Page 30 of Can't Stop Now

“I’ll take whatever beer you have on special, and whatever he’s having, I’m buying,” Jacob said, gesturing at Will.

“You sure?” Will asked softly, and Jacob nodded. “I’ll have the same,” Will said to the bartender. “You didn’t have to do that. I’ll get next round.”

“Fine with me,” Jacob said, pulling out his wallet.

Jacob had wondered if the feelings he had for Will the night before would fade. He didn’t know if he was just feeling particularly emotional last night, or if he really was…developingfeelings for Will. But earlier in the car, when Will had sketched him, or just now when he had looked so sweet thanking him just for buying him a beer… Jacob knew the answer. He wanted to bring Will in close, right here in this bar, and plant a kiss on him. He wouldn’t do it because he knew it wasn’t right. But he was done denying that he wanted to.

They cracked open their beers, and Jacob drank half of the bottle at once, in one long series of gulps.

“Woah! You’re not messing around. You wanna have fun tonight,” Will said, sitting on a barstool while Jacob stood behind him. Will took his own big swig.

“I guess so,” Jacob said, smiling at Will.

“So do you get better or worse at pinball the more you drink?” Will asked, swiveling on his barstool so that his back was to the bar, and he faced Jacob.

Jacob took another gulp of beer.

“Hmm… it depends. Sometimes it can help get me into the zone, but then if I drink enough I just end up getting distracted and can’t really play as well,” Jacob said. “Do you ever drink and draw? Or paint?” he asked, and took another gulp, almost finished with his beer already.

“I did sometimes, yeah. That’s one thing about being an art major. You can’t exactly drink and study for a calculus exam, but you definitely can drink and paint, while listening to loud music in the studio. As long as you don’t drink too much, it can even help,” Will said. “Jesus, you already finished your beer! I gotta catch up.”

Jacob rested the empty bottle on the bar and signaled to the bartender for another. He was a big guy, and it took a lot for him to feel tipsy. But after being on the road all day and chugging the beer so fast, he began to feel it a little bit.

“Okay, I’ll try to go a little slower with this one. Maybe.” He held out the second beer and gestured toward the other full one waiting for Will.

“Oh, you’rebad,” Will said, giving him a playful look. Jacob felt a surge go through his body, leading all the way to his cock. He always did when Will talked like that to him. Every now and then Will would let his flirty side slip out, and Jacob was beginning to love it, to crave it. He tried to act as if he didn’t notice when Will dropped little comments like that, but he did, every time. Like when he had called him “handsome” in the car earlier – that comment had been replaying in his head all day.

Jacob turned his body so that he faced away from Will, and tried to stealthily hide the slight bulge that had started to grow in his pants.

“Okay, are you ready, Jacob?” he heard Will ask from behind him. He turned around to look at him once again.

“Ready?” Jacob replied.

“For pinball! I know you want to play. And I wanna watch you,” Will said, grabbing his second beer and getting up from the bar. “Come on.”

Jacob followed Will to the back, where they found an open pinball machine. Jacob reached into his pocket, grabbing his wallet and pushing a quarter into the machine. I came to life, the lights flashing in succession, and Jacob took a big drink of beer before setting the bottle down on a nearby ledge and getting into position to play. He pulled on the plunger, and the little metal ball sprang forth. Jacob went into autopilot, attuned to where the ball would be next, always keeping his eyes pinned on it.

“Gahhh, you’re so good!” Will said, watching him from the side of the machine and drinking his beer. He played out the rest of the game, never letting the ball slip down into the valley at the bottom of the board. Will leaned in, placing his arm on the side of the machine and leaning close to Jacob. Jacob tried to stay focused on the ball, but feeling Will’s presence, his proximity and familiar scent intoxicated him again. His mind trailed off, thinking of grabbing hold of Will right where he stood, how his thin but firm body would feel in his hands. He pictured pinning him against the wall.

The ball fell down to the bottom, losing him the game.

“Awwwww! Too bad,” Will said, smiling and finishing his second beer next to the machine. “I’m gonna go get another, do you want one?”

Jacob noddedyesas he finished the rest of his beer in one gulp. Now he was definitely beginning to feel the alcohol a little.

“’Kay. Then when I get back I’m gonna play,” Will said, grabbing Jacob’s empty beer bottle and walking it over to the bar.

Jacob watched, staring at Will’s ass as he walked over to the bar. He took in a deep breath and looked around. The bar was quite full at this point, and there were even some people dancing in a small area near the back. He liked this place. It had an old-school, dive bar type feel, fairly dark inside with a couple neon signs up high on the walls, and plenty of framed old photos. There were a few people inside with cowboy hats on. Unlike the bars he’d gone to in college, he wasn’t worried at all about running into anyone he knew. He liked that this bar spanned all ages, from early twenties to middle-aged people. He took in the scenery for a few minutes, glad to be in another town he’d never been to before. He didn’t feel anonymous, just free.

He felt a hand at the small of his back and turned to see Will behind him, holding their two beers in his other hand.

“My turn,” Will said, slowly dragging his hand off Jacob’s back and heading over to the pinball machine.Does he do that on purpose? Jacob thought, reeling from the feeling of Will’s hand on his back.He’s gonna drive me fucking crazy touching me like that. He walked over to Will at the pinball machine.

Will tossed a quarter in, and released the plunger and the ball. He was able to knock the ball around for about 30 seconds before it fell down to the bottom. The losing sound played, and Jacob looked at Will, smirking.

“Okay. I gotta teach you how to play,” Jacob said.

“Ohhh-kay,” Will said, a mock pout on his face, “but go easy on me.”

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