Page 14 of Perfect Matcha
Chapter Six
Camden gapedat his sink of dirty dishes in a daze. Those were not getting done tonight.
He sat down heavily on the floor, leaning his back against his refrigerator. His cock was screaming for attention, but he ignored it. He wanted to really savor the memory of Theo’s sharp gasps and harsh breathing. The way his voice went thready and strained the closer he’d gotten to orgasm. Camden had to imprint those moments into his memory now, and if he touched himself, they’d be muddled by the hunger coursing through him.
He didn’t know how long he sat on his kitchen floor. Long enough to burn the pizza pockets in the oven to hard, black coals, which sucked because he hated wasting money.
It was impossible to process what had just happened. He was excited and scared and confused. Mostly, he was terrified he’d fucked up in some huge and immutable way.
But hours later, when Theo sent a text message at midnight asking him,Did we fuck up?Camden replied,We’re fine. Pick a new toy to try tomorrow and let me know if you need help. No pressure though. You’ve probably got the hang of it now.
Then Camden texted his sister, who was in God knows what country,I super fucked up. Wish you were here to smack me like when we were kids.
She didn’t answer until the next morning—More context before the violence, please—but Camden was already knee deep in bags of salt for the campus walkways and couldn’t respond.
He’d had to wake up early because Laurelsburg had gotten a few inches of snow in the middle of the night, and the groundskeeping crew needed to have parking lots and sidewalks cleared before the earliest morning classes.
The hard work and heavy lifting kept him occupied and distracted for most of the day, but as three o’clock rolled around and his shift wrapped up, he was assaulted by the fears—and betrayingly, the hope—from the night before.
He decided to go for a run, donning his winter running shoes and all the necessary layers. He took off from his shitty apartment near campus and let his feet guide him. He passed bars and antique stores and music studios and restaurants. The streets of Laurelsburg had charm, regardless of the season, but he was in love with the city in the winter. It was quieter, stiller. There was a welcoming warmth during the colder time of year that made it feel homey. That was why he’d never left after dropping out of college. He’d been a failure at school—too much partying and missing class—but he’d known Laurelsburg wasitfor him.
Laurelsburg and Theodore Punch—the only things he’d ever been truly sure of.
His mind began to clear of everything but the sound of his studded shoes hitting the ground and the cold burn in his lungs as he ran a maze of downtown side streets.
When he finally took stock of his surroundings, he realized he was only fifty yards from Bold Brew. His feet had led him straight to Theo.
Typical.
Rather than fight it, he moved like a zombie toward the door. He stomped the snow off his shoes as he slipped inside. Theo was at his usual table, but rather than being laser focused on his computer screen, he was staring toward the fireplace, zoned out.
Camden went through the motions of getting a smoothie and a protein bar at the register, but Theo didn’t seem to notice him until Camden was right in front of him and speaking.
He said, “Working hard? Don’t want to make the real Mr. Sauveterre angry.”
Theo startled but sent Camden an automatic smile, which quickly morphed into shyness and embarrassment, perhaps because Camden had not so subtly referenced their phone sex.
Oh, God.Had Camden hadphone sexwith Theo? He hadn’t thought of it in so many words until that very moment, and his brain was having trouble deciding if it wanted to electric slide or detonate.
“Hey, Cam. You’re wearing tights.”
Camden ignored Theo’s comment about his wool-lined running leggings and sat down opposite him. Theo always seemed flabbergasted by Camden’s workout attire.
“I went for a jog after work and ended up here with you. You okay? You haven’t looked away from that fire since I walked in the door.”
“I’ve been distracted today. All week, really.” Theo’s cheeks turned pink, then pinker, as those words fell between them.
“Yeah.” Camden didn’t know what to say or do to ease this situation. And maybe Theo’s distraction wasn’t about him and their role play. Maybe it was about Freddie’s wedding. Or a work disagreement. Or Hawke Howard. “Are you hungry? Need a snack? I’ll get it for you. Maybe a little food will help with focus. Something nutritious.”
Overcompensation for the win.
Theo wrinkled his nose at the wordnutritious. “A cinnamon roll?”
“Sure.”
“With frosting.”
“Of course.”
