Page 75 of Untouchable

He likes the way Harp is just so much bigger than he is, but gentle at the same time—Parker’s fairly strong, especially for his size, but Harp could easily overpower him. But Harp never would, and even when they were rough housing, Parker could tell Harp was taking great care to make sure he didn’t hurt Parker. And—ohmygod—the way he’d pinned Parker down so easily—

Warmth is pooling in Parker’s groin despite the fact that he’s sitting in 3' of snow. As he stands up, he surreptitiously adjusts himself—he’s not hard yet, but he feels like even the smallest thing could set him off now.

“I’m, uh, gonna hop in the shower,” Parker says, and he all but sprints inside to the bathroom and turns the water on. He strips down and stands for a moment, shivering in the relatively cold air, willing his body to calm itself down.

You are out of control, he thinks sternly as he looks at his reflection—flushed and wide-eyed and half-hard—in the mirror.

Parker manages to center himself, and instead of thinking about Harp pinning him down in the snow, he tries to think about the present moment—the steady beating of the water pressure, the warmth of the steam, the faint lavender smell of the soap in here.

He sings to himself as he shampoos his hair—it’s not Christmas yet, but spending the day in the snow has made everything feel bright and festive, and he smoothly transitions from one carol to the next as he thinks about his day.

* * *

Harp tendsto their meal as Parker showers, sautéing mushrooms to go with a quick polenta and the braised pork that has been cooking all day as they worked. Everything smells delicious, and Harp appreciates having someone else to cook for. He's willing to put much more work in when he knows someone else will benefit, too.

The early supper comes together quickly and Harp decides to grab them both a beer as he sets the table. He cracks open two cans and brings them to the table to set down.

Parker's phone sits abandoned on one corner and as Harp approaches, the big, flat rectangle lights up. Harp doesn't mean to snoop but the photo on the background of the screen catches his eye. It’s Parker, holding a puppy in his arms that is squirming to lick his face. Harp can tell that Parker was in the middle of letting out a huge peal of laughter when the picture was taken.

That's fucking adorable.

But as he gets closer, he realizes that there's a message displayed on the lock screen. He sees it before he means to.

>>MINDY: well take care of yourself up on Blowjob Mountain. Bye!!!

“Sorry that took so long—the water pressure here is phenomenal,” Parker says as he comes up the stairs into the kitchen, before Harp has time to start reacting to whatever thatmeans.

"There are more clothes in there if you want to change," Harp says, pushing the message to the back of his mind for a moment. He's blushing, realizing he got caught in the act.

Did Parker see me read it?he wonders with a flush of shame.

“I’m good,” Parker says. “This flannel is maybe the most comfortable thing I’ve ever worn. Ever.”

"Good," Harp says, forcing a smile. "Glad I broke it in for you, then. You can keep it if you want—been too small for me forever."

What the fuck is Blowjob Mountain?

Harp slides a plate of braised pork, mushrooms, and polenta in front of Parker. He feels like he's lost his own appetite as he reaches for his beer.

“Really?” Parker says happily. Harp watches as he wraps his arms around himself. “Hell yeah. Thank you. This looks amazing, by the way. I mean I know I keep saying that. But it’s because everything you cook does look amazing.”

Is that some joke about Storm Mountain or is it a joke about me? Or both?

What did he tell Mindy about me? Did he wake up this morning and feel my... feel me being a creep? Maybe he wasn't okay with it but he didn't want to upset me so he just stayed put.

Maybe he feels like I'm a predator.

Parker tries a bite of the food and moans aloud at the taste.

“This is, like, the perfect snow day food,” he says through a mouthful of polenta. “I know a lot of people bitch about the snow because, yeah, it does get inconvenient but it’s one of the things I love about Mink Creek. It’s just like, a winter wonderland half the time and it feels kinda... magical I guess.”

It feels like the text message has changed everything. Harp hates that he read it. It was an invasion of privacy so he can't ask about it, but now that Parker is sitting here, it's all he can think about...

What it means, what Parker must have told Mindy, how Parker must feel about the whole situation.

He thinks you're going to come onto him. And you were halfway there already a few minutes ago. Take a step back and don't embarrass yourself, old man.

Harp realizes he's drained his beer without touching his plate of food.

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