Page 11 of Perfect Matcha
Then he scooted down so his head was on his pillow.
That was better. He could almost pretend he was lying down for an evening nap.
He shucked his pants and underwear to midthigh. Taking off his cardigan was probably a smart idea, so he did that too, leaving behind nothing but his T-shirt. Lastly, he removed his glasses. He hated how they slipped down his nose when he got sweaty.
Okay. A squirt of lube, and he would be rocking and rolling.
Time to get the show on the road.
A long, winding road … full of briars … and potholes … and black ice.
Too bad his body wasn’t cooperating anymore. His erection was gone.
It wasn’t that Theo didn’t want to try the Fleshstroker.He did.He thought he’d enjoy it, and it would be novel to get off with something other than his left hand for once. But his brain was tripping him up.
He pulled up porn on his phone, but after a few minutes, he knew it was a lost cause. He was worried his neighbor with the shih tzu could hear the artificial moaning.
So, instead, he imagined having sex with Hawke.
No luck.
He didn’t know enough about Hawke—other than his body-piercing situation and that he was a sex-toy aficionado—to get his imagination revving.
Guiltily, Theo let his brain run through a turnstile of hot couples that he had basically written fanfiction about in his head through the years. A part-time barista from Bold Brew named Levi and his big, hot boyfriend, Joe. The queer couple fromSchitt’s Creek. Camden and the gorgeous woman he’d made out with on the dancefloor of a gay bar on New Year’s Eve six years ago.
Theo focused on his breathing, realizing his heart was pounding and not in a good way. This wasn’t working, and he wanted this to workso badly. He wanted to be adventurous for once in his entire freaking life, but maybe he needed to deal with the fact that, regardless of his wishes, it wasn’t realistic for him. Maybe he was too stuffy to get down with sex toys. Which meant he’d have little chance with Hawke Howard. Or, potentially, most people. Practically everyone used sex toys now, right? They were mainstream like tattoos and craft beer.
He snapped up his phone and called Camden. Without waiting for Camden to say anything, he babbled, “It’s not working. I can’t do this. You should return the sex toys I haven’t opened. I don’t need to date Hawke Howard. I mean, going to my ex’s wedding by myself isn’t the end of the world, and if worse comes to worst, I’ll go with you like you suggested.” A long silence filled the line between them, so Theo cleared his throat. “Uh. Sorry. Hi, Cam. Are you busy?”
When Camden answered, his voice was all scratchy. “No. I’m not busy. What’s the problem? What’s not working?”
“I’m trying to use the Fleshstroker, but I can’t turn my brain off enough to … well, you know.”
“Maybe the Fleshstroker isn’t the toy for you. And that’s okay.”
Theo pressed two fingers into the opening of the toy, the lube he’d squeezed in there making everything slippery. He shuddered, and a pulse of heat hit him in the stomach. “I’m not sure that’s it.”
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, including play with the sex toys I bought you. But you’re welcome to them, even if you don’t date Hawke. They’re there to make you feel good, and they’re in your control. It’s just you and that toy, hon.”
Camden’s voice seemed extra deep on the phone tonight, like he was whispering directly into Theo’s ear. A shiver racked Theo’s body. He was finally chubbing back up.
“You called mehon.” That was new.
“Oh … Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Was nice.” Theo felt winded, and too warm, and oddly disoriented.
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
Camden rumbled in agreement, and that rumble lit Theo up. He squeezed his eyes shut. Camden always made him feel relaxed and safe. They’d known each other for twenty-three years.
“You okay?” Camden asked.
“Uh-huh. But I need … I don’t know what I’m … Cam, what should I do?”
Another long silence followed those words before Camden said, “Are you hard?”
