“That you’re the kind of guy who kisses on the first date?”
Nick scratched at his scalp. He’d buzzed his hair before coming over, and the short stubble tickled at his fingertips. “That I was more into the date than I actually was.”
Oliver’s confident expression flickered. “Oh.”
“I mean—” Nick struggled to explain it. “I had a nice time. And you—You’re—If nothing else, you’re a really good kisser. But I have a lot going on in my personal life. It might not be the best time for me to get involved with someone. It’s all a bit complicated, and it didn’t seem fair to get too caught up in what we were doing.”
“Complicated?” Oliver set his glass down on the coffee table.
“Yeah.” Nick didn’t want to talk about it. Despite it all, he still wanted Oliver to like him.
“What if we made it uncomplicated?”
“What do you mean?”
Oliver smiled and ran a hand over his hair. He undid the bun, then tied it back up again.
“I mean, what if this wasn’t about a relationship? You’re busy, I get that. I’m busy too. I’m trying to get a business off the ground, and the next few months over the summer are going to be critical. So, what if this wasn’t about dates and getting to know each other? What if this wasn’t about me meeting your friends and you meeting mine and all the things that go with it?”
Nick’s heart stuttered. “You’re talking about sex.”
Oliver cocked his head to one side and looked Nick up and down. “I am.” He leaned in and hesitated like he was waiting for Nick to say something else. When he didn’t, he pressed his lips to Nick’s. His mouth was soft.
Like that night after dinner, it could have been a simple kiss ending almost as quickly as it began. Except, the second Oliver’s skin brushed against his, something caught fire. One second Nick was a sane, rational person, and the next he had Oliver’s T-shirt caught in his fist, pulling the other man toward him while his tongue slid along the seam of Oliver’s lips.
Oliver growled, coming to his knees and opening his mouth to let Nick inside. The air warmed between them as blood rushed in Nick’s ears and started to collect lower. His reaction was as instinctual as breathing.
They were half on top of each other, with Nick’s hands in Oliver’s hair and one of Oliver’s knees planted between Nick’s thighs, when Oliver finally broke away.
“What? Why did you stop?” Nick asked.
Oliver grinned. His hair had come loose at the sides, and his lips were swollen, and when he smiled again, Nick had to grab the glass on the table and swallow the rest of his water to keep from leaping across the couch and pouncing on top of him.
“I have a proposal,” Oliver said.
Nick chuckled as he set his glass down. “I’m all ears.”
* * *
Oliver had to restrain himself. The attraction present between them the other night was still there, louder and even more demanding now that they had four walls and a door separating them from the rest of the world.
If only Nick understood the kind of effect he had on Oliver. That superpower would bring nations to their knees.
“What I’m proposing is uncomplicated. Neither of us has time to make a big deal out of this. I’m suggesting we take our personal lives out of the equation. Let’s scratch this itch between us. That’s it. No personal drama. No commitment. It lasts as long as it’s convenient and it feels good. That’s all.”
Nick brought his hands behind his head and leaned back against the couch with a heavy sigh. It might have been an innocent thing, but it only succeeded in showing off the width and length of his body. Oliver wanted to skip the rest of his prepared speech and touch every inch of it.
“Just sex,” Nick said, dark eyes focused like lasers on Oliver’s face.
“That’s all. We agree to that upfront and stick to it, no matter what.”
Nick rolled his head along the back of the couch. His eyes—Oliver didn’t think he’d ever get enough of Nick’s eyes—were still so dark they were black, and the color was high on his face. Even if he said no to the larger proposal, Oliver hoped he’d agree to screw around a bit more today. Letting him go without getting to feel his body on Oliver’s one more time seemed impossible.
“Okay.”
Oliver blinked, caught off guard. It couldn’t be that simple? “Okay?”
“Sure. What’s the worst that could happen? We mess around for a few weeks and one of us gets our heart broken.”
