Page 49 of Tapped By My Roommate
“Only that I want to order another, and another, and another so that I can stay here with you.” He placed his elbows on the bar, leaning in toward me with a flirty smile. His low-cut T-shirt exposed sharp collarbones. “But let’s face it, I can’t hold my liquor. If I drink more than three of these, I’ll be too drunk to hook up with anyone.”
“Um…” I laughed, cheeks heating. I was accustomed to getting hit on at work, but neverthisblatantly.
“You can’t be surprised,” he said, making steady eye contact. This guy was not the least bit shy. “I’m pretty sure you get a lot of people flirting with you.”
“Usually not men,” I admitted. “This isn’t a gay bar, so I deal with a lot of flirtatious women.”
“There must besomeguys,” he protested. “How could they resist?”
“They’re usually a bit more subtle about it,” I said. “They’re not always sure I’d be into that.”
“But you are.” He seemed certain. “My gaydar is spot on.”
Simon—who’d just stepped in close to grab a bottle of Jack Daniels—overheard and snorted with amusement. “He’s got your number.”
“Not yet,” the customer quipped. “How about it, handsome? Give me something?”
I shook my head. “Sorry. I don’t hook up at work.”
He pouted, full lips making an impressive show of his displeasure. “Give me your number, and I’ll call you on your day off. We can pretend we met at the bookstore.”
I chuckled and shook my head. He might have tempted me a few weeks ago. But even if Ethan’s hookup rules hadn’t required exclusivity, I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else. My head was full of Ethan in his fitted shirts and bowties, and his nerdy T-shirts with suspenders. All the sides of him—the Godzilla fan, the super smart wildlife biology major, the lizard lover with a big heart.
Lizard lover, heh. Hewasturning out to be a lizard lover. He hadn’t shied from looking at my cock or touching it. Would it be the same if I asked him to use his mouth on me? Fuck, that idea was beginning to haunt me. I’d been going slowly, waiting for Ethan to indicate he wanted to take it to the next level. The porn screening had nearly been too much for him. I could sense he hadn’t been comfortable the whole time, and I didn’t want to push him like that again.
But it was hard. So freaking hard.
The guy standing on the other side of the bar would suck me off without hesitation. I wouldn’t even have to ask. I could just pop open my jeans wordlessly, and he’d be on me. But that idea held no appeal. I would wait for Ethan, even if it took him a while to ask for something more than a heavy make-out session or hand job. Hell, I would keep doing this with Ethan, even if he never wanted anything else. Everything with him felt so incredible. I could let him explore at his own pace and still go to bed incredibly satisfied.
“Okay, how about we justmeetat the bookstore tomorrow at two? You can give me your number then.”
“I’m already… I’m not available.”
He gave a frustrated huff. “You have a boyfriend? You should have said so!” Turning, he waved a hand in the air. “Curtis! Lee! Wehaveto go to the gay bar! I told you this place would be boring!”
It was a Sunday night, so there was not an immediate customer waiting to take his place. Simon eyed me.
“What?” I asked, sounding irritable.
“He was cute,” Simon said.
“So?”
“So, you don’t actually have a boyfriend, do you?” Simon asked. “I mean, I guess I never see you hook up with anyone, but…”
“Because I don’t hook up at work,” I said. “Been down that road. Not gonna do it again.”
Simon looked as if he believed me. It wasn’t a lie, exactly. When I’d first started at Tracks, I’d taken the flirty bait plenty of times. But when one casual hookup wanted more and started harassing me at work—thankfully stopping after I had the bouncer toss him a couple of times—I’d decided it wasn’t worth the potential trouble.
There were plenty of ways to find hookups who wouldn’t bother me at work.
So, of course, I’d gone and hooked up with my roommate. Becausethatcouldn’t possibly blow up in my face.
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” I told Simon.
But it felt like a lie.
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