I manage to get out of the bedroom without waking Aldis. After I use the bathroom, I make my way down the hallway toward the kitchen, stopping briefly outside of Thorne’s room, surprised to hear him snoring inside as well.
Thank fuck, I hate when he tries to do a climb when he hasn’t been sleeping. It’s fucking dangerous. My heart thunders anxiously just thinking about what could happen to him, slight dizziness swamping me at the thought of him slipping and falling off the side of a fucking mountain.
Jesus. I rub my hands over my face to clear the images and then busy myself making a pot of coffee. Hopefully, he found a climbing buddy for today.
Once the coffee is finished, I’m still the only one awake, so I decide to kill a little more time by making some breakfast. I pull everything I’ll need for scrambled eggs out of the refrigerator, including veggies to add in. But before I finish getting that ready, I decide I should really make sure it’s a nice, big breakfast, so maybe some steaks to go with the eggs.
The next thing I know, the counter is a mess, and I’m wondering if I would be better off ordering us something. But ordering food isn’t a distraction, and I need a distraction this morning because last night I had a fantastic fucking date and now I don’t have the first clue what comes next.
Fuck.
I stop frantically moving around the kitchen and lean against the cluttered counter. What happens next? Are Aldis and I going to start seeing each other regularly? Is waking up all cozy and wrapped up in him going to become a common occurrence? Are we just going to push each other to perform like beasts at the gym and then come home and spend more time together?
My throat tightens. That sounds really fucking nice, actually. But what about Hawthorne? It was only a week ago that I was fretting over the idea of him marrying Jess and losing everything we have together. How will me getting serious with Aldis be any different?
As soon as Thorne started dating in high school, I lived in fear of the day our relationships would eventually pull us apart and ruin this good thing we’ve spent our whole lives building. It was always inevitable, but now that we’re nearly forty, it feels even more so.
It’s not like I’m going to completely lose him. We’ll always have the business. We’ll always be best friends, right? Maybe it’s okay for things to change a little.
My heart squeezes painfully, and I rub my chest to try to ease the feeling.
“Mm, a fucking killer body, fantastic in bed, and he cooks?” Aldis’s flirty tone yanks me out of my spiral, and I whirl around to find him sauntering into the kitchen—dressed, thankfully.
Usually, when I’m having one of my trusty morning-after panic attacks, seeing the guy only makes it worse. It’s why I put an end to casual hookups years ago. When I used to indulge in them from time to time, I would rush the guy to the door before the cum had a chance to dry on my skin. But the teasing smile on his mouth, the easy way he swaggers over to me, cages me in against the counter and drags his nose along my throat…the last thing I want him to do is leave.
I grab a fistful of the front of his shirt, tilting my head to the side to give him more of my throat, and he presses a trail of hot kisses there, a happy hum vibrating from his mouth and along my skin.
“There’s coffee,” I tell him, even as I tighten my grip on his shirt, hoping he won’t stop just yet.
My cock thickens and throbs, my whole body thrumming from his closeness, my panic from a minute ago a distant memory.
“Oh yeah, talk dirty to me,” he jokes, nipping at my pulse point. I chuckle and then moan, grinding my erection against his through our underwear.
A throat clears, and my eyes pop open. Hawthorne is standing in the doorway to the kitchen, looking more than a little uncomfortable, his eyes cast away from us. Is he freaked out seeing me making out with a guy who clearly slept over?
Aldis stops kissing me, looking up much slower, completely unconcerned about being caught getting a little frisky right next to all the breakfast ingredients. He grins at Thorne, and for a second, I could almost swear my best friend is blushing.
That’s odd.
“You’re not leaving just yet, are you? I’m about to make breakfast, so you won’t spend the whole day climbing on an empty stomach.”
Aldis steps back to give me some more space, and Thorne finally comes the rest of the way into the kitchen, still avoiding fully looking at me.
“We can stay and have breakfast first,” he says.
“We?” I repeat.
“I’m going climbing with him today,” Aldis explains.
Um, what?
Chapter Six
Hawthorne
“How did this happen?” Bowen asks. He’s stirring breakfast, but I see the tension in his shoulders. I guess I should’ve cleared it with him first.
“Turns out your roomie keeps the same weird night hours I do,” Aldis says, sliding his arms around Bowen’s waist from behind. “You don’t mind, do you, baby?”
My stomach tightens, watching the obvious affection Aldis has for Bowen. What if this is the guy who finally locks him down? Will I be okay with that? I rub my forehead. Why the fuck am I actually thinking like this?
“Of course I don’t mind,” Bowen says unconvincingly. “I was just surprised.”
“We learned last night that we have this in common.” I grab a coffee cup. “So Aldis is joining me today. You’re more than welcome to come.”
Bowen shoots me a playful glare. “Haha. No thanks.”
“You sure?” Aldis asks. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you all trussed up in a harness.”
Bowen tilts his head back to see Aldis, his cheeks blushing as he says something too softly for me to hear. Aldis responds with a kiss on Bowen’s lips. There’s something so intriguing about watching them together. Like I can’t take my eyes off them even though watching makes my stomach do flips.
“I hope you two have fun,” Bowen says, his eyes meeting mine.
“I’m sure we will,” Aldis says, smacking Bowen’s ass. “Word to the wise, Hawthorne, I’m very competitive.”
Bowen snorts. “Oh god. You two are going to be dangerous together. You haven’t met competitive yet.”
I grin, leaning against the counter while Aldis lifts an eyebrow.
“A challenge,” he says. “I like it.”
He excuses himself for the bathroom, leaving Bowen and me alone. “You’re okay with this, right?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“He’s your guy.”
“You’re not fucking him.” Bowen meets my eyes, and I swear my cheeks turn pink. “I’m glad you have someone to climb with. I don’t like when you go alone.”
“I know. He seems cool. You must like him.”
“I do.” Bowen faces me, taking the pan off the heat. “He’s pretty awesome.”
“I’m happy for you. You deserve a good guy.”
“Thanks. I can have dinner ready for you guys when you get back.”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about.”
Smiling, Bowen rubs my arm. “You doing okay though?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. It was the right thing to do.” As I hear my own words, the truth in them settles in my chest. It’s been easy, almost like nothing happened. I guess that says a lot right there.