Chapter 60
Andy grunted. “Date-rape, convincing, or you don’t think I can stick to my ‘no,’ convincing?”
Scooter blinked. “No, what? No. He’s just charming. Friendly. Fun. Sex just…doesn’t mean anything to him. He doesn’t take it seriously, and really does not understand why any of the rest of us do. He’s just enthusiastic and likes to share. Total cockslut. But in a good way. He’ll ask you every time he sees you, until you say yes. And then he never asks again. One and done kinda man.”
“Not my type, then,” Andy said. “I’ve had a few one-night-stands, but it’s not…satisfying.”
“Sorry,” Scooter said. “I make us sound like a buncha oafs, but really, Mark is a legend. If you didn’t hear it from me, you’d hear about him from someone else. We don’t have to go, if it’s too many new people at once for you, or anything. Whatever you feel comfortable with. I just…you know, want you to meet my friends. Want them to meet you.”
Andy seemed to warm at that, stopping and turning to wrap his arms around Scooter’s neck and pull him in for a kiss. “I like people,” Andy said. “I’d like to meet your friends. I just don’t want you to have to…worry, that I’m…”
“Steppin’ out on me?” Scooter suggested.
“Something like that,” Andy agreed. “I…know he was teasing, what he said, but…I wouldn’t.”
Scooter pondered that for a long moment. Good, was his first thought. Not appropriate on a first date. Not even terribly acceptable after long-term dating, not without putting a ring on it first. They were nearly back to Scooter’s truck before he figured out how to say it the right way. “You know you don’t belong to me, right? I mean, I like you, Andy. I really do. But if you want to date around, I mean, you haven’t met much of anyone, ‘cept the tragically straight. And Kat, who’s engaged.” He’d wandered off the point; he shook his head and went back to it. “I don’t…I don’t get a say in that, if it’s what you want. Although I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know, so I don’t worry when you don’t come home.”
Andy’s eyes were huge, and the micro-expressions flickering across his face suggested any of a dozen different emotions battling for control. After a couple of minutes that seemed to drag on for hours, he said, “I don’t really want to date around, Scooter. I like you. I want to…to see what we’ve got. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” Scooter said, but the only thing that was in his head, ricocheting around, was a possessive refrain—He’s mine, he chose me!—and all he wanted was to kiss Andy breathless, to have Andy’s body under his hands—
Makeouts and dogs didn’t go together well. “Trick, get in the bed,” Scooter said, dropping the tailgate. The dog jumped up neatly, and Scooter tucked his leash around the toolkit so he wouldn’t get it into his head to go wandering.
Dog secured, Scooter opened the smaller passenger door. “Back seat?” he said, trying to make it a suggestion rather than an order. “I am…stupidly turned on right now and I want to kiss the hell out of you for a few minutes.” He smiled at Andy, trying to convey something like seductive charm, but it was hard when the only thing he could think was…ngggh
It seemed to work well enough for Andy, at least. “Well, thank God,” he said, climbing into the truck. He dropped onto the back seat and turned to face Scooter with a grin. “I was afraid I was the only one.”
Scooter didn’t say anything; he literally couldn’t think about anything other than the picture Andy made, sprawled out in the backseat of his truck like an offering. He ran one hand up Andy’s thigh as he climbed in, rocking himself down into the cradle of Andy’s legs. He pressed up against Andy’s body, lined them up, then took possession of Andy’s mouth, God, God
It shouldn’t have been so hot, what Andy had said. It was barely a declaration of fondness, not some rom-com declaration of commitment, and Scooter reallyneeded to stop putting the cart so far in front of the horse, but God, he was…touched. Moved.
And he wanted to touch. And move. He settled for kissing, hands roaming, and if he was hard and aching, he didn’t care.
And God, the noises Andy made, soft moans and gasps that Scooter swallowed hungrily. Andy’s hands slid over Scooter’s arms and shoulders and back, not quite able to reach anything else, but desperate for what he could get. He dragged Scooter’s shirt up to slide his hand under it, and his touch was like fire, like lightning, on Scooter’s skin. Andy’s head fell back as he gasped for breath, making an offering of his throat.