Page 5 of Crossed Sticks

“Not far. I just moved to Buffalo last week, so I wanted to explore the neighborhood.”

His gaze lingered, making me lightheaded. The espresso machine hissed in the background while I wished I’d worn a T-shirt with no holes in it. And for the love of God, why hadn’t I thrown my damn cargo shorts away a long time ago? At least I’d taken a shower.

Luca’s smile was blinding. “This is a great part of town. I live here, too.”

My mind went rogue, and I almost asked how long it would take to get to his place. Somehow, I managed to resist. “It’ll be good knowing someone nearby,” I said.

He caught his lower lip with his teeth, and the playful glint in his eyes made him look ridiculously cute. “That explains it, then.”

I was so busy imagining how his lips would taste, I wondered if I’d missed something. “Explains what?”

His smirk matched the mischief in his eyes. “You just moved. That’s why I haven’t heard from you. Otherwise, you’d have been sending me so many messages I couldn’t keep up with them.”

I barked out a laugh. “Full of yourself much?”

“Did you get my text?”

I twisted my lips into the snarkiest grin I could manage. “It was only five days late.”

He rolled one shoulder in a shrug. “Better late than never.”

I waved him off. “I was planning to answer you when I got home.”

“Likely story. You’ve probably been busy fighting off guys, and that’s why I haven’t heard anything.”

“What makes you assume I like men? We didn’t spend enough time together for you to reach a conclusion like that.”

He scoffed. “For fuck’s sake, the way you looked at me, I?—”

“The wayIlooked atyou?” I rolled my eyes. “You looked at me like you wanted to have me for dinner.”

He snickered. “Noticed that, huh? I wasn’t sure since you were so busy ripping my clothes off with your eyes. Want to finish the job now?”

We laughed, and I could feel my body heat rising. Luca tilted his head, showing off a square chin that was the ideal companion to his oval face. His cheeks were covered with thick, dark stubble, and the beautiful display of masculinity went straight to my balls.

When our laughter sputtered out, he shot me a playful look, one eyebrow quirked upward. “Now that I think about it, we should probably wait until we have more privacy to get undressed.”

“Good call.” His ebony eyes were glimmering pools that promised all kinds of rewards if I jumped in for a swim. We’d been joking around, but there was a lot of truth behind the funny jibes, at least on my end. My dick lengthened as I considered inviting him to my new place, and his playful expression hinted he might have similar ideas.

I wondered if I should tell him I played hockey. I couldn’t avoid it if we saw each other again, but right now, I wanted to hook up. If he didn’t know I was an athlete, maybe he’d fuck me.

While I mulled that over, he cleared his throat. “Can I ask you something?”

Here we go. Would it be, “Let’s go to my apartment and look at my hot dog collection,” or, “Why don’t we go to your new place, and I’ll show you where I’d put things”?

I nodded. “What’s up?”

The room was cool, but we’d been kicking up a lot of heat. He wiped beads of sweat from his forehead and smiled. “How would you feel about hanging out sometime? I’m meeting friends in about an hour, and then I have a business thing most of the day tomorrow. I’ll be free after that, though.”

My mind spun, trying to parse what he’d said. “Hanging out” had at least two different meanings, and I almost asked which he meant. Since I hoped for both, I didn’t push him. “That sounds cool.”

“Let’s plan on it, then.”

Fuck being shy.“You’re asking for…” I bounced my eyebrows. “Hanging out?” When he wrinkled his forehead, I realized I’d gotten it wrong. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant. It would… Do you… Goddammit. I didn’t mean…”

He snorted. “I hope that’spartof what you meant.” He leaned across the table, and I breathed in the musk I remembered from the other night. Tracing a fingertip over my hand, he lowered his voice. “We both know what we want right now, but I could use a friend. Is it possible to do both, or are you just looking for something quick?”

My dick sprang to attention under the table, and I inhaled again, reveling in his scent. “I was trying to figure out how to say the same thing. I want both, but right now, I need what you’re talking about.” I glanced down, hoping he’d get the drift; when I raised my head, his grin confirmed he’d received the message.

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