Carter blinked, staring at John in shock. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but it wasn’t this. John pushed past him down the stairs, not looking back as he made his way into the playroom. Cory, on the other hand, shot him a downright nasty look over his shoulder.
Carter stared after them, confused. John wasn’t supposed toleave. There had been no plan or active thought behind Carter’s actions, but on some level he’d thought that John would be charmed. That he’d like that Carter didn’t want to see him with someone else.
He wasn’t supposed to tell him to fuck off.
Carter made his way up the stairs and went to the bar, sitting down and wondering why he was such a mess. He finally had a solution to all his problems and he was acting like a lunatic.
He needed to get a grip.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked. Carter ordered a sparkling water out of habit, but he didn’t touch it after the bartender set it down on front of him.
Carter sat at the bar for about an hour, watching as the ice in his glass melted and the bubbles stopped fizzling. No one approached him, which was unusual. He must have been giving off some seriousback offvibes.
He smelled John before he saw him, his balls tightening in arousal at the heady scent. He was sure John hadn’t smelled this good before. He would have remembered.
“So what was that about?” John asked, sitting down at the bar next to him. When the bartender came over he ordered a beer, and Carter waited until the man had poured the drink and walked away before answering.
The pause gave him some time to think of what he should say.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been the jealous type before.” Carter looked at John. “I’m sorry if I made your friend uncomfortable.”
“You mademeuncomfortable,” John said, frowning. He sipped his beer and looked at Carter over the rim of his glass. Carter wondered what he saw, because the next thing he asked was, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Carter lied. “There’s just this thing I’m waiting for, and it’s driving me a little crazy.”
“What kind of thing?” John asked. Carter hesitated, not really wanting John to know about the spell Yolanda was casting for him, but before he could say anything John shook his head. “Never mind. If it’s not something you want to tell me, you don’t have to.”
“Sorry,” Carter said.
“It’s fine,” John said, leaning his elbows on the bar and cradling his beer in both hands. He only had to lift his glass up slightly to take a drink, and Carter couldn’t stop staring at the long line of his back and the way his butt filled out his tight jeans. After a week of not even jerking off, he was suddenly hard.
“What happened to Cory?” Carter tried to keep the question casual, but from the side-eye John gave him he wasn’t successful.
“He hooked up with a guy, and they decided to go back to his place. He offered to stay with me, but the dude was hot so I told him to go for it.”
“Hotter than you?” Carter asked, confused. Why would Cory hit on someone less when John was right there?
“If you’re into twinks, sure.” John tilted his head and smirked. “Did you think Cory was here with me? I told you he was my friend, didn’t I?”
“I guess I didn’t really think it through,” Carter said. He had never felt this off kilter before. Usually he was smooth and in control, and the men he pursued fell into his bed like it had its own gravitational pull. With John he was simultaneously trying to keep his distance and trying to get the boy back on his cock, and it was throwing him off his game.
“I’m sorry I didn’t text you back,” he said, his mouth dry. His hand was itching to run down John’s back—to slide down to the fleshy cheek of his ass and grab it—but he resisted the impulse.
He should be walking away. He should apologize to John a second time and then turn right out the door, leaving him and Club Thorn forever, but he couldn’t get his body to move. It didn’t want to. It was like every part of him wanted to stay right there with John. Even if it was just to be next to him.
“It’s fine. You did say that you didn’t want anything serious. I wasn’t expecting us to ride into the sunset or anything.” John’s tone was light, and he didn’t seem particularly upset.
Maybe Carter didn’t have to worry? If John was able to keep things casual, then maybe Carter could just… go with it? After all, once Yolanda performed the spell his feelings for John would be transferred to Elijah.
Was it possible he was making things more difficult than they had to be? If neither he nor John would end up hurt, then why shouldn’t he spend the last months before the spell with John.
“I’m still not looking for anything serious,” Carter said, speaking carefully. He didn’t want to make any false promises. “But if you want to fool around some more, I would be up for that.”
John looked at him, a small smile lifting the corner of his lip. “Yeah?”
“If you want.”
Carter almost couldn’t breathe with how much he wanted John to take him up on his offer. His palms were sweating, so he laid them flat on his thighs to rub off some of the moisture.
