***

Danny wrapped himself up in his blanket, his back to the small sofa where Ryder was struggling to fit his large muscular body. Even with his eyes closed, he couldn’t get the sight of that out of his head. As much as he had struggled not to stare earlier while they were having their strange conversation, he had stared plenty. They definitely didn’t make men like that in the city; you definitely had to go out to the countryside to find them. Ryder’s body was trim and strong, seemingly unaware that people usually had fat in all the places he had muscles. His entire body was carved out of granite, and his muscles could rival those of any gym rat in the whole of Glasstone. Even Vince would have done a double take if he saw Ryder naked. Not that he’d get the chance. Danny was glad he was the only one who was getting to ogle the guy. Sure, he felt a little like a perv about it, but he could live with it.

Also, the revelation that he smelled good and that qualified him for having a man as handsome as Ryder want him for a little romp in the hay did wonders for his self-esteem. He wouldn’t doctor his photos like Vince suggested, but he would add that he smelled good enough to fuck to his profile. Yep, that sounded like a great asset to have. Could he get Ryder to take a selfie with him and post it all over his dating app profiles? Danny bet a lot of guys would end up being interested in him if he did that.

The little voice in his ear telling him that it wouldn’t be enough needed to shut up already. Every time he heard that he was good at something, or that there was a trait in his whole makeup that could be considered above the norm, that little voice went into high gear.

“Shut up,” he mumbled.

He couldn’t sleep and wanted to hang on to the pleasant sensation of having received a compliment, but it looked like his anxieties were hungry for every morsel he could give them.

He tossed and turned, more and more dissatisfied with the inner voice he couldn’t shut up. Ah, damn it, tomorrow he had work – yes, it had been a weird idea to go bar-hopping in hopes of a hookup on a Wednesday, but what was new about him and weird ideas? – and now he couldn’t sleep.

Carefully, he peeked over to see if Ryder was asleep. The lights intruding into the room from the city outside weren’t much help, because the sofa was angled in such a way that there wasn’t very much of it he could see. Still, he should be able to see Ryder’s legs hanging over one end, right?

What if his guest had decided to leave since he couldn’t sleep in such a cramped place? What if he’d stolen Danny’s stainless steel toaster?

“Shut up,” he grunted again. What he needed was to drink some water and get back to bed. How did that advice go? That if you couldn’t sleep, you should just start moving around the room until you grew tired because you didn’t realize just how tired you were?

But he couldn’t pace the small apartment to his heart’s content now that he had a guest. Danny swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He’d tiptoe very quietly while spying on Ryder. That might help him get to sleep. Or his guest might wake up and give him a good thrashing for being a weirdo. That might also put him to sleep.

***

Someone was moving about. Ryder’s nostrils flared, smelling prey. His eyes opened wide, and he started moving, all his hunter’s skills awakened to life. His palms met the flat surface of the laminated floor, and he quickly realized he wasn’t home, and this wasn’t his forest. Nonetheless, his instincts didn’t lie. Prey was close, unaware of the hunter getting ready to pounce.

He moved quietly, not making a sound. As he rose, he noticed immediately why his nose would mistake what he was smelling for a hunter’s prize. His host was shuffling around the room, his shoulders hunched, his knees bent, his entire body weight – not that it was much to talk about – perched on his toes.

Ryder observed him curiously. As far as his knowledge of city dwellers went, humans weren’t nocturnal creatures unless they watched television until late at night or went out to do something called partying. What Danny was doing right now struck him as highly unusual.

Observing him for now was the only way to understand the human’s behavior. Danny’s body, dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, painted a dark silhouette against the tall windows overlooking the city below.

Danny turned his head suddenly in Ryder’s direction and gave out a loud yelp. Ryder dropped low and took in his surroundings quickly.

“What?” he asked in a gruff voice. “Where’s the danger?” He knew for a fact that there was none, all the more reason to ask his human host about it. Maybe it was the type of danger only city dwellers could see and understand.

“No danger,” Danny replied, waving both arms, straightening up from his strange position. “You just gave me a hell of a fright!”

“How did I do that? I don’t eat humans,” Ryder protested. Why would this human fear him?

“Um, were you sleeping on the floor?” Danny asked.

Ryder could see Danny clearly enough, but he needed to avert his eyes. He didn’t need his human host noticing the way they burned in the dark.

“Yes. I appreciate your care in preparing a bed for me, but I find the floor more comfortable.”

“Oh, gawd, I’m so silly,” Danny said and walked over to Ryder. He grabbed his arm. “I hope it doesn’t make things weird, but how about you sleep in my bed?”

“I cannot take your bed,” Ryder protested.

“We’ll sleep together in it. And no euphemisms or anything. I really mean sleeping. Like in resting for the night.”

“You are very generous.”

“Thank you. I just can’t bear the thought of you sleeping on the floor. Not when I created this strange situation in the first place.”

“May I nuzzle your neck?” Ryder inquired politely.

“Why would you—ah, I see, you really like the way I smell.”

“I find it calming and very pleasant.”

“Okay,” Danny agreed. “Let’s sleep. And ignore my traipsing around. I didn’t mean to wake you up, but I’m glad I did.”

***

He wasn’t so glad, though. As soon as they were in bed, Ryder draped one arm over him and planted his nose against Danny’s neck.

Also, there was something hard poking at his back. The flimsy shorts he wore weren’t going to be much protection when it came to guarding his ass from getting impaled by that huge thing.

Ryder was sleeping soundly. So he had absolutely no reason to worry so much. Between having fucked and lost on one hand, and not at all on the other, the Average Joe in him seemed perfectly capable of hitting the exact middle.

TBC