“Considering your last question was about rimming, I can assure you, my interest is piqued,” I tease.
He blushes and flicks the wadded up paper from his straw at me from across the table. “It’s not that kind of question.”
“Okay, shoot, Einstein.”
“I’m wondering what the rules are now. I’ve never had a boyfriend, and I don’t want to mess this up by doing something stupid.”
I let out a humorless laugh and slide my foot against his under the table. “I’m no expert either, Nerdlet. I think I made that pretty clear last night when I told you how bad I am at relationships.”
“If neither of us knows the rules, that means we make the rules, right?”
“I guess it does,” I agree.
“So, what are the rules?” he asks again, and I laugh.
“Communication. That sounds very mature, right?” I suggest. “If there’s a problem, we talk about it.”
He nods. “I like that. And the same for if you, um, want someone else.”
“I don’t want anyone else,” I say vehemently, even if there’s a small voice in the back of my head that points out that I have a shitty track record of staying faithful.
“But if.”
“Okay, yes, but it’s not going to happen,” I insist.
“What else? Sleepovers are allowed now, right?” he asks.
“Sleepovers are encouraged,” I agree, and he smiles.
“Good, I like sleepovers.”
“Me too,” I agree. “I think that’s enough rules, we can figure things out as we go.”
“And if I do something stupid or if you get freaked out again?” Elijah asks, tugging his bottom lip between his teeth.
“Then rule one applies, we talk about it; we work it out like adults and shit.”
“And shit,” he mocks, and I wad up my napkin to throw at him. He dodges it and sticks his tongue out.
“I seriously fucking love you, Nerdlet. That’s the only thing that matters; we’ll figure the rest out.”
“Okay,” he agrees. “We’ll figure the rest out.”
Chapter 29
Elijah
My stomach flutters when I see Theo’s name flash across my phone screen. I’ve been avoiding his calls since Pax and I made things official because now that it’s real, I know I have to tell him.
I hover my finger over the green accept button, willing myself to be brave and push it, just tell him the truth and get it over with. He won’t be mad, I lie to myself.
“You can do it,” I say with determination, mashing my finger against the screen of my phone to answer the call. “Hello?”
“Dude, what the hell?”
“What?” I cringe at myself.
“Don’t what me, asshole. You’ve been dodging me for almost two weeks. What gives?”
I sigh, getting up from the table and going over to the couch to get comfortable for what I’m sure will be a sucky conversation.
“There’s something I have to tell you that I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to say,” I admit, pulling my knees up and resting my arms on them.
“E, you’re my best friend in the world; there’s nothing you could say that would change that. Tell me.”
“Okay.” I take a deep breath and hold it for a second before slowly letting it out. “The guy I told you about, the one I was…you know with.”
“Yeah?” he says, his voice sounding tight.
“It was Pax,” I confess, bracing myself for anger, disappointment, disgust. Instead, I’m met with a long silence from Theo’s end of the phone.
I pull the phone away from my ear to make sure we’re still connected, and then bite down on my bottom lip to give myself something to do while Theo processes the information or finishes formulating a lecture, I’m not sure which.
“I know,” he says after two hundred heartbeats.
“You…you know?” I repeat. “How?”
“I saw the way he was looking at you at Christmas. I asked him about it, and he confessed.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I ask.
“Why didn’t you?” he throws back at me, the accusation in his tone hitting me square in the chest.
“Because you were so mad at the guy when I told you about the first encounter, I was afraid if you knew it was Pax, you would hate him.”
There’s another long pause before he responds. “That’s fair. I do hate him a little.”
“Please don’t hate him. I won’t be able to live with myself if I cause a rift between the two of you.”
“He’s my brother; I’ll get over it eventually,” Theo assures me. “But why are you telling me all this now? Did you two break things off?”
“No, the opposite actually,” I confess. “We made things official, I guess?”
He huffs out a laugh. “You guess? Is he your boyfriend or not?”
“Yeah, he’s my boyfriend.” Saying the word makes my stomach flutter, a smile tilting my lips. “God, I never thought I’d say that. I have a boyfriend.”
“I’m glad, E. I mean that,” he says. “I’m still mad at Pax for stringing you along for months, but you sound really happy and that makes me happy.”
“I am happy,” I tell him honestly. “I…god, this is embarrassing to say, but I’ve had a crush on Pax forever. I never thought he’d see me the same way.”
“That explains it, then,” he says with a hint of sadness.
“Explains what?”
“Why you never looked twice at me.” He laughs, but it sounds hollow.
“What?” I press the phone harder to my ear, my heart beating faster. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing, it’s stupid.” There’s a sort of forced cheerfulness in his voice now. “I want you to have the happiest life anyone has ever had, I mean that.”
“Thanks, T. You know I love you, right?”
“I love you too,” he replies, another dip of sorrow in his tone. “I’ve gotta go, but while I have you, I wanted to let you know I am going to be moving out to Cali, so you’ll be seeing me again before you know it.”
“You are? That’s so great.”
“Yeah. I have to study for a test, so I’ll talk to you later, okay? And tell Pax I love him too.”
“I will,” I promise.
We hang up, and I feel lighter now that this secret is no longer hanging between us, but it also feels like something vital has shifted in our relationship, and I have no idea what it is.
Unfolding my legs, I spread myself out on the couch and type out a text to Pax.
Elijah: I talked to Theo, told him we’re dating. He took it well…probably because he already knew about us. Know anything about that?
Pax: I MAY have told him over Christmas
Elijah: Thanks for the heads up, so glad I wasn’t lying awake at night worrying about that for the past several weeks
Pax: Sorry, don’t be mad
Elijah: I’m not mad. I’m glad it’s not hanging over my head anymore. It makes things between us feel more real
Pax: I’ll show you real as soon as I get home tomorrow ;)
Elijah: Looking forward to it
I type another message but hesitate to send it for a few seconds before hitting the button.
Elijah: I love you
Pax: I love you to the moon and back
Elijah: That’s far!
Pax: I KNOW
Pax: Gotta go, client just walked in
I read the words several times, a goofy smile on my face, before finally closing the text thread and getting back to studying.
Pax
I stride out of the meeting feeling like I’m king of the fucking world. I type out a text to Elijah telling him I closed the deal and then shove my phone back into my pocket and hail a taxi to take me back to the hotel.
Normally after I close a deal this big, I go out to celebrate. Before Elijah, that celebration tended to include a willing man in my bed. That’s what got me into trouble with other boyfriend
s before I decided I wasn’t a relationship kind of guy. The crazy thing is, the absolute last thing I want is someone other than Elijah.
Back in my hotel room, I drop my briefcase near the foot of the bed and shoot off a quick email to my boss to let him know I sealed the deal. I’m full of too much excited energy to sit down, so I decide to head down to the hotel bar for a celebratory drink.
I slide onto one of the stools at the bar top and flag down the bartender to order a scotch, neat.
Taking a sip of my drink, I swivel in my seat to people watch a bit, letting the peace of a job well done and the end of another week settle over me. I reach into my pocket and type out a quick text to my brother.
Pax: We cool?
Theo: Same deal still stands, hurt him and I’ll kill you. But yeah, we’re cool
Pax: I love him
Theo: I know
“This seat taken?” a voice asks, pulling my attention away from my phone. I look up to see a handsome man pointing at the open stool beside me. The bar is less than half-full, there are at least a dozen places he could sit; he’s not asking about the seat.
I look him up and down, his suit nicely fitted, a confident grin on his full lips. I have no doubt he’d be a fun time. Even after our initial conversation where we put everything out there and agreed to make things official, Elijah has insisted that he doesn’t have any expectations and thus I can’t cheat on him. But I don’t want anyone else. Maybe I wasn’t mature enough with my other relationships, maybe it is the lack of pressure from Elijah, or maybe it’s just Elijah himself. But the next word out of my mouth is the easiest one I’ve ever spoken.
“Sorry.” I shake my head and give him an apologetic smile.
“No problem.” He tilts his head in understanding and claims a stool at the other end of the bar.
I pull my phone back out and re-open the text thread to Theo.
Pax: I’m pretty sure he’s The One. You know, marriage, a bunch of dogs, all that shit
Theo: You’re planning to propose?!!
Pax: Relax lol, not anytime soon, but one day maybe
Theo: Be good to him
Pax: I promise
Chapter 30
Pax
The trudge up the steps to my apartment after a long week away is as tiresome as it always is. My flight was delayed by several hours this afternoon, so it’s already after ten, which means my chances of catching Elijah are probably slim. Unless, of course, he’s waiting up to hear from me. The thought causes a smile to spread across my face and I pick up my pace, taking the steps two at a time. Maybe if I call him, I can convince him to come over and spend the weekend in bed with me. We can live off takeout and orgasm until Monday rolls back around and forces me to leave again.
As thrilling as the idea is, it twists the knife in my gut as well, a reminder that he may say he’s fine with my work schedule, but eventually he’ll be sick of it. He’ll want more of my time and attention; he’ll want me to be home on weeknights.
As I make my way down the hall to my apartment, the smell of something delicious tickles my nose and makes my stomach rumble, reminding me I haven’t eaten since breakfast. Reaching into my pocket, I snag my keys and unlock my door. The mouthwatering smell gets stronger, the sound of dishes clanging together echoing from my kitchen.
“Hello?” I call out cautiously. I doubt someone broke into my place to cook dinner, but you never know.
“Pax?” Elijah’s voice calls out, and the smile I was wearing previously is back in full force, the twisting in my gut replaced by a whole herd of crack addled butterflies.
I drop my briefcase and leave my suitcase by the door, striding down the hall with purpose toward the kitchen. I pause in the doorway, taking in the sight of him standing at the stove in a pair of sweatpants that are entirely too big on him, hanging low on his hips, and a shirt that’s just as missized. He looks over his shoulder at me, a shy smile appearing as quickly as the sweet blush does.
“I hope you don’t mind I came over when you weren’t here. You gave me that spare key, and I figured since your flight was delayed you might be hungry and maybe too tired to make dinner by the time you got home. If it’s weird, I can go, and I promise I won’t do it again, I ju—” I close the distance between us in a flash, spinning him around and trapping him against the counter as I drag my fingers through his thick, curly hair, tilt his face up, and kiss the hell out of him.
He melts against me, reaching for the front of my shirt and holding on tight as he kisses me back. Every stress I had this week, every doubt about whether we can make this work, all melt away. We can make this work, because I won’t allow it to be any other way. Elijah is mine, now and forever.
“I take it that means you don’t mind me being here when you got home?” he asks when the kiss ends. I huff out a laugh, resting my forehead against his.
There are a million answers I could give. I could tell him I love that he’s here, that it saved me the trouble of calling and convincing him to come over, that I’ve missed him all week. But my mouth makes a decision before my brain can catch up.
“You should move in with me.”
“What?” He laughs nervously.
“Move in with me,” I say again, this time my brain has caught up and is fully on board with the decision my mouth made. “I want you here every week when I get home. I want to share every inch of my life with you.”
“Isn’t it a little fast?” He bites his bottom lip, twisting his fingers tighter around the fabric of my shirt.
“It doesn’t feel too fast for me. Does it feel too fast to you?”
“No, I guess not.” He loosens his grip, and his nervous expression turns into a shy smile. He drags in a deep breath and then nods. “Okay, I’ll move in, as long as you’re sure.”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
And then I kiss him again because he’s mine and I can.
The sound of the oven timer is the only thing that keeps me from picking him up, carrying him to my bed, and enacting my plan of keeping him there all weekend. He pulls away and checks what appears to be a casserole in the oven.
“It probably won’t be very good, but I got this recipe from your mom. She said it’s your favorite.”
“You did?” If I wasn’t already in love with him, I think I’d fall right now. He tugs at the hem of the overly large shirt he’s wearing and shrugs like it’s no big deal.
“I wanted to do something nice for you; I know you had a long week.”
“I love you,” I tell him because there’s never been anything more true.
“I love you,” he says simply, and I wonder if it’s possible for a heart to actually burst with happiness.
“Are you wearing my clothes?” I ask, putting the pieces together for the first time. He blushes bright red again as he pulls dinner out of the oven and places it on top of the stove to cool.
“There was a bit of a mishap with the flour when I was making the biscuits for the top,” he explains. “I hope you don’t mind?”
“I fucking love it. We should have a new rule once you live here: you can only wear my clothes or be absolutely naked when we’re home together.”
He chuckles. “You may be able to convince me to agree to that.”
“Oh yeah? How about we start negotiations after dinner then?” I suggest.
“Okay, but I’ll warn you, I drive a hard bargain,” he teases with a grin.
“Oh my god, Einstein, did you just make a dirty pun?” I bark out a laugh. “I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m more in love with you right now than I was thirty seconds ago.”
“Hopefully this isn’t a bell curve situation.”
“Not a chance, Nerdlet, not a chance.”
Elijah
Unfortunately, after dinner we don’t get the chance to have any sort of negotiations. Pax gets a text from his friends, and the next thing I know, I’m being dragged out of the house—still wearing Pax’s overly large c
lothes, by the way—to go be social at a bar. When I told him anything he could throw at me would be worth it if it meant getting to be with him, I did not mean being social on a moment’s notice.
“Come on, Einstein, we’re celebrating our impending cohabitation—put on a smile,” Pax urges as we pull into the bar parking lot.
“I look silly; I’m wearing your clothes.”
“You look like you’re mine,” he purrs, leaning over the center console to press a hungry kiss to my lips. “It’s hot as fuck,” he murmurs as he licks the seam of my lips and then slips his tongue into my mouth.
My cock throbs, and I moan into his mouth, reaching for the front of his shirt to keep him from getting away.
“Come on, just a few hours, and then I promise I’ll make it up to you when we get home.” The way he says the last word sends a happy shiver through me. We still have to go through all the headache of breaking my lease and moving my stuff, but we’re going to live together. This is for real.
“Okay, but don’t let anyone laugh at my clothes,” I say.
“I promise,” he assures me, pressing one last kiss to my lips before pulling back and getting out of the car.
He slips his hand into mine as we walk into the, bar and I smile up at him in surprise.
“You’re better at this boyfriend thing than you think you are,” I tell him, pressing my palm against his and squeezing our fingers together.
We spot his friends at a table in the corner and make our way over to them.
“Well don’t you two look simply domestic,” Hudson teases, smirking at our joined hands as soon as we get close. “And are you wearing Pax’s clothes?”
I shrink against my boyfriend, heat rising in my cheeks.
“That shade of green looks terrible on you, man,” Pax scolds his friend. “Jealousy is not becoming. If you want a sweet little boyfriend of your own, you’ve got one waiting for you right across the table. So, either stop jerking him around or shut the fuck up.”
Rocket Science Page 20
