Chapter 9 — Calvin

Even with his bedroom window open and the cool, late-August breeze blowing in, Calvin was still burning up. He rolled over onto his back and kicked away the blankets, exhaling loudly as he stared up at the ceiling.

His insides had been all jumbled and fluttery ever since the moment Jack had walked into the bookstore and back into Calvin’s life.

It had been so unexpected—shocking, really—to see him standing there, Calvin should really consider himself lucky that he hadn’t immediately thrown up. Or run away without thinking. Or said anything stupid.

Well… he was pretty sure he hadn’t said anything stupid.

And at least it was pretty clear now that Jack didn’t hate him, so that was a plus. Not that he really thought Jack would actively hate anyone, but it had been so long, and the way Jack had completely cut Calvin out of his life made it hard to be sure.

Hopefully he knew that what happened between them way back then had been a big mistake which Calvin had no intention of repeating. Surely Calvin didn’t need to come right out and say that, right?

God, that would be the most awkward conversation ever.

But if that was what Jack needed to hear, Calvin could figure out a way to say it.

Probably.

Maybe.

The next couple of days would be the real test. If it still seemed like there was some weird tension between them, Calvin would definitely have to bring it up.

If not? Great. The past could stay in the past and they could both move on.

That would be the best-case scenario, obviously.

Still, Calvin was going to have to remind himself every minute of every day they worked together not to let his mind wander, not to stare or daydream or read too much into Jack’s words.

It had been hard enough to keep those things in mind for the few minutes they’d spent talking in the bookstore earlier that day, so Calvin didn’t have any idea how he was going to make it through a full eight or ten hours with Jack under the same roof.

Because damn, Jack was still just as sexy now as he’d ever been back then. Sexier now, if Calvin was being honest.

Calvin’s cock strained against the thin material of his boxer briefs, and he slid a hand down to adjust himself. Maybe that was the reason he felt so hot and out of sorts.

Instead of simply adjusting, he palmed himself through his underwear, sucking in a sharp breath as his cock throbbed at his touch. Thinking about Jack—about his deep voice and the muscles that had been clearly defined even under layers of clothing—had Calvin’s cock harder than it had been in a long time.

Yeah, he definitely needed to take care of this situation to have any hope of falling asleep tonight.

And anyway, it was not like it would be the first time he’d gotten off thinking about Jack—just the first in a long time.

Maybe getting this little bit of fantasy out of the way now would even help Calvin keep his mind centered when it was actually time to see Jack again tomorrow.

His cock jerked again and he forgot about trying to make more excuses for what he was doing.

Whatever.

He didn’t need an excuse in the privacy of his own mind, in his own bedroom, did he?

No.

He didn’t.

What he needed more than anything at that moment was to get his underwear off. He raised his hips again and shoved his boxer briefs down around his thighs, immediately wrapping a hand around his cock and giving it one of the long, slow strokes he’d been craving.

It was all too easy to close his eyes and imagine that it was Jack’s big hand on his cock instead, that it was Jack’s other hand that was skimming across Calvin’s chest to tweak first one nipple, then the other.

“Oh my God,” Calvin moaned, writhing as the burst of pleasure in his chest shot straight down to his cock. “Yes, Jack…”

He bit his lower lip as he stroked faster, his free hand moving back down over his stomach, lower and lower until he was cupping his balls. Was this what Jack would do? Would he be gentle as he caressed and stroked?

Not this time.

This time, fantasy-Jack would be a little rough. He would give Calvin’s balls a little squeeze and a playful tug as he stroked, blurring the line between pain and ecstasy as Calvin cried out his name.

“Jack, ah…”

Oh, God, that was exactly what Calvin needed. He wouldn’t last long like this, and could already feel his orgasm building inside, threatening to overtake him.

His hips bucked wildly, thrusting upward to meet each stroke of his hand, until his room was filled with the sounds of his moans, his creaking bed, and his hand flying over his slick cock.

“Yes, Jack, please,” Calvin whimpered, taking his hand from his balls to reach out and grab a fistful of the bed sheets, twisting them around his wrist as he edged closer and closer to release.

It felt so good. So hot.

He pressed his head back against his pillow, so close now his whole body was trembling.

“God, oh God.”

The first hot jets spilled over his fist and streaked across his stomach, taking his breath away as his mind emptied and his whole world narrowed to that one moment. He stroked hard and fast—once, twice, three times more, until he lay there spent and panting.

His eyelids were suddenly heavier than they had been all night, and he had to fight off sleep as he slowly came down from that incredible climax.

God, even thinking about Jack’s hands on his body had been amazing.

The real thing would probably send Calvin into cardiac arrest.

At least he had accomplished his goal—to get Jack off his mind long enough to fall asleep.

With a heavy sigh, Calvin swung his legs over the side of the bed and took his underwear the rest of the way off before padding to the bathroom. A quick shower to clean up and he’d be ready to call it a night.

He would just have to hope that by the time the morning came, he would have a better handle on his thoughts.

Otherwise?

Spending every waking hour with Jack was going to be excruciating.

###

Calvin hadn’t been surprised to wake up with Jack on his mind again—and with a throbbing erection to prove it—but he had impressed himself just a little with how he’d mostly managed to keep his runaway imagination in check once Jack showed up at the bookstore that morning.

And okay, maybe it was a little easier to concentrate now that Calvin had jerked off twice more that morning before going in to work, but he had to get those thoughts out of his system somehow, right?

Now, though, watching Jack walk around the bookstore making notes and looking so studious and professional, all Calvin could think about was how good he looked in a button-down shirt and slacks.

“This is a good space you’ve got,” Jack said, still looking around as he walked toward the front desk where Calvin was standing.

“Hm?” Calvin reluctantly stopped trying to picture what Jack’s body looked like under all those clothes. “I mean yeah, it is a good space, absolutely. It just feels like it’s never enough space. There are so many more books I’d like to stock and display. So many more.”

“But even as you say that, I see a lot of space that’s sort of wasted,” Jack gestured to the space between the tops of the bookshelves and the high ceiling. “You have a lot of untapped potential here—promotional materials, signage… I’ve even seen some places hang interesting art pieces from local artists.”

Calvin cocked his head to the side, trying to see the space through Jack’s eyes. “I honestly never even thought about doing something like that,” he said, studying the area. “I mean, sure, I’ve thought about hanging more signs, but I always worried that it would look too cluttered.”

“And it might. So maybe we do something different.” Jack shrugged and gave Calvin a little grin. “It’s your store, so you get to decide what you like and don’t like. But I think we should definitely try to think about what your goals are and how we can best utilize the space we have to align with those goals.”

“I completely agree with that,” Calvin said, nodding. “Everything you’re saying makes perfect sense, actually.”

God, it was so nice to have someone who actually knew about things like branding and marketing and all the things that normally made Calvin’s eyes glaze over.

But for once, hearing about these things didn’t bore Calvin at all. Maybe because Jack was the one delivering the message, or maybe because he said it in a way that finally made sense to Calvin’s mind—but whatever the reason, Calvin was starting to feel excited about the possibilities for his store, and that was a feeling he hadn’t felt in a while.

“Good,” Jack’s eyes lit up a little. “I’m glad we’re on the same page so far. Sometimes, I find that a business owner will sort of take suggestions like that personally, and then with the added complication of trying to give a friend constructive criticism…” His voice trailed off, and he looked away for a moment to clear his throat before continuing. “But anyway, it’s not like I think you’re doing anything wrong here—you’ve built a strong business doing things this way, after all. I just think there’s always room for change with anything, really.”

Calvin nodded again, trying to focus on every word, but the truth was that his brain had stalled right around the time Jack had referred to him as a friend.

Not an acquaintance.

Not a former friend.

Not somebody he used to know.

A friend.

Just another affirmation that Jack wasn’t holding a grudge, that maybe he hadn’t been purposefully dodging Calvin for the past ten years—or at least maybe not for that whole time—but that they had just done what a lot of friends did after high school and drifted away.

It was a reassuring thought, and enough to make Calvin smile.

“What?” Jack quirked an eyebrow.

Calvin quickly schooled his features back into something that wasn’t a goofy grin. “What? I mean… nothing. I was just, um… thinking about… about what you said and, um, how much I like it.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed for a split-second, but he never lost his grin. “Okay. Well… great. I’m excited by what we can do here, and I really hope the other business owners here on Main Street will be as receptive as you have been so far.”

“I think they will be. Between the two of us explaining what we need to do, I can’t see why most people wouldn’t want to make a few changes. And if we have to, we can always send in the big guns and have your mom persuade them to listen.”

Jack laughed. “Oh, Jesus. They won’t even know what hit them.” He hesitated for a moment, then continued. “But that reminds me, she asked me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night if you’re not doing anything else.”

Calvin blinked and felt the smile slip from his face for a moment.

Should he say yes?

Should he say no?

Was he going to look too eager if he said yes? Did Jack even want him to say yes, or was he just relaying a message?

Had there been a note of hesitation in his voice? Or had it been reluctance?

“I’m… no, I’m not doing anything else,” Calvin said, struggling to buy himself a few extra seconds. “Dinner? You’re, um… you’re sure?”

Jack looked down at his feet for a moment before meeting Calvin’s gaze again. “Yeah. I am.” He nodded decisively. “I’d like for you to come—if you want to, that is. I think it would be good.”

“Okay,” Calvin said quietly, his lips twitching as a warm feeling started to spread inside of him and about a million butterflies burst to life in his stomach. “O-kay. Yeah. I can do that. I’ll be there.”

Jack returned the smile. “Great. I’ll let my mom know. This will make her day.”

Calvin reached out to steady himself against the front desk. Bea Roberts wasn’t the only one whose day had just been made.