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The laugh gains a smile from Nicky, a little smug and victorious thing because he's got him, and he knows it. He's overly pleased, honestly, and his attention is fixed on Joe even as he sips his wine, his lasagna and bruschetta finished.

He stands to clear plates, wanting to serve dessert before...well, before other things happen, especially given what Nicky's made.

"What would that message be? That if you disagree enough, you secretly want to bed your critic?"

Joe will smile right back, helping Nicky clear the table if needed. He's eaten a lot already but he's curious about the dessert Nicky made, and eager to try it.

"I was thinking something more along the lines or "love always triumphs over hate", but I'm sure some critics would call that a trite sentiment," he taunts, arching his eyebrow at Nicky.

Nicky ducks into the fridge to get the cannoli, chocolate chips on the whipped cream, and just the right size that fingers and tongues are most definitely going to be involved. He sets them down between them, eyes fixed on Joe.

"I never hated you," he points out, so that might be a step too far. His eyes are set on his lips, thinking of being pinned against the wall, his arms above his head, and he can't help his wry smirk. "I would call it trite," he admits. "And maybe unrealistic."

Did Nicky make the cannoli that way on purpose? That's a cunning plan Joe will gladly fall for. He stares right back at Nicolo, taking in the hungry look on his face. "So, what are these?" he asks of the dessert, his voice a little lower in answer.

"I never hated you either," Joe admits, easily. "But we could pretend well enough, especially in the middle of an argument." He tilts his head to the side. "Do you truly think it's unrealistic? It's worked well-enough for us so far," he points out, playfully.

"These are cannoli. Fried dough, cream inside, with chocolate chips," he shares as he turns them a little to show them off to Joe, picking one up to take a bite, which then ends up with Nicky have to tidy the mess, licking his lips, curving his thumb over the corner of them to catch the cream.

And then, sliding his tongue through to lap up what's left, before finishing it and appraising a good job done.

"I think it's unrealistic. Have you ever moved so quickly before?" he challenges. "I've never had a partner who I've had over within weeks like this, not ever."

That's quite the display and Joe will watch it all with bright dark eyes, following Nicky's tongue and fingers. If Nicky keeps that up he's going to get kissed again, and it shows quite plainly on Joe's face.

The question catches him by surprise and he takes a few seconds to think about it, acknowledging that Nicky is right. "Not with anyone I truly wanted to get to know," he admits, gently. Hookups, yes, but that's entirely different.

"I'm having a good time," he adds, smiling earnestly. "These have been great dates." He reaches out to pick up a cannolo with great care. "Do you feel like we're moving too quickly?" That's not the impression he's getting from Nicky, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Edited (typos!) 2021-01-15 23:06 (UTC)

Nicky has yet to let his eyes stray from Joe's either, because he did this on purpose, he wants to reap the benefits and the rewards, and that means eyeing him like this. He sucks the last bit of cream from off his thumb, pushing the plate towards him.

"I'm very much enjoying myself," he responds, "and no, I don't think we're moving too quickly," he admits, but maybe that's because of how much he's enjoying it. The fact that he forced them to put space between dates is proof of how seriously he wants to take this, otherwise, he would have fucked Joe as a one-night stand and little more.

His eyes, half-lidded, move now to Joe's lips. "I want to balance it. I want to keep moving, but not too fast."

Joe smiles and bites into his cannolo with care, making sure he doesn't put cream everywhere. It's still a somewhat messy affair, and he does end up having to lick his thumb too, grinning to Nicky. "Delicious," he decides. He could eat the whole plate but then he'd have to take a nap, and he has plans for Nicky tonight.

"Would you like another?" he offers, lifting another pastry towards Nicky, offering to feed it to him. If they're going to spend the end of their dinner licking fingers, it might as well be each other's, in Joe's humble opinion.

He smiles, bright and happy, licking sugar from his lower lip when he sees Nicky stare. "That sounds good. What's our next move, then?"

Nicky had been hoping, honestly, that it would be messy. He would love to see Joe deal with a mess on his hands and his mouth. Lucky for Nicky, when Joe offers him another one, he has a plan to make sure that the next move is very clear.

Which is that he sinks down into Joe's lap and leans forward to open his lips, parted just so, so that Joe can feed him. "I was thinking that you might stay the night," he says, feeling like honesty is the very best policy here.

What Joe gets for his trouble is a lapful of Nicolo, feeling pleasantly heavy and very warm against him. He puts his free hand on Nicky's hip immediately, holding him securely, leaning back to make sure he's comfortable.

It's a lot of contact at once after having none for most of the evening, and it makes Joe shiver with anticipation. He breathes Nicky in, giving his hip a squeeze. "I thought you'd never ask," Joe returns, guiding the pastry between Nicky's parted lips with care. It's going to be messy whatever he does, but that will be part of the fun.

Joe's hand is only on his hip, but it feels like a firebrand searing through his jeans and into his skin. The dessert somehow tastes better off Joe's fingers, and yes, he does make sure to spend a little extra time sucking at Joe's fingertips, watching as chocolate chips and powdered sugar fall in his lap.

He peers down at them, once he's finished licking up the last of the cream, his lips shiny and pink, and then when he looks back up, Joe's right there. He'd made the first move, but Nicky can't have him thinking he has all the power.

So Nicky grabs Joe, cupping his neck with a hand, and yanks him in for a desperate, determined kiss, because he's in his lap, and if ever there was a time for kissing Joe, it's now.

Joe has to focus not to groan aloud when Nicky just starts sucking chocolate and powdered sugar from his fingers, warm and wet in a way that is making Joe's own mouth dry with desire. He stares, gently pressing his thumb against Nicky's bottom teeth, feeling his tongue swipe over his skin with a full body shiver.

They finally lock eyes when Nicky looks up and Joe's face is serious and open, his hunger plain to see. He does groan when Nicky kisses him fiercely, immediately kissing back, both his hands coming to rest on Nicky's chest, his fingers fanning out to feel him. Nicky tastes like sugar and cream and Joe can't get enough, pulling him closer, stroking down his back.

Nicky really did think that he was going to behave tonight. Well, not entirely. He knew he'd be seducing Joe into bed, he knew that he wanted him to stay the night. He didn't think he would climb into the man's lap and try and suck the soul out of him like this.

Yet, here he is, surprised as ever. Joe draws a moan from him, at the light touch over his back, as goosebumps rise on his arms, hairs standing on end as his breathing grows more intense.

He eases back, eyes half-lidded as he stares at Joe's lips. "Are you full?" he asks roughly. "We could leave the table."

If that's of any comfort, Joe is clearly on board with any misbehavior Nicky might have in mind. He's getting more and more aroused from Nicky's body against his and their lips pressing together, heat flushing his skin. He sucks on Nicky's lower lip when he hears him moan, slipping his fingers through his hair and pulling a little.

"Yes," Joe answers, grinning. "I think we should." He pats Nicky's thighs, encouraging him to stand up. "Thank you for cooking dinner, it was very good." Joe's polite tone is undermined by how rough with want his voice sounds, but he's still trying his best.

Nicky gets up, slowly and mournfully, because he'd liked being in Joe's lap. Of course, he can always return to it later. There's nothing saying that he can't. His cheeks flush as he stands, aware that he's half-hard and straining against the seam of his jeans, but he still half-turns his hips away.

"There's the living room," he offers, clearing his throat, "or there's my bedroom," he feels compelled to put out there, because he knows it's where he wants to end up. "Maybe you want to read some of the books? Or have me read them to you?"

Would it be undignified, Joe wonders, to tug Nicky back close by his belt loops and push his face against the hard line of his cock through his jeans? And, more importantly, does he care about being dignified right now?

The question makes him blink up, dragging his eyes to Nicky's face, considering him carefully. "I'd like to read your books at some point. I think it would be even better to listen to you read them to me." He stands up slowly, putting his hand on Nicky's hip and his chin on his shoulder, watching him. "But not right now, Nicolo." Right now, that's not what Joe wants.

Nicky steps into Joe's warmth, even if like this, it feels more like they're about to start dancing instead of anything else. There's a full body shiver that pushes through him, warmth and a desperately lovely tingling feeling in his stomach (and lower).

He really had been hoping Joe would say no to the book, so the relief must show on his face.

"Would you like your robe then, Joe?" he asks, proud that he manages to keep his voice steady.

Joe gets that impression too and he even sways a little with it, resting his other hand on Nicky's shoulder with a sunny smile. It's endearing -and a little amusing- that Nicky offered they read books when he so clearly didn't want to. It makes Joe lean in and kiss the line of his jaw gently, moving up towards his ear.

He hums, having quite forgotten about the robe, and grins. "You want me to wear it now?" he teases, chuckling. "I'll put it on for you."

Nicky eases back, only a little, because he wants to be looking at Joe's expression when he replies. "Well, if you don't want to wear it, then I could always put it on, and we could recreate last weekend."

The end result would, of course, be very different given that Nicky feels sure about Joe. He still is a little unsure about how quickly it is that they've seemed to connect, but he's past the point of questioning it. He wants this, and Joe seems inclined to let him have it.

"Thoughts on which you'd prefer?"

The offer has Joe making a noise that sounds like "uh", his eyes glazing over as he remembers how good Nicky had looked in the robe, and how prevalent that memory has been in all his fantasies for the past week.

He focuses on Nicky again, smiling. "You wore it last time, it would be fair for me to wear it this time," he says, playfully. He cups Nicky's face in his hand, touching his bottom lip. "But if you'd rather like to make me as desperate for you as I was last week, then by all means."

In other words, Joe would enjoy either a lot. Whichever they don't do can be revisited later, too.

Nicky's eyes blink shut for a long moment as he licks his lips, making contact with Joe's fingers again, but he draws himself back and away, an idea in his mind. Of course he wants Joe to walk away with the robe after today, but wouldn't it be nicer if he got it and it smelled of Nicky?

"Make yourself comfortable on the couch," he directs. "Pour us some more wine, too." He doubts they need the help to urge them along, but Nicky enjoys the hazy wine-drunk warmth that's cresting over him.

"Maybe," he adds, teasingly, "you even have a little sketchbook you'd like to pull out and use."

Joe is about to lean in to kiss Nicky's parted lips again when he withdraws, and he has to take a slow intake of breath to let him. It's difficult, to open his hands and let go of Nicky, more than it should be at this point.

"How comfortable?" Joe calls after Nicky, playfully. He grins and takes the bottle and glasses with him, arching his eyebrows at the suggestion. "I do have a sketchbook. Not sure I have the patience, however."

So Nicky wants a do-over of last week, when they came so close to sleeping together but chose not to? Joe can do that for him. He settles on the couch while Nicky is in the bedroom, pouring wine and flipping his sketchbook open, getting a pencil as if he does intend to draw Nicky again. He undoes a couple more buttons on his shirt and rolls his sleeve up to his elbows, wanting to be a little bit of a tease too.

Nicky spares one last look over his shoulder in time to see Joe with his forearms out, which absolutely does plenty to him. It makes him shiver, reaching for the robe out of the little gift bag he'd put it on. He leaves the bedroom door slightly ajar, stripping out of absolutely everything, even his underwear, and sliding into the silky red thing, knotting it loosely so that it will hold until the moment Joe starts pulling on it, like a ribbon of a gift.

He checks his reflection, runs his fingers through his hair, and then, wanders back out towards the couch to see there really is a sketchbook. That earns a huff of laughter as Nicky gestures to it. "I don't think I was serious, but I'm very charmed, nonetheless."

Joe is sitting on the couch with his elbow propped over the back of it and his chin on his hand, the sketchbook open in his lap. He smiles down at it when he hears Nicky come back into the room. "I can't guarantee my hands will be steady enough to do you justice," he warns, carefully looking up and taking Nicky in.

"That's... a good color on you too," Joe says after a few seconds of just being unable to formulate any coherent thought. He lets himself look at Nicky's strong legs, his arms, what he can see of his chest, the broad line of his shoulders.

He holds out his hand for Nicky to take and come sit next to him, handing him his glass of wine, letting anticipation stretch between them. "I've thought about you like this," he reveals, his voice low. "After you left, last time."

"I think it's a better colour for you, but I didn't buy one in the dark colours I think might suit me best." He'd seen black and navy blue ones, which he might have to return for. Barefoot, now, Nicky walks towards Joe, feeling very vulnerable and exposed, especially considering the difference in layers between them.

He gives him a private smile, small and teasing, and sits next to Joe, taking the wine to give him some liquid courage. Nicky doesn't dare stray too far, because now that he's been in Joe's lap and been kissing him, he wants to continue.

"I did too," he admits. "Usually in the shower, or in bed."