Roommate Arrangement (Divorced Men's Club #1)(28)

It’s not awkward anymore either. At first, I could tell he was doing everything he could to keep his distance, but last night there was maybe a minute or two of him trying to get comfortable before he gave in and draped himself across my back. We don’t talk much when he’s there, and I don’t know if he feels the same way I do, but there’s something about the dim light, his breaths fanning over my skin, and the warmth seeping through his T-shirt that feels … intimate? Is that the right word? Like it’s something just for us.

I always fall asleep before he’s done, and by the time I wake, the only evidence I have that it happened is the bright colors staining my skin.

It’s also the only time I get to see him all week, so when I get home from another pointless day at the garage with arms full of groceries, I’m surprised to see him up and pacing.

“Question,” he says before I get out so much as a hey. “If I was a twenty-five-hundred-pound dragon and I jumped from the top of this building, would I have enough time to unfurl my wings and take flight, or am I likely to create a massive crater? And if it’s the crater, how large are we talking? Equivalent to dragon-size, or would the impact be larger?”

“Hold on, I’ve been playing errand boy all day and need to switch my brain back on.” I place the bags on the kitchen counter and turn to him. “Purely from a guesstimation perspective, my vote would be on the crater. And when you look at those huge ones left by meteors, they’re usually bigger than the rock. So even though they’re falling a lot faster than a dragon would, I’d still imagine a dragon crater would be bigger than the animal itself … right?”

He blinks, mouth open, then abruptly heads for his desk. “Good enough for me.” He scribbles out something on the paper in front of him, his forehead is bunched up with concentration.

I stand there for a moment, watching, content to just take him. “You working tonight?”

“I was going to try, but I already wrote a bunch.”

“On your book?”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t feel right.”

“Why not?”

He laughs, and I recognize the sort of glazed look he gets about him when he’s in another world. “I don’t know, that’s the problem. Our visit to the prison fixed the fortress issue I was having, but it’s like Jaciel doesn’t even want to save Klein.”

“And you can’t … make him?”

“People judge me when I say this, but when you get to know a character really well, they take on their own life in your head, so when you try to force them to do something they don’t want to, it doesn’t work out great.”

“Well, I don’t understand it, but I’m not going to judge.” I pull out a packet of microwave popcorn. “Want to watch a movie instead?”

He shifts his weight, and I think he’s about to say no when his expression shifts. “Yeah, sure.”

“You grab the drinks, and I’ll change and cook this.”

I duck in for a quick shower, then pull on some casual clothes and head back out. Beau is on a stool in his kitchen, grabbing a bottle of scotch from the top shelf, and when I round the corner, I come face to, ah, crotch with his gray sweatpants.

And I’m pretty fucking sure he’s freeballing.

I clear my throat and step away, scooping the popcorn from the counter before throwing it in the microwave. Given the thin sleep shorts I’m wearing, the last thing I want is to start chubbing up, so I will myself to focus on nothing but the smell of melting butter.

“This okay?” Beau asks, holding up the bottle as he climbs down. “We’re out of beer.”

“Yeah, sure. I think I need to kill a few more brain cells after the boring week at work.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Eh. Ford is a great boss, and he’s offered to put me through some courses if I’m interested, but cars aren’t for me. I want to get back to sports and working with kids.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh well, it’ll happen. I’m trying to be patient.”

The microwave beeps obnoxiously, so I check it’s ready, dump the popcorn in a bowl, and head for the living area, Beau just behind me. We settle for an action movie where the girl is kidnapped early on and the hero spends the movie trying to find her.

The movie doesn’t hold much of my interest though.

Not when every time Beau shifts, my attention is drawn back to his spread thighs. I hold in a groan at the inappropriate direction my thoughts are taking. It’s been too long since I got laid, which explains why, ever since I copped an eyeful of Beau’s cock, it’s been all I can think about.

Well done, Payne. You’re creeping on your little brother’s friend.

Only Beau isn’t the same guy he was when we were growing up. Sometime over the years, he got … hot. His features are finer than mine, and his hands are soft, but the light hair on his arms and chest has thickened, his shoulders have widened, and his body is perfectly solid. He’s completely different from Kyle, who hit the gym every day, and I think that’s what I like about him.

I’m not clueless though.

I know I can’t go there.

Not only would Marty be weirded out by me screwing his friend, but I don’t want to mess up our current arrangement.