...Scott would have felt better if there had been a little bit more information contained in Joe’s note, or maybe not. Scott was reasonably sure he was never going to be able to turn up for a date with Joe without feeling his stomach tying itself in knots.

It was equally impossible to believe that he’d arrive at Joe’s without his cock being as hard as a rock and straining against his fly. Although, if he was being honest, he was quite happy to keep doing that. It was a far more pleasant sensation, and he didn’t want to stop finding Joe as hot as hell.

Scott smiled at the idea that Joe could ever be anything else. Just at that moment, the door swung open.

“That’s a nice surprise,” Joe said.

Scott blinked. “Surprise?” He peered down at his wristwatch. “I thought—”

“I meant the smile,” Joe cut in. “It’s good to see you looking more relaxed.”

“Oh…” Scott dutifully tried to ignore the fact that he was now as tense as any man could be, and offered his dominant a somewhat more nervous smile.

Joe chuckled as he stepped back and let Scott in.

Scott didn’t make any comment on the fact that Joe had, somewhat disappointingly, decided to wear clothes when he answered his door this time around. It would have probably been rude to refer to the possibility that the other man’s brief foray into nudism had already run its course.

Joe had the right to wear whatever he wanted. He wasn’t the one who was frequently ordered to—

“Strip.”

Joe couldn’t have timed it better if he’d been able to read Scott’s thoughts straight out of his head. Halfway through setting down his overnight bag, Scott hesitated. The thought of Joe knowing about all the crazy babbling that bounced around inside his mind was enough to make him want to turn tail and run for the hills.

“Any time you’re ready,” Joe prompted.

That was all the other man needed to say to pull Scott back into the moment. He hurriedly pushed aside his irrational panic regarding sudden psychic abilities and focused on the far more sensible brand of panic that came from keeping Joe waiting.

That was something he could fix.

Placing each item of clothing neatly on top of his bag as he removed it, Scott revealed his body to his lover with something close to complete composure. He’d done it so many times, it had almost stopped being scary.

Joe was hardly going to suddenly realise that he had been mistaken every time they’d got together over the last few months and that he didn’t want to have sex with him after all.

Completely naked and still in the dominant’s hallway, Scott turned to look at Joe.