Page 51 of Poolside

He burrowed his head further into the couch cushion.

CHAPTER14

WHAT WERE YOU GOING TO DO?

CHUCK

“How’s work?”

Tommy’s face was pulled into a concentrated frown as the early morning light slid over his wet skin. It was a pattern they’d fallen into together—catching up while they did increasingly long kicks. Occasionally, their kick boards would nudge each other. Chuck noticed that today Tommy was quieter and withdrawn, like he was lost in his thoughts.

“Work is fine,” Tommy said, already breathless from their workout. “Rick is riding us all like crazy. He’s got a big review with his national corporate boss and we’re all picking up the slack.” He blew out a loud breath. “I’m just trying to make sure all the bullshit doesn’t interrupt my team from doing what they need to do.”

“That’s good of you.”

Tommy’s round shoulders lifted and dropped. They reached the wall at the same time, and, in almost perfect synchronicity, lifted their boards and changed direction.

“How’s dating?”

When Tommy didn’t say anything, Chuck glanced over at him. Tommy caught his gaze, and then shook his head. “You don’t want to hear about it.”

“No, T. It’s okay, we’re friends,” Chuck rushed to correct him, even as a sinking, sickly feeling tightened in his throat.

“I don’t know,” Tommy hedged.

“Come on! I’m fine, we’re fine, it’s all fine!” Chuck wasn’t sure why he was pushing, why heneededto know how Tommy’s foray into dating men was going.Ifhe was dating men at all. All he knew was he felt like he was barely holding on to whatever it was keeping him tethered to his body. He tried to force a deep breath. “I want to hear about it.”

Tommy frowned at him, but then, with his painfully handsome face turned in perfect profile, he started to talk. He described his evening out with Wade, dancing with strangers, and then the cautious hope he’d felt when he met Noah. He went on to describe how nervous he was for his date, how he’d changed his shirt three times and made sure to floss just in case.

The conversation had been good, Tommy said, and then, as their evening was coming to an end, they’d kissed. “It just wasn’t,” Tommy said, obviously wrestling with his words. “There wasn’t chemistry.”

Chuck wasn’t entirely sure how his body was still moving, convinced that the chaos in his head was loud enough to disrupt whatever part of him controlled his motor functions. “Are you going to see him again?”

“No.” Tommy’s mouth tightened, lips pressing against each other like he was trying to keep something in.

“Why not?”

“It just didn’t feel right.”

“Are you going to try again?”

Tommy let out a frustrated sigh. “What do you care, Chuck?”

At some point they’d reached the end of the pool, and neither of them had kept going. They stood there with their forgotten kick boards bobbing on the disturbed surface of the water beside them. Chuck let his eyes trail down Tommy’s muscular chest, over the swells of his defined abs, to the V of his Adonis belt and his low-slung Speedo.

Chuck couldn’t look away. He felt out of control, a wildness in him making his nerves spark and his skin itch.It would be so easy to be selfish.Just once. One time wouldn’t be enough to leave him broken. He could indulge in a little taste before Tommy found someone else—someonereal.

There was no universe where Tommy wouldn’t find someone else, because he was Tommy Littleton and he was so good at making the people he cared about feel treasured.

There were a million things that could go wrong, fears and worries andwhat ifs. Chuck had been right to say no when Tommy had asked if they could hook up. It had been a smart and safe choice. He needed to protect himself and knew how much it would devastate him when things went wrong.

But just once?

“Get out of the pool.” Chuck’s skin was hot, sharp against the cool lapping of the water. He wouldn’t—couldn’t—think about what came after.

Tommy frowned, taking off his own cap and goggles, leaving his hair sticking straight up on his head. “Dude, what the?—”

Chuck couldn’t speak, not when his body was buzzing and blood pounded in his head. He got out of the pool and walked toward the locker room, glancing back at Tommy, who followed him silently with water dripping down between his pecs and over his abs, the hair on his thighs dark and plastered to his tan skin.

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