Page 31 of The Cocky Neighbor

I smiled wide and took a step back to give him some space. He took a couple deep breaths, and when he seemed to have gained his composure, he nodded to me and turned back to the door of the apartment we'd come out of.

Opening the door, Ian and Caleb toppled out and almost fell on the ground. The others stood behind the two men, straightening their backs when they saw us.

"Uh, hi?" Caleb asked more than said when he regained his balance. Ian casually stood like he wasn't just caught trying to eavesdrop.

"Oh, good. You’re back, babes. We were just about to check up on you two and make sure you weren't fighting or anything," Ian said with so much sincerity that I'd almost believed him.

"Right," Eric said, stretching out the word. "And that's the only reason you guys were basically pressed against the door, huh?"

Caleb started mumbling something too soft for me to hear, but I could guess it was some kind of admission of guilt from the deep blush that was coloring his cheeks.

The ridiculousness of the entire situation finally caught up to me.I busted out laughing, with my face turned up to the sky and tears leaking from the corners of my eyes. When my gaze returned to the others, they all looked at me like I'd lost my damn mind. That sent me into another bout of laughter.

Caleb and Scott let out nervous chuckles that turned into full on laughter, and not long later, our entire group was standing in front of Jason and Will's door, laughing like we'd all seen the most hilarious thing occur.

Today was a whirlwind of a day. My emotions were thrown from one extreme to the other as Eric teased me with temptation that I didn't know if I could have. And now that I knew we were finally both on the same page with what we wanted, I was filled with excitement for what I hoped to be a very long night with theinexplicable man.

TWENTY-ONE

LIAM

Twenty minutes later, we finally left Jason and Will's place for my loft. The others had many questions for us—apparently they weren't able to hear much through the solid door—but we managed to dodge most of them. They might be my friends, but I wasn't too keen with them knowing that I was about to bang someone they knew.

However, the knowing gleams in their eyes told me that they had an idea of what was about to happen, even after Eric and I tried to deny all their claims. It was suspicious that Eric suddenly had to leave the same time that I was.

None of that mattered at this moment, though. There were more important things on my mind, like the hot man that was standing in the middle of my loft.

Eric looked around the open area space with curiosity. Was he trying to figure out the kind of person I was by my decor? The room was filled with color. In fact, I didn't think there was a single white or black piece of furniture in my home.

The place was so different from my room at the Wright manor. My family accepted that I was gay when I came out as a teen, and I was very thankful I never had to deal with the anguish of not being accepted by them, but they had different opinions of what a home meant.

My parents weren't cold, but they weren't exactly warm toward us either. They acted with dignity befitting their status, even to their children. I loved them, but their controlled discipline only drove me to seek exuberance.

The manor was a place of class that should awe all those who came to visit. It wasn't supposed to be made up of vivid pieces that drew someone's eye to their boldness, so the only form of expression I had at the manor were through my vibrant and stylish outfits.

The loft was different. I didn't let predetermined rules restrict my artistic sense. I found pieces that I loved that brought me joy every time I saw them.

Seeing admiration cross Eric's face as he looked at the pieces of art I'd placed in my home assured me that I made the right choice in not restricting myself. It also made me keenly aware that this was the first time I'd brought a hookup here.

Hookups were done at hotels. This was my home, and I wasn't going to taint my space with someone I'd never see again. Mentioning to go to a hotel hadn't even crossed my mind when I made the offer to head back to my loft.

Iwantedto show him my place.

This thing with Eric might be nothing more than a one night stand, but something in my gut was telling me to take this chance. Eric was the most colorful person I'd seen—maybe not in fashion—but in personality, and having him in my space felt right.

"This is it. It's not much, but it's my home," I said with a wave to the room.

He took another minute to appreciate the painting by a local artist that I'd hung by the bathroom door before turning to me. "Wow, this place is…"

"Colorful?" I supplied, and he chuckled.

"Amazing. But yes, colorful as well. There's so much character in the space, so much life. I can really see your soul in the place."

He turned to me, his eyes burning when they landed on me. I sucked in a breath at how much heat was in that gaze, and for some reason, the heat felt like it contained more than just lust. It was tender, much too tender an expression to use for a hookup.

"Thanks," I said and cleared my throat. The compliment hit me deep, making the moment feel more intimate than what this night was supposed to be about. Physical intimacy was high on the books tonight, but I wasn't here to form a deeper connection with the man than I’d already felt. I couldn't get attached when he made it clear that he wasn't looking for anything more. I knew that coming into this. I'd agreed to his rules.

"Now enough about the place. That's not what's important here. I believe I owe you a reward," I said, changing the topic before I did something stupid like telling him I liked having him in my home. That he felt right here.

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