Page 4 of Under The Twilight Rainfall
Those sneakers are attached to legs wearing tight skinny jeans that fit beautifully on a pair of toned thighs that have my dreams of rest and relaxation taking a back seat to the rapid climb of my libido.
I haven’t hooked up since Zeke came and gave me a farewell dicking down before my first flight, and I sure as hell could use the stress relief right about now.
As my eyes slowly travel up, I hear an amused chuckle from the man in front of me. Who cares if he knows I’m checking him out? He’s obviously on board.
His shirt is a salmon color, not as tight as his jeans, but a sleeveless one that shows off light brown, defined arms that could bend me over this bench in a heartbeat.
When I see his face, that’s when my heart does a full stop. No skipping, no rapid beating, just a goddamn flatline.
Seven years isn’t long enough to forget the man who used to be the closest thing I’ve ever had to a brother.
Valen’s hair is shorter than it was when we were teens, even if it’s still shaggy around his ears. But it’s not as dark as it used to be. No, now there’s a dusting of pale pink over the top, like someone came and dumped a matte glitter bomb on his head.
My lips twitch, because wild, spontaneous Valen doesn’t seem to have changed his impulsive ways or gained much in the way of caring what others think of him. Completely opposite to his parents, but Valen has always done his own thing, been his own person.
If I don’t close the floodgates now, the turbulent waves of memories I’ve been fighting to hold back will pull me under. I’ve worked too hard to get to shore; I’m not sinking again.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he says, dragging a hand through his hair and out of his face. “Looking good, SpecDex.”
I raise my brow at the name—hello, that’s my private camming name, which has a passcode thank you very much—and I can’t shake off the lick of arousal that flares in my gut at the thought of sweet, I-used-to-have-a-crush-on Valen knowingly looking through erotic pictures and porn shots of someone he used to share a bathroom with.
Not that the reverse thought hasn’t crossed my mind a couple times in the last few years.
Goddammit.
“So you’ve seen me naked.”
His laugh is like gravel wrapped in velvet, a mix of smooth and rough that is indescribable. It doesn’t fit his boyish features. One look at him and you’d assume he’s some fresh-faced college kid, but no, Valen Olaño is all man at twenty-seven; you just have to know where to look.
“I saw you naked before it was cool.”
An image of us sitting under the old bridge in town pops into my mind, air frosty at three in the morning, as Valen teased me with the smoke from his joint but wouldn’t share because he was eighteen and I was sixteen, and how his lips would hover over mine as he breathed out, but then he’d laugh and pull away.
I never knew if I wanted more of him or what he had.
“Changing in the same room and seeing me fuck myself with a dildo are two different ball games, Olaño.”
His face splits into a grin, and he plops down into the seat beside me. “You ready to get out of here, Ashford?”
When I finally look down at my phone—with narrowed eyes because isn’t it obvious that I’m busy?—I see that I was supposed to meet my temporary landlord nearly thirty minutes ago, and I curse under my breath.
“Can’t,” I say through gritted teeth. “Gotta find someone.”
Valen hums and puts his hand on my leg, which sends a jolt up my spine and makes me realize I was shaking it like crazy.
“Rental spot, right?”
I frown, slipping the phone back into my pocket. “How do you know that?”
That goddamn grin.
He pats my thigh before standing and stretching, which raises his shirt just enough to show off a hint of abs, and he winks when he catches me staring.
“I’ve got room for you. C’mon, Spec.”
When I don’t immediately stand to follow him, Valen grabs the handle of my suitcase and starts rolling it towards the door.
“Hard to do your job if I’ve got all of your equipment!” he calls over his shoulder—of course he’s fucking serious—and I hoist my duffle onto my shoulder to hurry after him.
