After a few hours, he pulled up outside my apartment. He’d kept his word, taking me to a little café where we’d stayed for much longer than what a casual lunch should’ve been. We’d spent a long time talking, discovering even more things we had in common and just enjoying each other’s company. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized how much I genuinely liked him. He wasn’t at all the overbearing, dumb jock I’d convinced myself he was over the years. In fact, the opposite was true.
He was quite intelligent, speaking in depth about his views on politics and current affairs; views that were mostly similar to my own. Those we hadn’t agreed on, we were able to debate in a friendly, thought-provoking manner. The way he challenged me was refreshing and left me feeling energized.
“Are you sure you don’t need help getting the bags inside?” he offered.
“No, I can get them but thanks. And thanks again for lunch. I had a great time today,” I told him.
His smile did funny things to me. “I did too. I can’t wait to see Jayce’s face when he sees all the stuff we got.”
I snorted out a laugh. “He’s going to die. Especially when he finds out he has to wear them all night. Ace and Wilder definitely have some interesting items in their store. Some of it was even a little intimidating. Did you see the size of that one strand of anal beads?”
“Hey, don’t knock ‘em till you’ve tried ‘em,” he responded with a shrug.
“Um… is that… have you?” I sputtered and then slapped a hand over my eyes. “Never mind. Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business.”
He tugged on my arm, moving it away from my face. When I dared to look at him, I saw that he was grinning. “Damn, you’re sexy when you blush.”
There it was again, that word:sexy. I sucked in a gasp as he suddenly leaned across the console, his gaze lowering to my mouth. “To answer your question, no. I’ve never used anal beads on anyone before. But I’ve always thought it would be sexy as hell to try… with the right partner.” Heat pooled low in my belly, and I licked my lips as he leaned in closer then reached across me and pulled the handle of my door. “You have a good night, Cole.”
I narrowed my eyes at him as I saw the hint of a smirk forming on those perfect lips. He knew exactly what he was doing to me, but instead of being annoyed, I decided two could play at that game. Sliding the bag out from where I’d hidden it inside my jacket, I pulled the Fleshlight out and held it up in the air. “Oh, trust me, Miles, I will.”
I winked at him then slid my door open the rest of the way and jumped out. I quickly snatched up the rest of the bags and closed the door on him, but not before I heard his loud curse and tortured-sounding groan. I laughed the whole way into the apartment, quite pleased with myself.
I left the stuff for Jayce on the table and walked back to my bedroom, where I shoved the Fleshlight into the bedside drawer. Then I grabbed a pair of sweats and a comfy t-shirt to change into since I’d be staying in the rest of the night. As I got settled on the couch and began flipping through the TV for something to watch, my mind wandered to my day with Miles, and I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed so much.
Chapter Five
MILES
I hoppedin my truck and tossed my hard hat on the passenger seat. Between finishing the bank project and the other jobs running smoothly, it had been a good week. Although, I'd been too distracted to enjoy most of it. Thankfully, Brian was there to make sure things ran smoothly, but I didn't miss the concerned looks he kept shooting my way. He'd never seen me so on edge, and to be honest, neither had I.
The reason for my distraction was simple: Cole Morris. It was crazy how comfortable I'd become around him in only a few short days. When I was with him, I found myself laughing more and opening up about things that truly mattered to me. Likewise, I was genuinely interested in what he was thinking and the things he had to say.
When we were apart, I found myself constantly thinking about him, wondering what he was doing and when I'd get to see him next. The truth was, Cole had managed to get under my skin in a way I'd never experienced before. It also didn't hurt that he was incredibly good-looking.
I hadn't been lying when I told him he was sexy, but I saw surprise on his face, and it made me wonder if no one else had ever told him that before. The thought was mind boggling. With his gorgeous green eyes and that plump bottom lip, he was sexy without even trying. He was crazy smart and had an innocence about him that drove me wild. Of course, I knew he wasn't nearly as innocent as he appeared.
I'd only been having a little bit of fun a few days before when I'd decided to tease him. But seeing his reaction—his breath coming out in short bursts and his pupils dilating as he stared at me—it took everything I had to not lean in and take the taste I so desperately craved. Then, without warning, the tables had turned on me, and he'd left me utterly speechless and aching with need.
Seeing Cole holding up that Fleshlight had scrambled my brain while also confirming that he was no longer the shy kid I'd known in the past. The man I saw that night was bold and brave and clearly knew exactly what he wanted. And that had pushed all my buttons.
I'd rushed home after that and immediately began jerking off to thoughts of Cole. I'd pictured the flush of his skin, his long eyelashes fluttering over his cheeks as he closed his eyes, his breathing becoming more rapid as his hand jerked the Fleshlight up and down over his aching cock. That was all it took before I came harder than I ever had in my life.
It wasn't until after that I’d realized I'd just gotten off to thoughts of my best friend's younger brother. I laid there in bed, waiting for guilt to set in but it never did. Instead, I’d found myself wondering when I'd see him again. Unfortunately, work had kept me very busy, and it had been several days since I'd last seen him. That was all about to change though, thanks to a phone call from Jayce the night before, asking me to meet him and Cole after work for our final tuxedo fittings.
When I pulled up in front of the store and saw Cole's car already there, I felt an excited sort of fluttering in my chest. I shut off the engine and closed my eyes, forcing myself to stop and take a few deep breaths. I needed to slow down. I had no idea if Cole even had any interest in me. Especially, after the shitty way I'd treated him in high school. I'd explained my reasons to him, but I'd clearly hurt him and that was something I would always regret.
Just because he'd teased me that night, taunting me with his new toy, didn't mean he liked me. The last thing I wanted was to make things awkward between us again when we’d been getting along so well. Truth be told, I liked his company, so if all he wanted was friendship then I'd be fine with that; although, I couldn't help hoping for more.
My eyes flew open when I heard a knock on my window, and my face flushed as I saw my best friend staring in at me. I quickly climbed out of the truck so I could talk to him. "Are you okay, man? You look tired. You've been working too hard again, haven't you?" Jayce's words were laced with worry. He knew how tirelessly I'd worked to get my business where it was at, and he often voiced his concerns that I wasn't taking enough time for myself.
"I'm fine, really. I was just thinking about a few things," I assured him. I could see that he wasn't quite convinced, so I changed the subject before he pushed any further and discovered the real reason I hadn't been sleeping. "What are you doing out here?"
The distraction worked as his eyes suddenly widened. "Somehow, Evelynn and I got our schedules mixed up, and we're supposed to meet the cake decorator across town in fifteen minutes. I hate to do it, but I've got to take off. I've already tried on my tux; they just need to check yours and Cole's."
I waved him off before he could say any more. "Don't worry about us, we'll get this all taken care of. You just get where you need to be right now and try not to stress about anything else."
Jayce pulled me in for a quick hug. "Thanks. I really appreciate this."
