Chapter 12

Anthony

“Fuck,” Andi says with a long gasp. “That’s hot.”

Joey whimpers when I break the kiss and my teeth scrape over his bottom lip.

Two things run through my head simultaneously. One: I’m so fucked. Jon is going to kill me. Two: If he’s going to kill me, I might as well make it worth it.

I fight the urge to force him to stand so I can drag him to a less-crowded area of the house and do very explicit things to him. Things with my hands, and mouth, and all my skin touching all of his skin.

The four others in the room have fallen silent, so quiet in fact I’m sure I can hear Joey when his throat gulps on a swallow.

“Fuck me,” I mutter as I stumble back a few steps.

His dark hair sifts through my fingers and they all but burn when the last strand falls loose.

With bright eyes staring up at me, he grins before covering his mouth with his palm. I can still feel his mouth on mine, and I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing.

“I love that idea, Tony, but I expect dinner first.”

I can’t stop the strained laugh that erupts from my lips. If my cock wasn’t hard before, it sure as shit is now.

“I’ll buy you dinner first, baby,” Dave hollers from the living room.

“We just ate.” I go rigid at the sound of Jon’s voice. “But we can grab something on the way to the Tavern later, I guess.”

Glancing at Joey one last time, I almost groan when I see his fingers tracing his lips. I can feel the tip of his index finger as if it’s tracing the head of my dick.

Jesus.

I have no fucking clue what came over me. With the taunts and suggestive teasing, it took every ounce of my power to keep my cock from standing up at his recommendations.

Coughing, I turn and adjust myself as I rejoin the guys in the living room.

Andi and Joey are whispering, but I can’t make out the words. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. Do I leave?

Act like nothing happened and wait for one of the guys to spill what just happened?

Do I confess my sins to Jon and ask for forgiveness?

Definitely not the last thing because I’m not fucking sorry it happened, but I just outed my damn self to every single one of them.

Catching Dave’s eye, I look away quickly, but not before I see him shaking his head in disappointment. He warned me. He told me all about the rule, but fuck if I didn’t feel like the backlash was worth it when it was happening.

The game continues, and I do my best to act normal, but it’s damn near impossible with my blood rushing through my body, all too aware that Joey is only a couple of feet away.

“Go!” Cooper screams as an Astro batter knocks one deep and begins to circle the bases.

I’m not even paying enough attention to know who the player is. Dave eyes me again when my reaction is less enthusiastic than it was earlier.

The next batter is struck out.

“Fuck,” Jon grumbles as he leaves the living room. “You guys want a beer.”

I decline. “I’m driving.”

I question whether I’m already too drunk to make the right decisions with what has happened already tonight, but I can’t blame the kiss on two beers.

“Where are Joey and Andi?” Jon asks as he walks back in.

“Probably braiding each other’s hair,” Cooper says as Jon hands him a fresh bottle. He gives me a pointed look. “Or gossiping about us guys.”

“You know what that means?” Jon looks over at Dave. “None of that HGTV bullshit later this week.”

“But it’s the second part.” Dave frowns, clearly disappointed at Jon’s declaration. “Last week was a cliffhanger.”

“You can come over man.” Jon shrugs and takes a long swig of his beer. “I’ll be at the Tavern.”

I narrow my eyes at Dave. After what he told me at lunch yesterday, I’m not very comfortable with him being here unsupervised with Andi, add in the comments he’s made about Joey, and I’m doubly wary. I know it makes no sense. I know I have no right to even feel that way. What? One hot as hell kiss with a dick grab in the conference room and one fucking stolen kiss that’s probably going to land me in a gutter somewhere behind the Tavern, and I’m ready to piss a circle around his leg?

“Ladies’ Night,” Cooper says with a hoot as he and Jon clink beer bottles.

“What do you say, Anthony?”

“Huh?” I pull my glare from Dave’s smiling face and look at Jon.

“Ladies’ night on Thursday? You down?”

“Naw,” I reply. “Picking up girls in a bar really isn’t my thing.”

Guys on the other hand? Perfect place to snag a quick fuck. At least it was my senior year in high school.

They all stare at me like I have three heads.

“What?” I ask when they continue to gawk at me.

“So where do you pick girls up?”

I huff a laugh. I’m not going to tell them I haven’t deliberately sought a chick out in over a year, but I’m also not one to brag and bring my bedroom business out in front of a room full of guys, straight guys I might add. My momma taught me better than that.

“I met my last girlfriend at the post office.”

“Nice,” Cooper praises. “The grocery store is a great place to meet chicks.”

Dave nods his agreement. “The frozen food section in particular. Those chicks are all lonely and looking for attention.”

Jon rolls his eyes. “And that way of thinking is why you’ll be single for the rest of your life.”

“Hey,” Dave groans. “My dad met my mom in the frozen food section.”

Cooper chuckles. “You just said your mom was a lonely, desperate chick.”

“You aren’t allowed to even mention my fucking mother,” Dave hisses at Cooper before turning his eyes to Jon. “There’s a damn rule!”

Wow, this escalated quickly.

“Cooper,” Jon warns.

“Sorry,” he mutters before turning around and facing the TV again.

I want to ask so badly, but this doesn’t seem to be one of the lighthearted, fun-loving rules we’ve talked about in the past. This one carries serious anger. I file it away for later because I’m too damn nosy for my own good.

“Giles is taking the mound.” I nod toward the TV as the Astros send out their closer.

The distraction works, and when the game is over the tension in the room seems to have dissipated with the Astros’ win.

“You sure about heading home?” Jon asks again as the commentators talk about the highlights and he gathers empty beer bottles.

Cooper and I grab our trash we couldn’t be bothered with earlier and follow him to the kitchen.

“I think I’m going to head to the house. I’ve got a couple of hours of work in the morning.”

“You don’t get paid extra for showing up on Sunday,” Dave says. “You only get comp time when they call you in to fix someone else’s fuck up when they’re about to miss a deadline.”

Did Joey tell him about my overtime activities?

“Had a meeting that ran over yesterday on the Felding project,” I explain. “Don’t want to have to deal with it Monday morning.”

“Good man,” he says with a clap on my shoulder. His grip gets tighter as he urges me toward the door when Jon goes to grabs his keys.

Flinching away, I glare at him.

“I fucked up,” I hiss. “I know I did. It won’t happen again.”

“Damn straight it won’t.”

I can’t tell if his tone is angry or disappointed, but I don’t like either scenario. He brought me into this group, warned me away from Joey, and I just slapped him in the face this evening with that amazing kiss.

My lips tingle again at the memory.

Glancing back, I look down the hall one last time, willing Joey to poke his head out of wherever he and Andi disappeared to. I have a horrible feeling deep in my gut that I won’t see him again after one of the guys spills what happened to Jon.

“See you at work on Monday,” I mutter and walk out.

It’s rude leaving without saying goodbye or thanking Jon for his hospitality, but sticking around after I violated his rules would be a shit move, too.

By the time I climb in my truck, I’ve almost convinced myself to turn back and thank him, but I notice all the guys piling into Cooper’s truck and then backing out.

I could go tell Joey thank you for dinner or dig my grave just a little bit deeper and kiss him again. Nothing has ever sounded like a better idea in my life. But, I know Andi is in there with him.

I wave at the guys when they back out and drive past my truck with a honk. Conceding to my fate, I crank my truck and put it in drive. I watch his house disappear in my rearview mirror, not even paying attention to the road in front of me.

“It was just one stupid kiss,” I mutter.

Two kisses and a dick grab, my brain reminds me.

That I just happened to feel all the way to the soles of my feet both time, I argue.

Somehow I make it to my house without even remembering the twenty minute trip across town. When I make it inside and have a tall glass of scotch in my hand, I fall onto my couch.

I lied tonight. I don’t have shit to do tomorrow.

Clicking on the TV, I’m disappointed in myself because I know it’s the first lie of many if I continue to hang out with Dave’s friends.

It won’t happen again.

Another lie.

I’m already thinking about my lips on his again, and I can’t fucking wait.