“Oh, you can—” Whatever I was about to say is cut off by Oliver stroking me. It’s rough with only my precum for lubricant, but still so good. “Shit.” Maybe too good. It only takes a few more strokes before I’m on edge.
“Do you want to come like this?”
Do I want—I don’t have the brain cells available to process that question or even come up with alternatives. “Don’t stop. Please.”
“Yeah? You gonna make a mess all over me?” He rubs his thumb over my slit, pressing hard enough to make me whimper. It’s just on the right side of painful. “Show me how good you look when you come?”
Fuck. Oliver’s dirty talk sends me over the edge. Before I can even get the words out to warn him, my orgasm crashes into me. My cum sprays between us as Oliver works me through each wave, whispering in my ear about how good I did. Normally, I’d roll my eyes at that kind of praise, but the way he says it wraps me up like a warm blanket.
When I can move again, I roll off of him onto the mattress. I should get up and get a washcloth so Oliver can clean up. I should put on my clothes so I can catch a ride share home. I should do anything besides what I want to do.
Apparently, those two drinks went to my head, because instead of doing any of those things, I pull Oliver into my arms and snuggle up against him.
CHAPTER 4
AARON
“Can we… um…”God, Oliver is adorable. He’s been tracing designs over the outside of my thigh for the last fifteen minutes. I’m not even sure he knows he’s doing it with both of us basking in the quiet afterglow.
He’s exactly my type if I’m being honest. At least I think so. In reality, there’ve been very few men I’ve been attracted to over the years. Less recently, though, I blame that on a lack of social life rather than anything else. The only people I see are my work colleagues—which is a non-starter—and my friends. Not a lot of room to fall madly in love with anyone of any gender.
I groan, internally, of course, because I’m not a monster. “I’m not looking for a relationship right now.” I wasn’t looking for anything, honestly, so the fact that I ended up in bed with a gorgeous man is a minor miracle. Hopefully, he doesn’t mind me using the word gorgeous. It applies in this case, with his dark hair and tan skin. He’s got the perfect Mediterranean complexion, one that my pale Irish ass is jealous of. There’sliterally no amount of sunscreen that will keep me from burning in the summer.
“Oh, me either.” He lays a hand on my chest, and I stare at the place where we’re connected.
“Then what exactly were you doing?” I raise an eyebrow at him. “Meeting a guy from an app at a bar.” From the little I know, that particular one focuses on people looking for more than one night. Plus, from the little I’ve gleaned, Colt strikes me as a relationship guy.
“Trying to make friends.”
I snort-laugh and immediately regret it. Oliver’s face falls, and he pulls the blanket up a little further, covering more of his furry middle. I miss the sight of it immediately. “I don’t think apps are the best way to make friends.”
“Ohreally?” I’ve clearly hit on a sore topic. He pulls his hand away and uses it to prop his head up. In this position, his lithe body is on full display. He’d be a great runner, the perfect body for endurance training. “Please, be my guest and tell me where the good places are to meet friends.”
Before I can open my mouth, he stops me. “Your answer cannot include work or school. I finished my degree years ago in another city, and no amount of money would get me to go back. I work for myself, so my only coworkers are the spiders that always seem to get into my apartment.”
Shit. He’s got me there. “What about a hobby?”
“You got any good hobbies?”
Touché.“I run.”
“With other people?” From his raised eyebrow, I’m guessing he knows the answer.
“Only when I can’t avoid it.” Barrett, one of my coworkers, is the only exception. Even that’s only in short increments. And I have a hard limit of once per week.
“Harder than it sounds, isn’t it? Finding friends in your thirties? Even worse, I don’t have kids or pets to bond with people over.”
He’s got me there. I’m lucky. My best friends are three guys I met during my sophomore year of college. By some miracle, we’ve all managed to stay connected and in the same city for the last fifteen years. And while I wouldn’t consider my colleagues friends, I do see them regularly and hang out with them.
“I’ve gone out of my way to try to make new friends. I joined a knitting group, but they kicked me out for crocheting. I tried to join a book club, but they aren’t taking any new members, at least for the one that reads the kind of stuff I like. I even joined a gym.” He says the last part with such disgust that it takes everything in me not to burst into laughter. “But everyone keeps to themselves and does the workout.” He shudders like he’s remembering a horrific experience. “Even the classes, people run for the door the minute it ends.”
“Okay, I agree, it’s hard. What about friends from… Where did you move from?” If he told me the name, it fell out of my brain between beers.
“Northfield. I have a few friends there that I still chat with online, plus my siblings. Living near them was like having a built-in system of people to hang out with.”
“So why did you leave?” I couldn’t wait to get out of my hometown, especially after my parents all but disowned me. Even before that, my goal growing up had been to get out. It’s part of why I chose Cardinal Falls for school. It was far enough away that I wouldn’t constantly be running into people I grew up with. A fresh start to my life.
“I needed to be on my own. I’ve been the baby my whole life. Everyone was always checking up on me and in my business. For once, I wanted to do it by myself. Prove I wasn’t the rambunctious child they still pictured me as.”
