Chapter 35
I watch him, waiting, as he hesitates. I want to point out I did give him a chance, didn’t I? I gave him the perfect opportunity to give me his number, or tell me his name, something, and he missed the play. A magnet with Arianna’s take-out number on it isn’t exactly encouraging
This time his smile is wan and tight-lipped. “Thanks.” He waits another moment, half-turning as if torn between the other apartment and me, then gives into his responsibility and turns his back to me.
Oh, well.
His loss,I tell myself, closing the door as he hurries across the hall, but that’s cold comfort. I didn’t even get his name. How much pizza am I going to have to order before I see him again?
Who am I kidding? He’s obviously not that into me. I’m some dork with a hard-on and he probably has a lover already, someone he’s been dating for years, someone to whom he’s practically married, a sexy man like that…what kind of idiot would let himslip away?
Oh, yes, my bad. That idiot would be me.
I return to my computer but am no longer interested in wrapping up my article on the best Asian restaurants in Richmond. I try to type a few words, but they’re stilted and ring false to me. My mind is out in the hallway, where I hear the guy knock on the door to apartment G. When it opens, a gaggle of girlish giggles erupts in squeals. I knew my neighbors would be just as smitten with him as I am. I bet he gets the lion’s share of tips. Hell, I’m ready to give him a couple dollars and I didn’t even order.
Fuck it. Whatever momentum I had is now gone—my balls are heavy and my cock aches; I want nothing more than to jerk off thinking of the sexy pizza guy, those dark eyes, that hair. I close my browser and save what little I’ve done on my article, then log off the computer. I’m heading for my bedroom and the bottle of lubricant I have on my bedside table when someone knocks on my door again.
The girls, probably, asking if I want any pizza. I can hear them giggling through the thin wall, and the sound makes my empty bedroom feel that much lonelier. It’s going to be a long night.
In mid-step I turn and open the front door, just a crack, an apologetic refusal already on my lips. No thank you, I’m heading to bed…
He stands there, empty-handed now. His smile is bright and genuine and not a little bit shy. The way he scuffs his shoe against my threshold makes me open the door wider, and he ducks his head as he glances up at me. “Hey, listen. I’m Paul.”
“Jeremy.” I hold out my hand and he takes it, his fingers cold from the weather. With a laugh, I enclose his hand in both of mine and try to rub some warmth into his skin. “You need some gloves.”
His grin widens. “I’ll just stick them between my legs when I get in the car.”
“Oh, God,” I sigh. That image hurts my brain. Fodder for my masturbation fantasies, let me tell you.
“Listen.” His fingers close around mine, urgent. “I didn’t know if you were serious or not about wanting my number—”
My words come out in a breathless rush. “Oh, yeah. I’ve never been more serious in my life.”
That earns me a laugh. “My shift is up in an half hour, you know, if you want to call me then.”
If, as though I may not. I can just imagine lying in my bed in the darkness, stroking my length and listening to him breathe through the phone. “Let me get a pen.”
His grip holds me tight, keeping me in place. “No, wait. Do you have any plans later?”
You mean besides jerking off to the sound of your voice?My mind tickles over the looming deadline for my article and I shake my head. “Not yet.”
“How about I stop on by when I get off?”
His fingers are warming in my hand. I give them a squeeze and feel lust shoot through me at the thought of these same fingers clasped so tightly elsewhere on my body. With a coy wink, I ask, “How about you stop by here first, and then we’ll get you off?”
He laughs, a delicious sound, and before I know it, he leans down and captures my mouth with his.
My lips tingle beneath the sudden kiss. He tastes minty, like chewing gum, but beneath the spearmint flavor is a hint of tomatoes, Italian herbs, and pepperoni. The spiciness takes my breath away. My evening just got better.