LOL: Laugh Out Loud (After Oscar, #2)(18)

That shocked me. “How in the world could you disappoint me?”

He stared at me like it was obvious. “By losing the money you’d given me? For being back in the same position I was before: homeless, jobless, and out of options? And all of that after you’d been so… so…” He gestured toward me, flustered. “So you.”

“So me?” I asked. I couldn’t hide the smirk creeping across my lips. “Care to elaborate on that?”

Scotty narrowed his eyes. “I’m sure you have enough people in your life kissing your ass, Roman Burke, that you don’t need me doing it as well.”

I tried to formulate a witty comeback, but all the words got trapped in my head. Because my brain was too busy picturing Scotty on his knees behind me, his hands on my hips and his lips ghosting across my cheeks as he kissed my ass. I let out a small grunt.

His eyes met mine, and I wondered if he could tell what I was thinking, because suddenly he’d gone quiet as well. His tongue darted out to lick his lips, and I swallowed a groan.

“Come back to the house with me,” I said. It came out rougher than I expected, more a command than offer. I thought about all the fantasies I’d had earlier. All the ways he and I could tangle our bodies around each other in that massive house.

He glanced toward the stall, shifting his feet. “You mean… the house, like the big house? Because I can totally stay here. I don’t mind. Nugget’s used to me and—”

I shot him a look. The very idea of leaving him alone to sleep in the barn with the horse was abhorrent. “You’re not staying out here with the damn horse,” I told him.

Scotty was quiet for a second, and I noticed that his chest rose and fell rapidly, as if he’d just finished running a race. Or as if he was scared. We stood only a few feet apart and it was suddenly so starkly apparent just how much larger than him I was. I towered over him, his shoulders barely as wide as my chest.

Not only was I larger, I held all the power. He was homeless. Penniless. And without me, his horse likely would have already been taken from him. Plus, even though I felt like a normal guy, I was a celebrity. Lately the news had been overrun with stories of celebrities using their status to pressure others into bed with them.

I swore that would never be me.

I blew out a breath and shoved a hand through my hair, taking several steps back to give him space. I needed to slow things down. Make sure he was fully on board before anything happened between us.

Because I fully intended something to happen between us. It just had to be Scotty who made the first move.

I let out a laugh that I hoped came across as disarming. “What I meant to say was, there’s no need for you to stay out here. There’s plenty of room—the house is big enough to put up the entire New York City Gay Men’s Chorus. Come on.”

I nudged him away from the wall and toward the door to the barn before scooting past the horse to retrieve my soggy hat. After securing Nugget back into her stall, Scotty slipped her one last carrot before bidding her good night with a pat on the nose. When we stepped outside, the sun had fully set, turning the air frigid. I glanced toward Scotty, making sure his coat was thick enough to keep him warm during the walk back.

“So, this isn’t your place?” Scotty asked. He had his hands deep in his pockets and shoulders hunched against the cold. I made a note to look for some warmer clothes for him. It wouldn’t have surprised me if Oscar didn’t have entire wardrobes of winter gear in every size imaginable.

“Nah. It’s a friend’s vacation home,” I told him. “I’ve never been here before. Honestly, I was expecting a little cabin in the woods.”

We rounded a corner to see the giant house lit up like a proud display of the Crown Jewels.

Scotty froze and then laughed. “You weren’t kidding. That’s quite a cabin,” he muttered. “If this is his vacation home, I’d love to see his real place.”

I smiled. “Yeah, Oscar’s a bit of an enigma. I can tell you he has an apartment in Brooklyn that’s super normal.”

Scotty side-eyed me. “I’m not sure your idea of normal and mine are the same.”

I nodded. “Point taken. I just mean… you never know what you’re going to get with Oscar. But he’s an amazing guy. Very loyal friend. And funny as hell. You’d like him. He’s sweet. He’d probably baby-talk Nugget like I did.”

Scotty lifted an eyebrow. “You sound half in love with him.”

I barked out a laugh, remembering my disastrous date with Oscar. “No. Definitely not,” I said adamantly. “Been there, tried that. It did not work, trust me.”

Scotty’s lips turned up in a grin. “That sounds like a story.”

We entered the house through the door to the mudroom and took off our winter coats. After flipping on the lights in the kitchen, I made my way to the fridge with an overwhelming sense of déjà vu from this morning.

I took stock of what Oscar had on hand. The fridge was stuffed as was the pantry. He must have called ahead and had the place prestocked for me. I needed to remember to thank him. I turned to Scotty, rubbing my hands together. “So, eggs are off the table,” I said, remembering this morning. “But how do you feel about pasta?”

“I feel agreeable toward pasta. Do you…” He glanced up at me from under blond lashes. “Do you want me to cook it? I feel bad about… you know. I’m happy to work for—”