Page 63 of Starfish and Coffee
Alex sucked in a sharp breath, turning to stare at Matt in shock.
“Don’t call me that,” Alex said, lust suddenly deep in his voice, making his southern accent more noticeable. Alex’s eyes were heavy as they ran over him, making a shiver of desire wash over Matt without warning. The reason for his tension was obvious now. Matt wasn’t the only one feeling the electric connection between them. Alex swallowed hard before he met Matt’s eyes, not even bothering to hide the effect one simple nickname had on him. “Don’t call me Lex either.”
Deciding if Alex could be bold, he could too. Matt stared back, studying Alex’s long form, taking in the way he made a simple T-shirt and jeans look sinfully good with his strong swimmer’s build and naturally tan skin. Unable to help himself, he looked to Alex’s crotch, seeing the outline of a long, thick cock through his jeans.
It probably would be in his best interest to go, because his entire being was throbbing with sexual desire and a need for contact. Matt felt as if he’d been drowning for six years, and Alex was suddenly the air he needed to breathe. It took more strength than he knew he had not to cross the kitchen and close the space between them.
“You want me,” Matt said, his voice sounding breathy even to his own ears. His Georgia accent was far more noticeable than Alex’s Florida drawl. “You never stopped wanting me, did you? You’ve missed me.”
“I had forgotten your tendency to just spit out whatever comes to mind.” Alex took another deep breath and turned back to look out the window. “Bad, nasty habit.”
Matt lifted his eyebrows as he studied Alex from behind, knowing he was being a fool for making his interest so blatantly obvious. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I’m not fucking Holly,” Alex said, avoiding the real question Matt was inquiring about. “She’s not exactly my type, is she?”
“Who is your type?”
Alex turned back to him, his eyes narrowed as they ran over Matt once more. “You should go, Matty.”
Matt understood now what a simple nickname could do. A fresh rush of longing washed over him as he remembered the brush of Alex’s breath against his ear, and his body sweaty and naked pressed against Matt’s while he groaned the endearment.
“I think I’ll have a beer,” Matt said as a distraction, trying to remind himself Holly was still in the house as he reached for the beer.
With the exception of wine, Matt didn’t drink anymore. His life was too stressful, and he wasn’t depressed enough to want a heart attack. So he was no longer adept with the bar skill of popping a beer top off on an angled surface, but he was frustrated enough to twist it off with the palm of his hand, welcoming the sting it caused.
Holly returned from ordering pizza to find Matt gulping down a beer and Alex popping the cap off his second bottle in a few short minutes. Her gaze darted back and forth between the two of them before she huffed, probably trying to get a clear breath through the sexual tension choking the air out of the kitchen. She clapped her hands, the sound echoing over the distant crash of waves against the beach. “How about poker?”
“Sure, why not?” Alex mumbled against the rim of his beer bottle, his eyes wide and dazed. “Let’s play poker. That sounds likelotsof fun.”
* * * *
“Wow, I am racking up.” Holly pulled a pile of bills toward her, not even hiding her delight over the win. “We need to do this again. How long are you in town, snowbirdie?”
Matt took a long drink of his beer. “Two weeks.”
“How’d you get that long off work?” Alex reached for his wallet and pulled out a twenty. His distraction over Matt had allowed Holly to drain all his small bills. “I need change, Hol.”
“I haven’t taken a vacation in six years. I’ve earned two weeks off. I need change too.” Matt obviously suffered from the same small-bill problem as Alex. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his money clip, slipping out a fifty. “Can you crack a bigger bill?”
“Give ’er here.” Holly started sorting out the money she had in front of her, having enough to dole out seventy dollars in small bills to Matt and Alex. “This is really a party. I’m having the best time.”
“We’re so glad,” Alex said drily as he threw a dollar into the ante pile.
Alex took another drink of his beer as Holly worked on dealing the cards. Unable to help himself, he looked to Matt who met his eyes over the rim of his beer bottle. The two of them had worked their way through the six-pack Matt brought and were now on Alex’s personal store he kept in the fridge for baseball games or the love of his life unexpectedly showing up for pizza and poker.
Alex was buzzing, and he was certain Matt was too because the subtle exchange of looks across the table had turned into blatant eye fucking and losing a small fortune to Holly who was either completely oblivious or a manipulative bitch for taking advantage of the situation. Alex would bet the restaurant that it was the latter, because not much got past Holly.
Holly huffed, poking Alex in the side. “In or out?”
Alex reached blindly for the fresh pile of bills in front of him and tossed one into the pile. “Tell me about your girlfriend,” Alex said, making Holly choke on her iced tea, which meant he was drunker than he realized. “Your mama says you’re thinking about marrying her.”
Matt snorted, also throwing a dollar into the pile though Alex was fairly certain he hadn’t looked at the cards in his hand. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“She says you do.”
“I have a friend my mama would like me to marry, but not a girlfriend,” Matt clarified, smiling against the rim of his beer. As if to prove a point he said, “My mama told me you’re marrying Holly.”
Alex laughed, seeing the mischief in Matt’s eyes that were such a unique shade of light blue-green it was easy to get lost in them. “Good point. So no girlfriend?”
