“What’s the fun in that?” Melissa wrinkled her nose with a devious smile. “I’m off tomorrow. Wanna do something?”
“He’s helping me with the rentals all day tomorrow,” Alex said before Matt could answer. “I’m cleaning out the shed. He offered to help me with some of the heavy lifting since Will’s got class.”
“Oh.” Melissa looked back and forth between them with a little frown. “Bummer.”
“Yeah, sorry.” Matt put the toast on her plates as he fought the urge to turn back to Alex in confusion. “Maybe later on in the week.”
Melissa beamed as she grabbed her plates. “Okay.”
Matt gave her a forced smile as she walked out. When they were alone in the kitchen, Alex turned to him and glared, making Matt feel exposed, and he wasn’t really sure why.
Matt held up his hands when Alex’s stare became too much. “What?”
“Just so you know, the bet’s not what makes you an asshole.” Alex pointed angrily at the door to the kitchen with his spatula. “That does!”
“What the fuck are you taking about?” Matt snapped. “You said it yourself, she’s hot.”
“If she’s so hot, why’d you just agree to help clean out the shed with me rather than fuck her?” Alex asked sharply.
Matt swallowed hard and looked away, feeling his cheeks flame in a way that had nothing to do with the heat in the kitchen. He definitely needed at least eight hours of sleep before he could handle Alex Hunter, because he suddenly got the feeling that all his darkest secrets were right out in the open for the tall, handsome beach rat to see.
“Look, if you don’t want help then—”
“I never said I didn’t want you to come over,” Alex cut him off. “I just don’t wanna see you stringing along Melissa. She’s a nice girl who probably thinks she just hit the jackpot with you.”
Matt snorted. “I’m not a jackpot.”
“Not for her, you’re not. I think it’s pretty obvious that’d never work.”
“It’s rich girls too; ask any of my ex-girlfriends. I’m just not cut out for dating, not right now.” Matt knew he was donning a persona he wore easily around his other friends. With Alex it came out awkward and forced, but he tried anyway. “Casual stuff, yes, but once it gets serious, it all goes to shit. They’re too fucking high maintenance, and I’m too busy to keep up with it.”
Alex turned around and placed a plate on the deck next to him, but instead of going back to the flattop he stepped into Matt’s personal space, leaving him floundering. Being close to Alex was doing something to him, and he fought to hide that weird reaction he got sometimes for the right kind of guy. It was rare; it didn’t matter, and he tried very hard to forget Alex had been
one of those guys
since Matt first noticed the problem.
“Maybe it’s not the girls, Matty.” Alex leaned into him, using his height to his advantage as he bent down and breathed into Matt’s ear. “Maybe it’s you.”
Matt sucked in a startled breath. He couldn’t help it. The rocket fire of lust that shot straight to his cock was both startling and sobering. He felt like he’d just been injected with pure adrenaline, and he turned to look up at Alex in a combination of awe and horror. Everything about this moment was making his heart beat erratically out of control in nervousness.
Alex met his gaze, his warm brown eyes suddenly burning with intensity as he studied Matt closely, as if looking for some sign or clue to a puzzle. Then he licked his lips, and Matt’s stomach muscles clenched against his will. His dick jerked inside his jeans, and he was pretty sure a sound actually escaped him—which wasn’t good.
“Break it off with Melissa.” Alex’s voice was low in a way that made the hum of arousal flare brighter. “Or I’ll tell her.”
“Tell her what?” Matt asked, unable to keep the hitch out of his voice.
Alex studied him once more, as if silently debating with himself before he finally said, “That you’re not coming over for the heavy lifting.”
Alex turned away, leaving Matt feeling oddly bereft and very confused. A part of him knew what just happened, but the majority of his brain was having a hard time catching up, especially with no sleep and the leftover buzz of alcohol still humming through his bloodstream.
It took him several more orders before he finally stopped to wonder what he was going over to Alex’s place for if it wasn’t to help with heavy lifting.
* * * *
Alex was twitchy.
He sat at the wooden table as the early-morning sun cast rays across the kitchen of their small two-bedroom beach shack. His leg shook, and he couldn’t get back to sleep to save his life when usually he loved the few extra hours in bed on his days off.
He’d been restless since yesterday at the restaurant when he’d basically laid himself bare to Matt Tarrington on nothing but a hunch. Now he was practically coming out of his skin with the not knowing. Something about Matt made him stupid, and he was irritated as hell that he was as good as exposed to a man he wasn’t even sure he could trust. What if Matt didn’t come over? What if it was a trick?
No, Alex was pretty sure it wasn’t some sick frat-boy joke. He’d seen the way Matt’s eyes had glazed over the second Alex got close. His response had been pretty noticeable and sexy as hell because of it, but what if Matt was too fucking nervous to explore whatever it was that made the groan of longing slip past his lips with very little effort on Alex’s part?
What would happen if Matt
wasn’t
nervous?
What if Alex had just made himself a one-way ticket to gaytopia, and he was suddenly stuck with a bicurious frat boy who had nothing to do with the next year of his life?
Alex shifted and stood up, because that problem didn’t sound nearly as problematic as it should. Hot, virginal ass from the very buff and attractive Matt Tarrington sounded like a wet dream come to life. Alex better hope Matt
was
scared, because if he wasn’t, they were in a whole world of shit.
He started making breakfast. It was easier to think when he went on autopilot. Before he knew it, he had an omelet and hash browns going on their old stove and a fresh pot of coffee brewing. It should help, but it wasn’t doing a damn thing but reminding him of being hot, sweaty, and stuck in close quarters with Matt all day yesterday. The tension had been thick enough to cut with a knife, and no amount of jerking off once he’d gotten home had helped dispel it.
He reached down and adjusted himself inside his jeans, half hard just thinking about it.
Will walked into the kitchen. “Wash your hands.”
Alex just cupped himself again, and rubbed his palm over his crotch with more flare. Then he made a point to reach over and grab the toast in the toaster. Seeing the way Will winced, he went one step farther and licked it, dragging his tongue slowly over the full length of the bread as he looked at his brother over the crust of it.
“That’s your piece.” Will turned away and went for the coffeemaker. “In fact, that’s your entire breakfast. I’m not touching it.”
“Oh, come on, asshole.” Alex rolled his eyes, feeling guilty now. Will was too intense for his own good. “I made enough for all of us. Stop being a freak. I didn’t jerk off in it or anything.”
“That helps my appetite.” Will looked away from the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee instead. “When are you gonna grow up?”
“And be neurotic like you?” Alex snorted. “Hopefully never.”
“Speaking of jerking off.” Will leaned against the counter and took a sip out of the cracked mug. “Is that what you’re gonna spend all day doing? Lying naked in back with Holly doing jack shit when the garbage disposal in unit three’s still acting up? Eight and six checked out and—”
“I got it.” Alex held up his hand to stop the rant. “Our tans will suffer another day in the name of responsibility. Stop lecturing me.”
“Why do you two have an aversion to clothing?”
“’Cause we grew up on an island where the sun shines year round, and we look better without tan lines.”
“You can’t just run around carefree and reckless for the rest of your life. What would Mom and Dad think about you still working at Frank’s?”
“Asshole.” Alex turned to gape at him. “
You’re
still working at Frank’s.”
“Yeah, but I’m in school. Sweating in a kitchen for the next thirty years is not my great life plan. I have goals, Alex.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “Well, then good for you. Enjoy your goals.”
“I just feel like I’m letting Mom and Dad down by—”
“Mom and Dad are dead. And it’s not your job to take over for them. Stop trying. Please. It irritates the fuck out of me.”
Will shook his head. “I should’ve insisted you stay with Aunt Violet after the car accident. I had no business keeping you on the island. I was so caught up with trying to keep our heads above water, but I still should’ve made your baseball scholarship a bigger priority. I let you miss too much school to help out around here. You’d probably have a degree by now if I hadn’t dragged you down with me.”
“Wow, this is such a fun conversation.” Alex gave him a wide-eyed look. “Is there anything else you’d like to slit your wrists over?”
“Yeah, you are a ball of joy this morning,” Holly agreed as she walked in to the kitchen wearing a pair of Alex’s boxer shorts and a thin black tank top that had
Mirabella Island
written across it. “Relax, Will, it could be worse.”
“I don’t see how,” Will said distantly, eyeing Holly as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “My little brother’s life prospects seem pretty bleak, and it sorta feels like my fault.”
“He could be gay,” Holly offered with an innocent smile.
Will’s gaze finally lifted from the deadlock on Holly’s tits. He met her eyes as he snorted in disbelief. “Great, one thing in a list of hundreds that I don’t have to worry about. Alex isn’t doing it with dudes. Thanks for helping me look on the bright side.”
“I’m a silver-lining kinda girl.”
The sarcasm was so heavy in Holly’s voice Alex was shocked Will didn’t notice, though he was still pretty preoccupied. This was starting to be an annoying habit of Will’s—eye fucking Holly. It was made all the worse by Holly being oblivious to it, which was sort of amazing because it was blatant.
“You want me to take a picture?” Alex finally asked his brother with a scowl.
Will straightened and looked away from Holly, the guilt flashing on his handsome face for one brief moment before he cleared his throat. “I got class.”
“Have fun.” Holly grabbed a piece of toast off the plate. “Learn lots.”
“Don’t eat that.” Will actually leaped across the kitchen to knock the bread out of her grasp as if saving her from something toxic. “He licked it.”
Holly held up her hands and then gave Alex a look. “Why do you have to fuck with him like that?”
“I’m the bad guy now? He needs to lighten up.”
“Doing shit like that doesn’t lighten him up, it freaks him out. It makes him worse. He doesn’t need anything else to make him more uptight. I think it’s starting to become a medical condition.”
“I’m still here,” Will reminded them.
Holly turned to Will and took a bite of the tainted toast as if the entire licking conversation had never happened. “I thought you had class.”
“It’s like you two are in your own wonder world.” Will stood there staring at them with his jaw hanging open. Then he shook his head and walked out of the kitchen.
Holly rolled her eyes and took another bite of toast. “He needs to get laid in the worst way.”
“I wouldn’t be offering up that suggestion. You could end up very surprised by the response you get from him.”
She frowned. “What’d you mean?”
“I can hear you!” Will called from the living room.
Alex grabbed the toast from Holly to put it on the plate. Then he served up a portion of the huge omelet and handed the plate back to her.
Holly looked at her breakfast. “No garnish?”
“Fuck you.” Alex laughed at her sarcasm.
“What’s got you jumpy?” Holly asked as she sat down at the kitchen table. “You only cook like this when you’re anxious.”
Alex turned back to the stove and dished himself up a plate as he listened to Will walk around the house, gathering up the stuff he needed for school and then work afterward. Alex moved slowly, using the excuse of doctoring Holly’s coffee and putting the pans in the sink to avoid answering her question.
“Leaving,” his brother finally shouted from the living room. “I’ll be back late.”
“Bye,” Holly called back, her eyes on Alex. Not two seconds after the front door clicked shut, she asked, “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Alex put her coffee in front of her like a peace offering. “I hope it’s nothing. It
better be
nothing, ’cause I dunno what I’m gonna do if it is something.”
“What’re you talking about?” Holly frowned at him as he sat across from her. “You’re making no sense, and you’ve been bouncing off the walls since yesterday.”
Alex pushed at his eggs, looking at his plate instead of meeting her gaze. “Tarrington offered to come over and help today.”
“Help with what? Does he know how to fix a garbage disposal or do laundry?”
Alex shrugged, still avoiding eye contact. “I told him he could come if he wanted. Help, I mean. With the rentals.”
“Okay,” Holly said slowly as if trying to process this information. Finally a teasing smirk tugged at her lips as if she sensed a need to break the tension. “I thought you hated him.”
Alex tried to laugh, but it came out more like a moan of misery. “I’m not real sure what I feel about him.”
It was only half a lie. He knew some of the things he felt, like the blinding lust that welled up inside him whenever they were in the same space, and a bizarre desire to know more about the rich boy who was willing to work at Frank’s just to prove that he could. He was still trying to figure out the rest.
“What”—Alex started while sorting through the wild surge of emotions that clogged his thinking when it came to Matt—“what would I do if I could actually hit it?”
“With Matt Tarrington?” Holly asked in surprise, making it obvious she’d never thought it was possible either. It’d been a game up until this point, a fantasy for Alex, one of those magical carrots that weren’t ever supposed to be caught, and Holly, being the best friend she was, gladly encouraged the fairy tale. Now she looked unsure. “Can you?”