“I went camping and forgot my tent and sleeping bag. You think I remembered a towel?” I grab a white sleeveless tee and some black shorts from my bag.
I hear Brad sigh deeply. The sound of it making me laugh as I dig around for a joint I know I had one pre-rolled somewhere in here.
“Noah, you’ve got to be more prepared,” he mutters.
My hand grasps onto a little bottle, and a tiny surge goes through my whole body. Oh shit, I forgot I had that in here.
I unzip the tent and see Brad fixing me a sandwich while nibbling on one of his own. Sliced turkey, cheese and mayo on a brioche bun. My mouth waters. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I’m starving and that’s exactly what I want. Okay, maybe not theonlything I want.
“Who said I wasn’t prepared?” I smirk, shaking the bottle of lube in my hand.
“What the hell, Noah?! Why do you have that?” He coughs, trying not to choke on the bite he has in his mouth. My stomach flips at the way Brad nervously looks around as if there’s someone out here to catch us.
I shrug, looking pleased at it in my hand. “Well, you see, a wise man once told me,‘you’ve got to be more prepared,’”I say, mocking his tone.
He huffs out a laugh and stalks over, a towel slung over his shoulder. Lifting the finished sandwich, he nudges it toward my face.
“Here, eat,” he orders.
My body moves on instinct, leaning forward to bite into the soft bread. His brows rise, clearly shocked that I chose to eat straight from his hand.
“What?” I murmur around the bite, a slow smile tugging at my lips. “I like it when you feed me.”
His eyes study my face like he still doesn’t know what to do with me. Maybe I’m the biggest test he’s ever faced.
And judging by the way he steps closer, close enough to let me steal another bite straight from his hand, I’d say he’s enjoying every second of it.
Even if it scares him.
I can’t tear my eyes away from how his Adam's apple drops in his throat. His obvious attraction to me lights a fire inside the pits of my stomach.
I feel a crumb fall on the corner of my lip, and instead of wiping it off with his hand like I expect, Brad crouches down until we’re eye level.Holding my breath, our gazes flicker between each other’s eyes, neither of us quite sure what comes next.
I can see it on his face—the hesitation, the question of what he’s doing. I know it because I’m feeling the same way. Then, after a beat, he leans in and presses a kiss to the edge of my mouth.
It’s…soft.Slower than in the water.
The warm sensation hits me so unexpectedly my eyes don’t even close. And when he pulls back, I catch the same uncertainty in his expression. The same questions are still hanging between us.
Was the hookup at the water just some fluke? Is this just a weekend thing?
If that’s the case, then why does this feel so—
Brad lets out a harsh cough, waking me up out of my head. Standing quickly, he hands me the rest of the sandwich before walking off.
My eyebrows pinch. “Hey! Where are you going without me?” I call out, scrambling for my things.
“Shower,” he answers.
I hop to my feet, finishing off the rest of my sandwich.
“I don’t have a towel!” I run after him, nonetheless.
***
Brad made quick work getting to the showers. I definitely got a cramp from eating and basicallysprintingafter him.
My guess is, I think he’s running away from himself.
