Meet Cute Club (Sweet Rose Book 1)

by Jack Harbon

  He gestured at one of the photographs hanging on the kitchen wall. As Jordan approached, he got a better look at Rex and his younger sister. Though it was hard to be positive, he was pretty sure that she was the younger woman he’d seen Rex with at Barney’s burger shop last month.

  They had the same dark chocolate brown hair and thick eyebrows, though Amy’s nose was a bit more upturned than Rex’s, and she had fuller lips. “You were a cute kid,” he commented.

  “I’m an even cuter man. At least, that’s what I’ve heard a few times.”

  “I always wanted a brother or sister,” Jordan sighed, taking a seat beside Rex. “My parents said one was enough, so I never got the chance. I think it would’ve been nice.”

  “Yeah, Amy’s… She’s a fucking nightmare most of the time, but I love the kid to death. There aren’t many people I’d move mountains for, but that girl? Without question.”

  There was a resolve in Rex’s voice that Jordan immediately recognized. Whenever he spoke about Sherleen to any of his old coworkers, he could hear it in his own words. To earn that kind of love was a milestone that very few in Jordan’s life had ever reached. With how distant his parents had been in his life, Jordan wondered if anyone else but Sherleen had received it.

  The sudden whirring of a machine startled Jordan, and he looked across the room to see a printer coming to life. The advanced technology seemed so out of place in the dated kitchen. “Did you buy that for these flyers?” he asked.

  “Maybe.” The wink that followed was the only answer needed. “I told you, we’re gonna save Meet Cute Club because I’m here now. Little did you know, that was all you needed.”

  Torn between rolling his eyes at Rex’s arrogance and pulling the man in for a quick kiss, Jordan decided to fall exactly in the middle, giving him a harmless, “You’re so annoying,” before crossing the room and grabbing the stack of flyers that had already finished printing.

  “These look incredible, Rex,” he sighed, pulling them to his chest.

  “Omar’s the best graphic designer in town. We went to the same school for a couple years back when we were kids. Used to hang out all the time when we were older. Then his corny ass went and had a kid and now all he ever does is take care of his responsibilities. Boring, right?”

  “The most boring,” Jordan added facetiously.

  “I was thinking we can go around town and put the flyers up in different shops and stuff. Maybe somewhere like the Activity Center?” Rex suggested. He rose from his seat and joined Jordan at the printer. Jordan hadn’t been lying. They looked great on the computer when Omar was working on them, but in full color, they looked even more spectacular.

  “You think this will actually work?” Jordan asked. Rex could see just how anxious he was by the way he held the papers a hair too tight.

  He stepped closer, reaching out to take Jordan by the wrist. “Do I have to repeat myself again? Meet Cute Club will live to see another day. I promise.”

  When Jordan looked up at him with those rich brown eyes, he couldn’t help himself. It had been far too long since they’d kissed, and he wasn’t letting the perfect moment slip away. He tilted Jordan’s head up by the chin, leaned in gradually, and pressed their lips together. Unlike before, he took his time, practicing restraint that he rarely ever had.

  Jordan finally stepped back to break the kiss. “I hope you’re right,” he whispered.

  Eight

  Maybe they’d been a little in over their heads.

  When that following Wednesday afternoon approached and Rex was free to hang and hand out flyers, Jordan found himself elated, energized with the possibility of new members joining the club. There was a pep in his step that, since Lana left the club, he hadn’t felt in quite some time. He was even hopeful enough to overlook the ominous signs like accidentally knocking a can of soda onto a stack of flyers and Rex being thirty minutes late because of a wreck on the highway.

  The weight of the day they were up against didn’t sink in until they began walking through Main Street taping flyers to poles and entering some of the smaller businesses to talk with the owners.

  Jesus Suarez, the owner of The Cantina, desperately wanted to let them leave flyers in his store, but he’d already had to turn down a few other people looking to do things in the past, and it wouldn’t be fair to make exceptions.

  And when they tried handing them out to a group of men entering the Activity Center to work out, they’d been laughed at—as well as threatened after Rex balled up a flyer and threw it at the back of one of their heads. The only thing preventing them from an altercation was Jordan dragging Rex away by the collar.

  He tried to keep his spirits high, but victories were far and few between. Jeanie Brown at the You Had to be Hair beauty salon allowed them to leave a few flyers inside, and the nannies taking their kids for walks graciously accepted a few, but those instances only seemed to be hopeful needles in disheartening haystacks.

  When they stopped for a quick hotdog from a street vendor, Rex looked at Jordan like a puppy caught digging through a garbage bag. “Look,” he started.

  “It’s not your fault,” Jordan said, sighing heavily. “Today’s probably just not a good day. We maybe should’ve tried Saturday or something. People might be in a better mood then.”

  “I’m willing to go out as many days as we need.”

  “Maybe we could try a newsletter, too? I’ve heard those help,” Jordan suggested.

  “That might work. Might not get the younger crowd who don’t even read their emails, but it could work.”

  Jordan collapsed onto one of the wooden benches nearby and tried not to let his mood sour too much. None of this was either of their faults, but he couldn’t help the bitterness. Rex had gotten his hopes up with how confidently he spoke. He was willing to wager that if the man cleaned up his look a little bit, he could be quite the convincing politician.

  Rex took a seat beside him, popped the last of his hotdog into his mouth, and said, “Hey, it’s not over until we say it’s over. And it’s not over yet, got it? I don’t care if I have to pose naked in a calendar or something. We’ll get more butts in seats.”

  Jordan eyed the man, halfway considering his idea. “Maybe that’s not the worst idea you’ve had…”

  “You just want to see me naked.”

  “Something tells me you wouldn’t mind it one bit. Anyway, you’re right. It’s not over.”

  The rumble of thunder overhead startled Jordan, nearly causing him to drop his food. His heart sank as he brought out his phone to check the weather. Despite the forecast telling him there was a light chance of rain, when he turned his head upward to the sky, he could see gray clouds rolling in.

  “Maybe it is over,” Rex snorted, shaking his head.

  “We should go before we get rained on. I knew we should’ve taken my car instead of walking. So much for enjoying the beautiful day.” Jordan made quick work of the rest of his hotdog before he and Rex hustled down Main Street the way they came. It didn’t matter how quickly they moved, however, because halfway back, the shower began.

  Thunder boomed louder than before, and the frigid rain left Jordan chattering his teeth. The stack of flyers in their hands did little to shield them from the torrent of precipitation. Jordan sped up ahead, leading the way back to his house. Thinking quick on his feet, he took a shortcut. The less time they spent in the drenching rain, the better.

  Jordan slammed the front door shut behind Rex, hugging himself to keep warm.

  “Holy shit,” Rex said. He examined the glob of papers in his hands. There was no hope for them. “Sweet Rose, you’re one cruel piece of work. Hey, you okay?” Jordan stood with his arms around his chest, silent as a mouse. “It’s not that big of a deal, Jordan.”

  “It’s not,” he murmured. “We’ll take a rain check on handing out flyers.”

  Rex cringed at the terrible pun, but that only made Jordan laugh harder. With the day they’d had, laughing released all the built-up
tension in his body. He finally unclenched his jaw and relaxed his shoulders, simply letting go and laughing until he felt like he just might be losing it.

  “You have issues,” Rex said, failing to keep from cracking a smile.

  “I need tissues to dry off. Get it? Issues and tissues?” He fell into another fit of laughter, and this time, Rex was unable to hold back as well. He took the stack of papers from Jordan, added it to his own, and tossed them in the garbage.

  Jordan watched him, stifling the last bits of laughter fluttering in his stomach. He immediately went quiet as Rex began pulling his jacket from his shoulders, exposing the sleeve of tattoos covering his right arm. A faint dew of water glistened on his biceps, and Jordan practically swallowed his tongue as his eyes roamed the man’s body.

  Rex then pulled his shirt over his head.

  “W-what are you doing?” Jordan asked, his throat drier than anything either of them currently had on.

  “You mind if I take a shower? Smelling like wet dog isn’t my thing, funny enough.”

  “Oh. Yeah. You can use the shower upstairs if you’d like. I’ll…I’ll see if I have anything you can wear.”

  Making his escape, Jordan bounded up the stairs and rifled through his closet, settling on a pair of gray sweats and an oversized t-shirt he knew would both fit. Jordan even found a spare cloth the man could use as a washrag. He turned around to find Rex standing in the doorframe, clad in only a pair of red boxer briefs that left little to the imagination. Weak to his desire, Jordan’s eyes followed the line leading down the side of Rex’s thigh.

  “Is this the bathroom?” Rex asked, gesturing to the door beside his bed.

  “Yeah. Here. These are for you.” Their hands brushed as Jordan gave him the clothes, and before he could get away, Rex caught his wrist.

  “You should probably get cleaned up, too. Don’t want you catching a cold.”

  “That’s the only bathroom with a shower.”

  Rex’s expression didn’t change. “Like I said.” He headed to the bathroom and left the door open just a crack. A moment later, Jordan heard the shower start.

  What the hell was he supposed to do now? Just sit here and wait for Rex to finish? Or did Rex mean what he thought he meant?

  This was out of Jordan’s comfort zone, and a big part of him just wanted to sit downstairs until it was all over. He wasn’t built for this kind of thing. Sure, maybe he did read at least three books a week where this exact situation would lead to a romp in bed, and sure, maybe he did hold those books close and fantasize about what it would be like in real life.

  But this wasn’t a damn book, and he knew that if he did this, there’d probably be no going back. That fear kept him frozen in place, shivering in his soaked clothes as the sound of Rex humming called out to him.

  This could very easily destroy everything they had. It had been long—far too long—since he’d done anything like this. What if romance was a skill he’d stopped using, and now he could never pick it back up? What if he was so terrible at it that Rex cut it short and asked to finish his shower alone?

  He couldn’t lie to himself.

  He wanted this. More than he’d wanted anything in a long time. More than he thought it possible. And here the perfect, shining opportunity was. All he’d have to do was push past that threshold and step into the shower with Rex.

  Fuck it.

  Fuck it!

  Jordan made quick work of his clothes, pulling his t-shirt off and dropping it in the hamper by his closet. His pants followed soon after that, and by the time he got to the door, he wore only a pair of damp plaid boxers. He swallowed hard, counted from ten, and entered the bathroom.

  As expected, Rex looked up at him, that cocky half-smirk tugging at his lips. “I was wondering when you were gonna show. Started to get a little lonely in here.” Rex reached forward and slid the door to the shower open. Suds of soap raced down his slick chest and around the bush of hair just above his dick.

  Refusing to give himself the opportunity to shy away, Jordan stepped out of his own underwear, naked as the day he’d been born, and joined Rex under the hot spray of water. Like their kiss, he was initially uneasy, unsure whether they were actually just washing up or something much more. He was abruptly clued in when Rex pressed behind him, reaching around to grab the green rag hanging from the faucet.

  He lathered it up with body wash before dragging it over Jordan’s shoulders and down his back. Jordan stood still, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the perfect amount of pressure Rex used on his body. He worked his fingers into Jordan’s muscles, both cleaning and massaging him. The motion elicited a moan from Jordan, and Rex chuckled deep and low.

  “Turn around for me,” Rex murmured in his ear, and following instruction, Jordan carefully spun around. Rex got to work once more, rubbing him down. He stepped close and worked the rag in circles over Jordan’s chest, trailing down to his crotch. Without hesitation, he continued his massage, causing Jordan to stir.

  Rex stepped even closer, closing the gap between them, and wrapped his hand around Jordan’s erection. Another moan spilled from his lips, and he felt himself tense until the man began stroking, twisting his wrist as he reached the sensitive tip. Rex lowered his lips to the thudding pulse in Jordan’s neck, where he licked greedily.

  Hypersensitive in this area, it practically shattered Jordan the moment he touched him. He groaned deep from his throat, slipping an arm around Rex’s lower back. “Yes,” he managed to whisper.

  Rex’s speed increased, pumping Jordan with more haste and constriction. His licks turned to kisses, and when he trailed up to Jordan’s mouth, he let his tongue make a reappearance. Dominating the kiss, Rex worked his tongue against the other’s, hot and slick as his fist continued to send shivers running through Jordan’s entire body.

  The younger man whimpered, overwhelmed from the stimulation, and his arm tightened around Rex. He could feel it, the hot sparkle of his oncoming orgasm. It warmed him from the pads of his toes to the hair on his head, and Jordan struggled to remain still, his impulse to chase that feeling until the pleasure finally erupted. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for it to hit him.

  Rex pumped him hard, wordlessly demanding him to come for him. Jordan obeyed with little resistance. His head fell back, and his body shuddered, and a moan climbed its way from the deepest part of him, echoing off the walls of the enclosed shower. When he came down from the high, he took Rex’s face in both hands, kissing him hard.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d kissed someone like this, both grateful for the satisfaction yet hungry for more, unwilling to let him get away for more than a minute. Rex seemed to have no qualms with his fervor, either. He tugged Jordan closer, chest to chest, and said,

  “I want this.” His hand slipped from Jordan’s upper back to the curve of his ass. “You gonna let me have it, JJ?”

  Jordan nodded more eagerly than he might have had he not just been overcome with pleasure only moments before. As it were, he couldn’t practice any bit of restraint, peppering Rex’s shoulders and neck with kisses.

  “Get ready for me,” Rex said, finally untangling himself from Jordan. He grabbed a towel from the rack and threw one last look over his shoulder before he returned to the bedroom. Once he was dry, he rolled onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as he waited for Jordan to get prepared. He’d long since learned that it could take some time, but he wasn’t in any hurry. Well, most of him wasn’t. The incessant throbbing between his legs seemed to have a mind of its own, telling him that if it didn’t get some attention soon, there would be consequences. Maybe even dire ones.

  Rex didn’t have to wait long. Fifteen minutes later, he heard the water cut off, and a few moments after that, the door opened. Jordan somehow looked even better naked, his curly hair damp from the shower and the smell of cedarwood spilling off of him. He stopped at the end table beside the bed and pulled a condom from the tiny box inside. With that and a bottle of lubricant in his hands, h
e crawled across the bed.

  Unable to wait any longer, Rex practically jumped into action, rolling Jordan onto his back, an act that drew out a laugh from him. He parted his legs and crawled between them, folding himself over Jordan to kiss him deeply.

  Rex paused their kiss only to bring his fingers to his lips, wetting them carefully before they disappeared between their bodies. A moment later, Jordan felt the pressure against him, gently prodding him open. He took in a slow breath before he allowed himself to relax enough for Rex’s fingertips to slide inside.

  The feeling stung just a little at first, but Rex seemed aware of it because he offset the pain with more kisses, nipping and tugging at his bottom lip as their mouths worked against one another. Jordan’s eyes fluttered closed, and his pulse spiked when Rex inched deeper inside of him.

  “Let me in,” Rex whispered, his voice sending shivers down Jordan’s spine.

  He wordlessly obeyed, back arched and hips rolling to take more.

  The two men continued this for perhaps longer than necessary, Rex’s fingers plunging into Jordan with varying speeds, curled upwards to stroke the sensitive nerves deep inside of him. Jordan held Rex close, moaning into his mouth as his relentless strokes sent waves of euphoria through him. It was strong enough that when Rex finally pulled free, Jordan’s face fell.

  “Don’t worry,” Rex murmured against his lips. “I’m not done with you yet.”

  Rex sat back on his haunches and reached for the small foil square, tearing it with his teeth. He slipped his condom on easily and applied a generous amount of lubrication around his length, spreading the rest over Jordan. There was something to be said about the way Jordan seemed to settle completely in bed, watching Rex as he lined himself up. Rex had seen the look of terror cross his face at the mere suggestion of bathing together, yet here he was, watching intensely without a hint of unease.

  Rex pressed inside of him slow, watching the head of himself disappear beyond the impossibly tight ring of muscle. A wonderful little shudder ran through him, making his knees weak and his stomach flutter, but he persisted, sliding deeper into Jordan.