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hands, never relinquishing control of the kiss, continuing to probe and taste until they were both breathless.
    “Wow,” Abe gasped against his mouth. “Sweetheart, you sure know how to kiss.”
    Geoff felt a goofy-feeling smile creep across his face. “Kiss? Is that all you got out of the last hour?” Quit being a nerd and at least act like you’ve had a hot fling before. He schooled his features into a more neutral expression. “So, was it good for you?” he quipped in an attempt to inject a lighter tone.
    Abe’s expression changed as Geoff’s did, with a brief hint of something—hurt?—crossing his face, and suddenly laying flush on top of the man didn’t feel as natural. Geoff withdrew carefully, pushed himself up off Abe and wrapped the spent condom in a couple of tissues. At a sudden loss for what to do with himself, he reached to pick up his discarded clothing.
    Apparently Abe took that as a hint, and he got up and crossed to the en suite bathroom. “Do you need a shower before dinner?” he asked Geoff tonelessly from the door, and Geoff frowned, trying to figure out how things had changed in such a hurry.
    “Yeah, but I can take one in my office if you’d rather.”
    “Fine,” Abe responded quickly. “I need a half-hour to light the menorah anyway before we go. Why don’t you go get cleaned up and meet me at the restaurant at eight?” He turned and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him with a decisive click.
    What the hell? Geoff was baffled and starting to get a little pissed off. Fine. He pulled on his rumpled clothing, hoping like hell he wouldn’t run into anyone he knew between here and the office. Walking into the living room to retrieve his footwear, he finally had a chance to look around the large, window-lined great room and had to smile at the juxtaposition of the beautiful silver menorah on the sideboard and the enormous Christmas tree in the corner.
    Feeling a little bit lighter at the thought that Abe still wanted to go to dinner with him, Geoff made sure he had everything and walked out into the elevator lobby. He rode down to his office level, and walked quickly to his office, letting himself in with a breath of relief.
    As he cleaned up and dressed in fresh clothes, he pondered the change in moods at the end of their hot encounter. He had been out of the dating game for so long that he was rusty, and he was sure things had changed in a couple of decades. Okay, obviously joking around right afterward is out. He wondered what other faux pas he was going to make. It was a good thing he was getting a little practice in now before he saw Jesse.

Chapter Five
     
    Abe listened to make sure Geoff was gone before he stepped into the shower. He felt sated and sprung and thoroughly disappointed. Not by the sex. Hell, no. That had to be the hottest, most intense hour ever spent romping on a bed. And Abe had thought that he and Geoff made a real connection. Then suddenly Geoff had reverted to a casual pickup persona with his “was it good for you” tease. Abe had been basking in the tender and happy expression on Geoff’s face before that remark and was shocked at how upset he was by its withdrawal.
    Probably remembered Jesse just then, and you would do good to remember him too. Geoff’s heart isn’t yours for the taking, so don’t get attached, dumbass.
    Abe got ready for his date, and then went into the living room to light the menorah. He lit the four candles and whispered the blessing, but his heart wasn’t in it. He was just going through the motions.
    Like I don’t have enough to think about, now I have guilt.
    Ah, but I do guilt so well!
    That thought made Abe laugh out loud as his usual sunny disposition reasserted itself. One of the hallmarks of his past relationships was a tendency to feel like anything that went wrong was his own fault. Made for a lot of drama, both during and afterward. It was just recently, when he found out that Tyler was moving away without