Page 87 of In Plain Sight

“That had to be a shock.” He flicked his gaze to mine but quickly looked away.

The change in him was stark. This was the Zander I was used to, and the confident man who’d so easily taken me apart over the phone and again in his hallway just now was nowhere to be found.

“You could say that.” I laughed, but there was no humor behind it.

I was still having trouble merging Nice and Zander in my head. I knew they were the same person, but it was still a mindfuck to think that my shy, reserved friend was the same dirty-talking man I’d sexted with.

“I spent the last few hours freaking out and trying to figure out what to do.”

Zander met my eyes, and the encouraging look in them helped calm some of my lingering nerves. He wasn’t judging me, and he was just as unsure about this situation as I was.

“I knew I had to tell you, but I had no clue how. Then I got in my head and started panicking, and the next thing I knew, I was on my way here and knocking on your door.”

“I still can’t believe it.” He shook his head incredulously. “I mean, I know it’s true, but what are the odds that we’d know each other in real life?”

“No clue.” I twisted the bottle cap off and took a sip. The cool water soothed my tight throat. “But I’d love someone to do the math because I’m guessing it’s pretty damn small.”

“Yeah.” He opened his bottle and drank down a few gulps. “Looking back, I can’t believe I didn’t put the pieces together and see it sooner. Or at all.” He took another distracted sip of his water.

“I didn’t either, not until I saw you answer your phone when I sent that meme.” I huffed out another laugh. “I went round and round in my head trying to explain it away and pretend like it was just a coincidence and you got a random notification at the exact same time that I sent it, but that didn’t work, as you can probably tell.”

He shot me a wry grin. “And to think I only turned my notifications on today because it was so dead. Usually I have them off.”

“That makes perfect sense because today is the one time I broke my rule about only messaging you after work, and I only did that because it was dead and I was trying to distract myself from checking you out.” I flicked my gaze to him, my cheeks heating uncomfortably at my confession.

Which was stupid considering we’d just blown each other, and he had his tongue in my ass less than twenty minutes ago.

My cheeks heated even more at the memory of him rimming me. That had been one of the hottest things I’d ever experienced. I’d figured it would feel good considering how much I enjoyed touching myself there, but nothing could have prepared me for just how incredible it felt.

And it wasn’t just the physical pleasure that sent my brain into the stratosphere and pushed me dangerously close to my orgasm. It was the intimacy of not just the act, but sharing that first with him that had almost done me in. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as my dick went half-hard.

Thank fuck Zander wasn’t looking at me, because there was no way I could hide the bulge in my pants.

“You’ve checked me out at work?” he asked, his eyes on his hands.

“At work, off work.” I swallowed.

He shot me a quick look, his cheekbones darkening with a blush. “I have too. Checked you out, I mean.”

“I had no clue. I thought you were straight.”

He smiled, but there was something off about it. It wasn’t a sad smile, more resigned. “Most people do. I thought you were straight too.”

“Yeah, that’s kind of by design.” I bit my lip. “Are you out?” I asked hesitantly.

He didn’t owe me answers. We might have just discovered that we were unknowing sexting partners, and gotten off together, but that didn’t mean I had any right to pry into his personal life.

“No.” He resumed picking at the label on his bottle. “Only four people know about me. Well, five now.”

“Only five?”

He nodded. “Ivy, her husband, Nate, Dev, and now you.”

“Are you…?” I had no idea how to ask how he identified, or if I even should.

“I’m gay.” He shot me a quick look.

“I’m bi.” I flushed warm again. “I’ve never actually said that to anyone before.”

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