by N. R. Walker
“What does that make me?”
“My pimp.”
He laughed. “Gee, thanks.”
I snorted. “Better being the pimp than the hooker, I guess.”
He made a thoughtful face. “Depends. At least the hooker gets laid.”
I cracked up laughing. “And to think you said Eli wasn’t too interested in sex. I’m starting to think the man was crazy.”
Andrew was quiet then, and I wondered if I’d said the wrong thing. “Well, it kind of makes sense if his whole agenda for living with me was to take the original prints.”
“He said he didn’t, though, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you believe him?”
“Funnily enough, I do. He was genuine when he admitted that.”
“How was he, last night?” I asked. “When you told him.”
“He wasn’t too surprised, I don’t think. He looked disappointed.”
“So he should be.”
“He said he’d seen us together before, that time at the bar for his friend’s birthday.” He sighed. “The whole thing is a bit of a mess, but to be honest, I’m glad it ended the way it did because I got to meet you.”
I gave him a bit of a squeeze. “Me too.”
“He also said you went and saw him at his work. He recognized you.”
I had told Andrew I’d gone to see Eli, but that wasn’t my concern. “Did he think it was suspicious? Did you tell him you hired me? You know, in the beginning?”
He surprised me by laughing. “Good Lord, no. Why would I do that? He just figured you were curious about him.”
I leaned up so I could see his face and told him the truth. “I was. I wanted to see what kind of guy I was dealing with, in a situation that didn’t involve you. And I had to see what he was like,” I admitted. “And if I’m being completely honest, I wanted to see why you picked him.”
Andrew gave me a smug smirk. He looked kinda sleepy and sated. Happy, even. “I didn’t pick him. He picked me. Well, to begin with anyway.”
“So, he’s not that crazy.” I didn’t want to ask if Eli admitted to singling Andrew out in hopes of stealing his artwork—the thought alone made me ragey—and I didn’t want Andrew to feel used. Any more than he already did, anyway. “He’s still a wanker. But you have a history with him, and I can respect that.”
“Can we not talk about him?” he asked. He ran his hand through my hair and then studied my eyes for a moment. “I’d much prefer to talk about you. And if we don’t get up off this bed soon, I don’t think we’ll be getting up all day.”
The thought alone of what he was implying made me hum. “Gee, tough decision. To do my laundry or you.” He laughed at that, but rolled off the bed making me fall face-first into my pillow. I groaned. “Laundry it is then.”
CHAPTER THREE
“Can today involve a nap?” I asked in the car on our way to his place.
“Are you five?”
I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. “Last night is catching up with me.”
“Or are you just trying to get me back into bed?”
“Possibly. Do you always answer every question with a question?”
He grinned. “Possibly.”
“I really am sorry about last night. I actually don’t drink that often,” I told him. “Which is why I was so wrecked.”
“It’s okay Spencer,” he said, looking from the road to me. He smiled. “Emilio told me that you’re not a real drinker. Maybe a few beers now and then, but not normally hard liquor.” He laughed a bit. “I think they were worried I’d think less of you. They were all so busy telling me what a good guy you are.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t ask them to do that.”
“Yes, I know. They were worried about you.”
I sighed. “I owe them a pretty big thank you. Dinner or something.”
“They also told me you’d been different with me from day one,” he said, just all casual-like. There was a hint of humour in his eyes.
“They did, huh?”
“Yep. Said you were all ridiculous smiles whenever you mentioned my name.”
“Right, then. Well, I’m taking back the offer to buy them dinner.”
He laughed. “So it’s true?”
“My answer depends on whether you agree to a nap this afternoon.”
He laughed. “I take it that’s a yes.”
I could feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment. “I told you already you were different. But I object to the term ridiculous smiles.”
He was still smirking when he parked his car near his apartment. I grabbed my bag of laundry from the backseat and followed him inside. “I don’t know, Spencer,” he said, putting his keys and wallet on the hallstand. His voice was quieter, more serious. “I happened to like hearing that you thought I was special from day one. When they told me, Lola laughed and said my smile matched your ridiculous one. So we’re probably even.”
I stood there, holding my bag of laundry, not sure what to do with it. I was suddenly nervous. Here we were, alone at his place. I mean, we’d been alone all morning, but this was somehow different. It was like we were one breath away from going at it like rabbits, or he was about to tell me he’d changed his mind. “Well, that’s good then. We can be ridiculous together.”
He studied me for a long moment before walking slowly over to stand in front of me. He put his hand on my laundry bag, where I was clutching it tightly. His fingers touched mine, and warmth shot up my arm causing the butterflies in my stomach to take flight, and he stared into my eyes. I licked my lips, wanting to kiss him, and he leaned in just a fraction, but stopped short of contact. “I’ll take that for you,” he said gruffly and pulled the bag out of my hand. He took a step back and my breath left me in a rush.
“Fuck,” I mumbled, not really meaning to say the word out loud. “Are you trying to kill me?”
He grinned. “Just checking it wasn’t some kind of fluke before.”
“A fluke? What fluke? That I find you insanely hot or that you make my stupid brain malfunction?”
He laughed quietly. “Maybe both.”
“Well, you could have just asked me,” I said, adjusting my now aching—thanks to him—dick.
He watched my hand on my crotch, and his nostrils flared, a rush of pink crept down his neck. His voice cracked when he said, “We better start this laundry.”
He turned and walked down the hall past the bathroom, to what I assumed was the laundry, so I followed. He upended the bag, the contents spilling onto the tiled floor.
“Here, I can do that,” I told him. “I don’t expect you or anyone else to do my washing.” I picked up a shirt and moved it to one side and shoved the sheets to the other side. And as I sorted the dark and light coloured clothes, I could feel him watching me. I looked up and smiled. “What?”
“You sort laundry,” he said quietly.
“Of course I do. By colour and then fabric.”
A slow smile spread across his face, and he bit his lip.
“Do you have a laundry kink I don’t know about?” I asked.
He laughed. “Uh no. It’s just that I always sort that way too, colour then by types of fabric. Eli never did, and it used to drive me insane.” He shrugged. “I like that you do.”
“Um, if you like it, then I’m pretty sure it falls in the kink category.”
He laughed, a low warm sound, before collecting the sheets off the floor and throwing them in the washing machine. He added powder and set it going, which left us standing close together with nothing between us, and suddenly the air was electric in the small room. I could see the rise and fall of his chest, the heat in his eyes.
Fuck.
There was a chemistry between us that I’d never felt with anyone else. And before my brain could catch up, I slid my hand along his jaw and drew his mouth to mine. He pulled our hips together, slid his arms around me, and it felt so good.
It felt so right.
Andrew tilted his head and deepened the kiss, and I pushed him up against the washing machine, pressing us together.
He was hard, as was I, and our cocks rubbed through the fabric of our pants. He ran his hands over my arse and pulled us closer still, and I moaned without shame.
And just when I was wondering if we should move to the bedroom—I didn’t want our first fuck to be on the laundry floor—his phone rang, startling us. He smiled into our kiss and pulled away, leaving the both of us breathless. His eyes were dark, his lips were swollen, and his cheeks were flushed. I decided right then it was my favourite look on him.
He pulled his phone from his pocket, showed me who was calling, and answered. “Sarah?”
Not wanting to lose the moment, I leaned in and kissed his neck. He smelled so good, and he tasted even better. I pressed against him, humming when our bodies aligned so perfectly.
“Really?” he asked, flustered. “Now? Can’t it wait?” I heard the buzz of her voice but not the words exactly, and with a frustrated groan, he disconnected the call. “My sister is on her way.”
“How long have we got?” I whispered, kissing up to his ear.
“She just walked past my car, so she knows I’m home,” he answered breathily, clearly he liked to be kissed there.
Wait. What? I pulled back. “She’s here? Now?”
He snorted out a laugh and nodded. “With the worst sense of timing.”
I stepped back and palmed my rock hard dick. “Oh man. Talk about awkward.”
Andrew did the same to his own erection and hissed. “Tell me about it.”
A knock sounded at the door, and Andrew let his head fall back with a groan. “Think horrible thoughts, think horrible thoughts,” he mumbled to himself, trying to will his hard-on away as he walked out to answer the front door.
“Yeah, like being interrupted in what was possibly the hottest kiss I’ve ever had,” I added.
Andrew laughed as he opened the door, and Sarah barrelled in. She didn’t see me, she hadn’t taken her eyes off her brother yet. “Tell me what happened?” she asked him. “I was going to call, but I wasn’t far away and I thought I’d get all the details in person. So tell me, what happened last night?”
“Well,” Andrew said slowly, as he closed the door behind her. Then he gave a pointed nod to where I was standing against the hall door.
Sarah followed his line of sight. “Hi,” I said, giving her a bit of a wave.
Her grin was immediate, as was her relief. “Oh, thank God!” She turned back to Andrew and hugged him. “I’m so glad. I knew! I just knew! When I saw how you two were together at dinner the other night, I just knew!” Sarah let go of Andrew and turned to me. “Oh wait, does you being here mean what I think it means?” she asked. She turned back to look at Andrew. “I mean, what about Eli?”
“Eli’s history,” Andrew answered. “And yes, this means what you think it means, but well, we think it does.” He looked at me and cringed. “We’re still working out the details.”
“We are,” I agreed. “Though I do believe the term officially dating was used?”
Andrew smiled at me. “Yeah, I think it was.”
“Aww, boyfriends,” Sarah said. “That’s so cute!” Then she straightened up and looked squarely at her brother. “Tell me everything.”
“I’ll just go to the bathroom,” I said, excusing myself to leave. It was really just an obvious ruse for them to have a few minutes without me. Sure, it also gave me some time to make sure I wasn’t sporting a hard-on while talking to his sister. Having her interrupt was a mood killer for sure, and after I’d splashed some cold water on my face and my dick had relaxed enough for me to take a piss, I went back out.
Their conversation was hushed and coming from the kitchen, so I followed the sound. I could smell coffee brewing and found three empty cups on the counter alongside Andrew and Sarah in deep conversation. “…I slept on his couch,” Andrew said. The conversation stopped cold when I walked in.
I figured I should contribute to the story. “Yes, I got absolutely shitfaced because I thought I’d lost him to that wanker ex-boyfriend,” I said. There was no point in being embarrassed about it. “Andrew tracked me down, found me in a drunken state, sobbing like a baby, and put me to bed. We talked this morning, and now we’re here.”
Andrew grinned at me before looking at his sister. “Yep. That’s pretty much how it went. His friends came and got me this morning and spent an hour trying to convince me to give him a chance.”
“Really?” she asked. “They did that?”
Andrew nodded and half-shrugged. “I was already going to. Give him a chance, that is,” he said. “I mean, why would I have followed him home if I weren’t interested?”
I looked at Sarah. “And for what it’s worth, I’ve never bought anyone else a record player.”
Sarah laughed just as the coffee machine beeped. Andrew poured two cups of coffee and stopped short on the third. “Shit. You don’t drink coffee, and I don’t have any tea.”
“Coffee’s fine,” I told him. “Actually, I probably need a coffee. This hangover is starting to dig its heels in.”
Andrew frowned. “If you want to go lie down, just say so.”
“Later,” I said, taking the cup. The truth was, I didn’t really like coffee, but I figured any type of caffeine would help clear the mud in my head. And more importantly, if I was going to lie down on his bed, I certainly didn’t want to do that alone.
Sarah sipped her coffee. “So, was Eli really going to take your prints?”
Andrew sighed. “I don’t know. I think he was originally, yes. Whether it was his sole intention from the beginning, I just don’t know. Actually, I’d rather not know at all. I just want to move on, ya know?”
Sarah nodded slowly, but there was warmth in her smile. “Well, I’m glad it worked out. And Andrew, my dear brother, you owe me big time.”
“What for?”
“I was the one who lined this up, remember?” she motioned between me and Andrew. “You didn’t want to even meet Spencer in the beginning.”
Andrew looked at me, smiled, and shrugged. “True.”
I pretended to be offended.
Sarah snorted. “Oh, Spencer you should have seen him. When we left the café after meeting you the first time, he was all panicky. ‘He’s too sexy for me. Eli will know it’s a set-up because there’s no way a guy like that would pick me, blah blah blah.’”
I laughed at her impression of him, and Andrew rolled his eyes. “I’m not embarrassed,” he said, his blush proof to the contrary.
“Yes, I do have to wonder why on earth he doesn’t see himself the way I do,” I said. I waited for Andrew’s eyes to meet mine. “Because if I seem to recall, he was on the cover of Sexy Nerds, whereas all I managed was page twelve of Trendy LA.”
Andrew laughed. “It wasn’t page twelve. It was page four.”
“You were on the cover!”
“I amended yours to the cover,” he said, grinning now. “And I even drew your cover. Where’s the artwork for my cover?”
“Believe me, you don’t want me to draw you anything. I can’t even get stick figures right.”
Sarah was laughing along with us but was obviously confused. “What are you two talking about?”
“Never mind,” Andrew said, sipping his coffee with smiling lips.
“Well then,” Sarah said, finishing her coffee. “I’ll be going. Spencer, you have no idea how happy I am to see you here today. I was thinking I was going to turn up and smarmy Eli would be here.” She leaned up and kissed my cheek, which was a surprise, but lovely all the same. “Andrew, walk me out?”
Even I knew that was code for “Can I see you in private?”.
I didn’t mind. If she needed to talk to him without my being there, I had no qualms with that. It just meant, given how honest she’d been about everything else, I wouldn’t have liked what she had to say. I took one more sip of coffee and tipped the rest out in the sink
. I’d managed half a cup, and that would do me in the coffee department for a while. I didn’t know if my head was better or worse for drinking it. Give me green tea any day.
I washed the coffee cups and was drying them when Andrew came back in. “Everything okay?” I asked.
“Oh sure,” he said. “She just wanted to lecture me.”
“On what?”
“On not screwing this up.”
“What on earth could you do to screw this up?”
He shrugged. “She says I rush into things. Which I do, I guess. Like I did with Eli. She just wants me to take a step back and not, you know, move in together after two months of dating and get engaged after six months. That kind of thing.”
Well shit. “Do you think we’re rushing into anything?”
He shrugged again. “No, but I didn’t think I was with Eli either. But in hindsight I did, so maybe she has a point. We have technically only been together for a few hours.”
I laughed at that. “Well, when you put it like that.”
One corner of his mouth pulled down. “Even though we fake-dated for two weeks.”
“I totally count that, by the way,” I told him. “Those two weeks were awesome. And even though we didn’t meet in a very conventional way, I don’t regret it. I mean, I regret that you were hurt by Eli, but without him being a tosser, we wouldn’t have met.”
“A tosser?”
I smiled at him. “You know, wanker.”
He stepped in closer to me and pulled lightly on my beard. He smiled, but his eyes were serious. “I don’t want to screw this up.”
“Me either,” I admitted. “And truth be told, Andrew, if one of us will fuck something up, it’ll more than likely be me. I have relationship issues, remember?”
He kissed me softly. “Maybe all the more reason we should take things slower. If Sarah hadn’t turned up, I’m pretty sure we’d be in bed right now.”
I sighed and pulled him against me. “Agreed. Actually, I had us going at it like rabbits on the laundry floor.”
He chuckled and pulled back a bit but kept his hands on my waist. “So, I think we should be clear though. By taking it slow, does that mean we wait for, you know, penetrative sex? Because while that’s fine with me, I wouldn’t be opposed to other things.”
