Page 9 of It's Complicated

My laughter faded a little at the nickname. Jamie was the only person who called me Z. Most people didn’t even bother trying to shorten my first name and just called me by my last name. I was used to it, thanks to a decade and a half of playing hockey, but I couldn’t deny the little thrill I got every time Jamie called me Z.

“Hold still, I got you.”

He did as I said, still glaring at me through the shirt, as I stepped up to him and carefully pulled different sections of the material down until his head popped free.

Between the two of us, we got his arms all the way into the shirt and worked it down until it covered his torso.

“Do I look as stupid as I think I do?” He ran one hand down his chest and stomach. “Now I know what cheese feels like.”

“Cheese?” I asked dumbly.

I’d picked the shirt because I’d thought it would be hilarious to not only watch him put it on but also see how ridiculous he looked with his muscular body squished into it.

I couldn’t explain why, but ridiculous wasn’t how I’d describe it now that he had it on. The way it stretched over his muscles was enticing in a way I didn’t understand. The little cutouts created an intricate web of design over his skin that was kind of sexy.

What the hell?

“You know, like when you make cheese and you have to strain it through cheesecloth?” he clarified. “That’s how I feel right now.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever made cheese or thought about how cheese is made,” I said, still a bit weirded out by where my thoughts had just gone.

“I can’t wear this in public.” He flicked his nipples, the hard buds poking through two of the cutouts.

My body tightened, a flush of heat creeping up my neck as the memory of him tweaking his nipple during our threesome invaded my thoughts.

A full week had passed since that mistake, and we’d put it behind us. All the weirdness from before had disappeared, and I’d managed to stop obsessing about it every time I looked at him.

Now I really only thought about it at night when I was trying to sleep or when I had some downtime and wasn’t distracted by other stuff. I could handle that, but these random memory flashes were the worst. They hit out of nowhere and were impossible to ignore because of how visceral my reactions to them were.

“I’ll allow an amendment to our original agreement,” I said. Hopefully he hadn’t noticed my distraction.

The corner of his mouth tilted up in a smile. “You will?”

“Just this once, so you don’t get arrested for accidental nip slips.”

“So generous of you.”

“I know.” I grinned. “You can wear a t-shirt over it while we’re out.”

“So generous,” he repeated, his tone impassive.

“What can I say? I’m awesome.” I gave him a hard slap on the shoulder. “Now go grab a cover-up so we can get going. You’re making us late.”

Jamie flipped me off and stalked into his room.

I tried not to look at his back as he did but failed, my eyes tracing over his strong muscles and the weirdly hot shirt.

He came back a second later in a black t-shirt that fit him like a second skin.

“Before you ask.” He pulled the neckline of his tee down, showing the top of the other shirt. “A bet is a bet.”

“Good boy.”

He punched me in the shoulder. “Asshole.”

“You know it.” I punched him back. “I’ll drive.”

He shot me a weird look. I didn’t offer to drive often because that meant I couldn’t drink but avoiding booze tonight was probably a good idea.

---