Page 71 of Flagrant Foul
If something happens between us, I’ll be ready. If not, no harm, no foul.
There.
Simple and sorted.
37
Teddy “T-Dog” O’Reilly
Asoftcrunchofmetal sliding through cylinder pins lets me know Sev’s home. A key rotates in a lock and retracts. A bolt springs free.
Play it cool,I tell myself firmly as I sprint down the hall to get to him.
I come to a sudden stop two feet away from him.
“Hi,” I say a little breathlessly.
He smiles as though it’s the most inspired line he’s ever heard.
He’s achingly beautiful. He’s wearing dark sweatpants and a mismatching hoodie. It’s a casual, low-effort look, but I swear, no one’s ever worn it the way he does.
There’s a long, fraught pause. A second that splinters, and neither of us knows what to do. He’s there. I’m here. It seems wrong, but I’m not sure how to rectify the problem.
I should let him decide what happens next. I think I should play it cool and let him make the first move. Ishouldn’t do anything. I should wait and see what he wants.
Yes, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to wait calmly. I’ll let him speak, and then I’ll follow his lead.
“I douched,” I hear myself say in a voice so clear it could ring a bell.
He’s mighty surprised to hear me say it. I can tell from the way his eyes and mouth widen to form three perfectly matching circles.
Still, he’s considerably less surprised than I am by the admission.
“Oogch,” I say, which isn’t a word. I try again, but the next effort is just as bad, if not worse.
Sev drops his bag on the floor with a loud thud. It jolts enough sense into me that I become dimly aware of a weight in my right hand. A round, smooth container. A bottle of sorts.
Jesus fucking Christ!I have a bottle of lube in my hand. I took it out of my drawer to put on my nightstand out of an excess of caution andalways be preparedness, but now I’m standing in my living room with it in my hand.
Maybe Nate was right about me and Sev.
Maybe it is a bad idea.
Maybe Nate knows what a dumb shit I am, and he was only trying to save me from myself.
Sev takes a step forward and places a hand on my hip, hooking a finger through my belt loop. He does it possessively, like it’s something that makes sense. Something that’s happened many, many times in the past. Something that’s going to happen many, many times in the future.
“For me?” His voice lilts up and his eyes soften and soften, until they’re pure mush. Until I’m pure mush. “You did that for me?”
He says it like it’s the first time anyone has ever done something nice for him. Like it’s the first time two people have ever wanted each other. The first time two men have belonged together.
I don’t trust my voice, so I swallow hard and nod eight or nine times.
The hand on my hip tightens, pulling me toward him slightly. “Thank you,” he says softly.
As he leans in to kiss me, I have the foresight to turn my body slightly, hiding the lube behind my back. I still have the problem of how to make it disappear without drawing his attention to the matter, but for now, I close my eyes and part my lips.
His kiss packs the same punch it did last night. Maybe more. He kisses me once, full on the lips, but light, and then nudges my nose with his. My head tilts back. Myjaw drops. He hums quietly as he licks into my mouth. His tongue swirls around mine, tasting, testing, learning.
