Page 19 of Curious

“Hey, big brother.” Jen walked over and leaned forward on the bar in front of them. “You look like hell. You didn’t fire Scott, did you? It was my idea to get you that stripper, in case you were mad.”

“I could have gone all year without knowing that.” Owen rubbed the back of his neck with his palm and nodded. “But it has been a tough day. In fact, that’s why I asked Jeremy to drop by. A friend of ours is making some bad decisions and I need his help getting it sorted out. Beers and darts later?”

Jen frowned in concern but nodded. “You’re on.”

Owen gripped Jeremy’s arm. “Let me fill you in out back.”

Shit. He thought they’d come here so they wouldn’t be alone, but it was clear Owen had something to say that he didn’t want anyone else to hear. Was he going to tell him to stay away from his family? From him? Was he going to say he was drunk that night and he didn’t remember how it started or why? “Sure.”

They walked past the dartboards and the bathrooms, into the small kitchen that was only open for lunch and out the back door. The back alley of Finn’s was narrow, without a lot of places for privacy. Owen kept walking until he’d moved past the large trash bin and into the shadows.

Jeremy followed at a slower pace. Owen was definitely upset. “What’s up?”

Owen took him by surprise when he grabbed him by his shirt and flung him against the brick wall a little harder than necessary. The air left his lungs in a whoosh.

“What’s up?” Owen sounded incredulous. “Are you seriously asking that?”

Jeremy frowned, holding up his hands. “Owen, calm down. You said you wanted to talk.”

“Oh, I’ve wanted to talk for two days, Jeremy. You haven’t answered my calls. Then I came over after work yesterday and you weren’t there. Where the hell were you?”

Jeremy swallowed hard. “Dinner. I must have been picking up dinner. And I was going to answer your messages. I was busy.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? That I haven’t known you for two decades? Seen you in action? You were avoiding me like I was one of your one-night stands. One of your little third boys. Me.”

“I was giving you space,” Jeremy shot back. Owen had avoided him for three weeks, and he hadn’t gone off like this. “And it was a one-night stand, wasn’t it? We agreed it was only going to be one night. What the hell, man?”

“I didn’t agree to you acting like I didn’t exist. I wanted to make sure you were okay, and you didn’t let me because you were too busy running from what we did.” Owen stepped closer and reached out to grip his wrist, guiding his hand toward his cock. “You were avoiding this. Giving me space I didn’t ask for and pissing me off. Then I walk into the bar and you’re already working on lining up someone else for the night.”

Jeremy pushed Owen away roughly, trying to ignore the fact that his knuckles had brushed against one hell of an erection. “He wanted to buy me a drink, that’s all. Jesus, Owen, stop it. Someone could walk by.”

“Do you think I care?” He gasped as he found himself pinned between Owen’s body and the wall. “I don’t give a damn. You’re not going anywhere until we deal with this. And he didn’t want a drink. He wanted to fuck you and you were thinking about it.”

“This is your family’s place. Let’s at least talk about this somewhere else.”

“We’re talking about it now. Was it because I tied you up? Did liking it scare you?”

“We can’t. This isn’t the time or… Owen. It’s not a good idea.”

Owen responded by kissing him, tangling their tongues in a way that had Jeremy melting back against the wall. He’d known he loved it, but he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it, needed it until now. His lips. His kiss.

“Did it scare you?”

“No,” Jeremy gasped. “Yes… Damn it, I can’t think when you’re kissing me.”

“Don’t think. Just feel,” Owen said between biting kisses. “If you won’t talk to me, won’t let down your guard any other way, I’ll take what I can get. You can’t leave me like this for days, Jeremy. Tell me I’m not alone in feeling this way. Say you want me again.”

“You know I do, damn it.”

“I know it,” Owen agreed. “You seem to be the one trying to forget.”

Jeremy’s heart was pounding and his cock was painfully hard. Seeing Owen like this, so hungry and aggressive, was robbing him of his will to resist.

Owen unzipped his own pants impatiently, dragging Jeremy’s hand back against his stomach and groaning when his fingers couldn’t resist sliding down and curling around that hot, bare flesh. “There. God yes. You did this to me. I’ve never been like this before. I can’t think, I can’t work; I can’t do anything but remember your mouth on me. You shouldn’t have been so good, Jeremy, because now I need it. I need you.”

“Owen—”

“Get on your knees for me. Let me feel it again.” His voice was low and harsh. Commanding.

“Jesus,” Jeremy whispered, unable to stop himself from falling to his knees on the dirty concrete. Here in the fucking alley?

Anywhere he wanted.

---