Love Means_. Freedom - Andrew Grey

him. He even thought he saw him relax a few times.
    "Would you like any dessert?" He hadn't heard their server approach, his conversation with Stone capturing his full attention. They were both full and declined dessert, and after paying the check, Preston got his coat and allowed Stone to guide him through the now-crowded dining room and out to the car.
    "Thank you, Stone," Preston said as he got into the car.
"You're welcome." Stone collapsed the chair and stored it in the back before getting in and closing the door.
"Stone." Preston leaned closer, the seat creaking slightly. "Thank you."
"For what?" Stone didn't stop him as he slid a hand behind his neck, the skin warm and smooth.
    "For confiding in me. No one's ever done that before." Preston tugged gently, and Stone moved closer, his lips so close he could feel their warmth tantalizing him.
    "Maybe you've never listened before." Stone's lips touched his ever so softly in return, and Preston found his heart pounding as he opened his mouth slightly and touched Stone's soft, sweet lips, and he heard a soft sound from deep in Stone's throat--a soft, sort of mewling sound that went right to Preston's core and made his beating heart sing. After months of seeing each other and sleeping together, Kent had never given him the flutters and tingles that Stone's tender, simple kiss did.
    The sound of a car behind them pulled them back to the here and now, and they both realized they were still sitting in the restaurant parking lot. Preston felt Stone pull away and saw his finger touch his lips. That simple gesture told him that Stone had felt the same thing he had. With a glance and a smile back at him, Stone started the car.
    Preston reached across the seat and placed his hand on Stone's thigh, but removed it when he saw his smile slip away. He'd only wanted a connection to the person he'd just kissed, and Stone's reaction confused him. They rode in near silence back to his parents' house, with Preston wondering what he'd done.
    Stone pulled the car into the driveway and came to a stop in front of the house. "Thank you for the ride," Preston said, and Stone got out of the car and walked around, helping Preston into his chair before turning around.

    Preston reached out and touched his arm gently. He wanted to ask what he'd done wrong.

    But as he looked into Stone's eyes, what he saw stopped the words in his throat. He let his hand slip away and sat where he was as the car engine started. He didn't go inside until the tail lights disappeared from view.

    The front door opened, and he saw his mother standing in the square of light. Without saying anything, he wheeled himself inside and straight to his room. Shrugging off his coat, he threw it on the bed and yanked up the phone, knocking things off the nightstand. "Jasper!" "Preston? Is your date over already? It's barely nine o'clock."

    "Yes. We had a nice dinner and afterwards I kissed him." He could still feel Stone's lips against his, but the memory did nothing to defuse his frustration. "Then he brought me home and left."

    "What did you do?" The accusatory tone from his friend only ratcheted things up.
    "Nothing. I just kissed him, okay!" God! Why didn't anyone get it? "Stone just dumped me off, and the way he looked at me, Jesus Christ, you'd have thought I was Jack the Ripper or something!" If he could stand, Preston would have been pacing the room, but as it was, all he could do was stew in his chair, and he hated it.
    "Slow down." Preston heard Derrick's voice behind Jasper, then he heard Jasper mumble something that obviously wasn't for him. "Give me a minute, and take a deep breath while you're at it." The phone went quiet for a few minutes, and then Jasper returned. "Okay. Now tell me what's got you so upset."
    "I already told you."
"Then why don't you start at the beginning?"
    "Stone picked me up and we went to the country club for dinner. I wanted to take him someplace nice. We talked about all kinds of stuff. He told me about his family, and I told him about mine." He remembered the way they'd defused the tension and smiled for a second.
    "You didn't call him names, did you?"
"Of course not." Preston stopped and thought. "Jasper, I like him," he said softly.
"Ahhh."
"What in hell does that mean?"
"Nothing, go on."
    "After dinner, we went to the car and I kissed him, right there in the parking lot, and he kissed me back. It was... special. At least it felt special, and I thought he liked it too." Preston felt