Houston

by Shaw Montgomery

  Eli shrugged, clearly not concerned with my frustration. “What? He’s into you. And barking those orders? Total Dom and you know it.”

  “He’s my roommate! He’s off-limits unless you want me living on your couch when he throws me out.” There were just so many ways it could go horribly wrong. “And he’s not into me, and not all bossy men are Doms.”

  I’d made that mistake before and wasn’t going to fall for it again.

  Eli huffed, giving me a look that said I was insane. “He had every one of us jumping and trying to hold back ‘Yes, Sir,’ even Dillon, and he isn’t even gay.”

  So Houston was hot when he was all in charge and bossy.

  “He thought you were nuts and making fun of him or something.” My stress level couldn’t handle drama at work and at home.

  Eli popped out one hip and wagged a finger back and forth dramatically, letting his inner queen out to play. “Honey, he didn’t even deny it. He knew exactly what I was saying. If he wasn’t at least familiar with the scene, he would have backpedaled so fast our heads would’ve spun. Happens all the time.”

  Maybe.

  Not that I was going to admit it. “You’re insane.”

  Eli smirked.

  “And turn down the camp. Roman’s not around to hear it.” I’d only seen Eli turn on the flamboyant stereotypical behavior when Roman was close enough to hear.

  It’d taken me entirely too long to figure that out.

  He shrugged. “I have to practice staying in character. It makes him fabulously crazy. Did you hear what he said earlier?”

  Unfortunately.

  Roman had gone storming past my office earlier, loudly muttering about the queen who couldn’t keep his dick under control enough to do a professional shoot.

  “No.” There was no way I was going to repeat that. If I didn’t know for a fact Roman was gay as well, I would have said he was homophobic. In this case, he was just Eli-phobic. Not that Eli was trying to help the situation any.

  “Let’s just say he’s on the edge of exploding, and I’ll get a new photographer soon.” Eli leaned against his car casually, but his smirk wasn’t as pleased as it had been. “Someone reasonable and not as judgmental.”

  Their fighting was entirely too passionate for him to be that nonchalant about the whole thing. Anger wasn’t the opposite of attraction, indifference was. And those two were nowhere near indifferent. Still, it wasn’t my place to say anything.

  “I’m sure…” I’d started to say that I was sure they’d work it out, but yeah, that wasn’t believable. “Your photos always turn out great. And the traffic to your blog has tripled in the last month.”

  People loved seeing Eli’s little comments about “that photographer” and the vague mentions that “he” didn’t think the outfit looked good enough. Every time Eli said that Roman even hinted that his reactions during a photo shoot weren’t professional, the blog went crazy defending Eli.

  Not to mention the sales of anything that Eli wore during one of their fiery photo shoots skyrocketed.

  And no one wanted to point that out to the two men until they’d figured their shit out.

  “My photos turn out great because I’m fabulous, and the clothes that they’ve been getting lately are top-notch.” He smiled, honestly excited then. “There are so many more options now than there were when I first started the blog. Back then, I had to find women’s stuff that I could make do with. Now there’s all kinds of panties and nighties that are designed for men. It’s incredible to see the changes.”

  “I’ll have to admit, I probably wouldn’t have noticed before, but since coming to work here, I know what you mean.” When I’d first started researching the company, I hadn’t expected the market for fetish wear and male lingerie to be such a growing sector.

  “I can’t wait to see how the new lines keep everything growing.” Eli's eyes lit up, and I could see the business mind that he tried to hide coming out. “We’ve got some great partnerships, and I think they’re going to work out fabulously.”

  Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about any of it. “Not my job, but you guys are doing great. You and Preston have put together a fabulous company.”

  Eli brought a finger up to his lips. “Shh.”

  Laughing, I shook my head. “Paranoid nut.”

  He grinned. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Okay, got to go.” He pointed at some of the guys who were waiting not-so-patiently. “I’ll see you on Monday. Have fun with the sexy roomie. I couldn’t have picked better myself. I’m very proud of you.”

  I had a feeling he’d be even more pleased if he knew Houston’s sexy secret—not that I was going to tell.

  I still wasn’t sure if it was something he discussed openly or kept quiet, but until he brought it up again, I wouldn’t say anything. It wasn’t quite an elephant in the room; it was more like sexy panties hanging from the ceiling. But either way, it was going to get ignored.

  Laughing, I called out after him, “You’re insane.”

  He grinned and gave me a little pose. “And you love it.”

  Grinning, I started heading for the building as everyone else drove away. I was enjoying getting to know them and really appreciated their help, but the peace and quiet were going to be nice—as long as things didn’t get weird between Houston and me.

  Had he just been ignoring the teasing comments from Eli and the group, or had he not understood what they were hinting at? I wasn’t sure which it was, or if I was being honest, which I wanted. Even simply being attracted to a roommate was a bad idea. When I tossed in everything else, it was a terrible idea.

  That didn’t mean it wasn’t tempting.

  As I went up in the elevator, I tried to push it out of my head. Houston was just my roommate. Nothing else.

  He couldn't be.

  Letting myself into the apartment, I saw Houston heading out of the kitchen and called out to him, “I hope they didn’t drive you crazy at lunch.”

  “No, it was fun.” He paused in the doorway. “And I don’t think I drove them nuts, either. Although I’m not sure if Eli liked me or not.”

  It almost looked like he was going to say something else, so I waited, but he must have changed his mind because he just shrugged. I wasn’t sure how to explain Eli’s odd behavior. Repeatedly throwing Houston and me together hadn’t been subtle. “He’s just Eli.”

  If Houston hadn’t seen what Eli was trying to do, I didn’t want to draw attention to it and make everything awkward. And if Houston noticed but didn’t know how to stop Eli’s meddling without telling me flat-out he wasn’t interested, I didn’t want to hear it either.

  That conversation would just be terrible.

  I’d rather live with the fantasy.

  Not that I was planning on fantasizing about my new roommate. Nope. No imagining what his sexy lingerie might look like or what he might do as a Dom. Bad idea. I was smarter than that. Or at least, I was going to pretend I was.

  I needed to get laid.

  Houston gave me a crooked smile and nodded. “I can agree with that. I’m just glad that your friends will be easy to have around. That hasn’t always been the case.”

  I got the feeling that Houston hadn’t necessarily had the best luck with picking people who lived with him. Hopefully, I’d break the pattern and not end up being another person who drove him nuts. “I’m not going to make things hard, and they're great, for the most part.” Just crazy and nosy. “So I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

  He nodded but clearly didn’t believe me. He seemed…guarded and distrustful, like he was ready for everything to go sideways and was simply waiting for the crash. Or maybe I was overthinking it. “Thanks for helping.”

  I was never this awkward. I couldn’t have been, or I’d never have gotten laid. I was going to start talking to him about the weather next if I didn’t get my shit together. It wasn’t like I’d never had a roommate. I understood how to get to know people. I’d flirted, and the women I’d
dated and had scenes with hadn’t thought I was a hopeless dork.

  Right?

  Them being in charge had probably helped things, but still…

  Hudson gave me another nod, his standard I-don’t-know-what-to-say move, evidently, and jerked his head toward his room. “I’ve got a few things I need to get done, then I’m going to head out to the gym. You’ve got keys, so just make yourself at home, and let me know if you need anything.”

  “Great. Thanks.”

  As he walked away, I pushed the stray thought that wanted to know what he would be wearing to the gym out of my head. Not. My. Business. Giving my head a shake to help clear the random images that wouldn’t go away, I tried to figure out the plan for the evening. Unpacking and organizing needed to come first. The room was big, and we’d already gotten most of it done, but I wasn’t sure I liked the layout.

  “Okay, caffeine and then tackle the room. Once that’s done, groceries.” I was hoping “make yourself at home” was also code for “Yes, you can use some of my coffee,” because I was going to need it. I’d been up too late the night before and too early that morning. Work had been great about giving me the day off, and even not scheduling a shoot so most of the guys could help me, but there’d still been some things that I’d needed to go in and do.

  For one thing, Eli had posted some candid shots that he’d taken in the mirror late the previous night, and I’d wanted to make sure the site was handling the extra traffic. Luckily, everything had stayed up and running. Even my brain—although I was never going to get the image of those panties out of my head.

  Not that I was feeling guilty.

  He’d been the one to text me a copy of the damn thing at eleven o’clock, along with a winking emoji that’d given me a two-minute warning he was going to be updating his blog. He was just lucky I wasn’t a Dom. Eli was a sub in desperate need of a spanking.

  “Cheeky little brat.”

  As organized as Houston was, it didn’t take long to find the coffee and get a pot going. Making a mental note to pick up more at the store later, I wandered around trying to think of what else I was going to need. I had several boxes in the bedroom full of kitchen stuff I hadn’t let the guys unpack, and I was itching to dig into them. It had been entirely too long since I’d been able to use them.

  I’d downplayed just how frustrating the last guy I’d lived with had been. It was probably some form of passive-aggressive behavior that I’d never understood, however, he’d all but marked every corner of the apartment to make sure I hadn’t gotten too comfortable in his space.

  Moving had never felt so good.

  Houston hadn’t given me the impression he would have the same problem. At least, not about the kitchen, considering half the cabinets were empty. From the little things he’d said over the burgers, he liked food, he just wasn’t really interested in cooking for himself. Doctoring up my coffee, I tried to think of a few things I could make that he might like.

  Not that I was trying to get him to notice me.

  We both had to eat, that was it.

  No fantasies of him throwing me down and fucking me senseless because dinner had been so good he had to have me right there. No dirty thoughts about being tied up as his slave. Nope. Nothing wicked or kinky over here.

  Just a sub who clearly needed to get laid.

  “Organize, groceries, bed.” Maybe even a cold shower.

  Carrying the mug down the hall, I’d just made it into the bedroom when Houston called from down the hall. “I forgot to give you your key to the mailbox.”

  Setting down my coffee, I missed the next part, but I thought he said something about grabbing the key and the gym. Thinking that he meant for me to get it before he left the apartment, I headed toward his room. Giving his partially open door a knock, I called out, “I missed that last part—”

  Shit.

  Houston was standing over by his dresser at the far side of the room, ripped muscles and sculpted back on display. He was naked. Almost naked. The bright blue panties that stretched over his ass were the only thing covering his body.

  The lace panels at the back skimmed over the top of his cheeks and left the lower part bare. The fabric wrapped around his hips, and I knew exactly how incredible they’d look from the front. His cock would be slid up one side, half-hidden and half-displayed, playing peek-a-boo in the naughtiest way.

  I knew exactly how they would look, because I’d seen them at work.

  However, I’d never wanted to kneel down and run my tongue over panties when Lane had been wearing them. Not that his ass hadn’t been great, but something about the way Houston looked made my mouth water.

  Houston cleared his throat, and I finally saw him watching me in the mirror. He was too close to the dresser for me to see anything below his waist in the front, but his stern expression and the way one eyebrow went up in a what-are-you-doing way had me trying to respond.

  “You said…and a key…and leaving…”

  Yup, I was a moron who couldn’t string a sentence together. Houston didn’t seem angry. His mouth turned up at one corner, and I had a feeling he was trying not to laugh at me. Finding my lack of brains funny was better than him getting pissed at me, though.

  “I said I’d get it for you when I got back from the gym.” His voice dropped low, and it sent a shiver running through me. I was clearly a naughty boy who hadn’t listened.

  Or maybe that was just the fantasy playing out in my head.

  “Oh. I’m sorry.” I probably should have moved, but in all honesty, it hadn’t occurred to me.

  He was incredible. Broad and strong, he seemed even taller undressed. I’d never thought I had a type when it came to men. Maybe I hadn’t thought about it enough, but if someone would have asked me even minutes before what I liked in a man, I would have probably given a fairly generic description.

  I’d always noticed the domination first. How a gaze could pin me to a spot and make my mouth water. How a look could make me want to kneel. At that moment, I knew the answer would never be that vague again. Houston had the same domination behind his eyes, but it was more than that.

  He was sexy and built, and I knew his touch would be firm and incredible, but the confidence and knowledge in his eyes were just as breathtaking. Houston knew who he was and what he wanted. It pushed me right back to the aggressive, dominant man who’d pulled open the door and told me he wore panties and wasn’t going to take shit about it from anyone.

  “Reece.” Houston’s deep, rough voice pulled me out of the fantasy that was weaving its way through my brain.

  “Yes?” My eyes moved back to his in the mirror, and I tried to remember what I was supposed to be doing.

  “Go pick up the key off the bed.” It took me a moment to make sense of the words that came out of his mouth. His lips were distracting; they were curled in an almost-smile that made me want to lean in and taste them.

  “The key?” It was familiar, but…

  He finally chuckled, and it pulled a low moan from me. “The key for the mailbox, boy. Go pick up the key off the bed. You’ve got about ten seconds, or I’m going to move away from this dresser and you’re going to get more than you bargained for.”

  Damn.

  Key. Key to the mailbox. “The mailbox key.”

  “That’s right. Go get it.” The laughter was still in his eyes, but there was also a thread of steel in his voice that had a shiver running down my spine.

  It took a moment to make my feet work. My legs were slightly rubbery, but they held me up while I walked across the room. Picking up the key off the comforter, I turned back to Houston. God, he was incredible. The muscles in his ass begged to be touched and worshiped—

  “Reece.” It wasn’t until his stern voice made me freeze that I realized I’d been walking toward him.

  “Yes?” Sir. I wanted to add it so badly I could almost taste the word, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t right. He was sexy and almost naked and using that rough voice on me—but he wasn�
�t my Dom, he wasn’t anyone’s Dom.

  At least, I didn’t think he was.

  “I’m going to change clothes for the gym, and you have things you need to be doing, don’t you?” Even as turned-on and distracted as I was, I realized he should’ve been a lot angrier with me. Furious. Steam-coming-out-of-his-ears upset. At the very least, embarrassed.

  I didn’t even question what I was going to say; everything came out automatically. “Yes. I have to unpack the kitchen boxes and get groceries, and I might move the furniture around in my room.”

  “You’re going to let me know if you need help moving anything. Is that clear?” The expression on his face made it obvious that it wasn’t an option.

  “Yes, Sir.” Again, everything was automatic.

  “Good boy. Go on, it’s time for me to get ready, and you don’t need to see the front of these.” His voice softened and that crooked smile came out again as I walked toward the door.

  As I paused at the door and glanced back, I just shrugged vaguely, his nearly naked body too distracting for words. I clearly needed more brains, and to get laid, that was the only excuse I had for what came out next as I walked out the door. “I’ve already seen them on Lane. I can almost picture exactly how you’d look in them.”

  Chapter 7

  Houston

  Lane?

  Who the fuck was Lane?

  I stood there watching as he walked out the door, absentmindedly shutting it behind himself as he left. He dropped one fucking bomb on me after the other, and then walked out talking about seeing someone named Lane in panties?

  What the hell had just happened?

  I stared into the mirror, watching the door like I was expecting it to open again any second, or as if it were going to start explaining the real meaning of what had occurred. Neither happened. Finally stepping back, I turned and leaned against the dresser, trying to catch my breath and get my dick under control.

  What. The. Fuck.

  Walking in unannounced I could get. He knocked. The fact that it pushed open was my fault. Him not even hearing what I’d said might even be my fault too. I’d been taking off my clothes at the time, and it could have gotten muffled.