Page 15 of This or That
And when I think he’s about to disappear into his cabin, he startles me by whirling in my direction. Thankfully, as he searches my eyes, he can’t read anything since they’re hidden behind my shades; his are tucked in the collar of his T-shirt. Soon enough, I’m torn from my reverie by his velvety voice.
“Stalker much?” A roar of laughter rattles the chest that I yearn to touch. As if bewitched, I stay there, breathless and unsure what I’m after. He scratches his solar plexus, where my fist touched him days ago. I stiffen. Is he doing this on purpose? “You could at least take off your glasses so…” He pauses. “I don’t know…” He clears his throat. “Take them off. Please.” There’s that word again. The same word. The same tone. The same despair. Odd, but I comply while striding his way.
Inhaling deeply, I brace myself, then exhale. “Listen, I think we started off on the wrong foot. I… We…” Am I at a loss for words again? This has got to stop! “Let me buy you a drink and settle our differences, okay? What do you say?”
“I’d say that you’re a cheap dat—” His cheeks turn rosy as he stops in his tracks, grasping what he was about to say.
I shake off my annoyance at being called cheap, in favor of witnessing the embarrassment written all over his gorgeous face. The need to rescue him from his misery is stronger. It’s time to let him off the hook and stop toying with his mind. After all, Anna might be right; if he’s straight and drawn to me nonetheless, he must be even more distraught than I am. Knowing where we stand will do us some good either way.
“Chill out, man. I’m not asking you on adate!” I hate the word and everything it entails, but that’s none of his business. Heart hammering, I air quote the word and wink at the jackass, maintaining an even voice and some much needed distance between us… too afraid to maul him if I don’t. “It’s an olive branch, preferably involving alcohol.”
To which, he winks. “Lead the way.” It sounds more like a question, but I keep my opinion to myself.
Rubbing the back of my neck while following his suggestion, I worry my lower lip. “You sure?”
To say that I’m rattled by the implications hidden in his simple answer is the understatement of the year.
“Positive.”
Chapter 10
Relax
Mike
“So, you decide.” Hunter’s warm voice is expectant. “This or that?” He points his chin at either side of a crowded hallway where several themed eateries await.
“I’m tempted by the Happy Days diner.” I shrug. “I like American classics! It’ll bring back memories of the reruns I watched as a kid. I’m thinking that the sports bar will be noisier… and we’re not here to watch a flat screen.” I purse my lips. What I’m not telling him is that it exudes testosterone, and I doubt I’d be comfortable, considering the situation. “Am I right?”
My question is rhetorical, but he replies anyway, “Let’s dothat, then,” stressing the word, his gaze playful, though I’m not sure why. Too bad… Damn, I have so many more questions for Hunter, but only so much that I’ll allow myself to say out loud.
All in due time, Clayton.
Before I know it, his hand latches onto my elbow. Without another word, he sets us in motion, like he did the other night. Sure enough, this mundane gesture sends warmth across my skin. My sharp intake of air doesn’t help matters. The effect this guy has on me makes no sense. Because, come on! He’s a dude. I’m attracted to women. It seems that my confused cock didn’t get the memo.
And let’s not forget that you had his tongue down your throat… twice!The little devil on my shoulder might have a point. Hiding my inner conflict, I settle behind my poker face once we’re seated in a booth that’ll afford some privacy and order drinks.Yeah, I got that, annoying devil. I will myself to shut down that train of thought, schooling my features to hide my state of disarray.
“Aren’t you expecting Fonzie to pop in? I know I am.” His voice is light.
We discuss the atmosphere of the diner that’s an exact replica of the one from the TV series and what brought us on this cruise. He erupts into side-splitting laughter when I explain how my best friend trapped me and eventually confess that it’s not as bad as I’d anticipated.
Maybe his presence enhanced the appeal. Our first encounter remained a blur of anger and lust. At least seeing him again gave me the occasion to set things straight.
Actually, if anything, our last encounter proved that things are far from straight between us. Beyond my control, I let out a strangled noise.
“Everything okay?” Hunter’s upper body leans across the table, his hand covering mine for a split second. Unless I dreamt it…
What the fuck is wrong with me?
“Yeah, sorry! I forgot something.” I bite the corner of my lower lip, making up a story about my arcade plans with my friends that he doesn’t know I already canceled in favor of feeding my curiosity.
Yeah, apparently I keep forgetting that I’m straight when you’re around.
Given the size of the ship, I didn’t expect to run into him again. Declining his offer would have proven that I wasn’t cool with getting a drink withhim, that he means more than he actually does. No way, Jose!
I figured that my friends would pick apart my lame excuse; they didn’t. So, postponing the peace offering by an hour didn’t matter much. Although a few patrons appear to have wandered straight from the pool for an early dinner, we agreed that swim shorts and T-shirts wouldn’t do. I pat myself on the back for suggesting that we change. Thank goodness his khakis and long sleeves conceal things that I shouldn’t have noticed. Granted, each time that I bat my lashes, my eyes close a second too long and disturbing flashbacks assault my vision. How his biceps bulged when holding the girl the other night. How his shoulders seem broader than the last time we were in the same room. How his pants hug his ass.
Fuck! It’s not supposed to be this way.
