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“Isaiah,” I say in greeting, amazed that my voice comes out sounding somewhat normal. “Nice to see you.”
Isaiah laughs, and it comes out deep as it rumbles. “Oh, Bear. ‘Nice to see you’?” he mocks me. “That’s really all I get? I thought we meant more to each other than that. I mean, you were in my apartment, after all. With your ex-girlfriend, no less. God, that was a good day.”
“Bear,” Otter says, sounding like the last remnants of his control are about to snap. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”
I could think of at least seven hundred things I’d rather do, but I don’t think I should say that for fear of making the situation worse. If Otter and Isaiah don’t let up their holds on me, I’m going to be covered in bruises tomorrow. And even though I know I’m completely devoted to Otter, part of me thinks that sounds fucking hot. I am not a good person, it would seem.
“Isaiah, this is—”
“Oh, you don’t need to tell me,” Isaiah interrupts. He lets go of my shoulder as he turns to Otter. “Let me guess, you must be Walrus?”
I groan.
Otter stands, pulling himself to his full height, which is impressive by normal standards, but standing next to Isaiah (who’s the same height as me) makes it all the more intimidating. Isaiah might be buff, but he’s still a dwarf compared to my man. And that look on his face is not a happy one; if I didn’t know Otter and he was glowering at me like that, I’d probably be shitting myself silly.
But Isaiah doesn’t look scared or intimidated; as a matter of fact, he looks strangely amused and impressed. “Holy shit,” he breathes. “You’re a big fucker, aren’t you? I’m sure you’re… quite the handful.” He glances down at me. “Why didn’t you say he was a fucking gorgeous behemoth?”
“I did,” I say, scowling.
“No, Anna said that. You said he was neat.”
“He is neat. Like, super neat.”
Wow, it muses , don’t lay it on so thick. You won’t sound believable at all.
“He’s the neatest guy I know,” I add.
“So you’re the guy that kissed my boyfriend, huh?” Otter says without a single trace of irony, ignoring my extolling his virtues completely.
“Ohhhh,” our audience exhales. Guy With Glasses and Beer Me immediately start to whisper to each other, Muscles Magoo just flexes his arms, Jordan And Mini Me glare at Isaiah like he’s the Antichrist (which, to be fair, he just might be), and David Trent looks like he’s enjoying himself far too much, and I want to reach over and karate chop that smug expression off of his face, but two things stop me: a) he’s my little brother’s teacher, and Ty is mad at me enough already; and b) I don’t know karate. Well, I kinda do, only because I’ve seen Enter the Dragon, like, seventeen times.
I’m sure I can be a quick study. If not, I can just keep practicing on David’s face until I get it right.
“A friendly peck among friends,” Isaiah reassures him. “He was looking a little sad that day, and I thought to myself, ‘Isaiah, old buddy, you gotta bring that smile back.’” He shrugs. “You gotta admit, Bear’s got a killer smile. I was just doing my duty for the world.”
Oh, Isaiah. Please, oh please, just shut your mouth.
“Are you for real?” Otter says incredulously, and I think that maybe I’m going to need to intervene in a moment because this is starting to get dangerously close to having two guys fight over me, and I think that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. In fact, a lot of my life seems ridiculous lately.
“Yes, Walrus. I am a real boy,” Isaiah smirks.
Otter’s had enough. I should have told Isaiah that while Otter might seem like the coolest cat in the room, there are certain things that can cause him to snap. Apparently the thought of Isaiah getting up on me is one of them. “Now you listen to me,” Otter says, his voice low and harsh. “You may be in the same classes as Bear, and for some reason that I don’t quite get, he seems to think of you as a friend. I’m not going to be that guy who tells the man he loves who he can and cannot hang out with. But do not mistake that for complacency.
I swear on everything that I have, if you ever try to touch Bear again, I will end you. If you so much as look at him like you’re noticing him in ways you shouldn’t, I will make your life so much of a living hell that you’ll wish you’d never tried anything in the first place. I am not a man you fuck with, and I will do anything to protect what’s mine.
You got me? Isaiah?” Then he leans down and cups my face in his hands, kissing me ferociously, his lips hot and harsh against mine, his teeth gnashing against my lips.
Be still, my beating heart.
Who says shit like that? Jesus fucking Christ, if I wasn’t already head over heels in love with him, I’d have fallen the rest of the way right now.
All I want to do is take off my clothes and spread myself out on the table to let that big fucker take me six ways from Sunday while having a tattoo artist signing Otter’s name across my forehead.
Beer Me says what we’re all thinking: “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” The rest of the boys agree. Even Isaiah.
“I can see that now,” he says slowly, as if trying to pick out the right words and having a hard time doing so. “And not because I’m scared of you in the slightest. Although, I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone ever threaten to end me. You sure know how to get a guy all hot and bothered, Walrus.”
“That’s not my name,” Otter barks at him.
