His eyes drift to the ceiling in thought. “I can’t think of anything right now, but I’ll let you know if something comes up.”
“Really? You can’t think of one thing you don’t want to try?”
“Not right now,” he says very casually before taking another drink of beer.
I swallow, absorbing that.
“I’d also really like it if we could try to keep things as normal as possible in the gym.”
“Oh.” Marcello pushes his backside off the counter he was leaning against. “Don’t worry about that. I won’t be expecting kisses in between sets or a cheeky hand job in the shower.”
That blush returns.For fuck’s sake.“That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh?”
I look down at the floor. Itisvery clean. “I was referring more to us staying… friends. I guess that’s the number one rule I want us to have. We do what we can to stay friends, no matter what we’re doing… in my bedroom.”
Marcello’s eyes brighten again. “Are we going to do it in your bedroom?”
“Where else would we do… it?”
“I don’t know. Queer sex is a complete mystery to me.”
I put down my bottle of beer. “You know, it’s not that different to not-queer sex.”
“It’s not?”
“Not really. It’s just two, or maybe more, I guess, people having fun with each other’s bodies. In bedrooms, or elsewhere. It’s about giving and receiving pleasure. It’s about touching and feeling and…” I drift off when I notice Marcello is inching closer to me. Each small step he takes seems to make him loom taller above me and my head tilts up to keep track of him.
“Keep going,” he prompts, looking down at me with those warm brown eyes of his that are slightly hooded now.
“No, that’s pretty much what I wanted to say.” I swallow again and feel my Adam’s apple move. “And that I don’t want it to ruin our friendship. I like training with you. I hope you feel the same?”
Marcello nods and his eyes widen. “Absolutely. And it won’t change things. It’s not like we’re dating. It’s just sex. It may not be my best quality, but I am pretty good at keeping sex separate from feelings and will always try to make sure things don’t get awkward between us at the gym.”
I ignore the ache in my gut at hearing this. “I can do that too,” I say, truthfully. Because I have in the past. It just remains to be seen if I can do it with Marcello.
“Okay, so going back to the rules,” he says, eyes still fixed on me. “Can we kiss?”
“Err, yes, I guess,” I mumble because apparently words are too difficult for me when I’m so surprised, and suddenly really turned on.
That pulls him back ever so slightly. “Do you want me to kiss you? Or would you rather I didn’t?”
Kissing. I honestly hadn’t thought much about kissing. I’d thought extensively about fucking and sucking and licking and jerking, but I hadn’t thought much about kissing. I definitely hadn’t imagined that Marcello would want to kiss me, but as I watch his gaze dip down to my lips, I start to think that maybe he really does want to kiss me.
Do I want to kiss Marcello?
I look at his lips. They’re rose pink and big – not full or plump but just not small – and I know only too well how wide they stretch to accommodate his dazzling smiles
Yes. Fuck yes, I want to kiss Marcello.
“We can kiss,” I say, and I’m impressed with how relaxed I sound, how successfully I have disguised my desire.
“Okay.” Marcello gives me another one of his half-shrugs and then he leans forward, his mouth coming straight at mine.
“Wait!” I put my hands up on his chest and stop him before we make contact.
“What?”
