Page 65 of If the World Was Ending

Hunter was sure Ford cared too, but he didn’t add that to the conversation. He didn’t want to even acknowledge Ford’s existence right now. “And what name have they branded you with?”

“Baby girl. Sunshine. The cute one. The puppy,” Colby muttered like he was repeating harsh insults, and Hunter laughed. “Shut up.”

He kept laughing, and Colby grew frustrated, then shrugged off his jacket and let it drop to the floor. He slipped out of his shoes, too. “I’m glad my uncool, childlike social media aura is hilarious.”

“Aura?” Hunter repeated and shook his head. “Who are you and what have you done with my unaffected and blissfully ignorant roommate?”

Colby paused as if he were actually thinking about that rhetorical question. But he didn’t respond. Instead, he tilted his chin at Hunter. “You gonna stay a while?” Hunter nodded. “Then lose the coat. And shoes.”

Dutifully, Hunter unbuttoned his coat and slipped out of it. He walked by Colby to drape it over the small armchair in the corner by the window, but Colby hooked his arm as he passed. Hunter turned his head so he and Colby were staring at each other over their shoulders.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Colby confessed, his voice low and soft.

“Me too.”

“I want to kiss you,” Colby whispered, like it was a dirty little secret.

“Nobody’s stopping you.”

It was crazy and insane, but it was a truth Hunter felt in his soul. Hunter wanted Colby to kiss him right now because he wanted to kiss Colby back. What the hell that meant was complicated and terrifying. Hunter’s brain was tripping over a thousand different deep thoughts about his life, his sexuality, everything he thought he knew about himself as he turned to face his best friend, and Colby closed the distance between them. It was one thing to vaguely accept the concept of liking men. It was an entirely other thing to crave one with every part of your being. This kiss, craving it, inviting it, felt like an acceptance of a new version of himself. One he wasn’t allowed to be.

Suddenly they were chest-to-chest. Colby tilted his pretty little head and leaned into Hunter, who didn’t pull back. He just closed his eyes. Colby’s lips ghosted Hunter’s, a chaste, soft brush. And then, more firmly, they pressed against Hunter’s lips and… everything shifted. Hunter’s entire plane of existence was suddenly new, uncharted, but very, very inviting… welcoming. It felt like he was home.

Hunter cupped the back of Colby’s head, and he opened his mouth just enough to offer an invitation, which Colby accepted. Colby’s tongue pressed against Hunter’s and his cock jerked in response behind his fly. God,fuck, Colby’s lips were as soft as they looked, Hunter realized, and he felt relief. The whole fucking kiss felt like relief. Like he’d been holding something heavy on his back forever, but it was suddenly gone.

Colby was a feral kisser, wild and dominant, which was weird because Hunter always thought of him as mellow and almost shy. Turned out Colby Keaton was a gentle spirit with a slutty mouth. Colby pulled back from the kiss, sucking hard on Hunter’s bottom lip as he did, his teeth grazing the delicate flesh, and Hunter was on fire from the inside out.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Colb,” he hissed when he got his lip back. He could barely open his eyes enough to look into Colby’s, but he tried. “Do it again.”

Colby smiled and then claimed Hunter’s mouth once more. They made out, standing in the middle of that petite hotel room until their lips were swollen and their skin chaffed from each other’s stubble. It was like nothing Hunter had ever experienced. And not a single second of it was weird, awkward, or insane. Even though the whole fucking thing, on paper, was nuts. Finally, as Colby’s mouth moved to Hunter’s jaw, Hunter whispered, “Are you as hard as I am?”

“Harder,” Colby panted against the shell of Hunter’s ear.

“Liar.”

“Grab it. Find out for yourself.”

“You’d like that.”

Colby’s laugh danced across Hunter’s cheek. “More than fucking anything.”

Hunter laughed too and palmed the front of Colby’s jeans. “Fuck. Yeah, okay. You win.”

Colby mimicked the action and pressed his hand to the front of Hunter’s pants. “I’d call it a draw.”

Hunter angled his mouth over Colby’s again. God, kissing him was so fucking good. Why? How? He loved kissing, in general. And he’d had some great ones with women. This was… like that but with a dude. His best friend. Maybe that’s what made it hot? That they were each other’s closest friend.

“Let’s get naked and suck each other off,” Colby suggested.

Hunter started undoing Colby’s fly.

Moments later, Colby tumbled onto the bed, trying to get his pants off his ankles. Hunter dropped down beside him, completely naked, and laughed as Colby struggled. “Don’t laugh, help!”

Hunter propped himself up on his elbow and wrapped a hand around Colby’s dick. It was leaking, and so hard it looked painful. He gave it a stroke, and Colby swore under his breath. “Not helping.”

“So I should stop?”

“I didn’t say that.” Colby finally got his left leg free and fell back onto the bed. God, he needed to come so fucking badly it was like a fever he couldn’t shake. Hunter tried to bend and get his mouth on Colby’s dick, but Colby pushed him back. Not because he didn’t want it, Hunter could tell, but because he was going for Hunter’s cock with his own mouth.