Eddie nodded. “I know what you mean. I’ve always wanted to hike it, too, and Everest—that’s on my bucket list.”
“That’s mountain climbing,” Carter pointed out. “Quite different and more dangerous than hiking a trail.”
“I think more people die while hiking than while mountain climbing,” Eddie argued. “That could be because more people hike, sure, but we’ve had several die from heart attacks alone. Then there’s falls, exposure, animals and snakes…” He shrugged. “I will admit that Everest is deadlier still, and it’s a pipe dream anyway. I don’t have much experience with real climbing, either. Not more than rock walls at the gym.”
Carter tried not to shiver. “I know it’s stupid, but the heights thing gets to me. Hiking is different. I don’t really like trails that are on mountain ledges, though I can handle them. The idea of climbing up a mountain, that makes my skin crawl. You’re a braver man than I am.”
“Or a more foolish one,” Eddie tucked his napkin under his plate. “Who knows? If I did actually try climbing a mountain, I might hate it. There are lots of things a guy can fantasize about doing that wouldn’t be so great in reality.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that before.” Carter sipped the last of his beer then set the bottle on the table. “This Dare’s beer is pretty good. It’s a local brewery, like Rogelio said. I wonder if they do tours—or if it’s made in some guy’s bathroom.”
“In the bathroom?” Eddie asked, frowning as he picked up his beer. “Why the bathroom?”
Carter chuckled at a fond memory. “I had a friend back in college, he made his own beer for a while. He didn’t have all the equipment he needed, so he’d scrub down the bathtub and pour the ingredients in there. The whole apartment smelled like beer. It was crazy, but not too bad until he made the batch that exploded.”
Eddie’s eyes went wide. “In the bathtub?”
“No,” Carter said. “No…in the bottles. It was, er… Well, we didn’t get our deposit back from the apartment when we moved out, even though we fixed the wall and ceiling. At least the damage was only to our place.”
“Man, tell me this friend of yours didn’t go into the beer industry,” Eddie mused.
“Actually, he was studying law. I’m not sure what ever happened to him.” Carter didn’t want to bring a depressing topic up, and admitting that his former friend had severed their friendship over Carter’s coming out would likely do that. “He’s probably still making explosive beer.”
This time they saw Mathias coming over to their table. “Would you like to see the dessert menu?” Mathias asked. “Another beer?”
Carter gave the barest shake of his head.
“No thanks,” Eddie answered. “Dinner was excellent and we’re both pretty full. Do you know anything about the company that makes this beer? It’s damned good stuff.”
Mathias preened a little as he picked up Eddie’s empty bottle. “All I know is that it’s awesome beer. The Pale Ale is my favorite, actually. I’m not man enough for the stout.” He grinned and set the bottle back down. “I think the restaurant owner is friends with the guy who makes the beer. Or maybe they’re friends now because of it. I’m sorry I’m not being very helpful, but I’d bet you can Google it and find out anything you’d want to know.”
“Of course, Google knows all,” Carter agreed. “I would seriously be lost without it.” He’d look the microbrewery up and see if they did tours. It’d be an interesting date for them to have.
“If you’ve got the bill ready, I can give you my card,” Eddie said.
“And mine,” Carter added. He raised a hip so he could remove his wallet from his back pocket. “Here you go,” he said to Mathias a moment later, while handing over his credit card.
“This was a nice splurge.” Eddie ran the toe of one shoe along the side of Carter’s ankle. “It won’t be the highlight of this date, however. I want to take you home and fuck you until you scream.”
Carter wanted that too, so badly that he had difficulty swallowing around the lust that welled in him. “Me too,” he rasped, pressing a palm over his erection. “You’re staying with me this weekend, right?”
“I am,” Eddie agreed. “That was the plan and I sure as hell am not going to alter it.”
“Oh good.” Carter didn’t know why he was so worried that their budding relationship was going to fall apart. Had he worried so much over previous ones? He didn’t think so. Eddie had already come to mean more to him in the short time they’d known each other than had most of Carter’s exes. Part of that might have been because Eddie knew and accepted a fact that those exes hadn’t been able to.
Carter wanted a polyamorous relationship, an exclusive one wherein he and his partners loved each other and were faithful. That concept had been horrific to any of his exes he’d broached it with, but Eddie was different.
And he gave Carter hope.
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About the Author
A native Texan, Bailey spends her days spinning stories around in her head, which has contributed to more than one incident of tripping over her own feet. Evenings are reserved for pounding away at the keyboard, as are early morning hours. Sleep? Doesn’t happen much. Writing is too much fun, and there are too many characters bouncing about, tapping on Bailey’s brain demanding to be let out.
Caffeine and chocolate are permanent fixtures in Bailey’s office and are never far from hand at any given time. Removing either of those necessities from Bailey’s presence can result in
