Page 40 of Love in Unexpected Places

Barking a laugh, I let him go and gesture to the bedroom. “We’re almost finished. A few more boxes. I might have to just start ordering shit so you can come over and help me unpack.” I’m half-joking, but I do want him to keep coming over. I like his company.

“You can just invite me over, Keith. We’re friends now, right?”

That deflates me a little. Yes, I figured Derek was no longer interested after what was supposed to be a one-off thing, but it hurts actually hearing it. I look down at mybelly, wondering if my weight is the reason he just wants to be friends.

I’ve always been a bigger guy. Since my doctors have always told me I was healthy and all my levels were good, I didn’t see a reason to shed the weight.

The boxes we have to unpack are at the foot of the bed, but Derek makes no moves to look through them. He plops on the bed and scoots back, sitting at the head of the bed. “Come on,” he says, patting the space beside him. “Let’s talk for a bit before we get to unpacking. Those boxes won’t take long at all.”

Liking that he wants to spend some time with me, I do as he says, lying on the bed beside him. He turns to his side, tucking a hand under his pillow and pulling his legs up. I mirror his pose.

Derek smiles, eyeing my position. “Comfortable?”

“Very. I should be asking you that, though.”

“Your bed is nice. A lot of space.”

He’s right about that. A king-size bed is wasted on me when I sleep alone, but I’ve always liked a lot of space. “Yeah, well, I got a good deal on it.”

He snorts. “I bet. So, how you liking it here? Was it worth the move? Other than being near Evan, of course.”

“I like it. It’s a quaint little town.”

Derek laughs again. “Who says quaint? I don’t think I’ve heard that in casual conversation.”

“Are you …” I sit up and look down at him. “Are you teasing me?”

His face grows serious, but his eyes are dancing with humor. “I would never.”

Grabbing his arm, I pull him closer to me and start tickling him. “You are!”

His high-pitched laughter is light and sweet, music to my ears.

“Say sorry,” I tease, my fingers dancing over his sides as I continue to tickle him.

“No!” he laugh-shouts. “I didn’t do anything. Okay, okay,” he says with a giggle as I drag my fingers under his throat and closer to his armpits. “I’m sorry, I give up, I’m sorry.”

I stop tickling him and lean over him, watching the mirth dance on his face as he catches his breath. “No more teasing?” I ask, staring down at him with a mock stern face.

Again, he giggles and shakes his head. “I didn’t say that. I’m just sorry about this time.”

Laughing, I slide closer to him and settle in, my fingers poised to tickle him more. “Oh, yeah?”

Derek shrugs, humor in his eyes. “Maybe. Unless you persuade me to stop.”

“How will I do that?”

“I have some ideas.” Before I can stop him or object, Derek wraps his legs around me, puts his arms around my neck, and pulls me down for a deep kiss.

chapter seven

DEREK

What the fuck am I doing? Yes, I wanted my mouth on Keith, more than anything, but I shouldn’t have just assumed he wanted to kiss me back.

I pull back, eyes wide, and an apology on my lips. Then Keith says, “Fucking finally,” and draws me closer, kissing me with an intensity I’ve never experienced before.

Groaning, I wrap my arms and legs tighter around him, not wanting to let him go. Since I started coming over last week, I was hoping Keith would make a move on me. I wasn’t sure if he still wanted something more. We probably should have talked about it, but he makes me so nervous. It’s like having a high school crush.

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