the lavender scent Vanessa loved so much.
Vanessa peeked out at them from behind a wall of boxes and quickly put something away, but the jingle of bottles and the smell of wine was unmistakable. “Oh, Dayton, it’s you. And Max I see. How’s the renovation going? All done?” She smiled and got up from behind her desk.
Dayton walked up to her, hands in his pockets, because he felt much more casual than usual. Energy was buzzing inside him, and he wished to be done with the work already. One more layer of paint would be plenty. “It’s going great, but we’re out of paint. As soon as we buy two more buckets, we will get back to work and finish the paint job later tonight.”
“Oh, so Max is helping you? That’s just too sweet of you, Max,” Vanessa chirped. “That room will look so amazing when the two of you are done with it. We’ll take photos for our Facebook page and credit you. How can I help?”
Dayton had his doubts about the effectiveness of posting this kind of stuff in an attempt to attract customers, but he didn’t say that out loud and smiled instead. “We need more paint.”
Vanessa raised her eyebrows. “Oh. I mean… I thought this would be your little project. So I got the first tubs.”
Max frowned. “It’s your hotel, ma’am.”
Dayton swallowed his shock and shook his head. “I mean... he is right. I am not the one profiting from this. If you employed a professional redecorating team, it would have cost you so much more.”
“Oh, Dayton…” Vanessa’s shoulders sagged and she began massaging her temples. This was not going well. “We will have to continue the work at another time then, because I just don’t have the funds for any more paint right now. If you could buy it, I’d pay you back next week, but my hands are tied.”
Dayton’s gaze wandered to her new leather bag sitting on the counter with the price tag still attached. “But... you are not poor. Why don’t you lend your private money to the hotel?”
“No, no.” Vanessa shook her head abruptly. “That wouldn’t be right. That’s how people lose all their money, Dayton. If you ever have your own business, never do that. Private money and business money shouldn’t mix.”
Max groaned and Dayton had to force himself not to stroke his arm to calm him down. “So, you’re saying all this work was for nothing because we can’t finish it now? And the room will be unusable until we finish the renovations?”
Dayton clenched his teeth. He did not get angry often, but this was unbearable. With Max at his side he felt suddenly empowered to voice his complaint. “But I can put money into your business? Is that right? I haven’t seen a dollar of the wages you owe me for months!”
Vanessa waved her hand. “No, Dayton, that’s not true. I was just going to pay you today for those first two weeks out of the two months. Look, I’ve got it all here.” She scooted down and disappeared under the desk where she kept a ridiculously old-fashioned safe.
Max gave Dayton a look of disbelief before she got back up.
“You do remember you still owe me overtime for much longer than that,” said Dayton, and unclenched his hands when he realized he balled them into fists. If only she paid him out the whole sum, he would be out of this town forever.
“Yes, of course I do.” Vanessa nodded with a wide smile. “I’ve got it all written down in my little notebook.” She pointed to a tattered pink Filofax. “As soon as the hotel gets back on its feet, you’ll be the first one to get paid the overdue overtime. You must know just what a treasure you are to us at the River Inn.” She passed him an envelope.
Dayton took it in his hand and felt how thin it was in comparison to what he was owed. Then again, maybe he would be surprised in the end? Maybe it was all hundred-dollar bills?
Vanessa smiled as if she’d done a good deed. “Fantastic. We’ll resume work on the honeymoon suite once the hotel has more funds.”
Dayton glanced at Max, completely deflated despite the money he’d just received. Maybe he could buy them some chocolate to ease the disappointment of this day? Because he sure as hell would not buy the damn paint for Vanessa’s hotel at the cost of his own convenience.
“Come on,” Max whispered and gently nudged Dayton to leave.
But once they were outside, Dayton’s knees started getting softer with every step. So, all the work he’d put in would go to waste, or at best remain on hold for God-knew-how long, because Vanessa didn’t plan the funds for the renovations despite asking him to proceed with the project. The lack of respect for his work was what hurt him most, and he choked up, hanging his head when his eyes stung as if an invisible force squeezed them in its fist.
He did not want to cry, especially not in front of Max.
But the heavy arm was around his shoulders before he could even dream of it. “Day… It’s gonna be fine, don’t let her shitty attitude get to you.”
Dayton leaned into him, right there in the corridor where someone could see them, and held on to Max’s shirt, squeezing his eyes hard to not let any stray tears leak out, but it was a lost battle. He’d just wasted his one day off in the week for a job that was clearly just a throwaway for Vanessa.
Max hugged him tightly, and it only made Dayton realize that he hadn’t had anyone for support of this sort in years. He’d always avoided telling boyfriends about his problems so that they wouldn’t consider him annoying. But Max’s strong presence was there for him, and Max wasn’t going anywhere just because Dayton showed weakness.
On the contrary, Max pulled Dayton’s head to his shoulder and stroked his hair. “At least we had some fun with the painting, right? And you got the two weeks’ pay.”
Dayton nodded, but his body still shook with the relief of having this kind of support. It was almost as if the long months of emotional solitude ended in Max’s arms, and Dayton was finally allowed to break apart. “I-I’m so tired with this.”
“I know, you deserve so much better.” Max kissed the side of his head, so tender despite his past life as a boxer and the prison time. It was a side of him no one else knew of. Only Dayton. “We’ll sort something out. We’ll save up the money and get ourselves out of here when the time is right.”
Dayton sniffed but nodded against Max’s chest, brushing his tears against the soft T-shirt. “I hate her so much. You have no idea.”
“She seemed so happy with herself too. As if paying you a fraction of what she owes you was supposed to be some gift from the heavens,” Max growled but only held Dayton tighter.
Dayton nodded. “You haven’t seen half of it. She just ‘borrows’ our wages to use them for maintenance, or whatnot, and then tells us she had no other choice. Or thanks her River Inn family for being so understanding when none of us allowed her to just use our money. And no one can quit, because there is so little work going around here.”
Max sighed and stroked his shoulder. “We’ll find a way. For now, let’s use what free time you have left today.”
Dayton exhaled, rubbed the remaining wetness away from his eyes, and finally looked up at Max. “We could... uh, get some pleasure groceries,” he said, glancing at the envelope he still held in his hand.
“‘Pleasure groceries’. I like the sound of that.” Max smiled in a way so genuine Dayton’s heart leapt, but when Max kissed him, it sped up even more.
Chapter 7
Dayton woke up to an empty bed, which was a massive disappointment after the glorious night spent in Max’s arms. He could barely sleep, half-hoping, half-afraid that at some point Max would make a move on him and they would have sex after all. Which he wasn’t sure he wanted, so he supposed it was nice of Max to leave the bed in the middle of the night and jerk off in the bathroom so that his hard-on wouldn’t be poking at Dayton’s ass all night. Truth be told, Dayton considered it kind of flattering that a guy as attractive as Max could hardly contain himself around him.
But when Dayton opened one eye, Max was still nowhere to be seen.
He looked at the clock, and rolled to his back, staring at the ceiling. It was still early, but working in the kitchen, maybe Max simply needed to be at work already. And besides, they hadn’t agreed to always wake up together, or give one another goodbye kisses in the morning.
He still felt disappointed he didn’t get one.
God, Max was likely so disillusioned with Dayton’s real-life personality, all his worries, and demands, that he needed some time away to load his batteries. The Dayton from the letters was a daring, carefree person, someone the real Dayton didn’t necessarily want to be, but definitely someone happier than him.
The door creaked, and Dayton frowned, surprised to see Max enter with a tray full of food and with two steaming cups. “You’re up.” Max’s smile was brighter than sunshine.
Dayton pulled up the comforter and curled up his knees, both happy to see Max and embarrassed by the comment. “Um... yeah, I just woke up now, actually. I thought you’d gone to work,” he said in the end, eyeing the tray with his heart beating faster.
Oh, God, breakfast in bed. Yet another attempt at seduction he would have to resist?
Did he even want to? He just recently told Max he wanted to go slow. What would it make him if he constantly changed his mind, like a flag in the wind? Max would not take anything he said seriously if it were so easy to convince Dayton to anything Max wanted.
“I hope you’re hungry.” Max walked up to bed and lowered the tray carefully before sitting down himself. “I thought I’d make you an apology breakfast. You know, for all the shit I’ve put you through in the last week. I know I can be a bit pushy.”
Dayton gazed at him for a long time, so surprised he didn’t know what to say at first. It was only then that hunger rolled through him with such force it felt as if there was something stinging his stomach from the inside.
“No... I mean...yes, you can be sometimes,” said Dayton but pushed himself into action and squeezed Max’s forearm. The considerate gesture was like warm cocoa to his insecurities. “But that’s okay. I am neurotic, and you put up with that, so...”
Max smiled and pointed to the coffee and scrambled eggs on toast. “Dig in, I’ve been thinking through some stuff, and I wanna tell you all about it.”
And just like that, anxiety sank its claws in Dayton’s muscles. There was an ultimatum coming his way. A time limit on Max’s tolerance for the real Dayton before he moved on. Or maybe he simply wanted to leave, and the breakfast was there to soften the blow?
But Dayton wanted to make an effort and seem normal on the outside at least, so he picked up some toast, even though his throat was already constricting. “It... smells great.”
Max grabbed a piece as well, his face getting a more serious expression. “So, I agree that quitting now would be hard for you if Vanessa owes you money, ‘cause you’d probably never see it again. I’ll help the hotel make more money, I’ll even help finish that honeymoon suite once she buys more paint. But I’ve been talking to Kathy, and the restaurant is the real issue. She’s a great cook, but Vanessa’s blocking her. We need to get Vanessa on board with a change to the restaurant as well, to help the hotel get back on its feet. Apparently a lot of the locals would be interested in coming here for food, but we need to get rid of her stupid menu.”
