Page 42 of Finally
“Dating?”
The word didn’t fit Jack’s feelings. “We’re together now,” he tried again.
“You’retogether?” He arched his eyebrows. “With Grayson McClellan?”
“Yes.” Jack tensed. “We’re a couple.”
“Jack.” Kevin sounded sad. “Honey, Gray has an itch a thousand dicks won’t scratch. He’s slept with more guys than anyone we know and he doesn’t keep any of them around for long.”
Jack flinched, both because thinking about Gray with other people bothered him and because hearing Kevin insult him bothered him even more. “He’s your friend. There’s no need to be so crass. And I’m very familiar with Gray’s past. You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.”
“Knowledge is understanding that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is understanding that you shouldn’t put it in a fruitsalad. Gray’s the kind of guy that’ll sleep with you, but he’s not the kind of guy that’ll keep you. Don’t count on him for your fruit salad. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Appetite waning, Jack set his fork down. “What’s going on, Kevin? You’ve been all over Gray lately.”
“I’m worried about you. We all see how into him you are. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Gray’s the last person who’d hurt me.” He was certain of that down to his bones.
“Honey, common sense is chasing you, but you’re hellbent on being faster. You heard what Jeffrey said—Gray isn’t available for a relationship.”
He wasn’t going to share intimate details about his history with Gray or their conversations, but he needed Kevin to stop the campaign he was waging. “Yes, I heard what he said Gray told him. But as it turns out Gray is available for a relationship, I’m available for a relationship, and we are in a relationship.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re constantly making digs at him and now you came here for the sole purpose of bad-mouthing him?” He shook his head. “This isn’t like you.”
“I’m not bad-mouthing him.”
Jack looked at him disbelievingly.
“Fine, I can be a little bitchy. You know that. It doesn’t mean anything.”
He did know Kevin, and sure, his sense of humor could be sarcastic, but the insults he was levying at Gray recently were just that—insulting. They weren’t funny. “That’s not what’s happening, Kev. You really crossed the line this weekend. The things you said weren’t funny or constructive, they were mean.”
Kevin let out a big gust of air. “Fine, maybe I took it a teensy bit too far.” He put his own fork down and dragged his hand through his hair. “But I know how hard it was for you to get over Jaime, and now that you’re finally putting yourself out there,I don’t want you to get hurt or waste your time. Gray knows better. We all warned him that he shouldn’t do this to you, but he doesn’t listen to anyone. He left me no choice but to handle it myself so that's what I did.”
Despite the frustrating conversation, he knew Kevin meant well. “Gray isn’t wasting my time, and he won’t hurt me,” he assured him.
Kevin scoffed. He picked up his fork and poked at his food. “Back in the day, when we all first started hanging out together, I threw myself at him.”
“You hit on Gray?” Jack had no idea that’d happened. He was certain he’d remember if either Gray or Kevin had shared that story.
“Of course I hit on Gray. Come on. The guy’s gorgeous, confident, successful, and has the biggest case of big dick energy I’ve ever come across. Who wouldn’t want to fuck him?”
Jack wavered between being flattered on Gray’s behalf and being worried that every man they knew wanted his boyfriend.
“Anyway, I came onto him, and he turned me down flat, said he doesn’t sleep with his friends. It stung but I got his point.”
“You have a thing for Gray.” Which simultaneously explained Kevin’s recent behavior and complicated their lives.
“No.” Kevin shook his head. “It’s not that deep. I’m just attracted to him because I have eyes.” He pointed at his face. “And I wanted to fuck him because rumor has it, he’s great in bed. It’s not anything more than that and it definitely doesn’t rise to the level of a thing.” He cleared his throat. “So is he?”
“Is he what?”
“Great in bed?”
Though his mind was still spinning from his friend’s revelation, he couldn’t help but laugh at his audacity. “Kevin, he’s my boyfriend, not a random hookup for us to gossip about.”
“Boyfriend, huh? Apparently, we’re pretending we don’t know about the parade of men he’s taken to bed? Got it.”
“Wearen’t pretending anything, butyouare remembering that Gray is your friend andyoudon’t insult your friends.” He considered that sentence. “Well, you don’t insult your friends with that much vigor and venom.”
