Page 26 of The Jock
Taylor weaved away from the table and Colby watched him go. “How am I supposed to get home?” Colby called to him, but Taylor tossed a wave over his shoulder and was gone.
“I can give you a lift home,” Milo offered.
Colby turned back around slowly, having a feeling that perhaps Taylor was too perceptive for his own good, or maybe Colby was that pathetically obvious about his attraction.
“It would save me an Uber.” Colby slid Taylor’s abandoned, untouched drink closer. “Was this his idea or yours?”
Milo didn’t look offended by Colby’s question. He shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“Probably not, but maybe I could convince you to tell me.” Colby had definitely been set up. He’d walked right into a trap and had he known, it wouldn’t have made a difference. He’d do nothing differently. He’d wanted to stay away from Milo for Taylor’s sake, but he’d come to discover that he’d changed his mind about that.
He didn’t want to stay away from Milo. He was a little obsessed with him. Milo was never far from his thoughts. Eversince the first day they met, Colby hadn’t been able to get Milo off his mind.
He stood from his seat and held his hand out to Milo. Milo reached for him, but paused. His fingers were long and slender and the idea of touching Milo, any part of Milo, had his heart thrashing in his chest like the drummer of a metal band.
Clearly Taylor had been in on the idea to abandon him here with Milo and Taylor’s stamp of approval made Colby feel bold. “One dance,” Colby said.
“You want to dance with me?” Milo smiled. “What if I’m not any good?”
“Then you can stand there and I’ll do all the work.”
Milo took Colby’s hand. His was warm and slightly clammy, but so was Colby’s. It calmed him to know he wasn’t the only one feeling jittery about this. “One dance and you’ll tell me all your secrets?”
Milo’s head tipped back as he laughed. “God, no. One dance and I’ll tell you whose idea it was for Taylor to vamoose.”
“Vamoose? People still say vamoose?” Colby was powerless to stop whatever it was that either Taylor or Milo had set in motion. And maybe neither of them was to blame. Maybe it had been Colby, lurking in his dad’s house like a stupid kid with a crush because he wanted to be close to Milo.
Fucking hell. He had a crush. On a guy. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had interested him this way, but Colby followed Milo onto the dance floor and gave himself over to the force of nature that was Milo.
Nash’s words came flooding back to him about his gym teacher and that barista. And there had been other inklings here and there, but Colby always found a reason not to pursue them, didn’t he?
But Milo turned and guided Colby’s hand to his waist. He stepped closer and their bodies were almost touching. Theystood so close Colby could suddenly feel the rush of heat between them. One inferno feeding another and suddenly he couldn’t remember a single reason he’d told himself he couldn’t want this. Want him.
Colby bit back a noise and his dick definitely turned to steel in his pants. Well, so much for ignoring the whole ‘he might be bisexual’ thing. There was no ‘might’ about it. Milo was captivating. Stunning. And looking at him made Colby’s pulse race.
“Whose idea was it for Taylor to take off out of here like his ass was on fire?” Colby had to hold on to his concentration with both hands because the sudden sway of Milo’s hips was enough to blow his mind.
“What if I told you both?” Milo looped a hand around the back of Colby’s neck and it felt like a dare. Milo’s gaze burned into his.
“I’d have to believe you. You haven’t lied to me yet.” Colby let himself move to the music. He wasn’t the greatest dancer in the world, but he could pretend for a song or two. Long enough to figure out what the fuck was going on.
“You know, I just got out of a relationship.” Milo slid closer and Colby had to tilt his head down to meet his eyes.
“I’m aware of that, yes.”
“At first, I didn’t want to like you.”
It was Colby’s turn to tip his head back and laugh. “Thanks, I think. And why didn’t you want to like me, Milo?”
A flash of vulnerability was there and gone before Colby could grasp it. It was a split-second of Milo laid bare. Afraid. But of what?
“I didn’t want to like you for the stupidest reason of all. I met my ex in a gym. And our relationship was good. I thought. And then it wasn’t.”
Colby stopped dancing. “And you met me in a gym.”
A hint of panic flashed in Milo’s eyes. “And you’re nothing like him. I see the way you are with Taylor. The way you talk about him. I see how much you love your family. And I see you with your friend Nash, and it’s clear that he thinks the world of you. And maybe it’s selfish of me, but I see the way you look at me and it makes me want to make you look at me more.”Milo’s chest heaved. He looked like there was more he wanted to say, but that he’d spilled all he’d dared to for now.
“And how do I look at you?” Colby should be offended that Milo was gun-shy about him just because he met him in a gym. And he might have been if he hadn’t met the ex. Colby slid his hand from Milo’s hip and around his waist, tugging him closer.
