Page 31 of The Guy Next Door

A pulse of excitement radiates through me. What is happening?

I’ve never been into guys. I’ve jerked off once or twice thinking about Timothée Chalamet, but that taste never translated into real life. And I imagine plenty of other straight guys have jerked off thinking about Chalamet.

But as Zane looks at me and tells me he finds me attractive, I’m…curious.

Maybe this is some kind of wild trauma response to how we first met that I’m mistaking for something else.

“Don’t worry, Leif. I know you’re straight. I’ve seen all the photos of your exes on Insta and Facebook, so I’m not creeping on you. And I can keep it professional when I’m watching you. Though sometimes that can be difficult, honestly. I mean, you’re pretty hot, and that ass…”

This eagerness in me pulses up once again, but he stops there.

Why does his mention of my ass make my cock shift in my pants?

“What do you like about my ass?” I press.

He stares at me, licks his lips. He hesitates before saying, “It’s firm. Notice it when you jog, how it jiggles. I imagine if I could…” He stops himself but licks his lips again. And I don’t know why my cock is so damn hard over that.

“Well, there it fucking is,” he adds. “Guess you really don’t want me being the one to watch you now.”

“I didn’t say that.”

His head jerks as he does a double take—maybe he’s as surprised by my response as I am. Or the way I can’t take my eyes off him.

His eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. As I said, you intrigue me, Zane.”

His lips curl into a smirk. “If after all that you aren’t telling me to fuck off, then I guess I’m not the only one who’s fucked up.”

“Isn’t that what we’ve been determining in this conversation? That we’re both a little fucked up?”

His smirk spreads into a smile, and damn, he’s got a gorgeous smile.

I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve been curious about the guy since I first met him…since he first made weird comments about me being attractive, but now that he’s laid everything out on the table, I’m starting to realize it’s not only this complicated shit that brought him here that interests me.

What the fuck are you doing to me, Zane Grayson?

8

ZANE

Silence stretches betweenus.

It was such an epic conversation—from him confessing that shit about his past and then me confessing my shit.

And then he said he was intrigued by me…

What does that mean?

The looks he gives me, the fact that he hasn’t freaked out… Some straight guys enjoy attention, even if it’s from a queer guy. I had a friend—Tau—who had one straight guy torture him for years. They did everything together, and the guy lapped up his attention, but he always had a girlfriend, never made a move. Just loved basking in my friend’s interest.

I don’t have too much time to consider it because our pizza’s ready. Leif pulls it out of the oven, and we let it cool a bit before enjoying slices.

“God, that’s good,” I say, reveling in the mix of the cheeses, spinach, and chicken. With my eyes closed, I fully embrace it, since these meals are a treat. “You’re spoiling me.”

“Watching you enjoy it makes it worth it.” As he says that, I notice him watching me eat before taking another healthy bite.

I gaze into his eyes, maybe longer than I should. But that’s become something of a bad habit.

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