Out of this World (Browerton University Book 5)

by A. J. Truman

  “Hey!” Rafe said loudly. He put an arm around Eamonn pulled him close. “I can’t wait for the show to start.”

  “Should be any minute.” Eamonn gazed into his eyes and erased most of his worry. But it was like hand sanitizer. It might kill 99.9% of germs, but you still had to watch out for that pesky 0.1%.

  “I need a drink.” Nathan left for the bar. Rafe didn’t see him for the rest of the concert.

  * * *

  “Aaaaand it’s officially no longer your birthday.” Rafe watched 11:59 turn to midnight on his phone. The band played their final encore and left the stage. The flatmates retreated to the bar for a final round of birthday shots.

  Eamonn took his shot and the other three followed.

  “Thanks for a great day,” Eamonn whispered into his ear.

  The night wasn’t over for him. There was still one final round of birthday sex. They left Old Ticket Hall and ordered an Uber since the trains had stopped running. Everything went off without a hitch.

  Which meant that something inevitably had to go wrong. It was the physics of Murphy’s Law.

  And that something wrong was Nathan, drunk beyond belief. He stumbled around outside the venue smoking a cigarette arguing with the bouncer. Rafe could’ve told him from experience that arguing with the bouncer never worked out.

  “I’m fine, you fucking cunt!” Nathan yelled at the bouncer. “This is a bar. What the fuck was I supposed to do? Drink chocolate milk?”

  “Oh boy,” Louisa said. She, Heath, and Eamonn shared a look of familiarity.

  Nathan tripped backwards into a couple leaving, making the woman drop her purse.

  “Oy. Say you’re sorry,” the boyfriend said.

  Nathan grabbed his junk. “There’s my apology.”

  Rafe couldn’t believe this was the same guy who sounded so posh, even when he insulted you.

  “What’s your problem?” The boyfriend launched at Nathan and was ready to pounce, if not for Eamonn intervening.

  “Oy!” Eamonn kept them separated. He pulled Nathan away.

  “That wanker started it!” Nathan yelled for everyone to hear. Naturally, people stopped and stared.

  “I’ve never met you, mate.” The guy said.

  “Fuck you!” Nathan tried to push past Eamonn, but he was a fortress.

  “I’m going to get him a glass of water.” Louisa scurried back inside.

  “Have a seat, mate.” Heath tried to lead him to a bench, but Nathan lurched from his grip. He stormed over to Rafe. His eyes scorched with white-hot anger.

  “You fucking Americans. You stick your nose where it doesn’t bloody belong.”

  Eamonn pushed him back. “Sit down, Nathan. I’m ordering you an Uber back to Stroude with us.” Something that resembled guilt flashed in Eamonn’s eyes for a split-second. Or maybe it was hurt. Rafe appreciated what a good guy his boyfriend was, but he couldn’t help feel a sting nonetheless.

  He stuck out his hand for Nathan’s phone.

  “You can’t,” Nathan said. “Uber banned me. My drivers gave me piss poor ratings.”

  “Of course,” Eamonn muttered to himself. “Heath, can you order an Uber? You three go together, and I’ll make sure this fucker gets back.”

  Why couldn’t Heath or Louisa go with him? Rafe was going to ask, but this was not the time. He told himself that Eamonn was doing the right thing, but Rafe couldn’t help feel like he was falling right into Nathan’s trap.

  “Bring him back to Sweeney,” Louisa said. She handed Nathan water. “I want him to stay with me to make sure he doesn’t have alcohol poisoning.”

  “I want him to fucking apologize to my girlfriend,” the guy said. The bouncer stood in front of him to prevent a potential brawl.

  “I’m sorry,” Eamonn said.

  Don’t apologize for him.

  “He’s severely wasted,” Heath said.

  “Doesn’t make what he did right,” the guy said.

  “I know. We’re taking him,” Eamonn said.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Nathan said, hand over heart. “That your girlfriend is a cunt!”

  The first Uber came, and Eamonn pushed Nathan inside before the guy could wail on him. They sped off. Rafe watched their car go off into the distance.

  Heath tapped his shoulder. Their Uber waited for him. “Off we go, mate.”

  * * *

  When they pulled up to Sweeney, they found Eamonn and Nathan waiting outside.

  “I forgot my swipe card,” Eamonn said. He stepped aside so Rafe could open the door.

  Thank you, he mouthed, his eyes full of meaning.

  “Sweeney Hall is so posh. It’s so much better than that pisspot Jones.” Nathan gave the exterior a hug.

  “Just get inside,” Eamonn said. Rafe watched the exhaustion dribble down his face. He wondered how many times Nathan had done this, caused a scene to make sure the moment belonged to him.

  “Rafe.” Eamonn pulled him back to the door. “I’m so sorry about tonight. I couldn’t leave him there to get his arse pummeled.”

  “I know. You did the right thing.” Rafe rubbed his arm.

  “Come on, you nobheads!” Nathan yelled at them at the top of his lungs. He broke into laughter. Louisa gave him the signal to turn the volume down, but Nathan wasn’t listening to anyone right now. “Are you whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears?”

  “Shut up,” Rafe said.

  “What?” Nathan yelled.

  “I said shut up.” Rafe raised his voice, and though it couldn’t compare to Nathan’s volume level, it had a steely force all its own. “Nobody wants to listen to you anymore.”

  “Mate, let’s go upstairs, get you some water.” Heath tried to direct Nathan to the elevator, but Nathan shrugged out of his grip. His eyes were heavy and focused on one person.

  “You don’t want me here? Tough bullocks. Nobody wants you here, either! You’re a placeholder, that’s all. Something fun to play with for the fall.”

  “You’re a cunt.” The word came out of Rafe’s mouth smooth as glass.

  “Rafe…” Eamonn tried to play peacemaker, but Rafe was ready for war.

  “What’d you call me?”

  “You’re a fucking cunt.”

  “You better watch what you say, Yank.” Nathan took giant steps forward and pushed Rafe. Even in his state, he still had force. “Aren’t Americans supposed to be polite?”

  Eamonn stepped into the fray. “Nathan, just go upstairs.”

  “Alright, then.” Nathan clammy palm clasped Eamonn’s hand.

  And that was the kick that knocked over the cauldron of fury, spilling all throughout Rafe.

  “Get the fuck away from my boyfriend.”

  Rafe didn’t move. He stared epic daggers at Nathan.

  “Your boyfriend? Really?” Nathan scoffed.

  Before Rafe could kick himself for such a rash declaration, Eamonn joined his side, making him feel invincible.

  “You think this is going to last?” Nathan laughed like he took lessons at the Comic Villain Academy. “He’s going to leave, E. He’s a tourist. We’re just cute exhibits to him. He doesn’t want to stay here, no matter what he tells you.” Each laugh was a dagger to Rafe’s skin, and Eamonn’s reaction hurt even more. “He’s a fucking piece of American shit.”

  Rafe marched up to Nathan. Thumb out. Knuckles at an angle. Just like he and Eamonn practiced on the pitch, Rafe socked him in the jaw.

  Nathan stumbled backward a little, like tripping on a shoelace. Rafe had good form, but unfortunately, he realized too late that he was too far away to truly connect.

  He turned to Eamonn. He couldn’t believe he just did that! He was so surprised at what he did that he couldn’t heed the warning of Eamonn’s bulging eyes.

  The downside with Eamonn’s lesson was that Eamonn never taught him to prepare for someone punching back.

  Chapter 22

  RAFE

  Rafe braced himself for another swab of the cold cloth. He
sat at the kitchen table while Louisa washed off his cut from Nathan’s sucker punch. That was a sucker punch, right? Getting attacked without looking and without warning? The pain of the impact came back to Rafe with each brush of cold water. He could feel the nerves in his cheek send signals to his brain that this motherfucker hurt.

  Eamonn filled up a bowl of more cold water at the sink. “How’s it looking?” he asked Louisa.

  “Colorful.” Louisa smoothed the washcloth across his sore cheek.

  “How’re you feeling?” she asked.

  “Sore. My head hurts.”

  “You went down. It’s a good thing Eamonn caught you or else you would’ve smacked your head against the tile.”

  Rafe flicked his eyes over to Eamonn, who seemed to be reliving that memory on a loop. He set the bowl of water on the table for Louisa.

  “You took the punch well,” Eamonn said.

  “The sucker punch,” Rafe said.

  “I’ve never seen Nathan that inebriated.” Louisa pressed the washcloth on his cheek. It soothed and stung at the same time. “Usually, he’s a flirty drunk.”

  Nathan had been taken to Louisa’s room to sleep off the alcohol. But Rafe’s flatmates were here, with him.

  “You’re smiling,” Louisa noted.

  “Thanks for doing this,” he said to both of them.

  Eamonn took washcloth duties over from Louisa. His strong hands handled it with delicacy.

  “Where’s Heath?” Rafe asked.

  “Probably asleep, the fucker,” Eamonn said.

  Louisa made him a grilled cheese on toast. She took one more look at his face. “I think it should be all right. Just some black and blues, but it doesn’t seem like you broke anything.”

  “I want to see,” Rafe said.

  Louisa and Eamonn traded a look. They hadn’t let Rafe see the damage yet, and now he was more curious than ever. Louisa got a mirror from her bathroom and held it to Rafe’s face.

  “Holy shit.” He was like Two Face from Batman. One side of him was normal Rafe; the other was red, blotchy, puffy, scarred.

  “It’ll heal,” she said. “First, black and blue. Then it’ll heal.”

  “I’m going to look so cool!”

  Louisa and Eamonn traded a surprised look.

  “I’ve never been in a fight. I’ve never thrown a punch or stood up for myself like that.” Rafe felt power infused in his hands. “I’m kind of a bad ass.”

  Eamonn pointed at Rafe. “I like your attitude.”

  Louisa got the grilled cheese on toast from the skillet and slid it onto a plate for Rafe. He saw she had another one on a separate skillet, too.

  “I’m going to bed.” She kissed Rafe’s good cheek. She took the second grilled cheese on toast and left.

  “That second sandwich is for Nathan,” Rafe said once she was gone.

  “He needs it. His stomach is a tank filled with alcohol.” Eamonn pressed the washcloth to his bruised cheek. The coolness of the water and the heat of Eamonn’s hand provided the perfect balm.

  “What is his problem? I don’t mean to be rude, but why were you guys ever friends with him? He’s a dick, and not in the fun, sarcastic way.”

  “There are many sides to Nathan.”

  “He’s not an octagon.”

  Eamonn smiled at the joke.

  Rafe shook his head. He couldn’t understand why people put up with guys like Nathan. He was the very definition of a toxic person, not worth the time of genuinely good people like Heath, Louisa, and especially Eamonn.

  “Did you like being with him?” Rafe asked. That was probably a little intrusive, but it stung more than his bruises that a good guy like Eamonn got wrapped up with Nathan, a guy who broke his heart but was still looked after.

  “Look, Nathan…he has some issues. After his mum died, his dad remarried this woman who’s just as high-maintenance as Nathan. As you can imagine, they do not get along.”

  Rafe took his parents for granted. They might’ve been overprotective, but at least they cared.

  “He told me how tough things were at home. His dad always takes his stepmother’s side. He ran away from home when he was twelve, and his dad didn’t look for him or report him missing. After five days, Nathan just went home.

  “When he told me that…I remember that night I just held him. I just wanted to make things better for him. Of course, that doesn’t completely excuse him for being a twat, or what he did to me.”

  Rafe could see it in his eyes that Eamonn still cared about Nathan, even just a little. One thread on a piece of rope that refused to snap apart. They were connected. They always would be, no matter what Eamonn felt for Rafe.

  “I don’t view you as a cute exhibit,” Rafe said. He hated giving anything Nathan said credence, but he wanted Eamonn to hear it directly from him. “At first, I had this ideal version of events in my head, that I’d find this hot British guy, or several of them, and I’d have stories to bring back to the states. But then I met you, and I stopped caring about the story.” Rafe’s chest vibrated with nerves. “I’m sorry I called you my boyfriend before. I know that…”

  “Don’t be.” Eamonn soaked the washcloth in more warm water, then returned to Rafe’s bruised face. “Are you all right with that?”

  “Yeah. It feels good.”

  “No, the boyfriend part.”

  “I am.” Rafe wasn’t sure what would happen. They were boyfriends with an expiration date, but Eamonn had burrowed his way into Rafe’s heart. What they had was more than sex. It was its own kind of adventure.

  Rafe leaned forward and kissed Eamonn softly on the lips.

  “I can hold that.” Rafe reached for the washcloth, but Eamonn wouldn’t let go. Something twinkled in his eye.

  “I know.”

  Rafe gazed into those squinty blue eyes, eyes which could read every part of him. Their lips came together again, with more heat. But Rafe pulled away.

  “Ow. Sorry.” Rafe pointed at his busted cheek.

  “Right.”

  “It kind of hurts to kiss,” Rafe admitted, and hung his head.

  “Then I’ll just have to be more creative then.” Eamonn kissed along his good cheek, then down his neck. Pleasure shot through Rafe’s face, momentarily numbing his bad cheek (though he wasn’t going to take chances). Eamonn’s scruff scratched against Rafe’s collarbone.

  Eamonn ran his fingers through Rafe’s hair as his rough lips dipped at Rafe’s sensitive skin. “Is that hurting your cheek?”

  “No.”

  “I should probably move further south, just to be safe.”

  “Just to be safe,” Rafe whispered.

  EAMONN

  Eamonn breathed in Rafe’s scent on his shirt. He motioned for Rafe to sit on the dining table so they were eye level. Eamonn had better access to his good cheek and neck. He grabbed Rafe by the hair and tugged his head back to get better access.

  He felt that familiar bulge in Rafe’s trousers. Rafe pulled Eamonn closer and locked him in between his knees.

  “Maybe we should continue this in your room,” Rafe said

  “My room doesn’t have a dining table in it.” Eamonn kissed the tip of Rafe’s bottom lip.

  “There’s a swinging door with no lock.”

  “Nobody’s coming in.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “No.” Eamonn palmed Rafe’s crotch, and Rafe had no choice but to gasp in pleasure.

  “Eamonn.”

  It was hard to keep himself in check. Rafe’s bruising was surprisingly sexy. Eamonn rubbed his firm hands down Rafe’s chest, making circles over his nipples with his thumbs, and stopping just above his tented pants. Rafe leaned in for a kiss, but a shot of pain from his cheek nixed that plan on contact.

  “It would be irresponsible as your caretaker to subject your wounded face to any potential harm,” Eamonn said. With his hand spread out on Rafe’s chest, he pushed Rafe on his back slowly. “Down you go.”

  Rafe lay prone on the dining table. Ea
monn shut off the lights. Streaks of moonlight lit the room. Rafe squirmed with a repressed moan as Eamonn unbuckled his belt. The sound of Rafe’s zipper echoed against the quiet walls. His vision darted to the swinging door.

  “No looking,” Eamonn commanded.

  “But what if someone…”

  His cock disappearing into Eamonn’s hot mouth easily shut him up. He loved how Rafe tried to stifle his moaning. It was as if because he couldn’t say anything, those moans had to come out somehow, and he writhed around on the table. They were as quiet as possible. Eamonn resisted his urge to dirty talk, which he knew Rafe couldn’t resist. The silence was a turn on in its own way. Only the sounds of sex could be heard. Eamonn took Rafe to the base and felt that salty taste of pre-come on his tongue.

  Eamonn snuck a peek at the door, just to be safe. The coast was still clear. He licked Rafe’s balls, and dragged his tongue down further to that tight hole. (Well, a little less tight thanks to him these past few weeks.) A tiny gasp escaped Rafe’s mouth when he flicked his tongue over his opening.

  He ate out Rafe while stroking his cock. He wished he could’ve seen Rafe’s face contorting, but his imagination did him well. Eamonn controlled Rafe’s whole body from this angle. His tongue circled his hole, and then came back up to take his whole cock. Eamonn couldn’t stop himself from devouring Rafe’s tight, eager frame. He bit into his inner thigh and sucked on the sweet flesh.

  “What are you doing?” Rafe gasped out.

  “Leaving you a souvenir.” Another mark from tonight. Eamonn’s thumb smoothed over the hickey he just left. A gentleman, it was in a place nobody but him would ever see.

  Eamonn pushed Rafe’s legs further back, giving him a better leverage for eating that hole. He slid two fingers inside and returned to sucking his rock-hard dick. His mind was dizzy with want and lust. He remembered he had a condom in his wallet.

  Eamonn stood up and faced Rafe. “Do you wanna…”

  He took out the condom. The wrapper crinkled in the silence.

  Rafe looked at the door, and he swore that the corners of his mouth turned up in a mischievous smile. Rafe nodded yes.

  Eamonn raced to his bedroom to get lube. In the hallway, he heard moans of sex coming from Heath’s room. You and Louisa finally made up. He felt a little bit bad that Nathan was all alone while everyone else in this flat was now having sex, but he was probably too sound asleep to notice.