Page 22 of Of Pranks and Passion

I felt him tugging on my blankets and whined when he forced me to move. He just laughed, using his own strength to lift me when he needed to. It was kind of hot how easily he could tossme around. Maybe if I could work up the nerve to convince him to do it again, we could try other positions?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

EASTON

I’d just pulledthe blankets up to cover Gary’s lower half when the door handle jiggled. Gary squeaked and yanked the blankets over both our heads, and I had to fight not to laugh. Was I ever that embarrassed about being caught?

I heard, rather than saw, the door to the room open, and Gary’s roommate came in. “Gar? I got like three texts saying it sounded like you were being tortured. You alright?”

Gary elbowed me when I snorted. What? That was funny.

“I-I’m fine,” he called out.

If his roommate was smart, one look around would explain–

“I don’t think he’s alone,” a feminine voice whispered.

See? I didn’t exactly look where I was tossing our clothes. They were all over the floor.

“Oh shit. Seriously?” the roommate squawked.

Done hiding, I pulled the blankets off myself. Well, enough that I could sit up, anyway. I didn’t need to be flashing my junk to the room. I leaned against the wall, giving the roommate a bored look. It went against the plan to hide what we were doing anyway. We were supposed to be a fake couple. How wouldpeople know that if we hid? I was also curious about how Gary’s roommate would react. I’d met too many homophobic jocks in my lifetime, and I wasn’t about to leave Gary alone with him if that turned out to be the case.

The roommate didn’t seem to care, though. He just looked surprised. “Huh. Probably should’ve guessed that after the other night. Sup, man?” He glanced at where Gary was still hiding under the blankets. “Hey, Gar, maybe next time put a sock on the door or something? That way, I don’t get a bunch of concerned citizens worried you’re dying.” He laughed at that, shaking his head.

Gary peeked out, his face bright red. “Sorry, Carter…”

Carter waved away Gary’s distress, smirking at him. “No big deal. I’m gonna give you guys some privacy.”

His date hadn’t moved since I sat up, but there wasn’t disgust on her face from seeing us together. She was too busy staring at me. I knew that look. The blatant interest was hard to miss. I ignored it, giving my attention back to Carter, who was nudging her and backing out of the room. He paused before he stepped fully out.

“Oh. Forgot to mention. My birthday is next week. You’re coming, right, Gar? You can bring your boyfriend. We’re going to play laser tag.”

When I looked at Gary, I had to bite the inside of my cheek to hide my smirk. He looked so damn elated to be invited out. He smothered the excitement, shooting me a questioning look. I shrugged.

“Sure. We’ll be there. Just text him a time and place,” I answered.

Carter nodded. “Cool. See you guys later. Don’t forget to wear a raincoat! There are more in my desk if you need one.” He waggled his eyebrows and cackled to himself when I flipped him off. Okay, fine, the idiot wasn’t so bad. His girl protested,her eyes still locked on me, but he either didn’t notice or care, because he shut the door behind him, leaving me and Gary alone.

When I glanced down at him, Gary looked irritated. I frowned. Like five seconds ago, he was happy. What did I miss?

“What?”

He pressed his lips tightly together and avoided eye contact. “What?”

I sighed heavily and dropped my head forward. I didn’t like playing these guessing games. If he had an issue, he had to tell me. I wasn’t a damn mind reader. Gripping his chin, I forced him to look at me, narrowing my eyes.

“Spit it out.”

He tried to push my hand away, but I wasn’t having it. I waited, and eventually either embarrassment or anger got to him because he finally snapped, “She was staring at you while you were literally in bed with me. I didn’t like it.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re not seriously jealous, are you?”

Gary’s scowl was kind of adorable. It looked like he was trying so hard to be mad, but on a face like his, it just came out as a pout. He was pouting. I fought back a laugh, my shoulders shaking with the effort. Even him thumping my shoulder was like being swiped at by a kitten.

“Put more effort into it,” I cajoled. I enjoyed riling him up, and the more angry he got, the more fun it was for me. Him tugging my hair made me bark out a laugh, and I finally grabbed his wrists, pinning them above his head.

“I need to teach you how to fight. That was sad.”

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