Page 19 of Returning Your Love
Nope. Couldn’t let my mind start wandering along that goddamned path.
Straight, I reminded myself since Jamie hadn’t ever once given me reason to believe otherwise, and I didn’t need toknowotherwise because I had a ball and chain.
That shut-eye in the grass while a nice breeze cooled our lake water-covered skin turned out to be the best part of our day. Both sunburned and beat, we sprawled out and dozed, waking only when a boat beeped their horn from the cove’s entrance, the people onboard hollering and waving.
Took my bleary eyes a few seconds to blink clear. By then, Jamie had already identified some of the guys who’d been on our football team back in high school, two of whom had caught up with him at the welcome home party. At least they continued on by rather than pulling in for a visit, which probably would have lasted well into the night considering the beer bottles they’d lifted. Their hoots had made it clear they’d been partying it up and didn’t have plans to stop anytime soon.
Jamie and I had bullshitted on and off since morning, the comfort and ease between us as it used to be before responsibilities had swamped our lives. An occasional raunchy thought or certain way he moved his muscled body got my saliva glands going, but I was proud of myself for tearing my focus off him rather than drooling and my dick giving up my secret.
We lowered the grill part of the fire pit over glowing embers again and cooked marinated chicken breasts exactly as we’d done the steak the night before. Deciding to splurge a bit, Jamie had opted for pre-made Alfredo he wouldn’t usually eat, but with training long over, he didn’t mind foregoing macro counting when he felt like it.
More often than not these days, he’d admitted to doing so, patting at imaginary fluff atop perfect abs I’d tried not to lust over when swimming.
I’d moved the conversation on to the upcoming season and his and Coach Dave’s plans. Our town wasn’t much, but enough kids were bussed into the high school from smaller settlements miles away. Still didn’t make for a lot of athletes, but Jamie held onto hope that his experience would bring more to the table for the Pippen Bobcats.
When we finally sat to eat dinner, the sun had sunk behind us, casting a rainbow of colors through the sky.
“Gonna be better sleeping tonight,” Jamie said around a mouthful of food.
I nodded, taking note for the first time that the mugginess had faded from the air. “Supposed to drop into the seventies overnight.”
“Thank fuck, because wearing shorts to sleep is bad enough when it’s cold never mind stifling hot.” His complaints over restrictive clothes always made me chuckle. Also had all sorts of shit I had no business thinking about riddling my mind.
We continued scarfing down our food, once again wiping out what we’d made and leaving us both feeling bloated from the pasta.
“Goddamn,” Jamie complained, sprawling on the grass again rather than sitting by the fire pit.
“You alright?” I asked with a chuckle, eyeing how he rubbed his bare stomach.
What I wouldn’t give?—
I yanked my attention off him and placed another log onto the fire so we could have s’mores later. Maybe. Depended on how quickly our metabolisms made room for further indulgence.
“Why does food always taste better when it’s cooked over an open fire?” he asked, and I poked at the hot coals a bit, waiting for the log to light.
“No clue but glad as fuck it does.” Heaving a heavy exhale, I finally sat beside him, leaning back on my hands, gaze taking in what we could see of the sunset still streaking the sky.
Silence settled between us, a tension I recognized slowly slithering into my body. Did he feel it? The unrest inside me from my unrequited want for him? Was he even aware of how hot he was lying on the ground, arms up and hands beneath his head acting as a pillow, making his biceps pop? I eyed tanned muscle in my periphery, my desire to lick and taste his sweat on my tongue stronger than anything I’d ever experienced before. The sexy V leading into his shorts. Rippling abs. Prominent pecs with small, tight nipples.
I forced my gaze to stare out over the lake, remembering the pontoon full of people I’d seen creep by the cove’s entrance today. Three women in skimpy bikinis had snagged my focus the first time they’d cruised past, but none of them had instilled that same draw inside me as that of my best friend a foot away from me.
I’d only ever had Shelly, and I wondered over Jamie’s sex life. Not that it was any of my business, but curiosity had my brain buzzing.
“You must have had a different woman every night,” I said, hating how the idea of that caused jealousy to twist around my stomach and squeeze.
“Nope. Not a one.”
I whipped head toward Jamie to find him peering up at me, his gaze wary. “What? Why not?”
He studied me with an intensity that caused my dick to perk up.
Clearing my throat, I shifted my ass on the ground, hoping to ease the ache spreading through my groin.
“I’m demisexual,” Jamie finally said, his voice low. “Never felt a connection strong enough with someone to make a move.”
“Shit. You’re a…virgin?” I cast a side eye, not ready to face him.
“Didn’t say that.”
