He gave me a curious look as his phone dinged in his pocket and I grinned at him. "Now, you have my number too. It was good to see you again, Cole. I look forward to tomorrow night." Without waiting for him to respond, I turned and walked to my car.
Chapter Three
COLE
I look forward to tomorrow night. That’s what Miles had said before he walked away the night before, but what the hell did that even mean? He’d never seemed happy to see me when we were younger. In fact, most of the time he’d acted like I annoyed him, which was why it had always been easier to just hide out in my room when he was around.
And what the hell gave him the right to look so damn good in a sweater and a pair of jeans? Given how he’d treated me in high school, it would’ve been sweet justice to find out that he’d lost all his hair and had developed a big beer gut, but instead, he looked even more gorgeous than I remembered. With his thick, jet-black hair, piercing blue eyes, and light scruff along his jaw, I was certain the phrase tall, dark, and handsome had been created with Miles Butler in mind.
When Jayce had mentioned that Miles would be joining us for dinner, I’d wracked my brain trying to come up with an excuse to get out of going, but one look at the excitement on my brother's face and I’d folded like a deck of cards. I’d convinced myself I could get through one evening of polite small talk with the overbearing jerk for my brother’s sake, but then Jayce had asked us to work together on planning his bachelor party, unknowingly throwing me to the wolves.
My mind had blanked at that point, and I’d prayed Miles would be able to get us out of it, because I was certain, he wanted to spend time with me about as much as I wanted to spend time with him. But surprisingly, that wasn’t the case. Instead, Miles had insisted on swapping phone numbers and getting together at his place to discuss plans for the party. A fact that had kept me up half the night and left me a nervous wreck throughout the day.
My stomach twisted into a knot as the computerized voice of my car’s navigation system alerted me that I was nearing my destination. My forehead felt cold and clammy as I swiped a hand across it, and I wondered if it was too late to call and tell him I was sick and couldn’t make it. No, because then he’ll end up saying something to Jayce who will then worry about my non-existent illness when he already has enough on his mind.
I sighed as I pulled up in front of Miles’ condo, reminding myself that I was there for Jayce. I could get through one more evening, for him. Besides, I wasn’t the same little kid I’d been when Miles had last known me. I was an adult now, and if he started acting like an ass, I could leave.
Located in a nice neighborhood, his building looked sleek and modern and it occurred to me that I had no idea what it was he did for a living. In fact, I didn’t know much about him at all. For all I knew, he could have a girlfriend or wife that he lived with although, I hadn’t noticed a ring on his finger the night before, so I was leaning more toward there being a girlfriend. Maybe she’ll be here and can serve as a buffer between us, I thought hopefully.
After checking the number of his condo on the text he’d sent, I rode the elevator up to the sixth floor and knocked on his door. My heart got lodged in my throat, threatening to choke me when I heard him moving closer to the door. It swung open and whatever thoughts I may have had inside my head, flew right out the window as I came face to face with a very sexy, very wet Miles Butler wearing nothing but a towel.
His skin was tanned as if he spent a lot of time outdoors and his muscles were toned and taut. My eyes traveled from his pecs all the way down to a tantalizing V that disappeared beneath the thin layer of white fabric then back up, where they zeroed in on his nipples… dusty-rose colored and hardened into tight little nubs that begged to be licked. Or bitten. I coughed as my cock started to stir with the direction my thoughts had taken, and I quickly averted my gaze to somewhere just over his left shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I was hoping to be ready by the time you arrived, but I got hung up at work, so I just got home and was getting a shower.” His cheeks dotted pink as if he realized he was rambling, and I wondered if he was as nervous as I was. It didn’t make much sense, but still, it was there, in his blush and the way he kept running his fingers through his slick hair. The thought went a long way toward putting me at ease and I was able to find my voice.
“It’s no problem. I can just wait out here while you—” I gestured toward his semi-naked body while forcing myself to keep my eyes above his neck. It wasn’t easy.
Miles hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Yeah, I’ll just go get some clothes on. Make yourself comfortable. There’re drinks in the fridge.”
I gave myself permission to enjoy one quick peek at his butt as he turned to walk to his room. The towel he was wearing did nothing to hide the firm globes underneath, and its low position on his hips allowed an optimum view of the two dimples at the base of his spine.
I gave myself a mental shake. What the hell was I doing ogling my brother’s best friend? And Miles Butler, nonetheless. It didn’t matter how captivating his smile was or how delicious he looked all freshly showered, he was still the same guy who used to torment me, and it would do me good to remember that.
Shaking my head, I walked into his kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water and taking a large gulp. Leaning my back against the counter, I took a look around. The kitchen was modern and sleek with stainless steel appliances, black marble countertops, and light gray cabinets. His living room had the same feel, with a black leather, wraparound couch, stainless steel and glass coffee table, and big screen TV mounted on the wall.
The whole thing screamed strong, virile, masculine. And that was what surprised me. A man who looked like Miles surely wouldn’t have any trouble getting a girl, but I didn’t see any traces at all of a special lady in his life. Perhaps he was a player, preferring to play the field and not get tied down. I nodded my head. Yeah, that sounded more like the Miles I remembered. Although...was it?
Searching my memories, I honestly couldn’t remember a time when I’d seen him with a girl or had even heard him talking about a girl he’d liked. Not that I’d ever spent that much time around him, but sometimes, I’d overhear him and my brother talking in Jayce’s bedroom and not one of those conversations had ever been about a girl he was dating. At the time, I hadn’t thought anything about it, but looking back now, it seemed strange. Especially knowing how girl-crazy Jayce had been in high school.
“So, what do you like on your pizza?” I jumped at Miles’ sudden reappearance, and he gave me a curious look.
“Sorry. I didn’t hear you come back. Um, I’m not picky. Whatever you like will be fine. Just please, no anchovies. Or onions. Oh, and no black olives.” I shuddered at the thought.
Miles chuckled. “Good thing you’re not picky.”
I breathed out a laugh. “Yeah, I guess I’m a bit pickier than I realized when it comes to pizza.”
“How about a meat lovers’? Thick crust?” I nodded in agreement then waited quietly as he called in our order. When he was finished, we moved into the living room and sat down on the couch.
“This is a great place. How long have you lived here?”
“Thanks. I’ve been here a few years. It’s nice, but...” His words trailed off as he looked around the room.
“But?” I pressed, surprised that I actually wanted to hear what he had to say.
Miles shrugged. “It’s fine for now, but I’ve always dreamed of building my own home someday. You know, like an actual house with a deck out back that overlooks a big yard.”
“Wait, you know how to build houses?”
His eyes sparkled with amusement. “Well, yeah. It’s sort of my job.”
“What is it you do exactly?” I asked.
“I own my own construction company. Miles High Construction. We specialize in commercial buildings, but I could build a house easy enough.” There was a hint of pride in his voice as he went on to tell me more about his company an
d what type of work they specialized in.
“Wow. I had no idea, but I have to admit, I’m impressed.” Miles smiled as if what I thought actually mattered to him.
“You’re the impressive one. Jayce told me you just graduated with your Doctor of Chiropractic degree. That must feel incredible.”
“It’s definitely a relief to be finished with school. Eight years is a long time, but fortunately, I started taking college classes while I was still in high school or I’d still have a few years ahead of me.”
“You always were smart. I remember you having a book in your hands every time I’d come over to your house.” A knock at the door startled me and I pulled back, surprised to find that, at some point, we’d both moved on the couch, angling our bodies toward each other as we talked.
Miles sighed, as if bothered by the interruption. “That must be our pizza. I’ll be right back; I just need to grab my wallet.”
“Okay. I’m going to get more to drink. Would you like anything?” I asked as I stood up. He stood up too, our height difference glaringly obvious at this close range.
“I’ll take a Coke. Thanks.” He squeezed my arm gently, and I caught a whiff of something woodsy as he brushed past me to get to the door. I inhaled deeply as the scent lingered and then rolled my eyes at how ridiculous I was being. What the hell is wrong with me?
I grabbed our drinks out of the fridge then searched his cabinets until I found plates and napkins. Carrying everything with me, I walked back into the living room. Miles had set the pizza box on the coffee table, and as he opened the box, the room filled with the delicious aroma of oregano, garlic, and sauce. My stomach let out a loud grumble, and I looked at Miles in horror, but he just laughed.
“Come on, it sounds like we better hurry up and feed you.”
I felt my face heat up. “Sorry. I guess my stomach isn’t too happy that I haven’t eaten anything today.”
His forehead scrunched. “Why haven’t you eaten?”
I set the plates and drinks down, hiding my face as I said, “I just wasn’t hungry.” It wasn’t an outright lie since my stomach had been too tied up in knots about this evening to even think about food, but I certainly wasn’t going to admit that to him.
“Well, I’m glad you’re hungry now because we have plenty.”
As we ate, we talked about what we’d been up to over the last few years. He told me about college and the steps he’d had to take to start his own business, and I told him about my wish to open my own chiropractic office, preferably somewhere near Vintage Ridge so I could be close to my family. He thought that sounded like a great idea and even offered to help me look for an available office space, stating he knew several commercial real estate agents in the area.
“What?” he asked when he caught me smiling at him.
“I don’t know. This evening just isn’t anything like I expected.”
Miles cocked his head at me. “What do you mean?” I debated whether or not I should say anything, but then decided we were both adults and it would be best to just get everything out in the open. Especially since it looked like we were going to be seeing a lot of each other throughout the wedding.
“I’m just shocked at how easy this has all been. Talking to each other and getting along, it’s just all a bit surprising given you never liked me much.” There. Let’s see what he does when I call him out on it.
Miles frowned, looking truly confused. “You thought I didn’t like you back then? But you were the one who always took off to your room as soon as I showed up and hardly spoke to me.”
I gave him my best Well duh! look. “Of course, I did. What did you expect? Every time I’d see you, you’d call me some name, like Squirt or Pipsqueak, just so you could make fun of my size and the fact that I wasn’t a big popular football player like you.”
His mouth opened and shut several times, but no words came out. Finally, he dropped his head back on the couch and swore as he ran his hands over his face. I watched him warily, not sure if I’d pushed him too far. Miles had never struck me as the type to get violent, but if tonight proved anything, it was that I didn’t truly know him.
He sat back up and turned to me. “I’m so sorry I called you those names and hurt your feelings. That was never about your size or the fact that you weren’t into sports.”
“What was it about?” I asked quietly.
“It was about me being an idiot. It was about me being so scared of my own shadow that I didn’t know how to respond to a guy like you,” he admitted.
“What are you talking about?”
Miles blew out a deep breath, his blue eyes boring into mine. “I liked you. Like Really liked you. And it scared the hell out of me because I was still struggling to come to terms with what that meant. I couldn’t risk anyone figuring it out, so it was easier to just be a jerk to you and for that, I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”
The look on my face had to be comical as I sat there frozen, my mouth gaping open. My head spun with everything he’d just said. Eventually, I managed to find my voice. “Are you saying you’re—”
“Gay. Yes. One hundred percent. I didn’t really put all the pieces together until I went away to college, or maybe I just didn’t allow myself to put them together before then. Either way, I came to the realization that I am definitely only into guys.”
“Wow! I had no...does Jayce know?”
Miles nodded. “He was the first person I came out to.”
“He never said a word.”
“He wouldn’t. He’s too cool to go around talking about private shit,” Miles pointed out and I had to agree. Jayce had always been very respectful about my private life. Not because he was uncomfortable with it or ashamed in any way, but because he respected me as a person. He would’ve done the same even if I’d been straight.
As I replayed the past few moments, something else he’d said finally caught up with me and I gasped. “Wait. You liked me?”
Miles chuckled. “I wondered when that was going to sink in. Yes, I liked you. How could I not with all that blond hair and your gorgeous green eyes? You were adorable back then. You still are, only you’re all grown up, so you’re more sexy than adorable.”
I swallowed hard. “You think I’m sexy?”
Miles’ face turned serious. “Yes, I do. In fact, I couldn’t quit staring at you last night.”
With that, he got up and went to the kitchen for another drink. I was in so much shock, I couldn’t move. Fortunately, by the time he came back, I’d managed to pull myself together enough to talk about our plans for Jayce’s bachelor party, but my mind kept repeating his words over and over again in my head. I’d never been so happy to be completely wrong about another person in my life.
Chapter Four
COLE
"This is surreal," I said as Miles pulled into the parking lot of a small, brick building.
"What is? The fact that you're shopping for sex paraphernalia for your brother or the fact that you're shopping for it with me?" he asked with a laugh.
"Both. Definitely both," I murmured as I stared out the window at the sign over the front door that read Ace's Wild. A tiny pair of handcuffs had been cleverly painted to look like they were hanging from the S and the W.
Taking into consideration Jayce's requests for his bachelor party—time with his friends and no naked women—we settled on the idea of treating him to a night on the town. Miles had told me about several of the bars and clubs he'd been to before in Raleigh, many of which catered to everyone, no matter their sexual preference.
Of course, no bachelor party would be complete without a few embarrassing items the groom must use during his night out. And that was how I found myself sitting in front of Ace's Wild, a small adult toy store located in Vintage Ridge.
"Have you been here before?"
"No, but I've always wanted to check it out. I hear they have some very interesting things in there." He waggled his eyebrows at me which made me laugh.
The night before had really helped clear the air between us. Now that I knew what had really caused him to act the way he did when we were younger, I was able to relax around him, and I found myself actually enjoying his company.
I wasn't sure if picking out a green shirt that matched my eyes was intentional or not, but I liked the way he looked at me when he saw it. I still couldn't believe that Miles Butler thought I was sexy, but I was certainly enjoying the hell out of it. The fact that a man who looked like he did would even glance twice at me, much less find me sexy, was a definite ego boost.
"Okay, I guess we better get in there and pick out some fake boobs for my brother." I ran a hand over my face. "Dear God, did I really just say that?"
Miles threw his head back with a laugh. "I'm afraid you did."
We were still laughing as we walked to the front door and stepped inside, and the two men who were working at the front counter turned to look at us. "Uh oh, babe, it looks like these two are up to no good. We better keep an eye on them," one of them teased.
The two of them were as different as night and day, physically. One was a large, muscled black man with long dreads that hung down past his shoulders. He was dressed in a bright yellow shirt that stretched over his broad chest like a second skin. The other, was much smaller, with creamy white skin, neatly trimmed blond hair, and glasses. He was dressed in a preppy fashion, wearing tan slacks and a light-blue button-down shirt underneath his darker blue sweater vest. The larger man slid his arm around the preppy one, and I found myself smiling in response.
"Are you the owners?" Miles asked.
"Ace and Wilder, at your service," the black man said, pointing out the fact that he was Ace and the other was Wilder. "What can we do for you?"
"My brother is getting married soon, and we're throwing his bachelor party. We thought maybe we'd look around and see if there's anything we could use for that night," I explained.
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