Spreadsheets
Page 2
Somehow, this man he barely knew understood that Jeremy needed to hear those words. Still, the interview in the morning was too important to screw up with a one-night stand—because, of course, not doing the responsible thing and staying in tonight would be more stress on him than it was worth. You sure about that? Because, holy hell, that man seemed worth it.
“Thanks.” He slid the piece of paper with Griffin’s number off the counter and stuck it in his pocket. He didn’t let himself think about why, considering he’d already decided it wasn’t a good idea. A sense of sadness crept through his mind. Even with all that crap earlier about reinventing himself, now wasn’t the time to do it. He just wasn’t that guy.
“It was nice to meet you, Jeremy,” Wilder said, stepping up to the counter. “Maybe we’ll see you again sometime.”
“Nice to meet you both, too.” He gave a small smile as he left and walked in the direction of his rental. Suddenly, going out to dinner and getting S’mores ice cream didn’t hold the same appeal. After stopping in for a burger to bring back with him, he strolled down the same sidewalk from earlier, stopping at the same damn light, waiting for a flashing orange sign to tell him it was okay to walk.
So. Damn. Predictable.
As he crossed the street, he put a hand over the pocket of his jeans, feeling the piece of paper that held the possibility of being spontaneous for once in his damn life. Jeremy laughed to himself; maybe he needed a sign to tell him it was okay to take a chance.
He walked up the porch stairs, sighing as he unlocked the door.
So much for being spontaneous.
Setting the bag with the burger down on the coffee table, Jeremy blew out an exasperated breath. Why couldn’t he at least have followed through with the original plan? Reluctantly, he ate his dinner then decided to turn in. It was only nine, and he’d set the alarm on his phone for bright and early the next morning, but what the hell was he supposed to do for the rest of the night? He hadn’t come here for any other reason than to nail that interview in the morning, and he was leaving right after it.
The bedroom was toward the back of the house. It was a decent size and had two windows. One that gave him a view of the back yard, with its glass-top table and four matching chairs, a red charcoal grill off to the right, and a white, freestanding, wooden swing that looked like it could have been crafted by hand.
The other window next to the side of the bed faced the pale green house next door, which was entirely too close for his liking—couldn’t have been more than a few feet away. He stared out his window to the dark one in the house directly across the way. It creeped him the hell out. Anyone could be sitting in there watching him. Time to close the curtains because that’s gonna freak me out all night.
Jeremy crossed the room and grabbed the cranberry-colored curtain, ready to yank the thing closed. He pulled the material a few inches then froze. Light suddenly illuminated the room across from his, and his pulse kicked up as he tried to shut the damn thing before he was caught staring into the other house.
Jeremy pulled the curtain a little more and started to turn away, when a flash of grass green caught his eye. Man, that guy at Ace’s had gotten to him more than he’d thought. Now he was seeing him as if he were right there, standing in the bedroom of the other house, staring at him in surprise.
Jeremy screamed. Oh my God. He is right there, staring at me!
Chapter Two
Was this really happening? Mr. Lick Me—Griffin, Jeremy, remember?—was literally standing in the bedroom of the house next door—and Jeremy had just screamed like he was being attacked. Surprise covered Griffin’s face before that sexy mouth turned up in the smirk Jeremy had seen twice before. When Griffin waved and then motioned for Jeremy to go over there, Jeremy finally snapped out of it. He licked his lips and managed to shake his head no. The smile fell from the guy’s face, disappointment replacing it, but he nodded his head in understanding.
Jeremy panicked when Griffin went to leave the room. Jesus, at least he needed to tell the guy why he couldn’t go over there, because saying no was the hardest damn thing he’d done since—well, ever. He patted his pocket, remembering the slip of paper hiding inside. Quickly, he retrieved it then yanked his phone off the nightstand, practically dropping it as he fumbled it in the air before getting a good grip on it. With shaky fingers, he typed the number in, held his breath, and waited as the phone rang.
Griffin was near the bedroom door when he stopped and pulled his phone out, his eyebrows drawn together. When he gave Jeremy a side-glance, Jeremy waved and pointed to the phone in his hand. He’d never been so relieved to see that smirk back on Griffin’s face as he answered the phone.
“So, Ace gave you my number, huh?” That deep, velvet voice radiated in Jeremy’s ear, traveling down his body, but the words spoken had Jeremy’s back straightening in concern.
“Uh…is that okay? I mean, he said you left it for me, but he probably gave it to the wrong person.” For the second time in one day, Jeremy had made a fool of himself in front of this man. “I’m sorry. I—”
Griffin put his hand up. “Do you remember anyone else being in the store then?”
Jeremy bit his lip as he thought about it, then quietly admitted, “No, but then”—just say it Jeremy—“I didn’t really notice anyone else once you walked in.” His eyes widened; he couldn’t believe he’d just said that, but there was something about being on the phone, in another room, that had him feeling courageous.
A gorgeous smile stretched across Griffin’s face as he came closer to the window. “Same.”
“Really?”
“Why is that so surprising?” The soft chuckle from the other end of the line immediately brought a smile to Jeremy’s face. “I’ve always been a sucker for brunets, especially one with glasses.”
Oh, man, the places that one sentence sent Jeremy’s overactive imagination… The truth was, he had no freaking idea why Griffin was attracted to him, but the last thing he wanted to do was admit that out loud. Instead, Jeremy shrugged and waited through a few heartbeats of silence. Then in a rush, Jeremy said, “I have to be up really early tomorrow.” Way to go, Jeremy. Because that wasn’t random at all.
“Is that why you won’t come over?” Griffin asked as he sat down on his bed next to the window and watched Jeremy.
Jeremy blew out a breath and kicked his sneakers off. He sat on the edge of the queen-size bed in his room. It was odd to be having this conversation with Griffin; hearing and seeing him, yet they were both in separate rooms—hell, separate houses. “Yeah. I know that probably sounds stupid, but…”
“I get it.”
“You do? Because my brother’s going to call me a colossal idiot once he finds out what I passed up.” Jeremy sucked in a breath. “I mean, not that you meant… That’s really presumptuous…” He hung his head, reminding himself why he shouldn’t have called. “Shoot. I’m sorry.”
“Are you gonna tell me your name?”
Jeremy’s head shot up, his mouth open. Man, he was so bad at this. Spreadsheets, finances…that’s what he knew, and he knew them well. But this? Flirting and taking chances? It was like all his brain cells abandoned ship every time he tried. “J-Jeremy. It’s Jeremy.”
“So, let me ask you, Jeremy”—he swore if the man said his name again in that sexy voice, he could come just from that—“did you buy the beads?”
“The beads?” Jeremy asked, but when Griffin waggled his eyebrows, Jeremy said a little too loudly, “Oh! Those beads.”
Griffin snorted on the other end of the line, his soft laugh loosening the tension Jeremy was feeling. “Yeah…those beads.”
Were they really having this conversation? About anal beads? How was this his life? “I, uh…yeah, I bought them,” he shyly answered, feeling heat rush to the tips of his ears.
“Where are they?”
Jeremy glanced at the nightstand to his right with the Ace’s Wild bag sitting on top of it. “Over on the nightstand.”
“Whoa,” Jeremy breathed out in disbelief at the confidence this man had to say that.
“And you have a bag from Ace’s Wild sitting on that nightstand, going to waste, when we could still have a little fun”—he stood up as Jeremy opened his mouth to argue—“without either one of us leaving these bedrooms.”
Jeremy snapped his mouth shut in complete confusion. “I don’t understand. How could we—?” The words died on his tongue when Griffin put the phone down on the bed as he continued to watch Jeremy…then pulled his shirt over his head, ruffling his black hair.
“Oh,” Jeremy whispered, licking his lips as he took in Griffin’s lean torso. It was peppered with dark hair surrounding his nipples and navel, with a light dusting leading down to—oh fuck—jeans he was, at that very moment, unbuttoning.
He hadn’t realized Griffin had put him on speaker until Griffin asked in a husky voice, “You gonna join me?”
Am I?
“I…uh…” Jeremy’s mouth hung open, his eyes bugging out of his head as Griffin slowly pulled the zipper down. Even over the speaker phone, it seemed like the sound echoed in Jeremy’s room.
Jesus, Jeremy, can’t you just give yourself this one night? You wanted a sign, didn’t you? He didn’t even have to leave his rental, and there was a gorgeous guy, standing in front of a window, pushing down his jeans—oh shit, those black briefs are so damn hot.
“So, is that a yes or a no?” Griffin stood there in his underwear, hands on his hips, and gave Jeremy that sexy half-smile that was quickly becoming addicting.
You can do this. Jeremy swallowed, his mouth so dry as he put his phone on speaker and set it down on the bed. He stood up and walked over to the nightstand, grabbing a bottle of water that was next to the store bag, spilling a little as he took several large gulps. He squeezed his eyes closed and took a deep breath. Who was he kidding? He wasn’t this guy, even if he was so incredibly turned on right now, he could hardly see straight.
“Hey…Jeremy?” Jeremy blew out another deep breath and shook his head as Griffin said, “This is supposed to be fun, but I don’t want you doing anything you don’t want to do.” The sincerity in Griffin’s voice let Jeremy know that he meant those words. He could walk away now if he didn’t want to do this.
But he did want to do it. He wanted this man so badly, even if he wasn’t physically touching him. Wanted a night to just let go, have some fun, throw caution to the damn wind. Still, he found it hard to say the words, so instead, he walked over in front of the window, released a deep breath and grabbed the hem of his shirt, and slowly pulled it over his head. His gaze dropped to the floor, feeling Griffin’s eyes on him.
He’d always been lean, and the fact that he was a runner helped him stay in shape, considering he wasn’t into going to the gym and working out in front of people. Now, there he stood, shirtless and so goddamn hard in front of a window—with a gorgeous man watching him. He’d never been so self-conscious or turned on in his life.
“Damn, Jeremy,” Griffin said. “Take off your jeans.”
His heart was pounding in his ears as he slowly moved shaky fingers to the button of his pants. He wasn’t even naked yet, and this was already the hottest moment of his life. He took one more deep breath after opening his jeans, hooked his thumbs in the waistband, and pushed them down. Please let me be wearing good underwear. God knows he’d had no reason that morning to pay attention to the ones he’d put on. He glanced down, breathing out a sigh of relief when he saw he was wearing red and blue plaid boxers, instead of Star Wars or Marvel. Just this once, with this man he’d only have one night with, he wanted to keep the nerd at bay.
Jeremy shyly glanced back up at Griffin. Seeing the lust on the man’s face, the way his eyes roamed up and down Jeremy’s body, he could imagine what it would be like to actually feel Griffin’s hands on him.
“Man, I wish I could touch you, but at the same time, not being able to is so damn hot.” Griffin moved his hand down over the bulge in his black briefs. It was hard for Jeremy to believe that he was the cause of the erection Griffin was currently rubbing.
“Yeah,” Jeremy whispered then immediately wanted to hit himself for his lack of smoothness. He wanted to come up with something equally sexy, but he’d never been good at normal, everyday conversations, never mind let-me-strip-for-you dirty talk.
“How about you take the wheel?” Griffin suggested.
Shit. “Uh…are you sure? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure I’ll drive us…you know…into a display of King Kocks. It won’t be sexy. Cocks everywhere.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he internally smacked himself, but when he heard laughter through the phone, he let out a soft chuckle.
Griffin cocked an eyebrow. “Cocks everywhere, huh? I don’t see a problem.”
Jeremy snorted, the tension easing from his shoulders. He wasn’t sure how Griffin kept managing to make him feel comfortable, but there was something about the man watching him. As the laughter faded, Jeremy felt his confidence building. This was something he wanted so fucking badly, and he refused to chicken out now. “Let me…” He cleared his throat. “Let me see you. All…all of you.” Okay, so his voice was a little shaky as he stammered, but he forced himself to hold Griffin’s gaze.
“With pleasure.” Griffin slipped his fingers into the waistband of his briefs, then he slid the black material down, his hard cock bouncing as he kicked them to the side. Griffin took hold of his dick, slowly stroking it.
“Holy shit,” Jeremy breathed out, reflexively licking his lips and rubbing his own erection. “Who needs a King Kock when you’ve got a Groping Griffin?”
Griffin barked out a laugh, his hand sliding to the tip of his cock, over the head, and back down. “You’re pretty funny, you know that?”
“I think you pronounced awkward wrong.”
Griffin’s hand slid back down his cock, and when it got to the tip, he released the long shaft and waved at Jeremy. Jeremy’s eyes jerked up, meeting Griffin’s, heat rushing to his face. Jesus, he hadn’t even realized he’d been staring at that long, thick cock, but who could blame him? It was amazing.
“Well? How ‘bout it?” Griffin asked.
“How ‘bout what?” Jeremy’s eyes were drifting back down, and he bit his lip as he zeroed in on that enticing dick.
Griffin gripped his cock right under the head, swiping his forefinger over the slit as he said, “An eye for an eye.”
Oh…duh, Jeremy. “Right.” Jeremy took a deep breath, and before he could chicken out, he quickly pushed his boxers down. He was so hard, his dick slapped back against his stomach.
“Shit, Jeremy…” Griffin’s voice was husky as his eyes traveled down Jeremy’s body. “You should see how sexy you look right now.”
Jeremy had no idea how to respond to that. He’d been called many things in his life, but sexy wasn’t one of them. He was breathing hard, on display for this man he didn’t really know, yet nothing could have torn him away. This was the closest thing he’d ever had to a one-night stand. “Y-you do, too.”
“Get the beads and put them on the bed,” Griffin instructed. Jeremy’s body was on autopilot—actually, Griffin was guiding this, and that was exactly what Jeremy needed. Someone to take control. To make the decisions. Everything in his life was so scheduled, so by-the-book. So…boring. But there was nothing boring about what they were doing…or what they were about to do.
Jeremy took a couple of shaky steps and grabbed the bag, dropping the bottle of lube on the bed, and then pulled the package of beads out. He tore at the box, cursing the company’s ability to make it nearly impossible to get the damn things out. Didn’t they know there was an urgency to sex? A gotta-have-it-right-now necessity? Okay, so Jeremy had never wanted
it so badly in his life, but now was not the time to dwell on his disappointing sexual past.
No, now was the time to get the damn package open.
The cardboard ripped, and the beads landed on the bed with a bounce. Jeremy tossed the torn package over his shoulder onto the floor, again getting a laugh from the other end of the line.
Ace’s words filtered through his hazy brain, and the stickler side of him groaned. “Shit. Be right back.” Quickly, he ran to the bathroom but didn’t give himself time to think or change his mind. After making sure the beads were clean, he raced back to the bedroom—and thank God, Griffin was still there by the window.
And then Jeremy just stood there, waiting for instruction like every movement he made suddenly belonged to Griffin.
That husky voice came through the phone again and ordered, “Grab all the pillows and prop them up behind you with your feet on the edge of the bed. Wanna see all of you.”
Jeremy gulped, his mouth running completely dry. He’d never done that before. Never let someone look at all of him. His pulse was out of control, his body wanting it so badly while it warred with the part of his brain that said this was crazy. This was for people braver than him, with more confidence than him.
“You still with me?” Griffin took a step closer to the window. “It’s just you and me, Jeremy. Can you see how hard I am for you? And I haven’t even touched you. If I were in that room with you now, I’d touch every inch of you. With my hands…my mouth…my tongue…”
“Jesus Christ,” Jeremy uttered. “How do you say those things so easily?”
“I go after what I want, and you wouldn’t believe how much I want this. Wanna see you let go, release all that tension in those stiff shoulders. Wanna see you come undone.”
He wanted that, too. It was like a craving, his mouth salivating. But how did he have this hunger for something he’d never had before? How was this one moment more exciting than any other in his twenty-five years? Because you never allow yourself to just let go. You never let yourself have things like this. How sad was that for a guy in his mid-twenties?