Page 168 of Men in Shorts

The bedroom door opened, casting soft daylight on the wall across the hall. Then Robert appeared, wearing his green-and-blue flannel dressing gown tied at the waist.

Liam couldn’t help applauding. “Yaaaass, bring it here, ya beauty!”

Robert strutted down the hall, adding a spin halfway, then stopped himself at the end with arms spread across the living room doorway. He locked eyes with Liam as his hips gyrated in sweeping circles and figures of eight. Then he let go of the wall and curled both index fingers, beckoning Liam forward.

“Oh aye.” Liam walked toward him in time with the music, and when they met, they swayed together for one luscious chorus.

Then Robert pulled Liam’s hands onto his warm thighs, just beneath the hem of his dressing gown. “Want to see?”

“Mm-hm.” Liam slid his palms up Robert’s legs, parting the robe.

Robert batted his hands away. “You can see from a distance.” He pushed past and sashayed to the center of the living room. Facing Liam, he spread his feet and began to undo the frayed tie of his dressing gown with tiny alternating tugs on each end. Just as it was about to fall open, he spun around to put his back to Liam.

“Aw, ya minx,” Liam growled.

Robert threw a flirtatious look over his shoulder, which became bare as the robe slowly slid off. His broad, muscular back appeared, inch by inch.

As the music crescendoed, Robert let his covering drop.

Liam yelped in delight. “Itwasthe purple pair! Viva Los Warriors!”

Robert continued his satirically sensual dance, caressing first the high, black-lace waistband, then the purple silk covering his arse. He’d clearly dispensed with the jockstrap underneath, so the knickers clung to every angle and curve.

“Wait!” Liam rushed for his kit bag, pulled out his wallet, and retrieved the lone fiver inside. Then he got down on the floor and crawled up to Robert, who was now pelvis-thrusting like a pro.

”A wee token of my appreciation.” Liam rose up on his knees. Just as he stuffed the five-pound note into the knickers’ lace waistband, the music ended, and the front door opened.

“Sorry to—oh!”

Ben stood on the threshold, one hand gripping the doorknob and the other covering his mouth. His dark eyebrows had risen above the black frames of his glasses.

A deep voice came from behind him. “Ben, what is it?” Evan moved inside, taking a protective posture in front of his partner. “Oh.” He paused to examine the living room’s tableau. “Hmm.”

“Hiya.” Liam let go of Robert’s knickers with a snap of waistband, then realized he was kneeling atop the dressing gown. He moved off it and handed it up to Robert, but stayed on the floor, hoping this would be a brief interruption.

“I tried phoning you,” Ben told Robert as he edged into the living room. “And I texted, too.”

“My phone was still in my…” Robert looked at the kit bag on the floor, then at Liam sitting beside it.

“It did ring.” Liam couldn’t pretend to be sorry. “You were busy.”

“Anyway,” Ben said, “I wanted to let you know I was coming back for my PI exam notes so Evan could help me review tonight. Also, I got a brilliant idea while I was watching the match.” He turned and placed a loving hand on Evan’s chest. “Once you were subbed out, I lost interest.”

“A brilliant idea for what?” Robert asked, tying his dressing gown.

“About your project, what we were talking about the other day.”

Robert gasped. “What’s the idea?”

Ben glanced at Liam. “It can wait. Obviously now’s not a good time.”

Liam tried not to sigh too heavily. “On you go. Away and discuss it.”

“But tonight’s for us,” Robert told him.

“Mate, I saw the look in your eyes when Ben said he’d had an idea. And I’ve watched you jump out of bed in the middle of the night to jot down a breakthrough. I know these things can be elusive.” When Robert hesitated, Liam gave his bare calf a light smack. “Go! The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll finish.”

Robert crouched down and kissed Liam. “I’ll make it up to you,” he whispered. Then he hurried down the hall after Ben.

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