“Why wouldIneed it?” Nicko huffs, holding out his glass to Oliver, who’s pushed himself to his feet.
“You know our rooms are on the same floor, right?”
“Duh? What’s your point?”
“Just saying, I know exactly when it’s really quiet over there.”
“Uh, we have tosleepsometimes, asshole!” Olli and Nicko squabble all the way to the kitchen, where he refills our glasses and gets a third one for himself.
“This should have alcohol in it.” He sighs when he sits down again, but I’m already blending him out, my mind busy with the implications. I might not needGay Sex for Dummies, but even when I was with Colin, I automatically openedKeeping Noahfor guidance.
I nod to myself, flinching when Olli grins at me.
“You agree, huh? Maybe those football players left some of their booze.” He eagerly jumps up again.
“Youwant alcohol in your drink?” Nicko gapes at me.
I take a sip of my still alcohol-free peach tea. “Maybe it’s time to be a little wild.” I grin, snorting when he laughs like I’ve made a joke, when, secretly, I absolutely meant it.
Linden, June 16th
Icluck my tongue at Lila when she tries to climb into the water bowl I just refilled. Her little legs wiggle in the air as I lift her so I can add some ice cubes to the water. She promptly skedaddles back to the bowl as soon as I’ve set her down, splashing her sister, Violet, who grumbles over the inconvenience.
I laugh and scratch behind her little ears. “Did your pretty fur get wet, hm, little diva?” I use my shirt to rub her dry, smiling when she shakes herself off right after. I could sit and watch them for hours, but others need attention too. Before I get up, I dig through the pocket of my jeans to pull out the treats Nicko gave me.
“Here you go, cuties,” I tell the little dogs, making sure that they each get an equal amount. “Nicko sayshiand that he’ll come and take you for a walk before he goes on vacation.”
Chewing slowly, Violet tilts her head, as if she’s considering every word—then sniffs my hands for more treats. I give her another scratch under her chin before unlocking their pen to check on the pittie next door. I sit with Muffin for a while. He’sstill scared, but by the end, he sits next to me and even takes the treat from my hand. I allow my mind to drift while he chews.
Tonight, the Nook will be empty. I’ve already texted as much to Micah. It’s sooner than I expected, which makes my nerves tingle with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. Anticipation, because I want to justget to it. Anxiety, because I’m scared tonight’s the night Micah figures out I’m a fraud and calls the whole thing off. Maybe even tells me what an asshole I am.
I shake that thought off and move on to refill more water bowls, sweep the floors, brush out our hairier tenants, and then start on hosing down the outside area.
“Still hot as balls, huh?” The sudden question makes me flinch, but I smile at Barbara, the pound’s vet, anyhow.
“Yeah, so tempting to just step under there.” I nod at the spray of the hose.
She laughs, then gestures to take over from me. “Go on and get out of here. I'm sure there are better places to be during your summer break.”
“But,” I protest weakly. I’d rather have work to keep my mind occupied than sit around at home, wondering if showering and reading the same chapters of a romance novel over and over is enough preparation. Not that that’s all I’ve done in the last few days. But the advice columns I read went on and on about trust and taking things slow before they’d describe the basics, so I started to feel personally attacked.
Barb laughs again and makes a shooing motion with the hose, sprinkling both of us with a drizzle. “Go! Have fun! Be young!”
After the heat of Noah’s mouth, the gel felt freezing against his skin, dragging a hiss out of Owen.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Noah rumbled, pressing his lips against the back of his neck.
“I’ll forgive you if you hurry up and fuck me.” Owen craned his neck so he could look at his lover. He raised a brow, feigning composure even as he shuddered under the intensity of Noah’s dark eyes.
“Love it when you boss me around,” Noah laughed, rubbing his fingers against Owen’s entrance. The muscle quivered, the firm globes tensing in anticipation. “Relax, baby,” Noah purred. “I'm gonna make you feel so good.”
“Y-you always d—”
The audiobook’s whisper is silenced abruptly as I turn off the car’s engine, parking my truck next to Olli’s Chevy. For a moment, I’m tempted to turn my keys again so I can finish the scene, but seeing his car in front of the Nook pulls me out of the moment.
I thought Olli would be gone, since he made a big deal out of doing some extra work to amend his fuck-up with Professor Fiore. Then again, Olli often keeps odd hours, sometimes studying through the night and sleeping all day, so maybe he’s waiting out the worst of the heat before heading to campus.
At least I hope that’s his plan, because while I am nervous about later, I don’t want to take a raincheck on Micah. I doubt I can play it cool a second time. Even if I have no expectations, it’s hard to rein in my fantasies knowing it’ll be Micah I’ll touch, kiss—
