Chapter 13
The wall was finished and Harrison still hadn’t asked him out on a date. Jeremy didn’t know what to make of that. Except maybe Harrison didn’t want to ask him out anymore.
He ran his gaze over the wall. Every quote they’d chosen that first night was up there, the font of each specific to the words. Harrison had added dozens of tiny details. A tiny blue box here, the jagged edge of a lightning bolt there. A plethora of hidden messages only fans who belonged to the different fandoms would be able to decipher. “It’s a masterpiece,” he said, satisfaction humming through his veins. “I love it, Harrison.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Harrison didn’t look up as he replied. The man had hardly said a word all night. Jeremy told himself it was because Harrison was concentrating on putting the finishing touches on the wall. But those touches were done now, and the awkward silence had yet to lift.
Folding up the final drop cloth, Jeremy watched Harrison pack up the last of his equipment. Maybe he was waiting until he had everything put away and the job was officially complete. Then, he’d make a crack about no longer being under Jeremy’s employ, so now he could hit on the boss. As the boss in question, Jeremy most definitely wanted to be hit on. But more than that, he wanted to go on a real date, damn it. Harrison had said he would ask him out if he was back on the market, and Jeremy had said he was back on the market. Well, maybe he hadn’t used those exact words but… it had been close enough. Hadn’t it?
Oh, shit. What if Harrison believedhedidn’t want the date?
“I’m going to lug this stuff out to the car,” Harrison said as he slung a bag over each shoulder. “Then, I’ll come back for the rest.”
Jeremy rushed forward to grab the box Harrison was bending over to retrieve. “Let me help.” They reached for it at the same time and ended up lifting it together. Harrison’s fingers were covering his when they straightened and the simple touch went straight to Jeremy’s cock. He would have stepped forward until their bodies were pressed together, but the box had become an unwelcome obstacle between them. Instead, Jeremy had to settle for catching Harrison’s gaze and holding on tight.Ask me. Ask me. Ask me.
Harrison let go, dropping his hands to his sides. “Thanks,” he said with a curt nod before he turned and headed for the door.
With a reluctant sigh, Jeremy followed.
The car was parked right in front of the store and they made quick work of loading the bags and box into the boot. “Do you need a ride home?” Harrison asked as he closed the lid.
“No.” Jeremy shook his head. “I was running late this morning, so I drove in. But thanks anyway.”
There was a beat of heavy staring before Harrison stepped past him and back up onto the footpath. “Do you have any plans for the weekend?”
Jeremy’s heart rate spiked at the question. “I’ll be here at the store tomorrow until four, but after that I have the rest of the weekend to myself.” They wandered back into the store so Harrison could collect the last of his belongings.
When Harrison failed to say more, Jeremy decided he’d rather risk rejection than watch Harrison walk out the door and forever wonder if he could have done something to stop it. “You see, there’s this guy,” he said in an offhand way, “and I’m hoping he’ll ask me out on a date now I’mback on the market,” he emphasised the last words, so as to be crystal clear. “He’s um, he’s a total stud.” Harrison glanced up at his joke, but he didn’t smile.
Disappointment flooded Jeremy’s body. Dropping his gaze to the floor, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “But I told him some stuff that didn’t paint me in the best light so… as it turns out, I may not be the kind of man he’s looking for.” If being with Aaron hadn’t emasculated him enough, the possibility Harrison might see him differently because of it threatened to finish the job.
“What are you talking about?” There was a sharp ring of disbelief in Harrison’s voice and then he was there, drawing Jeremy into a kiss. It was nothing more than a press of lips, almost chaste, but it held a vast longing that tugged at Jeremy’s insides. Harrison’s forehead pressed against his when he spoke again. “I want to be that man who asks you out, more than anything.”
“Then, what are you waiting for?” Gripping onto the sides of Harrison’s shirt, Jeremy pulled him closer.
Wariness filled Harrison’s eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
Jeremy frowned in confusion. He was practically tearing Harrison’s shirt off in anticipation and Harrison thought him ambivalent? “Perhaps you haven’t been getting enough sleep,” he teased, “because you don’t seem to be doing a very good job of reading my emotions right now.” He pushed Harrison backward until his path was blocked by a tall set of shelves. “Maybe I should be more obvious.” He yanked Harrison’s shirt up out of his pants and slipped his hands underneath.
“It’s just that I understand your decision to be careful who you get involved with after what you went through with your ex.” Harrison gasped as Jeremy’s hands flattened out around his ribcage, but he didn’t stop talking. “You’re trying to learn from your mistakes and I have a lot of respect for that.”
“That’s sweet.” Jeremy bent down to run the tip of his tongue over Harrison’s left nipple before he straightened. “I respect you, too.” He snaked one hand between them to cup Harrison’s hardening erection. “All of you.”
“I mean it, Jeremy.” Harrison’s fingers gripped onto the hand that had been about to find its way into his pants. “I don’t want to mess things up for you, more than I already have.”
“But I’m glad you messed it up.” Jeremy kissed a path along Harrison’s jaw before pulling back to look into his eyes. “I don’t want to hide anymore, shutting myself off from the world and pretending it’s good for me.” The way Harrison’s eyes locked onto his told him some part of what he said had gotten through.
“I don’t want to hide either,” Harrison murmured. “Not from you.”
“We’re in agreement then.” Licking his lips, Jeremy leaned in to brush them against Harrison’s. The other man’s eyes closed on a sigh and Jeremy could see his resistance giving way. “You still make me feel good, Harrison,” he whispered, their mouths never truly parting. “And I want more of us.”
Warm arms wrapped around him as Harrison drew him into an embrace. He buried his face in the curve of Jeremy’s neck for a long moment, inhaling deeply, before he drew back. “In that case,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, “I would like to invite you over to my place for dinner tomorrow night. What do you say?”
Smiling, Jeremy held on tighter as he replied, “I think you have yourself a date.”
