Page 39 of Poolside

Chuck shook his head. None of this made sense. It didn’t add up. Whatever this was seemed so far outside of the reality Chuck lived in that he didn’t know what to do. “Tommy…” he began.

Tommy shifted forward, and Chuck’s breath hitched as he felt hips press against him. Lean hips and broad thighs andholy fuck, that was Tommy’s cock. Tommy’s hard cock was right there, pressed against his body.

Tommy’s face hovered in front of him. His tongue wet his lips, and his gaze dropped to Chuck’s mouth. “I’m going to kiss you now,” Tommy whispered.

“What?”

And then Tommy kissed him.

Tommy Littleton, the sweetest,straightestbusiness bro he’d ever known, pressed his lips to Chuck’s without the slightest hesitation. His mouth was firm and wet, lips steady as they pillowed against his mouth. For a moment the kiss was chaste, and Chuck stood there frozen, too afraid to move. Terrified to interrupt whatever alternate reality he’d stumbled into.

But then hands brushed over his sides before settling back on his hips, the touch solid and burning right through the fabric of his shirt. Chuck couldn’t help the whine that escaped his throat, not when Tommy was touching him and his lips were softer than he’d imagined.

Tommy responded with a flick of his tongue over Chuck’s mouth, and Chuck opened to him.If he was going to do something this stupid, he might as well hold nothing back.

When their tongues met it felt like diving into water, a smooth slide that reminded Chuck of coming home. There was a patience to the way Tommy explored him that tugged at something in Chuck’s chest he knew had no place in whatever was happening between them. Chuck kissed him back, giving everything he had because it was the best kiss he could remember, one that left his toes curling in his socks and his heartbeat pounding in his chest.

There was no question that this was stupid. It was fucking stupid because Chuckknewat the end of it all he’d be left in pieces. There was no version of this story, the one where he got to live out the fantasy of making out with Tommy, that didn’t end with Chuck, alone, trying to put himself back together.

Tommy let out a deep groan that Chuck felt in his bones, and he melted just a little bit more into the body pressing him against the kitchen counter. Tommy tasted like whiskey and his stubble was the perfect kind of rough against Chuck’s lips.

He was so wrapped up in the kiss that he didn’t notice Tommy’s hands had left his hips until he was jerked hard to one side. Gasping, Chuck drew back, looking down between them to find Tommy’s hands trying to tug his leather belt free.

For a moment Chuck was frozen, watching those hands so close to where his hardened cock strained against the placket of his jeans.

Finally he reacted, grabbing Tommy’s hands and stilling their frantic movements. Keeping his hold tight, he looked up, almost afraid of what he’d see on his friend’s face.

Tommy’s pupils were blown wide, his swollen mouth parted as his chest heaved with panted breaths. He met Chuck’s gaze, glanced down between them, and then looked back up. His face shifted into a playful pout as his fingers tugged on his waistband.

The moment was so absurd that Chuck felt himself biting back a smile. Still, he shook his head.

“I bet it’s pretty just like the rest of you,” Tommy muttered, eyes fixed on Chuck’s crotch.

And that’s a wrap on my sanity for the evening. “Go sit your drunk ass down on the couch, T,” Chuck rasped, his voice cracking. “I’ll bring you some water.”

Tommy took a step back, running a hand through his hair. “Whatever you say, pretty boy.”

Good lord.

Chuck stood there frozen, watching Tommy saunter away. He only bumped into one doorframe, recovering gracefully as he disappeared into the living room.

Chuck turned back to the sink, coming face to face with the full glass that sat in the bottom of the sink overflowing. He turned off the tap and drained the whole thing in huge gulps, chest burning as he refilled it.

Okay. They had both been drinking. He knew Tommy was lonely. There had to be an explanation for this, some way to explain the thigh touching and the kissing and the way his friend had called himpretty.

Chuck shook his head again. He’d go to the living room and talk to Tommy. And in the future, they’d share a laugh about that one time Tommy had too much to drink and made a move on him.

They’d clear the air and it would all be fine.

But when he got to the living room with a glass of water, there was Tommy, sprawled out on the couch and fast asleep, soft snores falling from his parted lips.

As Chuck retreated to his own room and his own bed, he told himself that he was relieved. It was a good thing Tommy had fallen asleep before anything else could happen.

It was a good thing, he repeated again and again as he drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTER11

THE MOST REAL AND HONEST THING

---