2

The bourbon arrived moments later, sliding across the polished wood with a soft clink. Liam wrapped his fingers around the glass which was cool against his skin, and lifted it with slow precision. His eyes didn’t leave the amber liquid as he took a deliberate sip, savoring the burn, the pause and the quiet will to forget the day's chaos.

Daniel cradled his glass, the low light casting shadows that made his sharp features all the more compelling. He didn’t rush. He didn’t fill the silence with meaningless words. Instead, he waited, patient and steady, as if knowing exactly when to lean in and when to let the moment unfold on its own.

After a long stillness, his gaze drifted back to Liam, slow and appraising. Fingers idly traced the rim of his glass, a measured motion that only deepened the tension hanging between them like a promise.

“So, Liam,” he said, letting the name stretch between them like a slow sip of something rare, “is this how you usually unwind after a long day?”

Liam’s lips twitched, the faintest corner of a smile lifting. “Depends,” he said softly. “Sometimes it's bourbon and silence. Sometimes…it's other things.” He gave a quick, mischievous wink, and Daniel felt a flutter in his chest.

“Other things like?” Daniel asked, leaning in, curiosity tugging at him.

Liam shrugged, casual, almost teasing in its simplicity. “Reading, listening to music, taking long walks…” He paused, eyes glinting, and then dropped his voice, low and deliberate. “Being bent over the counter, cuffed and fucked, watching TV and gossiping with my neighbor Mrs Brown.”

Daniel blinked, nearly choking on his drink. “Wait. Hold up. What did you just say?”

Liam chuckled, pretending to be innocent, but the gleam in his eyes gave him away. “Gossiping with Mrs Brown.”

“No, not that,” Daniel said, a smirk curling the corner of his mouth. “The other thing, about being bent over.”

“Oh,” Liam said, leaning back just enough to let the weight of the word settle between them. “You mean… being bent over the counter?”

Daniel shook his head, laughing softly. “Yeah. Cuffed and fucked? Honestly. I never took you for the kinky type.”

“What type do you think I am?” Liam asked, arching a brow, leaning into the teasing dance they had started.

“You know,” Daniel said, voice dipping, earnest beneath the tease. “Slow-burn kind. Missionary, hand-holding, whispering ‘I love yous’ type. No offense.”

Liam chuckled, swirling his bourbon lazily before responding. “None taken. And you’re right… I am that type. Let me guess, you hate that type?”

“Hate’s a strong word. I can’t really say,” Daniel admitted, shrugging, though his eyes lingered on Liam, catching the warmth in his cheeks.

“I hear you,” Liam murmured, a slow smile curving his lips. “But you should try it sometime. It's really worth it.”

Daniel leaned closer, voice low, teasing. “In other words… you’re saying I can take you home tonight and you’ll teach me how it’s done, since you’re the expert in love-making?”

Liam laughed, tilting his head, but the sound was bright, charged. “No. I said you should try it sometime. Not today. And definitely not with me.”

“Sometime isn’t exactly time-bound,” Daniel said, lips tilting into a smirk. “Could be anytime… like today. Right now. Wait, why not you?”

Liam’s smile faltered just a fraction, eyes darting away before flicking back, warm and betraying him despite the words. “Gosh, you found the loophole. Anyway… not me because I’m not interested.”

Daniel’s grin deepened. “Okay. How can I make you interested?”

Liam dared him, voice rich with playful challenge. “Do something crazy. Like… stand on the bar and shout, ‘I have a small dick.’”

Daniel laughed, deep and smooth. “Challenge accepted. But just so you know… it’s not that small.”

He shifted, preparing to climb, and Liam’s hand shot out, grabbing his arm and pulling him back onto the stool.

“Are you insane?” Liam laughed, eyes sparkling with equal parts disbelief and amusement.

“Well,” Daniel said, smirking, “you said that’s the only way to make you interested. And I want you interested like now. So I was up for the challenge.”

Liam’s teasing softened, but his gaze lingered. “I never took you for the chasing type, though.”

“I’m not. I usually attract,” Daniel said calmly, as if stating a fact.

“Then why chase me so much?” Liam asked quietly, curious now, leaning ever so slightly closer.

Daniel’s lips curved. “Because you’re interesting. And I want to hear you whisper ‘I love you.’ ” The smirk in his eyes made Liam’s chest tighten.

He rolled his eyes, downing the bourbon in one smooth swallow, but he didn’t pull back.

Daniel’s voice dropped, deliberate, thick with something unspoken. “On a serious note… I want you. Just for tonight though not forever. Because of reasons we both know.” His glance drifted to Liam’s left hand and he cleared his throat quickly, hiding it.

“Wow… you’re not very subtle, are you?”

“Subtlety’s for people who don’t know what they want,” Daniel said, low and smooth. “And I do know what I want. And it’s you.”

“You’re quite the charmer, aren’t you?” Liam asked, trying to mask the flutter in his chest, but Daniel’s gaze pinned him.

“Sometimes,” Daniel admitted with a slow grin. “So… what do you say?”

Liam laughed, soft, dangerous, a warning wrapped in velvet. “I didn’t come here for that.”

“You’re not a very good liar, you know that?” Daniel murmured, smooth as aged whiskey.

“Why do you say so?”

“Most people here are either running from something… or looking for something.”

Liam’s eyes drifted down, catching the curve of Daniel’s open collar, the warmth beneath the fabric, and climbed back up to his mouth.

“Oh wise one, do Tell. Which one am I?” he murmured, thick with something unspoken.

Daniel’s smile deepened. “Both. But you already knew that.”

“You’re awfully confident,” Liam said, tilting his head, lips curling in a half-challenge.

“I’ve been right more times than I can count,” Daniel said smoothly.

“Even if you are right…what makes you think it’s someone like you that I’m looking for?”

Daniel leaned in, warm breath grazing Liam’s ear. “Because you’re already thinking about it. The way your eyes drop to my hands. The way you lean in when I talk. The way your thigh presses against mine… and stays. It’s me you want.”

Liam said nothing, but the silence was louder than words.

Daniel’s hand slid from the bar, deliberate and unhurried, settling just above Liam’s knee. Fingers teased along the fabric, slow, suggestive, firm enough to be felt, light enough to make Liam wonder. Liam’s breath caught. He didn’t pull away.

Daniel’s lips brushed the shell of his ear, a feather-light touch that sent shivers down his spine.

“Say the word,” Daniel murmured, voice low and hot. “And I’ll show you exactly how good this can feel.” He pressed his thumb into subtle, teasing circles. “Don’t pretend you haven’t already said yes with every look tonight.”

Liam hesitated, heart hammering. Daniel was right. From the moment their eyes met, he’d been drawn in like gravity he couldn’t resist.

“Yes,” Liam breathed.

Raw and instinctive, the word slipped out before he could think. His pulse thundered, skin flushed and hypersensitive, but he didn’t care. He held Daniel’s gaze, dark and unguarded, letting the moment pull him under.

Daniel’s smile turned wicked, just shy of a smirk. His hand lingered on Liam’s thigh, thumb tracing slow, suggestive circles. Liam’s skin prickled beneath the fabric, nerves sparking like flint to kindling.

“Finish your drink,” Daniel said softly, lazily, like he had all night. “Unless you’d rather not waste time.”

Liam lifted the bourbon and downed it in one smooth swallow. The burn was sharper now as it was not about forgetting, but sharpening everything about to happen.

Daniel took that as his answer. He slid off his stool, cool and confident, giving Liam a moment to back out. He didn’t. Daniel adjusted his jacket and followed, letting the night and the heat between them take over without another word.

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