“Just asking. It’s been a minute since I saw the two of you. And sparks were definitely flying.”
“He had a date on Friday night.”
“What?” Jay was aghast. “That little player.”
“I was so frustrated the whole time he was gone, mainly at myself for letting him slip through my fingers. I was so tempted to find the man’s apartment and stake out the place.”
“That’s… extreme.”
“Yeah, I know. I get a little nutty about him.” Roman recalled how he’d felt like a caged animal waiting for Ezra to return home, similar to when he was on the sidelines of a football game, anticipating his turn on the field. “Then he came back early and told me he’d been thinking about me the whole time.”
“Definite progress,” Jay said.
“And he made me a list.” Roman didn’t want to violate Ezra’s trust, but he needed some advice.
“What kind of list?”
“Of the things he wants to try. Sex stuff.”
“Let. Me. See. It. I’ll give you literallyanythingyou want. Take any one of my gyms.”
“That’s a hard no. The list is private, but I did feel a little… overwhelmed. I had to look up some of the terms online.”
“I knew that kid was kinky as fuck. Should have made my move when I had the chance.”
“Jay,” Roman said hotly. He’d seen Jay’s moves prove successful enough times to feel a little threatened, but his friend raised both hands in surrender.
“I’m just playing, QB. Also, still waiting for the problem here.”
“I don’t know how much of it is only theoretical. Like, what if he watched some porno and thought, ‘that looks like fun,’ but he actually hates the reality?”
“Isn’t that why you’re trying things out?”
“Yes, but the last thing I want is to scare him.” Or hurt his feelings the way Tyler “shit stain” Drummond had done.
“Sounds to me like Ezra has it under control and you’re the one who’s freaking out.”
Could that be true? Maybe Roman was psyching himself out becausehewas nervous about screwing things up with Ezra or possibly… underperforming? Their age difference meant that it might take Roman a little bit longer to rebound, not to mention all of his aches and pains… bad shoulder, stiff knees, not terribly flexible. “Shit, I think you might be right.”
“Ezra’s pretty up front about what he likes and doesn’t like,” Jay said. “Remember that time you tried to get him to eat broccoli?”
Roman had served it every which way—raw, steamed, sautéed in butter and smothered with American cheese. Ezra had daintily sampled each one and rejected them all.
“He’s a stubborn little dude sometimes,” Roman agreed.
“You’ve got to be honest with him. And don’t make his decisions for him. Just ask.”
Jay was surprisingly insightful sometimes. “That’s good advice, buddy. How’s your love life been going lately?”
Jay shook his head dolefully. “Not great ever since I introduced my cute house cleaner to a big, sexy idiot.”
That earned him a well-placed hit to the shoulder. “Don’t be thirsting after my boyfriend.”
Jay shook his head. “Boyfriend? I wouldn’t be so sure, Romeo. Ezra’s just playing the field.”
Roman frowned. Just when he’d thought Jay was being supportive, he had to go and ruin it.
* * *
