Page 15 of Tastes of Him

Broken, just like all my other relationships.

A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts, and I called out, telling whoever it was to come in. The curtain was opaque enough that I wasn’t concerned with being seen.

“It’s just me,” Cameran called back. “I need to grab something.”

“That’s fine. I was about to get out. Could you hand me that towel on the counter?” I turned the water off and held my hand out around the curtain. When it was pushed into my palm, I grabbed it, calling out thanks.

“You’re welcome. Rod and Julie went to get some ice cream and a cake to celebrate. They should be back in a bit.”

I nodded, even though I knew she couldn’t see it. “Sounds good. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Cameran didn’t reply, but I vaguely heard the door shut, and when I looked around the curtain, the bathroom was empty. I quickly dried off and got dressed before opening the door and walking out. When I peeked out the bedroom door, I could see Cameran was still alone on the couch, so I put away my clothes and stalled for time. Somehow, things felt changed, and I glanced over at the bed. I had been enjoying the space of it, but I wondered how it would feel with Rod lying beside me in the darkness of the evening. I shivered slightly, though not with any sort of chill. If anything, I felt warmer than I had in the shower, and I chastised myself for thinking that just because we would be sleeping beside one another that it meant our relationship was somehow different than it had been before.

“Get your shit together,” I groaned to myself. The bed didn’t look any different than it had the night before when I laid down alone. The only change would be less space for me to roll around in. “I really hope Cameran was lying when she said he snores.”

The sound of Rod and Julie’s voices prompted me to kick my butt in gear, so I quickly tossed my clothes toward my suitcase, not giving two shits where they landed. When I came out and walked into the living room, Rod was on the couch dishing out ice cream while Cameran enthusiastically talked about the proposal. The sight of twin rings on her and Julie’s fingers made me smile even against the ache in my chest. I sat down and accepted the bowl of ice cream Rod offered me. His smile was brilliant against the dark hair of his close-cut beard, and I could practically taste the happiness leaking from him as he listened.

“So, you both proposed at the same time?” I asked. Cameran’s nod made her look like one of those bobblehead dolls, whereas Julie just shrugged with a soft smile. Even though she didn’t outwardly show it, I could see the pleased look in her eyes as she gazed at Cameran. “That is such a lesbian thing to do.”

“I think it’s romantic,” Rod said, though I could tell he was fighting laughter. “Plus, it’ll be a cute story you can tell when you’re older.”

“Thank you,” Cameran said before giving me the finger. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. Itwasa cute fucking story.

Disgustingly cute.

“Cheers to you two.” Rod held up his bowl, and Cameran giggled as she did the same, clinking theirs together. Julie and I exchanged looks of amusement before joining.

The conversation was enough to take my mind off the fact that Rod would be lying beside me starting tonight, but when the girls were safely behind their own closed door, leaving Rod and me staring at one another across the bed, I found myself once again uncharacteristically unsure. It wasn’t the first time I had been across the bed from another man, so why was I acting brand new about this? I steeled myself against the lingering awkwardness and took the lead, shoving the covers down and climbing underneath them. The bed felt the same as last night and yet not. It shifted under me as Rod climbed in on his side.

“So…” His voice trailed off, and I breathed deeply before I turned to look at him. The small smile on his face looked forced, and I clicked my tongue, getting his attention.

“Oh, come on. It’s not a big deal.”Liar.“We can pretend we’re camping or something suitably manly like that, and then in the morning, we won’t speak of it.”

His snort made me bristle, and I grit my teeth against my rising irritation.This is why we wouldn’t work. This awkwardness is just too much for us to work through.

“I think Julie would be more likely to enjoy camping than us,” Rod said finally after settling down on his back. He turned to look over at me, and for a moment, I had the thought that it would be so easy to lean in and press my lips to his.

The bed wasn’t the largest, though it was big enough that there was a strip of neutral territory between us. When Rod’s hand settled there, palm facing up, I wanted to reach out and lace my fingers with his. The charming bastard had to know just what he was tempting me with. His eyes had gone half-lidded and fuzzy with sleep, and every fantasy I had ever had about him swelled up in my mind. How would he respond if I reached out and pressed my hand against his stubbled cheek? Would his eyes close as he tilted his head up? Would he laugh it off and tell me to stop joking around?

“We should get some sleep. Tomorrow, I have to finish getting this place packed up.”

I nodded, gaze still firmly on his lips, entranced at the way they moved. “Cameran already has a system ready to go for organizing your shit, so be ready.”

Rod’s chuckle was deep and soft, wrapping around me like the comfiest blanket. I wanted to snuggle into it, but instead, I slid down until my back was against the bed. I stared up at the ceiling for a moment before closing my eyes and forcing myself to calm. The light beyond my eyelids flickered off, plunging the room into darkness.

The room was quiet outside of the ambient noise drifting in from the street. The occasional car passing by, coupled with the soft drags of Rod’s breathing, eventually lulled me into a doze that was only broken by the feeling of something dropping over my waist. I frowned, not wanting to wake, but when soft puffs of air tickled my ear, I reluctantly opened my eyes.

It was still dark, and the apartment was silent—that spoke to everyone else being asleep. I turned my head, startled to see Rod’s face so close. Somehow in the night, we had both drifted to the center of the bed, and while I was still laying on my back, Rod had turned at some point and was now a hot brand against my side. The heavy weight I had felt was his arm curling around my waist. One of my own hands was resting on his arm, and the warmth of it seeped into my own skin. He had taken his shirt off at some point, so the only thing between us was the shirt I had worn to bed. It stuck wetly to my skin in places, and I grimaced at the feeling.

A soft grunt drifted into my ear, and I quickly closed my eyes in case he was waking up. When his lips brushed against my cloth-covered shoulder, I had to fight hard not to gasp. I slit one eye open to see if he had woken up, but Rod’s face was still slack with sleep. A part of me wished that the movement was intentional, that he was reaching out for me. This was the best part of heaven and hell—having him so close and yet so fucking far. I had said that Rod and I wouldn’t work, but that didn’t stop me from wishing it wasn’t true.

CHAPTER TEN

Roderick

Here we fucking go, I thought to myself as I pulled away from the curb. The excitement at having Sean riding shotgun with me on my week-long trip back home was still there, but it was dueling with my anxiety about how I was going to make it clear that this thing between us was not only wanted but something I was enthusiastically hoping for.

Most of the time, I would just be straightforward and come out with the feels, but this was Sean. The man ran from feelings like he was being tased. There was only so much joking I could take when it came to making my desires clear, and I was only going to be rejected so many times.

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