Page 57 of Out of the Storm

As Gary shifted to the left, Jeff climbed onto the mattress next to him.

With a silly smile, Gary said, “What about your book?”

Jeff looked back at his own bed. Apparently, he had forgotten it.

“Don’t need it,” Jeff said, hoping he sounded a hell of a lot more confident than he felt.

“Right,” Gary said.

Jeff’s mind worked furiously to try to figure out how to move forward. He wanted,needed, to find his boundaries. He was so Goddamn tired of phone sex.

“I want to try something,” Jeff said.

“Sure. Whatever you want. Just, please, I never want you to feelpressured to—”

“I won’t.”

He knew what it was like to feel pressured, and this wasn’t it. Gary wasn’t Don. Gary was...

Jeff studied Gary’s face—his beautiful, emerald-colored eyes; his sweet, uncertain smile; those stupidly hot, stupidly nerdy black frames—and a rush of excitement flowed through him, making his heart rate soar.

Yeah, Gary was perfect.

With that thought in his head, Jeff pushed both his bed shorts and his briefs down to his knees.

“Whoa, okay.” Gary turned to face away, then looked back, and then looked away again. “Sorry. I,wow, I amnotsure where I’m supposed to be looking right now.”

Jeff’s heart was still trying to escape his rib cage, but he needed to put Gary at ease somehow.

“Wherever you want to look,” Jeff said, trying to be playful.

“I’m okay studying the wall, though now that has me wondering about the cleanliness of this place. I mean, the wallpaper is peeling.”

Funny Gary Graham. Like always.

“Look at me, Gare.”

Gary looked back at him, though his expression made Jeff’s stomach sour a bit. Nose wrinkled, eyes squeezed half-shut, lips pressed to form a thin line, Gary looked to be either very worried or wildly uncomfortable. Probably both. Dammit.

“I’ve never had someone makethatface at me before. Do you not want to—”

“No!” Gary blurted out. “Just . . . I’m worried.”

“Remember, this was my idea.” Gary still seemed be trying his best not to let his eyes travel southward. With a roll of his eyes, Jeff said, “Gare, you can look.”

Gary’s eyes flitted to Jeff’s cock and then back up to his face.

“Done.”

“Get rid of your book.”

“No problem.” Gary tossed it over his shoulder, and it hit the lamp on the nightstand, nearly causing the lamp to topple over, which made both of them both flinch. “Geez, sorry. I was trying to be cool.”

In what he hoped would be a reassuring tone, Jeff said, “You’re always cool, radio man.”

Gary snorted. “Wow. I’ve never seen someone spout a blatant lie with such a straight face before.”

How could Jeff have thought he’d ever not feel safe with someone like Gary?

---