“No,” was all I said before leaving the room. I took my time cleaning up the mess in the hallway and living room and then went to the kitchen to make a sandwich. I snagged a bottle of water and made my way back to my bedroom. Something about knowing Lex was lying in my bed had little butterflies dancing in my belly. I had no interest in trying to figure out why that was, so I ignored the sensation.
That was my intention, anyway.
So much for intention…
Because the second I walked into my room, the first thing I noticed was what I could only classify as a shapely ass peeking out from beneath the comforter. My breath hitched in my lungs and my dick tightened painfully in my pants.
I was so stunned by my body’s reaction that I dropped the plate with the sandwich on it. The bottle of water slipped free too.
“Gideon?” I heard Lex ask in confusion as he turned over. Brewer was busy chowing down on the food I’d dropped.
But I didn’t care.
It’s because his ass resembles a woman’s. That’s all.
I repeated the argument over and over in my head even as my throat closed up tight.
“Gideon?” Lex repeated. There was a hint of fear in his voice. I was shamefully glad he couldn’t see me because I couldn’t pull my head out of my ass long enough to figure out what the fuck was going on. Lex sat up and began to push the comforter aside completely.
Terrified that my body would react to his very unwomanly frontside the same way it had his backside, I snapped, “Don’t get up!” When Lex flinched and fisted his fingers nervously around the comforter, I tried to gentle my voice as I added, “There’s food everywhere.”
There wasn’t because Brewer had gulped the sandwich down in a couple of swallows, but Lex wouldn’t know that. I felt like an asshole for lying to him and using his inability to see against him, but I needed to get a grip on my goddamn body that had suddenly gone completely haywire. “I, uh, need to, uh, go make another sandwich,” I murmured lamely as my eyes settled on Lex’s throat of all places. The sight of the definitive Adam’s apple should have had me running for the hills but all I could think about was what it would feel like beneath my fingers.
Jesus Fucking Christ!
“Back soon!” I practically yelled, then I turned so fast that I tripped over Brewer in the process. Luckily, I didn’t step on him but I did land hard against the doorjamb as I caught myself from falling.
I practically galloped to my bathroom and slammed the door shut behind me. I even locked the door behind me as if that would somehow keep the unwanted feelings away.
Hurrying to the sink, I turned on the faucet and shoved my hands beneath the icy water. I splashed my face once and then started scrubbing at my skin. The cold liquid seemed to settle some of the itchiness I was feeling and helped me catch my breath. But when I looked in the mirror, I let out a ragged laugh at what I saw.
My face was flushed red and my eyes looked wild. There was a cut where my hair met my forehead that had likely happened when Lex had inadvertently knocked me into the nightstand. The blood that had trickled down my face was gone, so I couldn’t blame my red cheeks on it. And the paltry injury couldn’t explain away the heat that was still radiating out from my belly.
Not to mention my still-hard cock.
“What the hell?” I whispered as I stared at myself.
I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to bring up the image of the pert little ass in the snug boxer briefs.
I knew what the problem was. With the minor head injury and the fact that I was still coming down from all the excitement, my brain had changed Lex’s backside into a shapely ass in a pair of women’s sexy panties. It had been years since I’d been with a woman, so my dick was naturally reacting to the possibility of getting some action.
Yeah, that was it.
What else could it have been? It wasn’t like I was actually attracted to a man.
There was an uncomfortable niggle in my stomach, but I ignored it and forced out a breath. “Idiot,” I said to the mirror. “Overreact much?” I asked myself before turning off the water and leaving the bathroom. I felt more in control but that little niggle wasn’t going away.
I went back to the kitchen and made another sandwich before returning to my room. Thankfully, Lex had his front to me rather than his back and most of his body was covered by the comforter. His eyes were open and he had one hand resting on Brewer’s back. The big husky was leaning heavily against the bed.
“Gideon?” Lex asked when I entered the room.
“Yeah, it’s me,” I said. My voice sounded almost normal, so I gave myself a mental high five. I snatched the bottle of water off the floor and set it and the sandwich down on the nightstand. “Do you mind if I check your blood sugar again?”
Lex shook his head and dutifully held out his finger. I made quick work of testing his blood and was relieved to see it looked relatively normal. “I made you a sandwich. Turkey on whole wheat. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yes, thank you,” Lex murmured.
I handed him the plate, making sure he had a good grip on it before releasing it. Brewer eyed the plate hopefully but didn’t make a grab for the food.
As Lex took a bite from the sandwich, I grabbed the nearby chair I usually tossed my clothes onto each night and dragged it over to the bed. Lex jumped at the sound.
“Sorry,” I automatically said.
He shook his head. “No, it’s not your fault. I’m just… I’m not used to sounds just happening, I guess.”
His words made sense. How often did sighted people take for granted things like that? If he’d been able to see me, he would have known I was going for the chair and the sound wouldn’t have seemed to come out of nowhere.
I sat down and began looking through his little black shaving bag where he kept his testing supplies. “I’d like to test your blood sugar in about half an hour again and if it’s getting back to normal, I think you can start on the insulin again before dinner.”
Lex didn’t answer me, so I looked up. He was staring at his sandwich, but I doubted he was intentionally trying to look at it. It was likely just in his line of sight. “You okay?” I asked. I almost reached for his hand before I caught myself.
Lex nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
His politeness irritated me because it was so damn robotic. Where was the rude asshole from the day before? Hell, I’d even take the terrified young man who’d begged me not to tell anyone about what he’d done. At the moment he was too numb and that was a very dangerous thing.
I reminded myself that it wasn’t my problem and began pulling items out of his bag. Maybe I’d give Mr. Parnell a heads-up that his latest tenant seemed a bit under the weather and he could reach out to Lex’s family or something. I’d promised not to tell anyone about the note, but no way would I just sit around and let the man off himself.
As I sorted through his bag, I kept glancing his way. I told myself it was to evaluate his mood, but my eyes would always find some little part on his body that seemed to stand out. Like the curve of his jawline or the way he’d chew on his lower lip just a little between bites of food. And that Adam’s apple was like a goddamn beacon now that he was eating. I was mesmerized by its up and down journey every time he swallowed.