Page 22 of Stick By Me

“Where are the rest of the guys?” Archer scanned around us.

“They went home when the band took their break. Some of the guys were pretty down about the game and fucking Mason almost got in a fight with a dude from U of A, so they wanted to take him home.” Jonah scoffed, then sipped his beer. “Anyways, I guess you’re okay with Leo here?” Smirking, he wound an arm around Archer’s shoulders and side-bumped him. “As in, he’s taking good care of you?”

Flicking him in the forehead, Archer said, “Stop it.” As Jonah released him, he leaned closer into my side.

Fuck, I wanted to…I hooked my arm around his waist and pulled him into me. Something inside me calmed. Ineededto have him close to me.

His gaze snapped to mine, and he parted his lips. Dipping hishead, he turned into me, a soft smile gracing his mouth. “Are you going to have a drink now?”

“Yeah.” I held up my hand, flagging down the nearest bartender, a man all dressed in black.

“What can I get you?” The bartender wiped the bar-top with a white rag.

“Jack and Coke for him and an IPA for me. Whatever you have on tap.” I slid my wallet out of my pocket.

“No, you are not getting this round. It’s my turn.” He turned in my hold and the side of his ass brushed over my dick.

Oh, sweet Jesus. My cock swelled in my jeans, and I bit my lower lip. “Fine, you get it.” I might be bending the line here between friend and lover. But I wasn’t going to let go of him. Fuck that.

The bartender poured our drinks and set them down in front of us, then Archer handed him cash. “Keep it.” He stuffed the rest of his money into his front pocket and backed into me, his ass pressing against my hard dick. After sipping his drink, he flicked his darkened gaze to mine. “You like that?”

I cleared my throat. He’d felt it. Of course he did. Shit, what would Axel say? “What’s not to like?” I winced. That was stupid and not me at all.

He blinked a moment, then spread a wide smile over his mouth. “Leo, are you admitting that I turn you on?”

How did I even get to this point? “Why wouldn’t you turn me on?” I swallowed hard. Where was I going with this? All my friends were here. His best friend was standing right there.

“I-I don’t know, I just thought you didn’t want…” He fixated on my lips and snuck his tongue out to wet his own. “Leo, whatdoyou want?”

My pulse hammered in my chest and my breath quickened. “I want you.” Fuck me. It was the truth, but I wasn’t supposed to tell him that.

He twisted around to face me, his gaze searching my face. “I want you, too.”

Swiveling my head, I panned the room. Where was everyone? “Not here.” I grabbed my drink from the bar and pushed on his hips.

“Be right back.” Archer slapped at Jonah’s arm, then picked up his drink.

“Yeah, sure.” Jonah, in deep conversation with the man he was chatting up, waved at Archer, then faced the man again.

As I followed him out of the bar, the band started up on the stage, my brother’s guitar drowning out the crowd as they cheered.

Archer grabbed my hand and led me through the slot machines, past a roulette table and into a smaller bar area in dark wood paneling with lounge chairs and tables, then twisted to me and stopped. The low pendant lamps from the ceiling above us lit up his stunning face. “What’s going on, Leo?”

I gaped at him, then shut my mouth. How could I tell him what was going on when I didn’t even know myself? “I’m not sure.” Hanging my head, I let out a long breath.

“Are we friends or more? Do you want more?” He lifted my head by my chin, his deep brown gaze searching mine. “’Cause I think I’d like more, but I?—”

“I know, you want a boyfriend. I’ve never had a boyfriend. I don’t know if I can do that.” My treacherous gaze dipped to his frowning mouth. God, I’d never wanted to kiss someone as much as I wanted to kiss him right now. “What if we um…what if we got it out of our system?”

“What do you mean?” He shifted his stance, his brows furrowing. “Hook up? You think hooking up will make whatever’s going on between us go away?” He worried his lower lip.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. It might.” I sipped my beer and sat down in a lounge chair. This was too intense, and I had lost my mind.Hemade me lose my mind. Did he have any idea what he’d done to me?

He fell into the chair opposite me and took a deep swig of his drink, then set it on the table in front of him. “Look, I know youthink you can’t have what you want because of your brother, but that’s a cop out.” His gaze locked to mine. “Axel isn’t going to care if you’re queer. Hell, he and Remy will probably be happy for you.”

My gut clenched. He didn’t know that. “They’d be shocked as hell.”

“So? My dad was…” He huffed, shaking his head. “My dad was shocked when I came out to him and even called me a fag, but so what?”

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