Keeping my eyes on the screen, I stared unseeing until he walked over and stood in front of me. I looked up into the molten chocolate eyes of the man I wanted to throttle. Then fuck. Then throttle again.
“I thought I told you not to wait up,” he said softly as he gazed down at me.
“I didn’t. Just couldn’t sleep.”
Brent nodded, then turned to look at the game on the TV. “Who’s winning?”
“No fucking idea,” I grunted, shifting my eyes back to the game.
I was terrible at concealing my feelings from him. He’d have to be deaf to miss the tone in my voice, and I had zero justification to act like I did. But all it did was make him smile around pursed lips.
“Aren’t you going to ask me how my night went?”
I glanced back up and narrowed my eyes at him. “Why the fuck would I do that?”
“Because you’re obviously not happy that I left. ” He sat down on the edge of the sofa by my hip. The spot where our bodies touched was like a valve release, allowing my anger to slip away.
Brent turned his head to look back at me as I stared at his handsome profile. When our eyes met again, I wanted to grab him and hold him close. I could see doubt in his eyes, and I knew he wouldn’t let me in. “For the life of me, I can’t figure out why you’d care John. You turned down my offer.”
He was right. I had. “Did you go to get back at me?”
He shrugged, but kept his eyes on me. “Possibly. Or maybe I just needed to get my head on straight.”
My hand went to his back and under his shirt. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t keep my hands off him. And from the way he leaned back into my touch, he needed it as much as I did.
“I want to change my answer,” I said, shifting to my side. My dick was hard from his proximity and the cologne he wore. As I pressed my cock forward against his hipbone, he shivered when I ran my hand over his skin.
“You sure about that?” Brent stared at me, waiting for my reply.
“Yes. But there will be no one else for either of us. Exclusive fuck buddies.”
He looked at me and smiled. “I’ll think about it and let you know.”
And with that, he got up and walked into his room, closing the door behind him.
I stayed on the sofa, considering my options. It all boiled down to two things. I could try to make him jealous, like he’d done me, and hope he realized he wanted me after I told him our truth.
Or I could be his exclusive lover and make him fall in love with me. It was as obvious as the nose on my face that he was attracted to me, just like I was him.
So there was only one option. I’d have my cake and eat it too, and hope it didn’t backfire on me.
The next day was filled with EHM business. Brent and I didn’t talk about the night before, but went on as if it hadn’t happened.
I couldn’t decide what he was thinking, but by the end of the day, I was ready to relax.
“Let’s go out to dinner. I’m craving a burger.”
Brent nodded. “Alejandro’s?”
“Perfect,” I replied as my stomach growled. “But I need to shower first.”
A wicked grin took over his face. “The green bottle is Dare’s favorite. Might want to use the gray one.”
I huffed, wondering what he’d done to the gray bottle. When I stayed at Jesse’s apartment, he’d told me about the pranks they used to play on each other when they were in the service. And if Brent was telling me to use the gray bottle, then I was surely going to use the green one.
Turning on the water, I stripped out of my workout clothes and stepped under the spray. Reaching for the bottle, I popped the lid and smelled the contents. It was some high-end brand that did double duty as both shampoo and body wash.
Pouring out the silky blend into my hand, I washed my hair and body, enjoying the fragrance and the way it made my body feel.
